The award-winning January Series of Calvin College is coming to Big Rapids. From Jan. 3 through Jan. 23, 2019, Fellowship Christian Reformed Church will be one of more than 50 remote webcast locations worldwide to broadcast one of the nation’s leading lecture and cultural arts series.
The 2019 January Series features an impressive lineup of experts, including a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, a New York Times best-selling author, and a multiple Oscar and Emmy-nominated costume designer, to name a few.
For a full list of speakers and topics, visit http://www.calvin.edu/january
The 15 speakers will offer informed perspectives on a wide range of today’s most relevant topics, including polarization in politics, immigration, sexual abuse, climate justice, and race and America, among many others.
“What I love about our audience each year is they come wanting to learn, wanting to be better global citizens. And they are willing to listen to some new ideas and consider them, and then find ways to act on what they’ve heard,” said Kristi Potter, director of the January Series. “And what they can trust the series to deliver is speakers who have really thought through their material and are trying to make the world a better place by what they are studying, what they are doing, what they are researching and talking about.”
Some of the notable presenters who will take the stage in 2019 include:
Rachael Denhollander, an advocate and educator who became known internationally in 2018 as the first woman to file a police report and speak publicly against Larry Nassar. This year, she was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World.
Nicholas Kristof, a columnist for the New York Times and winner of two Pulitzer Prizes in his 30 years of covering the world.
Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and widely regarded as a groundbreaking and transformational leader who elevated the public role of the Irish presidency, helping to shape modern Ireland in a period of rapid and unprecedented economic growth. Following her tenure as president, Robinson went on to serve as the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Barbara Pierce Bush, daughter of former U.S. President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, co-founder of Global Health Corps, and co-author of Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life.
The January Series lectures will be video streamed live at Fellowship Christian Reformed Church (407 Perry Ave., Big Rapids, Michigan 49307) from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. EST Monday through Friday. The lectures are free and open to the public.
In 2019, more than 50 remote locations will carry the January Series—spanning 21 U.S. states, two Canadian provinces, and one site in Europe.
About the January Series
Started in 1987, the January Series is an annual, award-winning, 15-day lecture series that exists to cultivate deep thought and conversations about important issues of the day in order to inspire cultural renewal and better equip global citizens in God’s world. The series is free and open to the public. Join this year’s conversations and revisit previous talks at www.calvin.edu/january.
About Calvin College
Founded in 1876, Calvin College is a top-ranked, liberal arts college that equips its more than 3,700 students from 45 U.S. states, 65 countries, and five Canadian provinces to think deeply, to act justly, and to live wholeheartedly as Christ’s agents of renewal in the world. Calvin is proud to offer 100+ majors and programs, including graduate-level offerings in accounting, education, and speech pathology and audiology. Calvin students engage in intensive internships, community-based service learning, and significant research that results in publishing and presenting alongside world-class faculty.
And the college’s 400-acre campus, located in the vibrant city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, serves as a launching pad for students who, in any given year, participate in 40 faculty-led off-campus programs on six different continents. Discover more at www.calvin.edu.