Fandom Meets Academia at GFU’s Eclectic Texts Conference
Reported by Audrey Grice
Illustrated by Mia Baukol
Why can’t we hold a conference dedicated to a pop culture icon? This question sparked an innovative idea in Jessica Hughes, chair of the English Department at George Fox University (GFU), and a team of enthusiastic undergraduate students. Their goal? Host an academic conference centered on the multi-faceted phenomenon known as Taylor Swift.
“It was one of those things where we were like, ‘can we actually pull this off?’” Hughes recalled. Upon reaching out to a few students known to be Swift fans, she found them eager to jump on board.
In the fall of 2023, Hughes, along with fellow faculty member Holly Shelton and students Emmy King, Lydia Engel, Claire Ahlem, Madelyn Farnham, Brigitta Andreas, and Hughes’ daughter Abigail Hughes, began the extensive planning process, along with the help of English Department student workers Arabelle Bruner, Nathan Goodman, and Estelle Adamson. For over a year, this dedicated team worked diligently behind the scenes to bring their vision to life, culminating in the first annual Eclectic Texts Conference (ETC) at GFU on October 25 and 26.
The conference was a resounding success, featuring nearly forty academic essays, three keynote presentations, and over 120 attendees. Topics ranged widely, from “Feminism and Paving the Way for Other Artists” to “Taylor Swift as a Socio-Religious Phenomenon”. Wesley Brewer, a junior English student at GFU, expressed how the conference broadened his understanding of a topic he would not have previously explored.
“I’ve learned a lot more about Taylor Swift because I don’t really have much knowledge about her,” Brewer shared.
One of the planners, Arabelle Bruner, also an English major, recounted her experience presenting at the conference. “The presentation itself went well, and I think the audience was very receptive. They engaged me with questions afterward that I had a lot of fun answering. It inspired me to look deeper into my topic,” she said.
Most of the papers presented were from undergraduate students, which Hughes intentionally designed to provide them with a firsthand experience of academic presentation. The response was overwhelmingly positive. “It exceeded my expectations,” Hughes noted. “I was so proud of our students and the work that they produced, and I heard that from many attendees.”
Bruner echoed Hughes’ sentiments, stating, “It was definitely an educational experience. It’s great to bring a pop culture icon into an academic setting.” As a long-time Swiftie, Bruner appreciated how the conference merged fandom with scholarly discourse seamlessly. “Over half the registrants were not students at Fox. It attracted a lot of different people,” she remarked.
With such a successful inaugural year, students and faculty are excited about the future of the conference. Hughes envisions the ETC becoming a signature event for GFU and other Christian colleges throughout the Pacific Northwest. “We’ve had one good year; now we just need to build,” she said.
Brewer echoed this enthusiasm for returning next year, saying, “It will be interesting to see what new conversations are brought up in the next research papers.”
Next year’s theme will be “The World of Jane Austen,” celebrating the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth. Attendees can look forward to an “Austentatious Ball,” where they will learn reel dancing and enjoy dressing in period costumes.
“I want this to be one of those things that no one else is doing that is super cool and that people like enough that they're coming with their students,” Hughes concluded. “I want to be the person who’s throwing the biggest party.”