Buffalo & Erie County Central Library (1 Lafayette Sq. – map) | 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Join us for the full festival day as we reflect on how residents of WNY can support the vital, fact-based research and investigative reporting necessary for maintaining collective life in our neighborhoods, cities, and other experiments in democracy. The day includes talks, roundtables, workshops, and opportunities to connect with like-minded lovers of the arts and humanities.
Schedule
(subject to change)
9:30 a.m. | Registration/Check-in Open
10:00 a.m. | Welcome
10:15 a.m. | Session 1
Roundtable: The Value of Local Journalism [Central Meeting Room – 2nd Floor]
- Juan González, Co-host, Democracy Now
- David Butler (He/Him), President, Buffalo Niagara Proud Alliance
- Alberto O. Cappas, Publisher, Buffalo Latino Village
- Dan Higgins, Enterprise Editor, The Buffalo News
- Selena Pham, Communications Director, M.U.V. Magazine
- Adam Smith-Perez, Urban Affairs Reporter, Investigative Post
- Moderator: S.J. Velasquez, Director of Audio Strategy, Buffalo Toronto Public Media
11:30 a.m. | Break
11:40 a.m. | Session 2
Lynching and Generic Transformation in Recent American Literature and Culture [Ring of Knowledge – 1st Floor]
Jennifer Ryan-Bryant, Professor, Department of English, Buffalo State University
Moderator: Hawa Saleh, Ph.D. Student, English, University at Buffalo
Democracy, News Coverage, and Ideological Perceptions of Politicians [Atrium Meeting Room – 2nd Floor]
Jay Wendland, Professor, Department of Political Science, Daemen University
Alex Lumanog, B.A. Political Science (’26), Daemen University
Moderator: Crystalina Peterson, Ph.D. Student, History, University at Buffalo
Remembering to Forget: a new framework for dementia [Gallery Conference Room – 2nd Floor]
Juan Carlos Zaldivar, Professor, Department of Media Study, University at Buffalo
Moderator: Marc Isaacs, M.A. Student, Indigenous Studies, University at Buffalo
Roundtable: Future of Journalism [Central Meeting Room, 2nd Floor]
- Grace Cole, Managing Editor, The Record, Buffalo State University
- Katie Dusza, Managing Editor, The Griffin, Canisius University
- Mylien Lai, Editor-in-Chief, The Spectrum, University at Buffalo
- Andrew Nowel, Editor-in-Chief, The Griffin, Canisius University
- Marcus Ramos, Editor-in-Chief/President, The Record, Buffalo State University
- Kaden Zhong, Arts Desk Editor, The Spectrum, University at Buffalo
- Facilitator: Allison Siehnel, Assistant Teaching Professor and Director of Journalism Program, Department of English, University at Buffalo
12:50 p.m. | Lunch
1:30 p.m. | Session 3
From Margins to Center: The (D)evolution of Mainstream News Coverage of Conspiracy Theories [Ring of Knowledge – 1st Floor]
Carrie T. Isard, Associate Professor and Chair, Communication & Media Studies, Niagara University
Moderator: Chijioke Ngobili, Ph.D. Candidate, History, University at Buffalo
Authoritarianism in Turkey: Understanding “Authoritarian Upgrading” [Atrium Meeting Room, 2nd Floor]
Dersu Ekim Tanca, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science and Director of the International Relations Program, Canisius University
Moderator: Artie Patel, Ph.D. Student, English, University at Buffalo
When the story breaks: exploring the impact and consequences of news media [Gallery Conference Room, 2nd Floor]
I’Jaz Ja’ciel, Multimedia Journalist, Buffalo Toronto Public Media
Moderator: Zachary Clausen, Ph.D. Candidate, Comparative Literature, University at Buffalo
2:40 p.m. | Break
2:50 p.m. | Session 4
Who Broke the News, and Can We Fix It? [Ring of Knowledge, 1st Floor]
Yini Zhang, Associate Professor, Department of Communication, University at Buffalo
Moderator: Cora Sommer, Ph.D. Student, Global Gender and Sexuality Studies, University at Buffalo
Hidden from the Headlines: Food, Hunger, and Kindness Behind Bars [Gallery Conference Room, 2nd Floor]
Veronica L. Horowitz (she/hers), Associate Professor, Department of Sociology & Criminology, University at Buffalo
Moderator: Jean-Luc Pierite, Ph.D. Student, Indigenous Studies, University at Buffalo
Panel: Alt-Media [Central Meeting Room, 2nd Floor]
- Christopher Fritton, Editor, Lake Rats Dispatch
- Heather Gring, Rare Book Curator, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
- Julie Setele (they/them), User Experience and Outreach Librarian, E. H. Butler Library, Buffalo State University
- Moderator: James Coughlin, Ph.D. Student, History, University at Buffalo
4:00 p.m. | Break
4:15 p.m. | Closing Session
The Front Line of the First Amendment [Auditorium, Lower Level]
Adam Zyglis, Editorial Cartoonist, The Buffalo News
Moderator: Christina Milletti, Interim Director, Humanities Institute, University at Buffalo
