Binghamton, Montreal, Chicago, and Online Talks and Workshops Spring 2026
- Kevin Van Meter
- Apr 14
- 3 min read
Updated: May 13
SPRING 2026 TALKS AND WORKSHOPS
A few upcoming talks and workshops with more dates and details forthcoming.
May 2nd and 3rd
Upstate Anarchist Book Fair in Binghamton, NY
Using Workers’ Inquiry to Organize and Fight the Boss!
Join Anastasia Wilson and Kevin Van Meter at 1:30PM on Sunday May 3rd for this workshop and panel to participate (read full description here). Come visit the Common Notions table.
May 17th at 2:00PM ET / 11:00AM PT
As part of Red May and cosponsored by Common Notions—Online Event!
Class Compositions in the Time of Fascism with Charmaine Chua, Sarah Jaffe, Kieran Knutson, and Peter Linebaugh.
Join Kevin Van Meter (facilitator) and a esteemed set of panelists for a converation on our most prescient tasks in a time of fascism. Read our event description here and take a peek at the full Red May schedule and panel descriptions too. For the day of the event join our webinar on YouTube.
June 12th @ 7:00PM
Pilsen Community Books
1531 W 18th St. Chicago
Points of Departure—A Harry Cleaver Reader Release Party With editors Robert Ovetz and Kevin Van Meter in conversation with author and activist James Tracy.
June 12th-14th
Labor Notes Conference—Meet the Authors
A Book Annoucement and Discussion for the Harry Cleaver reader at Labor Notes in Chicago with Robert Ovetz and Kevin Van Meter (date and time for Meet the Authors event coming soon). Come visit the Common Notions table. Conference information here.
UPCOMING SUMMER AND FALL 2026 EVENTS
August 26th-28th
Common City Conference in Uppsala, Sweden and Online
Knowledge Production in a World of Crisis: Reviving and Updating Workers’ Inquiry
Join comrades around the works for two panels on workers' inquiry. Kevin Van Meter, Clark McAllister, Jack Edmunds-Bergin, and our comrades at Workers' Observatory will be in a session on Workers’ inquiry, class composition and organising practices and there will be a second session on Extending inquiry: Housing, social reproduction and urban struggles. More information on the conference here and read about Kevin's talk here.
November 5th-8th
Historical Materialism 2026 in London
Paper presentation as part of the Workers and Capital Stream (awaiting confirmation)!
November 27th-28th
Geography Matters in Athens, Greece and Online
Geographical Knowledge Production in a World of Crisis: Reviving Workers’ Inquiry and Renewing Labour Geography
TALK AND WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS
Class Compositions in the Time of Fascism with Charmaine Chua, Silvia Federici, Kieran Knutson, Peter Linebaugh, and Kevin Van Meter (facilitator)
What are our most prescient tasks in a time of fascism? How can working-class struggles of the past and power in the present-day inform the next steps we are going to take? Fascism today is a response to working-class power as well as an extension of the impulses present in American society and Western Civilization as part of capitalism’s violent, systemic subjugation of oppressed and exploited peoples. But we are not here to tell a story of defeat. “No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA!” “You Are Now Entering Free Minneapolis” “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî" (Woman, Life, Freedom)” From the anti-fascist slogans of Black Lives Matter along with the celebration of power in the streets of Minneapolis to international feminist watchwords—struggles are circulating and amplifying working-class agency, autonomy, self-activity, and a “life in rehearsal.” Join Common Notions and Red May to celebrate the launch of its new Class Compositions imprint as we examine past struggles, present-day power, and our tasks ahead with an all-star cast.
Meet the Authors at Labor Notes
Will be participating in the Meet the Authors event at Labor Notes 2026 in Chicago this year. Robert Ovetz and Kevin Van Meter will announce our new Harry Cleaver reader out on Common Notions, discuss the book with participants after, and copies will be available too.
Using Workers’ Inquiry to Organize and Fight the Boss
Café, grocery, nonprofit, and public and private sector workers across the United States are on the move—refusing current regimes of work, fighting bosses and organizing unions, speaking about their working lives and demanding workplace democracy. Our workshop will examine two recent workers inquires with café and nonprofit workers in the US. In this workshop participants will learn about various strategies and tactics for developing, implementing, and circulating worker’s inquiries grounded in historical and contemporary examples; partake in large group reading and listening exercises; and craft a sample plan to use workers’ inquiry in an organizing context. Workshop with Anastasia Wilson of the Solidarity Research Center and Kevin Van Meter of Common Notions.
Workers’ inquiry in the US: historical and contemporary struggles
Kevin will ground inquiry in the 1947 The American Worker pamphlet then focus on recent inquiries among café, grocery, service, and nonprofit workers in the US, this contribution explores how workers’ inquiry supports organising, circulates struggles, and contributes to building class consciousness and working-class power in shifting labour regimes.
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