Kenan Writers’ Encounters brings noted authors from all fields to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) campus for lively discourse on topics as varied as physics, gender psychology, the environment and social activism, examined through the lens of the artist’s creative journey. Kenan Writers’ Encounters provides both inreach to the UNCSA campus community through master classes and faculty contact, and outreach to the larger community though free public lectures.
The roster of featured authors for Kenan Writers’ Encounters has included: Native American activist/author Sherman Alexie; feminist psychologist Carol Gilligan; physicist and string theorist Brian Greene; multimedia designer Eiko Ishioka; feminist playwright Eve Ensler; jazz expert and columnist Stanley Crouch; conservationist Terry Tempest Williams; environmental sculptor Herb Parker; environmental ethicist Jonathan Gilligan; and American master poet W.S. Merwin
The 2009 series, titled The Word is Women, will focus on the creative journey and self-empowerment of women, with writer/activist Angela Davis and writer/choreographer Liz Lerman, each of whom will visit the UNCSA campus for small group encounters and public lectures in the spring of 2009.
- Contemporary Dance and Civic Dialogue - Listen as WUNC's Laura Leslie interviews Liz Lerman about her revolutionary role within the dance world, and how her perceptions of who can be a dancer have led her to merge contemporary dance with civic responsibility and dialogue.
- The State of Things - Spirituality and the Environment - As the debate over what to do about global warming continues to heat up, two social communities are stepping up their commitment to the environment in greater numbers. Artists and spiritual leaders are playing a bigger role in environmental stewardship by encouraging social responsibility to the planet. This month, Winston-Salem's Kenan Institute for the Arts is hosting scholars, ethicists, artists and members of the faith community for a series of dialogues on the environment. Kenan's executive director Margaret Mertz and environmental scientist Jonathan Gilligan join host Frank Stasio to talk about what kind of impact the arts and spirituality is having on this issue.
