GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Calvin University has announced its 2024 January Series lineup. Next year’s January Series will run weekdays from January 15-February 2.
The series is free and open to the public. The presentations will be held from 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. at the university’s Covenant Fine Arts Center.
The presentations will also be available to watch live virtually on the university’s website. They will also be available to watch until midnight PST on the day of each presentation. Registration to watch the presentations online will be available beginning in late November on the January Series’ website.
“The January Series remains in demand because it feeds our curiosity, it challenges us to grow and learn and discover new and amazing things about our world and in the process, we better understand ourselves,” said January Series Director Michael Wildschut. “The more we understand these things, the more we appreciate and cherish this wonderful world God’s given us and we show up as better citizens and Christians in this world.”
The lineup can be found below:
January 15: Lerone Martin. Martin is a professor of religious studies at Standford University. During his presentation he will highlight his book, The Gospel of J. Edgar Hoover. He will also discuss the historical and legal context of the government surveillance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
January 16: Dan Tepfer. Tepfer is a pianist-composer, who has performed around the world. During the presentation, he will talk about how his performances incorporate musical improvisation and computer programming accompaniment.
January 17: Robert George. George is a McCormick professor of jurisprudence and the director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. His presentation will be done virtually. During the presentation, George will talk about how governments are obligated to respect and protect religious freedom for the sake of the basic human right of religion itself.
January 18: Caroline Randall Williams. Williams is a poet, novelist, and cookbook author. She is also an activist, public intellectual, performance artist, and scholar. During her presentation, Williams will reclaim the narrative of health and body preservation through Black cuisine, as well as dispel the myths about soul food.
January 19: Matthew Desmond. Desmond is a sociologist, MacArthur Fellowship recipient, and the founder and principal investigator of the Eviction Lab at Princeton University. He also wrote the book Poverty, By America, which looks at how poverty in the U.S. persists because many others benefit from it.
January 22: Kendall Vanderslice. Vanderslice is a baker and writer. She is also the founder of the Edible Theology Project, an educational nonprofit connecting the Communion table to the kitchen table.
January 23: Dr. Lydia Dugdale. Dr. Dugdale is an internal medicine primary care doctor and medical ethicist. She is also a Columbia University professor and director of the Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. Dr. Dugdale also wrote the book The Lost Art of Dying, which offers insight and thoughtful guidance on how to die well.
January 24: Niala Boodhoo. Boodhoo is an Axios journalist, podcast host, and guest host on NPR’s talk show 1A. During the presentation, she will talk about the importance of living outside of an echo chamber, and the ways the human voice can help us change our perspectives.
January 25: Tommy Caldwell. Caldwell is a rock climber, with numerous accomplishments in sport, traditional, and free climbing, big wall first ascents, and speed records.
January 26: Felicia Wu Song. Song is a cultural scientist, who studies the place of digital technologies in contemporary life. During the presentation, she’ll talk about how the adoption of social media and digital devices has altered the landscapes of family, community, and organizational life.
January 29: Jacob Goldstein. Goldstein is an NPR correspondent and podcast host. His current work looks at the big picture of new technologies and the future of work.
January 30: Daniel Bowman Jr. Bowman is a novelist, poet, and professor. At the age of 35, Bowman was diagnosed with autism. During the presentation, he will offer insights on autism, relationships, faith, and the gift of neurodiversity.
January 31: Live recording of the Poetry for All podcast. The podcast is hosted by Joanne Diaz and Abram Van Engen, where they read a poem and discuss it. During the show, they will be joined by poet Marilyn Nelson as a special guest.
February 1: Tim Dalrymple. Dalrymple is a former national champion gymnast. He helped launch the website patheos.com and Polymath. He is currently the president and CEO of Christianity Today.
February 2: Pearl Shangkuan. Shangkuan is a professor and the director of choral activities at Calvin University. During the presentation, she will look back on her musical endeavors.
