John Dos Passos Society Webpage

The John Dos Passos Society is proud to announce its 2026 biennial conference in Ponta do Sol, Madeira Island, Portugal, at the John Dos Passos Cultural Center (JDPCC), which is adjacent to the Dos Passos ancestral home.

We invite abstracts for twenty-minute presentations dealing with any aspect of John Dos Passos’s life, works, and/or professional relationships. Comparative approaches are also welcome.

For consideration, please send an abstract of 250-300 words and a brief CV to conference organizers Bernardo de Vasconcelos and Rosa María Bautista-Cordero at givascob@staff.uma.pt and rosa.bautista@uam.es by February 1, 2026. The conference language is English.

The conference registration fee is 175 euros for full-time scholars and 130 euros for graduate students and the general public. The registration fee includes the following:

1. One-year John Dos Passos Society membership;
2. Lunch on the first day of the conference and coffee breaks;
3. Tour to selected spots of the island of Madeira;
4. Certificate of participation.

Graduate students may apply for a travel grant by sending a short letter of motivation and their full paper to the conference organizers by March 15, 2026. Grants will be awarded to recipients after the conference.

About the venue
The JDPCC, nestled in the heart of the village of Ponta do Sol on the southwest coast of the island, grew around the Villa Passos, built in the first half of the nineteenth century and part of the village’s historical heritage. The house belonged to the family of Manoel Joaquim Dos Passos, John Dos Passos’ paternal grandfather, who emigrated to the United States in 1830. John Dos Passos's father, John Randolph Dos Passos, visited it in 1905, and Dos Passos himself visited it with his wife, Elizabeth Hamlin Dos Passos, and his daughter, Lucy, when in Madeira in July 1960.

Getting to Madeira
Funchal, Madeira’s capital city, is very well connected to mainland Europe with direct flights from most countries and capital cities.
If you are flying in from the US, you have multiple options. TAP Air Portugal flies direct to Lisbon from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and a few East Coast cities (Miami, Washington DC, Boston and New York (Newark)). United Airlines also seems set to start their direct flights from New York (Newark) to Funchal as from May 16, 2026 (a little earlier than the IATA Summer season). And, of course, you have multiple other carriers flying to European capital cities and, from there, to Funchal.

Accommodation
We have two sponsoring hotels for the conference – the Enotel Group @ Enotel Sunset Bay (Ponta do Sol, 4* - https://www.enotel.com/enotel-sunset-bay) or Enotel Magnolia (Funchal, 4* - https://www.enotel.com/enotel-magnolia) and Estalagem da Ponta do Sol (Ponta do Sol, 4* - https://www.pontadosol.com/). Hotel accommodation in Madeira, either in Ponta do Sol or Funchal, must be made separately by participants.

For reservations at Enotel Sunset Bay and Enotel Magnolia a promocode will be provided to participants once their papers have been accepted. This code grants a 20% discount, not combinable with any other current campaigns or offers, and is applicable to all accommodation types and board options at Enotel Sunset Bay and Enotel Magnólia. The promotion shall be valid for reservations made up to May 19th, for stays between May 20th and 23rd, 2026, inclusive.

The Estalagem da Ponta do Sol Hotel offers 25% discount on their standard rate to conference participants.You should email info@pontadosol.com for your reservation and refer that you are participating in the John Dos Passos Society’s conference in order to check availability and get the discount. The hotel also offers a 15% discount on additional meals.

Social Program
Besides the day tour on Saturday, the 23rd, we have planned a closing Gala Dinner on Friday, the 22nd, at the Jardin Magnólia (https://jardinmagnolia.pt/en/) and a day cruise (https://www.portosantoline.pt/en/one-day-cruise/) to the smaller island of Porto Santo on Sunday, the 24th.

Important dates
Abstract Submission Deadline: February 1, 2026
Notification of Acceptance: February 28, 2026
Graduate Student Travel Grant Deadline: March 15, 2026
Registration Fee Deadline: April 1, 2026
Payment for Optional Gala Dinner (65 euros): April 1, 2026
Payment for Optional One Day Cruise to Porto Santo (around 60 euros): April 1, 2026