Esteemed New York Times best-selling author Roxane Gay to speak at Berea College convocation

Writer, professor, editor and social commentator Roxane Gay will speak at the Berea College convocations on Thursday, March 2 sponsored by the bell hooks center as part of the center’s March 2023 programming calendar.

Gay will join bell hooks center founder and director, M. Shadee Malaklou, for a conversation about hooks’ fearless feminism. Entitled “Writing Toward a Better World,” the pair will think and dream with hooks about how to write toward a better world, addressing topics ranging from trauma to love to how we dismantle the intersecting structures of oppression that hooks names “imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy.”

Gay’s writing appears in “Best American Mystery Stories 2014,” “Best American Short Stories 2012,” “Best Sex Writing 2012,” “A Public Space,” “McSweeney’s,” “Tin House,” “Oxford American,” “American Short Fiction,” “Virginia Quarterly Review” and many more publications. She is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. She is the author of the books “Ayiti,” “An Untamed State,” the New York Times bestselling “Bad Feminist” and “Hunger,” and the nationally bestselling “Difficult Women.” She is also the author of “World of Wakanda” for Marvel. She has several books forthcoming and is also working on television and film projects. In addition, she has a newsletter, “The Audacity” and a podcast, “The Roxane Gay Agenda.”

The convocation begins at 3 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Chapel and is free and open to the public.

On Wednesday, March 15, the bell hooks center will host Jennifer Marley for its Gender Talk series. Gender Talk is a monthly series for which the bell hooks center invites distinguished feminist scholars to speak with Berea’s campus and community about contemporary issues. Marley is the co-founder of a popular podcast about indigenous life-worlds, named “The Red Nation Podcast” and is a doctoral student specializing in queer indigenous studies and indigenous feminism. The event will be from noon to 1 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

 

The following week, on Thursday, March 23, the bell hooks center will host a colloquium event with poet and writer Damaris Hill, who was a friend of bell hooks’. The colloquium series provides an opportunity for students to learn more about how they might apply feminism to their personal and professional practices. The event will be from noon to 1 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Finally, on Wednesday, March 29, the bell hooks center will host a student activist talk with international Ukrainian Berea College student Anya Kasianova, a member of the Class of 2024. The event will be from noon to 1 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

More information about the bell hooks center can be found here.

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49th Annual Berea College Celebration of Traditional Music Performances Kick Off with Stephenson Memorial Concert by Jerron Paxton

Multi-instrumental musical wizard Jerron Paxton will present a Stephenson Memorial Concert at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, as part of the 49th Annual Berea

Jerron Paxton

Jerron Paxton will present a Stephenson Memorial Concert on Thursday, Oct. 13.

College Celebration of Traditional Music (CTM). Continue reading 49th Annual Berea College Celebration of Traditional Music Performances Kick Off with Stephenson Memorial Concert by Jerron Paxton

Dr. Kathy Bullock and Friends Uncovering the Songs of Slavery and Emancipation

Dr. Kathy Bullock and Friends will perform the “Songs of Slavery and Emancipation,” a powerful collection of songs originally written and sung by abolitionists and enslaved people in hopes of freedom on Sunday, Sept. 18, at 3 p.m. in Berea College’s Phelps Stokes Chapel. The performance is part of the Stephenson Concert Series. Dr. Bullock, the former chairperson of the College’s Music Department, is one of three music directors on the project.

Continue reading Dr. Kathy Bullock and Friends Uncovering the Songs of Slavery and Emancipation

Blues Artist Brian Owens Bringing R&B, Soul to Berea College Campus This Week

Brian OwensBrian Owens will perform “Soul,” a display of authentic rhythm-and-blues and soul at Berea College’s Stephenson Memorial concert on Thursday, Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Chapel on the Berea College campus.

Continue reading Blues Artist Brian Owens Bringing R&B, Soul to Berea College Campus This Week

Dr. Janet Zadina to Explore Differences Between Thinking and “Real” Learning

Dr. Janet ZandinaOn Oct. 24, 2019, Dr. Janet Zadina will speak at Phelps Stokes Chapel at 3 p.m. This week’s convocation will discuss the single most important factor involved in learning and the difference between thinking and “real” learning, in the process, taking a look at the brain while engaged in learning. Through humor Dr. Zadina encourages the audience to see for themselves how the brain works and how to identify strategies to maximize learning, by learning more in less time.

Continue reading Dr. Janet Zadina to Explore Differences Between Thinking and “Real” Learning

Convocation to Focus on Berea Craft: A Renewable Resource

Stephen Burks, Glenn Adamson and, Berea’s own, Aaron Beale will present Berea Craft: A Renewable Resource, on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 3 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Chapel. The three will discuss the history and current tradition of craft making at Berea College and a new collaboration between Burks and the College focused on inclusive design that can sustain the mission of Berea well into the future.

Stephen Burks portrait

Stephen Burks

Burks is the principal and founder of his company Stephen Burks Man Made LLC. He is a traveler and designer who has worked as a product development consultant in Australia, Colombia, Ghana, Haiti, India and other nations.

Continue reading Convocation to Focus on Berea Craft: A Renewable Resource

Berea College Welcomes Public to 2019 Opening Convocation

Lyle Roelofs, President of Berea College

Lyle Roelofs, President of Berea College

The public is invited to join the entire Berea College community in marking the beginning of the 2019-20 academic year at the College’s Opening Convocation on Thursday, August 29, 2019, at 3 p.m. in the Seabury Center. The program is free.

The theme for this year’s opening convocation will be Berea Stories.

“Berea consists of 1,600 great stories, stories of challenge, accomplishment and triumph,” said Berea College President Lyle Roelofs. “Every Berea student has a compelling story, as do all other Bereans— faculty, staff, alumni and retirees—who together constitute our wonderful community. Opening Convocation 2019 is a celebration of all those stories and how they connect and reinforce one another.”

This Opening Convocation will feature remarks by President Roelofs and representatives from the College community—including student, faculty, staff, alumni and retiree speakers—who will briefly share their own Berea stories. Special music will be performed by Berea College students and faculty.

This annual event opens the College’s year-long convocation series of lectures, symposia, concerts and performing arts productions. The series includes the Stephenson Memorial Concerts and offers outstanding scholars, artists and leaders that enhance the intellectual, aesthetic and religious life, and make important contributions to students’ educational experience at Berea College. View the schedule of all convocations this academic year. All convocations are free and open to the public.

Red Molly to Perform at Berea College’s Stephenson Memorial Concert

Red Molly group portrait

(Photo: Whitney Kidder)

Red Molly, a group known for American music ranging from blues and folk, to country and bluegrass, will perform at Berea College’s Stephenson Memorial concert on Thursday, April 11, at 8 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Chapel.

Continue reading Red Molly to Perform at Berea College’s Stephenson Memorial Concert

Dervish to Perform at Berea College’s Stephenson Memorial Concert

Dervish

(Photo: Colin Gillen)

Dervish, acclaimed as one of the biggest names in Irish music internationally, will perform at Berea College’s Stephenson Memorial concert on Thursday Mar. 14 at 8 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Chapel.

Described as “an icon of Irish music” by the BBC and “the most soulful Irish traditional folk band playing today,” by Irish journalist and broadcaster Stuart Bailie, Dervish has played at festivals from Rio to Glastonbury. They come to Berea just in time to set the mood for St. Patrick’s Day.

Continue reading Dervish to Perform at Berea College’s Stephenson Memorial Concert

Flamenco Louisville to Perform Free at Berea College

Flamenco Louisville performanceFlamenco Louisville will perform authentic flamenco music and dance at the Berea College Convocation on Thursday, Jan. 31 at 3 p.m., in Phelps Stokes Chapel.

Flamenco Louisville is the oldest flamenco organization in the area. The musicians and dancers of Flamenco Louisville are Spanish-trained professionals who bring authentic flamenco in the puro tradition. Flamenco Louisville is a community-oriented organization, dedicated to the life of their art form and sharing it with others. Continue reading Flamenco Louisville to Perform Free at Berea College

Berea College and Community to Celebrate MLK Day with Convocation and Events

Campus members holding sign for MLK Day march

Community (Berea and campus) members begin to march from Union Church to Presser Hall on Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2018.
(Photo: Crystal Wylie ’05)

Berea College staff, faculty and students have organized a series of events in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 21, 2019. The centerpiece event is a convocation featuring Zeb Harrison & The Sounds of Praise. The annual MLK Day activities are co-sponsored by Office of the President, Berea College Music Program, Black Cultural Center, Carter G. Woodson Center for Interracial Education, the Center for Excellence in Learning through Service (CELTS), Berea College Music Program, First Christian Church, Union Church, and Willis D. Weatherford Jr. Campus Christian Center. Continue reading Berea College and Community to Celebrate MLK Day with Convocation and Events

Farah Siraj to Perform at Stephenson Memorial Concert

Farah Siraj

Farah Siraj
(Photo: Ann Blake)

Farah Siraj will perform World Peace Music, a fusion of flamenco, jazz, Bossa nova, pop and Middle Eastern music at Berea College’s Stephenson Memorial concert on Thursday Nov. 15, at 8 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Chapel. Continue reading Farah Siraj to Perform at Stephenson Memorial Concert

Omer Quartet Brings Invigorating Classical Music to Berea College Stephenson Memorial Concert

Omer Quartet holding their instruments
The Omer Quartet will perform classical music Thursday, Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Chapel, at the Berea College Stephenson Memorial Concert Series.

The Omer Quartet is distinctive among today’s young string quartets. The quartet, which took first prize in the 2017 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, consists of Mason Yu and Erica Tursi (violinists), Jinsun Hong (viola) and Alex Cox (cello). Continue reading Omer Quartet Brings Invigorating Classical Music to Berea College Stephenson Memorial Concert

Dr. Diane White-Clayton to Discuss: Jesus, the Ultimate Rebel with a Cause

Dr. Diane White-Clayton headshot

Dr. Diane White-Clayton

Dr. Diane White-Clayton will speak about “Jesus, the Ultimate Rebel with a Cause,” on Thursday, Sep. 27 at 3 p.m. at the Berea College Accent of Christian Faith Lecture in Phelps Stokes Chapel.

This lecture, sponsored by the Willis D. Weatherford Jr. Campus Christian Center, will discuss the common depiction of Jesus as frail and tender-hearted, as well as the uncommon depiction of Jesus as a rebellious, defiant trouble-maker who never allowed rules to dictate his path. Berea College, whose rebellious beginnings directly defied societal norms of the time, challenges new rebels who, through faith and determination, will change the world. Continue reading Dr. Diane White-Clayton to Discuss: Jesus, the Ultimate Rebel with a Cause

Berea College Welcomes Public to 2018 Opening Convocation

Lyle Roelofs, President of Berea College

Lyle Roelofs, President of Berea College

The public is invited to join the entire Berea College community in marking the beginning of the 2018-19 academic year at the College’s Opening Convocation on Thursday, August 30, 2018, at 3 p.m. in the Seabury Center. The program is free. The theme for this year’s opening convocation will be Berea Stories. Continue reading Berea College Welcomes Public to 2018 Opening Convocation

Le Vent Du Nord Brings Quebec Celtic Folk Experience to Berea College

Le Vent Du NordLe Vent Du Nord will perform the Quebec Celtic Folk Experience as part of the Stephenson Memorial Concert Series Thursday, April 12, at 8 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Chapel.

Le Vent Du Nord is an award winning and highly acclaimed band in Quebec’s progressive francophone folk movement. The group draws from both traditional sources and original compositions as it continues to heighten its soulful music, rooted within the Celtic Diaspora and many other global influences. This group rocketed to success, performing more than 1,800 concerts in five continents. The band consists of singers and multi-instrumentalists including Nicolas Boulerice, Simon Beaudry, Olivier Demers, Rejean Brunet and Andre Brunet, who demonstrate the ability to retain tradition while implementing a unique style. Continue reading Le Vent Du Nord Brings Quebec Celtic Folk Experience to Berea College

Berea College Service Award Recipient and Speaker to be Celebrated at Annual Service Convocation

The 2018 Berea College Service Award will be presented to alumna Geraldine “Jeri” Baker on Thursday, March 22 at 3 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Chapel, during the annual Berea College Service Convocation. The Berea College Service Award honors persons who exemplify Berea’s Great Commitments in their daily lives and service to humanity. The award honors practical service by persons in all walks of life. Continue reading Berea College Service Award Recipient and Speaker to be Celebrated at Annual Service Convocation

Brian Owens to Sing The Soul of Ferguson

Brian OwensSoul singer Brian Owens will perform “The Soul of Ferguson” at the Berea College convocation on Thursday, March 15 at 8 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Chapel. This event is a part of the Stephenson Memorial Concert Series.

Owens performs soulful, jazzy pieces while conjuring up the spirits of such Motown legends as Marvin Gaye and the Temptations. Growing up as a preacher’s kid in Ferguson, Missouri, Owens was no stranger to the beauty of music. His songs encapsulate his shared love of soul music and humanity. Owens uses his music to engage in conversation with his listeners, build community and share a powerful message about his hometown of Ferguson. Continue reading Brian Owens to Sing The Soul of Ferguson

Raj Patel to Speak on the World That Food Made

Raj PatelRaj Patel will speak about “The World That Food Made” at the Berea College convocation on Thursday, March 1 at 3 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Chapel. During the convocation, Patel will discuss the 15th century origins of how we feed the world and suggest a hopeful vision for re-imagining the way food is grown. The convocation is co-sponsored by the Women’s and Gender Studies and Sociology departments. Continue reading Raj Patel to Speak on the World That Food Made

Dr. Jafar Mallahati to Discuss Friendship among Religions at Berea College Robbins Peace Lecture

Jafar Mahallati

Dr. Jafar Mallahati will speak about “Friendship Among Religions and in World Politics:  How Religions Can Help Expand Apology and Forgiveness,” at the Berea College Robbins Peace Lecture on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 3 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Chapel.

Mallahati is the presidential scholar in Islamic Studies at Oberlin College where he also holds the Nancy Schrom Dye Chair in Middle East and North African Studies. Mallahati received a BA in Economics from the National University in Tehran, Iran; a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Kansas; an MS in Political Economy from the University of Oregon; and a Ph. D. from McGill University. For two years Mallahati served as Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations where he worked to end the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, gaining experience in conflict resolution and international relations. Continue reading Dr. Jafar Mallahati to Discuss Friendship among Religions at Berea College Robbins Peace Lecture

Dr. Pamela Ronald to Discuss Organic Farming, Genetics and the Future of Food at Berea College Science Lecture

Dr. Pamela RonaldDr. Pamela Ronald will be the featured speaker at the Berea College Science Lecture on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 3 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Chapel. Ronald’s presentation will explain how integrated approaches are needed to enhance sustainable agriculture. The lecture is co-sponsored with the Agriculture & Natural Resources Department.

Ronald, a plant pathologist and geneticist, specializes in cell and developmental biology, molecular biology, biochemistry and genomics. Her Ph.D. is from the University of California, Berkeley. Ronald has received many accolades from her research and ground-breaking discoveries, including the Honorary Scientist at the National Institute of Ag Biotechnology, Korea; John Simon Guggenheim Fellow; 2008 USDA National Research Initiative Discovery Award; and the 2012 Fulbright-Tocqueville Distinguished Chair Award. Continue reading Dr. Pamela Ronald to Discuss Organic Farming, Genetics and the Future of Food at Berea College Science Lecture

Dr. Ricky L. Jones to speak at the Carter G. Woodson Memorial

In this place, at this time: The Mission of Education in 21st Century America

Ricky L. Jones

The Carter G. Woodson Memorial Convocation will feature Dr. Ricky L. Jones on Thursday, Feb. 1, at 3 p.m., in Phelps Stokes Chapel. Jones will discuss the mission of education in the 21st century, exploring how education can be used to reinforce or resist social and political marginalization in post-modern America. Continue reading Dr. Ricky L. Jones to speak at the Carter G. Woodson Memorial

American Chamber Players to Perform at Berea College

American Chamber PlayersBerea College welcomes the public and campus community to a program of innovative chamber music performed by the American Chamber Players. This convocation, a part of the Stephenson Memorial Concert Series, will be Thursday, November 16, at 8 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Chapel. Continue reading American Chamber Players to Perform at Berea College

Dr. Beth Simmons to Speak on the Future of Human Rights

Beth SimmonsBerea College welcomes the public and campus community to hear Dr. Beth Simmons speak about the Future of Human Rights on Thursday, November 9, 2017, at 3 p.m. in Phelps Stokes Chapel. This event is free and open to the public. Continue reading Dr. Beth Simmons to Speak on the Future of Human Rights