Enslaved Readers and Performers in the Greek and Roman Worlds

Date: Friday, February 27, 2026
Time: 3:30–5:30 p.m. EST
Format: In-person
Location: Center for Hellenic Studies, 3100 Whitehaven St. NW, Washington, DC 20008

On Friday, February 27, 2026 from 3:30 to 5:00 PM participants in the workshop “Reading from Below: Enslaved Readers and Performers in the Greek and Roman Worlds” will gather to share the results of two days of collaborative reading and thinking about the intersection of slavery and Greco-Roman reading practices. This workshop will offer invited participants a platform for re-examining ancient literary texts with explicit attention to the enslaved or low-status readers (e.g., lectores and lectrices) who performed these texts aloud. During the plenary session, teams of participants will present their readings and lay the groundwork for public discussion of the challenges and opportunities that arise from prioritizing the experience of non-elite readers in the hermeneutics of Greek and Roman studies.

This plenary session is open to local scholars (e.g., faculty and graduate students) with prior registration. Following the plenary session, the CHS will host a dinner for workshop participants and in-person attendees.

You may register for the plenary session with this RSVP form.

Speakers

Katie Dennis (University of Madison Wisconsin)
Tom Geue (The Australian National University)
Chiara Graf (University of Maryland)
Joseph Howley (Columbia University)
Niek Janssen (Amherst College) 
Miriam Kamil (Stanford University)
Talitha Kearey (University of St Andrews)
Christopher Londa (Philipps-Universität Marburg)
Nandini Pandey (Johns Hopkins University)
Irene Peirano Garrison (Harvard University)
Patrice Rankine (University of Chicago)
Ryan Warwick (Haverford College)

Banner Image

Sarcofago milano by Fontema [CC BY-SA 4.0] via Wikimedia Commons.

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