Geneva College is hosting its third annual Orality and Literacy Conference on March 26-27, 2026, with this year’s focus on “And the Life of the Soul.” 

Practitioners, faculty, and students are invited to submit thoughtful studies of the connections between the work of Walter Ong in Orality and Literacy and The Presence of the Word and the way that words shape the life of the soul. 

One of the conference organizers, Jonathan Watt, PhD expands on the choice of conference theme. “Interest in spiritual matters runs across different kinds of Christianity, as well as in other religions. Our conferences draw a diversity of people who come from different countries and faiths. The conference committee members are hoping that we can engage differing interests and voices, this year with an eye toward the ways orality and literacy have played vital roles in spiritual experience, especially for those in the Judeo-Christian tradition.” 

Written words and spoken words address us differently in spirit. Different religious practices and traditions privilege the written word over the spoken word with dramatic differences in how humans understand the religious experience. As media scholars have observed, the book tends to individuate experience whereas a speech produces a sense of corporate belonging and affinity either for or against what is being said. 

Such questions are what panelists are encouraged to address at next year’s conference. The gathering will consider how human interactions are formed and cultivated depending on a bias for written or spoken words. Most importantly, we will investigate how this bias shapes our understanding of what is true, and how the desire to know truth mirrors the deepest longings of the soul. 

All proposal submissions for Geneva’s Orality and Literacy Conference: And the Life of the Soul should be addressed to Jonathan Watt at oralityconference@geneva.edu. Proposals should be submitted as a Word document or PDF and include a 300-500 word abstract, a bibliography, and any A/V equipment needs. Author identification must be removed. 

Proposals must be submitted by December 27, 2025. 

This year’s featured speakers include Andrew McLuhan, director of the McLuhan Institute, and T. David Gordon, recently retired professor of religion and Greek at Grove City College. The Orality and Literacy Conference is sponsored in part by the Lilly Foundation. 

The conference will be held at Geneva College, 3200 College Ave. Beaver Falls, PA 15010. More information on registration pricing and lodging: https://www.geneva.edu/events/oralityliteracy. For questions, please contact Jonathan Watt, PhD, professor of English at jwatt@geneva.edu. 

By Reagan Shields ‘26