2026 Thomas R. Watson Conference in Rhetoric and Composition

Event Details

In 1995, Dr. Thomas R. Watson made a transformative gift to the University of Louisville English Department, endowing a conference in Rhetoric and Composition and a visiting scholar program. Thanks to his generosity and vision we are able to create a sustained space where the field's most pressing questions can be explored through genuine collaboration.

Now in its third decade, the Watson Conference has become one of the discipline's signature events — a place where new ideas are not just presented but built together.

Watson 2026 is designed around collaboration and community. Each workshop invites participants to spend three days engaging in conversation, developing publications, digital projects, and scholarly resources. Past conferences have produced edited collections with leading university presses, special journal issues, and digital archives that continue to influence the field of Rhetoric and Composition.