Dystopic scenarios in film, television, and fiction are stunningly popular, with stories of technological control (Black Mirror), hellish playscapes (Westworld), and sexual enslavement (The Handmaid’s Tale), gripping our collective imaginations. How do we understand dystopia’s popularity in terms of our current political moment and cultural obsessions? How do these stories illuminate not only our fears of totalitarian regimes but also our own complicity in systems of power and oppression? Finally, what is pleasurable, exciting, and potentially liberatory about these stories? What are we hoping to see and why can’t we look away?

We are fortunate to have Prof. Schlossberg travel from Cambridge to visit us, and we invite all alumni in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area to join us on the evening of Thursday, March 21st to meet her. For many Harvard alumni, this will be a unique opportunity to feel like you're stepping back into Sever Hall or Barker Center!

This program is made possible by the Harvard Alumni Association's Speakers Bureau Program.

Professor Linda Schlossberg

Linda Schlossberg serves as Assistant Director of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at Harvard University, where she teaches courses in literature and creative writing. She is the author of the novel Life in Miniature and the co-editor of Passing: Identity and Interpretation in Sexuality, Race, and Religion. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications, including McSweeney’s, Conduit, and Post Road. Schlossberg was the recipient of a 2019 Somerville Arts Council/Massachusetts Cultural Council Fellowship, as well as the 2016 Emerging Writer Fellowship from the Writer's Center. She is currently completing a feminist dystopian novel.

Additional Details

Light refreshments will be served for the reception.

• 7:00pm Doors Open for Pre-Reception
• 7:30pm Lecture + Q&A
• Advance registration required (see below)

Getting There

Thanks to Rideback, we are offering a special 25% discount off Lyft rides to and from Rideback Ranch. The discount will be valid from 5pm to 11pm. 

Enter LINDAHARVARD into the promo section of your Lyft app
for 25% off up to 2 rides to and from Rideback Ranch.

Street parking is available. Please allot time to find parking so we can begin Prof. Schlossberg's talk promptly at 7:30pm.

Special thanks to

Adrian Ashkenazy AB '96 and Petit Ermitage
Dan Lin MBA '99 and Rideback

Members & Friends

Purchase tickets   $15.00 Members & Friends