L.M. Montgomery and Change: Conference Information
“L.M. Montgomery and Change” is to be a hybrid conference. It will be held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, on 24-28 June 2026; all sessions will be live-streamed, allowing for virtual presentation, attendance, and participation.
Conference Schedule
Click the arrow in the upper right to enlarge, download, or print this DRAFT conference schedule!
Conference Registration--now open!
To register for the in-person or virtual conference, please follow these steps:
1. Review the registration options and pricing list here.
2. IMPORTANT, especially for registrants outside the US and Canada: Review and reference the instructions below for using UPEI's ticketing system (click the arrow in the upper right to open in a new window or tab).
3. Register for the in-person (full or partial) conference, or full virtual conference at the link below!
If you would like to register ONLY for (free!) virtual access to Megan Follows' keynote (i.e., you aren’t attending in person and you do not require access to other events via one of the virtual options above), please register here!
Travel and Lodging
On-Campus Lodging
A block of rooms in the UPEI Residence Hotel has been reserved for LMMI Conference attendees who wish to stay on campus. Various room configurations are available, and all rooms have access to complimentary Wi-Fi, security services, and free on-site laundry facilities. Staying on campus is convenient way to access to conference and engage with other attendees, but please note that these accommodations are student residences, not commercial hotels. They provide clean, functional living spaces but do not offer the full slate of amenities you might expect from a hotel.
To book campus accommodations, please call (preferred) or email UPEI Accommodations, or fill out their inquiry form linked below. Mention the L.M. Montgomery Institute in your inquiry to reserve a room in our block.
Other Accommodations
Charlottetown and the surrounding area offer a variety of options for hotels, inns, B&Bs, or vacation rentals within easy travel distance of the UPEI campus. Both Tourism PEI and Discover Charlottetown highlight some of the many options, but visitors are encouraged to seek their own lodging from other commercial travel sites in order to find accommodations that meet their needs.
Discounted Rates at Local Hotels
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Charlottetown (200 Capital Dr., Charlottetown, PE)
Traveling to and around Prince Edward Island
Delegates can fly directly to the Charlottetown Airport from connections in Montreal and Toronto (and some other Canadian cities depending on the date).
Alternatives are to fly into Halifax, Nova Scotia or Moncton, New Brunswick, and either rent a car to drive to PEI, or travel via Maritime Bus (approximately 4 hr 15 min from Halifax and 3 hr from Moncton--limited departure times available--check bus departure locations at the airport).
Once on the Island, a variety of transportation options are available including car rentals, ride shares, taxis, and public transportation. Please see this helpful guide from Tourism PEI for more information about transportation on the Island.
Conference Keynote Speakers
Megan Follows
Keynote Title: "Anne of Everywhere: How A Redheaded Girl from PEI Became Canada's Greatest Cultural Ambassador and Changed my Life Forever."
When: Saturday, June 27--access to this keynote is included in all full, virtual or in-person, conference registrations! OR you can register for free virtual access for this keynote only here.
Megan Follows is an award winning actress, director and producer of film, television, and theatre. Winner of the 2020 DGC award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Family Series, the 2020 CSA for Best Direction of a Children’s or Youth Program, and the 2025 CSA for Best Performer in a Digital Series for Crave’s My Dead Mom, she has directed television for Netflix, CW, CBC, Hulu, Lifetime, and Hallmark among others, and her new feature film, Stealing the Sky - which she produced, directed, and starred in - has garnered multiple awards on the festival circuit.
Follows began acting at the age of nine, landing her first leading role in the series Matt and Jenny when she was eleven, and starring in the Oscar-winning short film Boys and Girls. She went on to star in such iconic films as Hockey Night, opposite Rick Moranis; Inherit the Wind opposite Kirk Douglas and Jason Robards; and Stephen King’s Silver Bullet. She is recognized and beloved by audiences worldwide for her starring role in the Emmy Award winning Anne of Green Gables TV movies. In recent years, Follows has found herself drawn back to the remarkable world of L.M. Montgomery. She lent her voice to the audiobook Emily of New Moon; directed Sandra Oh, Catherine O'Hara, and Victor Garber in Audible's nine part adaptation of Anne of Green Gables; and her original scripted drama series Lucy. Maud (currently in development) was selected to present at the 2025 Berlinale Co-Production Series Market.
Katharine Slater
Keynote Title: "Change the Subject: Queer Opacity and L.M. Montgomery"
When: Friday, June 26
Dr. Katharine Slater is an associate professor of English at Rowan University, where she teaches courses on children’s and young adult literature, queer literature, and romance. Her most recent publication on L.M. Montgomery’s work is titled “‘A ghost you can feel and hear but never see’: Queer Hauntings in Emily of New Moon,” and her current book project, The Queer Mobilities of Girlhood in Young Adult Literature, argues that sapphic girls in YA texts grow and move in ways that disturb linear narratives around female adolescent development. In addition to her academic work, Kate writes adult sapphic romance under a pen name; her debut novel was a recent finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards.
Allison McBain Hudson
Keynote Title: "Maud, Pat, and Me: The Materiality of Change"
When: Thursday, June 25
Dr. Allison McBain Hudson is the current Visiting Scholar at the L.M. Montgomery Institute. She recently completed her Ph.D. at Dublin City University on the significance of material culture in the novels of L.M. Montgomery, particularly the Emily trilogy. Originally from Alberta, she obtained a BA in English from the University of Calgary in 1995 and moved to Ireland in 1997. She earned an MA in Children’s and Young Adult Literature from Dublin City University in 2019 with a focus on Montgomery’s unique Romanticism and “everyday magic.” When she’s not studying or teaching, she is quilting and sewing, walking the dogs in the woods, and looking for old houses and kindred spirits. She is married to an Irish artist, and they live on the outskirts of Dublin with their two daughters.
