The Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference
Register now!
September 24-27, 2026
Early Bird Registration is now open for The Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference.
Journey into the heart of Oregon's Willamette Valley and experience the unforgettable Undiscovered C.S. Lewis. Learn from amazing keynotes, enjoy world-premiere theatrical productions, and connect with 250 scholars with shared passion for the wisdom, wit, and wonder of one of Christianity's most profound thinkers.
Tickets can be purchased online by clicking here. Questions? Fill out our Contact Us form, and a member of our team will respond promptly. Early Bird Registration ends March 31st.
Highlights from the 2024 Conference
In 2024, The Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference debuted as the world’s largest academic conference dedicated to C.S. Lewis, with six keynote lectures, nearly a hundred papers, two theatrical plays, and more. Participant statisfaction was near-perfect 9.51 out of 10. Enjoy highlights below and view the conference program here.
Call for Papers
Scholars are invited to submit anonymized proposals of 300 to 500 words by March 31, 2026. Proposals should be for 20-minute papers in one of the six categories of our general theme “the undiscovered C.S. Lewis”:
- historical studies that set Lewis in his own time,
- reassessments that question, contest, reaffirm, or clarify previous interpretations of his work or biography,
- comparative studies of Lewis and other thinkers and writers,
- [re]assessments of Lewis’s work in light of our contemporary situation,
- explorations of his lesser-known material, and
- presentations of previously unpublished material by Lewis.
Proposals not specifically focused on Lewis but advancing scholarship on other Inklings or related writers are also welcome.
As a public-facing academic conference, we invite papers that are scholarly but accessible to a wider public audience. Submissions are welcome from scholars at every career stage, and limited scholarships (free conference registrations) are available for students and independent scholars with accepted papers.
Email submissions for peer-review consideration to undiscoveredlewis@georgefox.edu by March 31, 2026. Please anonymize your submission. Questions or inquiries prior to submission regarding the suitability of works may be directed to Dr. Jason Lepojärvi, jlepojarvi@georgefox.edu.
2026 Keynote Speakers
Cursèd fate that gave thee to the Moore? Mrs. Moore in Lewis's Life and Works
Dr. Michael Ward (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is an associate member of the faculty of theology and religion at the University of Oxford and professor of apologetics at Houston Christian University. He is the author of the award-winning and best-selling Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis (Oxford University Press) and of After Humanity: A Guide to C.S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man (Word On Fire Academic, 2021); he co-edited The Cambridge Companion to C.S. Lewis (Cambridge University Press) and presented the BBC television documentary, The Narnia Code. He played the role of Vicar in the film The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis. In real life he is a Catholic priest, assisting at Holy Rood Church, Oxford, alongside his work as an academic.
The Undiscovered J.R.R. Tolkien
John Garth is the author of Mythopoeic Award winner Tolkien and the Great War as well as Tolkien at Exeter College and The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien (together published in 18 languages). He contributed to the Blackwell Companion to J.R.R. Tolkien, the 2018 Bodleian exhibition book Maker of Middle-earth, and The Great Tales Never End: Essays in Memory of Christopher Tolkien. He has spoken on Tolkien at major museums, libraries, and universities in the US, UK, and across Europe; and his articles have appeared internationally in leading news and cultural media. He is writing Tolkien’s Mirror, on the impact of major 20th-century crises on The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion.
When Science Becomes Apologetics: Lewis's Most Overlooked Strategy
Dr. Alister McGrath (DPhil, University of Oxford) was born in Belfast in 1953, and won a scholarship to Oxford University in 1971 to study the natural sciences. Although he was an atheist on his arrival in Oxford, he discovered Christianity, and quickly realized the importance of C.S. Lewis as a travelling companion on the road of faith. McGrath served as Professor of Historical Theology at Oxford, before becoming Oxford's Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion in 2014. He published an award-winning biography of Lewis in 2013, and will be publishing a major monograph on Lewis's views on science and religion with Oxford University Press in March 2026. Note: this lecture will be delivered via video recording.
The Trouble with the Trilemma: Lewis's 'Liar, Lunatic, or Lord' Argument
Dr. Leslie Baynes (PhD, University of Notre Dame) is professor of New Testament and Second Temple Judaism at Missouri State University. Her Between Interpretation and Imagination: C.S. Lewis and the Bible has been lauded as “easily the best book yet written on Lewis and Scripture” (Michael Ward), “a marvelous study” (David Bentley Hart), and “a captivating read” (Mark Noll). The author of numerous scholarly works in her primary field of biblical studies, she has served as an Inklings Project Fellow with the University of Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute and as a translator for the New American Bible Revised Edition, the official translation of the Roman Catholic Church for liturgical use in the United States.
C.S. Lewis in France: The Untold Story
Dr. Anne-Frederique Mochel-Caballero (PhD, University of Amiens) is an associate professor in English literature at the University of Picardie Jules Verne in Amiens, France. Her PhD explores gender relations in the works of C.S. Lewis. Her research focuses on fantasy literature, gender issues, and the intersection between literature and theology. She has published on C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, Madeleine L’Engle, J.K. Rowling, and Margaret Atwood. Lately, she has been working on C.S. Lewis and his relationship with France. She is also the creator and a host of the first-ever podcast on C.S. Lewis in French, “Derrière la porte de l’armoire” (“Behind the Wardrobe Door”).
Inklings on Abortion: Barfield vs. Lewis?
Dr. Landon Loftin (PhD, Faulkner University) teaches for Gravitas: A Global Extension of the Stony Brook School. Before becoming a teacher, he served as a hospital chaplain and liaison to the hospital’s medical ethics committee. Earlier still, he and his wife assisted in the founding of a home for previously-trafficked girls in Ghana. He has co-authored an introduction to the work of Owen Barfield called What Barfield Thought, for which he and Max Leyf won the Barfield Literary Estate’s Award of Excellence. He is the editor of a forthcoming volume of essays called Chesterton and the Philosophers. At present, he is conducting research for a book that is provisionally entitled Owen Barfield: An Intellectual Biography.
Theatrical Productions
Tickets are included in the conference registration fee, but are also available for purchase by the general public on the George Fox Theatre webpage.
WORLD PREMIERE
T.S. Eliot and C.S. Lewis in Conversation
Literary giants. Philosophical opponents. Brothers in Christ.
From the creators of Lewis & Tolkien: the Baptized Imagination (premiered at the 2024 Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference) comes a new play about the relationship between two of the 20th century’s greatest Christian writers. A medievalist and a modernist, they saw the world through vastly different lenses. Yet, Lewis and Eliot shared a hard-won faith, strikingly similar experiences, and perhaps even a late-blooming friendship. Exploring the letters, meetings, and writings of these two seminal thinkers, this play brings C.S. Lewis and T.S. Eliot into profound, engaging, and fruitful conversation.
PRIVATE SCREENING
Leaf by Niggle
Richard Medrington
With permission from the JRR Tolkien Estate, conference participants will be treated to a private screening of Richard Medrington's one-man play, Leaf by Niggle, performed as part of the Puppet State Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Transportation and Lodging
The Portland International Airport (PDX) is the closest airport to George Fox University's Campus.
The drive from the airport is approximately 35 miles and typically takes an hour. Shuttles like Hillsboro Airporter and Portlandia Shuttle Service can be reserved in advance. Rideshares like Lyft and Uber are plentiful.
The Yamhill County Transit Area provides bus service within the city of Newberg, and connections to the TriMet bus service that serves the greater Portland area.
Hotels:
The Holiday Inn Express is the closest hotel to campus (walking distance) and has a hotel block of $140/night that can be secured here: Book the Newberg Holiday Inn Express.
The Best Western is also walking distance.
The Fairfield Marriott Inn & Suites and Alison Inn are two upscale options, although car transportation or allowing time to take public transit is recommended.
Since we are nestled in Willamette Valley Wine Country, AirBnbs and other short-term rentals are plentiful. We recommend booking these options early, as Autumn is peak harvest season.
Questions? Fill out our Contact Us form, and a member of our team will respond promptly.
Support scholarships for students and independent scholars!
If you would like to support the C.S. Lewis Initiative's mission of furthering student-led endeavors, curriculum enhancements, community engagement, and scholarly research and conferences, please consider donating here.
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