LPP’s Virtual Event Takes Place Oct. 22-23 and is Free to Attend
New York, NY — September 3, 2026 — Faculty, scholars, activists and others have partnered with Lived Places Publishing (LPP) to facilitate a virtual conference to explore how human identities – race, gender, ability, culture, and more – shape the way people live, work and connect. The inaugural Intersectional Lived Experiences Conference, which will take place October 22-23, 2026, is free to faculty, librarians, students and anyone who wishes to learn by registering at https://livedplacespublishing.com/conference.
“Lived experience is an important form of knowledge that can deepen traditional scholarship and even transform how we view and understand the world,” said Conference Chair, Dr. Joseph “Joe” H. Hancock II, who is a Professor at Drexel University in both the Department of Design and the Department of Communication. Hancock serves as LPP’s Fashion and Personal Style Studies Collection Editor and hopes to soon be launching another area. “By bringing people together to share research and ideas, we aim to help build a more knowledgeable, inclusive, and empathetic society.”
The conference sessions align with many academic disciplines including Disability Studies, Queer & LGBT+ Studies, Education Studies, Gender Studies, Carceral Studies and others. Sample sessions include the following:
- “Perspectives of Racially Minoritized Youth with Disabilities on Addressing Ableism and Other Forms of Discrimination,” presented by Janice Phonepraseuth and colleagues from the University of Toronto, McMaster University, and the University of British Columbia.
- “Teaching Culture Through Participation: Experiential Learning, Identity, and Belonging in the Classroom,” presented by Anne Cecil of Drexel University.
- “Nobody’s Student: Education, Incarceration, and the Intersectional Erasure of Court-Involved Youth,” presented by Kimberley Nolan of Northeastern University.
- “Exploring Sense of Belonging among Neurodivergent Students,” presented by Mollie Rubinstein of Rowan University.
- “Beyond the Language: How Academia Perpetuates the Politics of Silence,” presented by Precious Gauthier of McMaster University
“LPP is proud to be the sponsor of this inaugural conference to support the development of research that does not always find abundant outlets such as this virtual conference led by Dr. Hancock, conference executive director,” said LPP Co-founder and Publisher, David Parker.
The complete conference agenda is available at https://growth.livedplacespublishing.com/conference2026. For more information please contact Dr. Hancock at Joseph.Hancockii@gmail.com.
About Lived Places Publishing
Lived Places Publishing offers concise, lived-experience course readings written by professors and scholars across fields including Black Studies, Forced Migration Studies, Disability Studies, Latinx Studies, Carceral Studies, Artists Studies, Queer and LGBT+ Studies, Emergent Entrepreneurship, Fashion and Personal Style Studies, and Social Work. Its library collections are available under a DRM-free, perpetual access model with no ongoing fees and full ebook interlibrary loan.
Media Contact:
Marty Mullarkey
marty@livedplacespublishing.com
