Dr. Kathryn Crowther and Paul Boshears will discuss two contemporary popular interests, steampunk and zombies, Oct. 30 at Georgia Perimeter as part of the college’s Sarah Larson Lecture Series.

Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction dealing with 19th-century societies dominated by historical or imagined steam-powered technology.

The lecture, “Steampunk and Zombies: What Makes Pop Culture Popular?” is free and open to the public and will take place from 1 to 2:15 p.m. in the Dunwoody Campus auditorium, NC1100, 2101 Womack Road.

Crowther and Boshears will answer questions such as: “What puts the ‘pop’ in pop-culture?” “Why do steampunks wear brass goggles?” and “Why is ‘The Walking Dead’ set in Atlanta?” The lecture will explore what popular trends in television, film and performance culture “cos-play” might tell us about contemporary issues and concerns. A question-and-answer session will follow.

Crowther is an English professor at Georgia Perimeter. She earned her Ph.D. from Emory University where she specialized in Victorian novels and nineteenth-century print culture. She has done research on steampunk and disability studies and has a forthcoming essay on representations of disability and prosthetics in steampunk.

Boshears is co-founder of the journal continent. He is an Americorps VISTA alumnus and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. at the European Graduate School in Switzerland. His recent publications include an analysis of zombies in contemporary American society.

For additional information, contact Megan Levacy, at megan.levacy@gpc.edu or 770-274-5583.