Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA) 2026 draws inspiration from the abundant waters of Michigan, nestled between the Great Lakes and East Lansing. It invites proposals that bring together rivulets of thought, connecting science fiction, place, and the flows of information which bridge them. From polluted rivers to speculative ecologies, from Indigenous futurisms to climate fiction, this conference seeks work that examines how imagined worlds are carved by the motion of waters, the transition of power, and the stories we tell. 

Science fiction has long served as a seedbed for hope, critique, and transformation, but seeds alone are not enough. They must be nurtured. This conference asks: what kinds of futures do we cultivate, and who tends them? From where will we draw water to nourish these hopes?