2024 Speakers

Lerone Martin

Soul Force: The Challenge of Martin Luther King

Monday, January 15
Underwritten by: Larry & Mary Gerbens and Khan & Liza Nedd

Due to contract restrictions, this presentation will be available to view through January 30, 2024.

Lerone Martin is an associate professor of religious studies at Stanford University and an award-winning author. He will highlight his book, The Gospel of J. Edgar Hoover, and discuss the historical and legal context of government surveillance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., its implications for the Civil Rights Movement, and lessons learned to be considered for today's social justice efforts. 

Dan Tepfer

From Bach to Natural Machines: Algorithms as the Shapers of Music

Tuesday, January 16
Underwritten by: A Friend of the January Series

Due to contract restrictions, this presentation will be available to view through February 14, 2024.

Dan Tepfer is a pianist-composer who’s recorded, performed, and composed around the world. He will share how his performances incorporates musical improvisation and computer programming accompaniment. He’ll also discuss how composers as far back as Bach used algorithms and logical systems in famous works.  

Note: There is a FREE concert the night of his talk (January 16).

Robert George

Religious Liberty and the Human Good

Wednesday, January 17
Underwritten by: The Henry Institute for the the Study of Christianity & Politics

Due to contract restrictions, this presentation will be available to view through February 15, 2024.

Robert George is a McCormick professor of jurisprudence and the director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. He’ll pull on his knowledge in law and theology to present how governments are obligated to respect and protect religious freedom for the sake of the basic human right of religion itself. 

Note: This speaker will be joining us virtually.

Caroline Randall Williams

Soul Food and the Collective Cultural Memory

Thursday, January 18
Underwritten by: A Friend of the January Series

Due to contract restrictions, this presentation will be available to view through February 15, 2024.

Caroline Randall Williams is an award-winning poet, young adult novelist, and cookbook author as well as an activist, public intellectual, performance artist, and scholar. Through her discussion on soul food and the collective cultural memory she’ll reclaim the narrative of health and body preservation through Black cuisine and dispel the myths about soul food. 

Matthew Desmond

Poverty, By America

Friday, January 19
Underwritten by: Peter C. & Emajean Cook Foundation and The Howard Miller Company

Due to contract restrictions, this presentation will be available to view through February 2, 2024.

Matthew Desmond is a sociologist, MacArthur Fellowship recipient, and the founder and principal investigator of the Eviction Lab at Princeton University. In his latest book, Poverty, By America, draws on history, research, and original reporting to show how poverty in the U.S. persists because the rest of us benefit from it. 

No Small Endeavor: LIVE - CANCELED

No Small Endeavor

Saturday, January 20

There is no livestream or recording of this event. You must purchase tickets and attend in person. 

We are excited to share with you an exciting addition to the January Series - a live show with No Small Endeavor. Two amazing artists will be featured. Jenn Bostic and Ashley Cleveland along with more musicians coming directly from Nashville, TN. Tickets are on sale now. No Small Endeavor was recently picked up on PRX for national syndication. We are excited to welcome Lee C. Camp and crew to Grand Rapids!

Kendall Vanderslice

Table Conversations: Building Community as We Eat

Monday, January 22
Underwritten by: an Anonymous Supporter of the January Series

Kendall Vanderslice is a baker, writer, and the founder of the Edible Theology Project, an educational nonprofit connecting the Communion table to the kitchen table. Through her work in food studies and theology, she explores the ways God uses the table to restore communities and creation. 

Lydia Dugdale

The Lost Art of Dying: Ethical Considerations in Facing Our Mortality

Tuesday, January 23
Underwritten by: The Stob Lecture Series

Due to contract restrictions, this presentation will be available to view through February 6, 2024.

Dr. Lydia Dugdale is an internal medicine primary care doctor and a medical ethicist. She’s also a Columbia University professor and director of the Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. In her new book, The Lost Art of Dying, Dugdale offers insight and thoughtful guidance on how to die well. She guides readers to recover their sense of finitude, confront fears, accept how bodies age, develop meaningful rituals, and involve communities in end-of-life care. 

Niala Boodhoo

Lessons I've Learned from Listening

Wednesday, January 24
Underwritten by: a Friend of the January Series

Niala Boodhoo ’96 is an Axios journalist and podcast host, as well as guest host for 1A on NPR. She’ll discuss the importance of living outside of an echo chamber and the ways the human voice can help us change our perspectives.  

Tommy Caldwell

Route Finding for Success

Thursday, January 25
Underwritten by: Holland Home

Due to contract restrictions, this presentation will be available to view through February 1, 2024.

Tommy Caldwell is a talented rock climber, with numerous accomplishments in sport, traditional, and free climbing; big wall first ascents; and speed records. He’ll share the ways he’s found a route for success with stories of his nationally-recognized climbs—including a hostage situation in Kyrgyzstan—and life struggles.  

Felicia Wu Song

Restless Devices: Christian Formation in a Digital World

Friday, January 26
Underwritten by: The Howard Miller Company

Felicia Wu Song is a cultural sociologist who studies the place of digital technologies in contemporary life. She’ll share information on the rapidly evolving digital technology industry and how the adoption of social media and digital devices alters the landscapes of family, community, and organizational life. 

Jacob Goldstein

Technology, Luddites, and the Future of Work

Monday, January 29
Underwritten by: The Calvin Center for Innovation in Business

Due to contract restrictions, this presentation will be available to view through February 27, 2024.

Jacob Goldstein is an NPR correspondent and podcast host. His interest in technology and the changing nature of work has led him to stories on UPS, the Luddites, and the history of light. His current work looks at the big picture of new technologies such as AI and the future of work. Goldstein looks at the history of technology breakthroughs to point out a silver lining.  

Daniel Bowman

Neurodivergent Storytelling

Tuesday, January 30
Underwritten by: GMB Architects and Engineers

Daniel Bowman Jr. is a novelist, poet, and professor, who received an autism diagnosis at age 35. He will offer insights on autism, relationships, faith, and the gift of neurodiversity through stories of his heartbreaks and triumphs.  

Abram Van Engen, Joanne Diaz and Marilyn Nelson

A Live Recording of the Podcast, "Poetry For All" with Marilyn Nelson

Wednesday, January 31
Underwritten by: Calvin Center for Faith and Writing

Due to contract restrictions, this presentation will be available to view through March 1, 2024.

Joanne Diaz and Abram Van Engen are podcast co-hosts Poetry for All, where they read a poem, discuss it, see what makes it tick, learn how it works, grow from it, and then read it again. During the January Series, they’ll do a live recording of their show with guest Marilyn Nelson, a three-time finalist for the National Book Award and one of America’s most celebrated poets. 

Tim Dalrymple

What's Becoming of Us?: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of the Church

Thursday, February 1
Underwritten by: The Center for Excellence in Preaching and Miller Johnson

Timothy Dalrymple is a former national champion gymnast who turned to academia following an accident in college where he broke his neck. He helped launch patheos.com and Polymath, and he currently serves as Christianity Today’s President and CEO. 

Pearl Shangkuan

Tuning Our Minds, Ears, and Hearts to Sing God's Grace: Reflections of a Conductor

Friday, February 2
Underwritten by: Holland Litho

Pearl Shangkuan is a highly sought-after conductor, lecturer, and clinician. She’s led performances, seminars, and workshops on six continents, and she is a beloved professor and the director of choral activities at Calvin University. She will reflect on her musical endeavors that have taken her around the world and, most importantly, the ways God’s grace was abundant throughout her career.