The 2026-2027 Syracuse Symposium, themed "DREAMS," engages the idea through storytelling, film, music, activism and cultural tradition. The Syracuse University Humanities Center's fall programming explores how dreams shape memory, identity and the futures we imagine for ourselves and our communities.

Dreams have occupied a central place in human thought for as long as people have tried to make sense of themselves. 

Perhaps that is because dreams seem to be replete with symbolism, wisdom and truth-telling. They can manifest ideas, generate visions, reshape memory, draw on emotions and offer glimpses of future selves. They can be hopeful or harrowing, taking shape as nightmares as often as inspiration.

Across disciplines and eras, dreams have functioned as a shared language for hope, memory and transformation. Sigmund Freud built a foundational theory of the unconscious mind on the idea that dreams reveal hidden desires. Centuries earlier, Shakespeare filled "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with enchanted visions that blur the line between waking life and illusion. More recently, songwriters including John Lennon to activists like Martin Luther King Jr. have referenced dreams as a way of imagining a better world into being.

“Dreams are tied to premonitions, divination, political movements, and social change,” notes Vivian May, Humanities Center director. “We invite our community to join us in “dreaming” together about a more just and beautiful world.”

Explore the forms dreams may take in events ranging from a Hmong author's collective memoirs to an experimental film built from the scant archival record of a freedom seeker's escape from enslavement in Syracuse, from a quinceañera scholar's exploration of coming-of-age ritual to a choral celebration marking America's 250th anniversary.

Syracuse Symposium events are free and open to the public.

Fall Events

Sept. 24 | 6-7:30 p.m.

Seeds in a Rapid River: Kao Kalia Yang's Collective Storytelling

SUNY Upstate Medical University hosts author Kao Kalia Yang, whose collective memoirs incorporate sung Hmong poetry, storytelling and visual art. Her stories show how creative, embodied practices remake home and belonging in the wake of war and displacement and in the face of the discrimination and material hardship that often accompany resettlement.

Oct. 1 | 4-5:30 p.m.

Accessible Play: Imagining the Future of Inclusive Gaming

Co-organized by faculty in English and the School of Education, this interactive lecture features victoria l. braegger (Missouri University of Science and Technology) and Brian A. Smith (Columbia University), whose research focuses on accessible and inclusive game design.

Oct. 14 | 4-6:30 p.m.

The Archive Is a Dream Machine: A Workshop in Speculative Archival Research

Tamika Galanis leads a hands-on Urban Video Project workshop in which participants produce short films and spoken word pieces to construct narratives through a process akin to dream work.

Oct. 15 | 6-8 p.m.

Dream Deep Enough to Remember: The Films of Tamika Galanis

Urban Video Project's screening of short films by Galanis includes the experimental "By the Skin of Her Teeth," inspired by scant archival evidence of Harriet Powell's escape from enslavement in Syracuse in 1839.

Oct. 19 | 4-5:30 p.m.

Digital Sanctuaries: Where Joy and Healing Intertwine

Desmond Patton explains how engaging youth as collaborators and storytellers can bring technology into the realm of human connection and co-creation to foster well-being. Rather than being passive consumers of technology or "red-flagged" as at-risk, students are positioned as agents of change, using digital tools to craft new futures.

Oct. 22 | 6-8 p.m.

Beyond the Dress: Quinceañera Dreams and Cultural Identity

Acclaimed author Yamile Saied Méndez explores how the quinceañera tradition shapes identity, family, memory and belonging across generations. La Casita hosts this conversation on the coming-of-age ritual, with a celebratory reception.

Oct. 23 | 10-11:30 a.m.

The Work of Being Human Together

Author-activist Kelly Hayes draws on their experience as an organizer, movement educator and storyteller to inspire other world-changing work we can dream into existence. This talk complements the current Special Collections Research Center exhibition, "We Demand! A Legacy of Activism in America."

Oct. 23 | 3-4 p.m.

Meet the Scholar Coffee Hour: Activist, Author and Educator Kelly Hayes

Syracuse University students, faculty and staff are invited to network and converse with Hayes over coffee about their own interests, experiences or scholarly inquiry related to activism. Space is limited; RSVP recommended.

Oct. 24 | 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Storytelling in Protests and Direct Actions

Hayes has photographed—and trained—thousands of activists and participants in direct actions. Syracuse University Libraries' Special Collections Research Center hosts a workshop with Hayes for those engaged or interested in pursuing similar work. Registration required.

Nov. 15 | 4-5:30 p.m.

We Hold These Truths: A Choral Celebration of America's 250th

The Malmgren Concert Series presents an afternoon of music that reflects the nation's enduring ideals, evolving identity and shared aspirations, featuring the voices of Ensemble Sonora, Syracuse University Vox Salina, the Spirit of Syracuse Chorus, the Syracuse University Oratorio Society, and singers from Nottingham and Liverpool high schools.