2026 Digital Symposium

The year's theme, titled Illuminations, is meant to consider the ways in which we foster knowledge-making through reflective means in writing and text-production—specifically by using creative modes/mediums to illuminate our learning—even when we feel uncertain about the greater purpose of a work. It is meant to embody how many students might feel as they take courses in the English department.

Poster advertising the Digital Symposium with the title "Illuminations." In the middle, there is a female marble statue and her arms are holding up a laptop that reads "Digital Symposium." Surrounding the statue on either side, there are different styles of illustrated lamps.

Our featured projects cover a range of courses, from college composition to courses in the major. While our ENC curriculum introduces students from every discipline to the foundational power of digital remix and reflection, our courses in the major deepen this practice through a sequence that encourages professional and creative curation. Across general education and the English major’s different tracks, digital tools serve as a common thread that has the potential to transform coursework.

ENC 2135: Research, Genre, and Context, a course that many students take within their first year at FSU, begins with students exploring a topic that piques their interest. Students then remix these projects into different genres. At the end of the semester, students curate ePortfolios that are meant to end in reflection, shining a light on what can be learned from composing across different mediums. Likewise, many courses in the Editing, Writing, and Media major encourage students to work with multimodal forms more deeply including critical photo essays, videos, and websites. Creative Writing students often play with form using visual and auditory elements to bring new depth to their work. Literature, Media, and Culture students are often given an open creative option for final projects, as a way to encourage creative, introspective artifacts to reflect back on their semesters.

Computer screens are, quite literally, illuminated through light. Digital tools, as our students demonstrate, also have the power to illuminate many means of learning. As writers in a digital age, we illuminate our learning through multimodal forms that were once considered unconventional. When we feel stuck, we know that we can use digital learning tools as ways to work through our thinking processes.

Who is the statue at the center?

Illustrated statue of a woman holding up a laptop. The woman is Lampetia and she is the muse of digital expression for the symposium.

Lampetia for the 2026 Digital Symposium

Concept by Sophia Ziemer

Illustrated by Gwynevere Castro

Who is our bright, gallant statue holding together this year’s symposium? Meet Lampetia (Lam-PET-eeh-YA)–yes, that is her name and it means “bright light.”

Where did Lampetia come from? We believe her to be the long dormant tenth muse, not of elegy, or tragedy, or another ancient art, but of digital expression.

Named Lampetia, this figure serves as the 'illuminating light of expression' for this year’s symposium. Originally inspired by classical forms, she has been reimagined by Sophia Ziemer and Gwynevere Castro to hold a laptop—a bridge between traditional artistry and the triumph of digital design. Lampetia represents feminist digital practices, symbolizing both the literal illumination of our screens and the figurative enlightenment found through the digital projects showcased this year.