TORCH Feminist Conference
About this Event
WHO:
TORCH is organized by the Editorial Team of Total Woman Victory, a radical feminist newsletter and political project committed to advancing a materialist analysis of women’s oppression under male domination and imperialist social relations. TWV exists to clarify feminist theory, sharpen political lines, and support women organizing independently of state, NGO, academic, and corporate feminist structures.
For any questions about TORCH, please contact us at .
WHAT:
TORCH is a weekend-long radical feminist conference calling on women who recognize the decisive break between anti-imperialist feminism and feminism that serves empire to begin organizing independently. This gathering centers women who understand that institutional feminism has repeatedly proven loyal to imperialist and male supremacist interests. TORCH is a space for women committed to rebuilding feminist politics on clear, uncompromising terms.
Each day will feature a variety of workshops and panels dedicated to exercising TORCH to create and sustain an actionable feminist network:
- Theory: Developing and clarifying radical feminist and materialist analysis.
- Organizing: Supporting women to organize independent feminist structures capable of sustained struggle.
- Raising Consciousness: Collective political education rooted in women’s lived material realities.
- History: Reclaiming feminist revolutionary traditions erased, diluted, or co-opted by liberal and imperial feminism.
WORKSHOPS:
A workshop is 60-90 minute interactive, skill-building, or political education session led by one or more women. Workshops are designed to deepen collective understanding, develop organizing capacity, or work through a specific political or material problem facing women through hands-on learning or crafting and shared discussion.
PANELS:
A 60-90 minute panel brings together multiple women to speak on a shared political theme, struggle, or area of work. Panelists offer analysis, experience, or theory in conversation with one another and the audience. As opposed to workshops, there will be minimal audience participation limited to questions at the end as a chance for conference attendees to learn from knowledgeable women.
Topics we will cover in workshops and panels include:
- Feminist history
- Feminist publications + projects
- Women’s organizing
- Female homelessness and incarceration
- Domestic labor
- The sex industry
- Women’s health + safety
- Anti-racism
- Lesbian life experiences + advocacy
- Third World Women
- Economics + imperialism
- Consciousness-raising
- Feminist theory readings
- Ecofeminism
- Feminist art + performance
and more!
WHEN:
October 9-11, 2026
Friday, October 9: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday, October 10: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday, October 11: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM (Official end time TBD due to closing ceremonies!)
WHERE:
The conference will be held in Worcester, Massachusetts, home to the first National Woman’s Rights Convention of 1850. We gather here deliberately, in continuity with a long tradition of women organizing collectively outside sanctioned political channels.
We will be meeting in Worcester State University’s Student Center:
Student Center
486 Chandler St
Worcester, MA 01602
WHY:
This conference exists to organize an autonomous gathering of women prepared to collaborate across regions and struggles against male domination. It aims to build a coalition of women grounded in the radical traditions of feminist critique—rooted in the analysis of sex, labor, reproduction, and imperialist domination—and to rebuild the foundations of women’s collective struggle on principled political terms.
Historically, both institutional and militant feminist formations have emerged from national and international feminist conferences. TORCH seeks to revive that tradition and return feminism to its most radical roots: collective political education, disciplined organizing, and consciousness-raising grounded in women’s material conditions. This gathering is about creating tangible, lasting connections between women.
Our goal is for women to leave the conference with a toolkit for building feminist groups in their own cities, and connecting all of these groups through a united feminist network. We wish to reignite a sustained feminist movement to coordinate planned actions, consciousness-raising, marches, developing and publishing theory, and future conferences.
HOW:
This conference is only made possible because women have generously given their time, creativity, and ideas for free. We organize independently and do not report to or accept funding from state, NGO, and corporate feminist structures. This conference is entirely run by volunteers!
To fundraise for TORCH, we are selling merch designed in-house and printed by a Worcester-based worker-owned union co-ор: all proceeds from sales will go towards our conference. Click here to view our tote bag + t-shirts!
Other funding comes from one-time grants as well as our paid Substack newsletter subscriptions starting at $50 annually or $5 a month: click here to subscribe.
We also accept donations via PayPal: click here to donate.
Where is it happening?
USD 0.00 to USD 30.00
