The 2024 edition of Calvin University’s award-winning January Series features national podcasters and journalists, a world-renowned rock climber, French-American jazz pianist and composer, an American legal scholar, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning author.
The 37th edition of the series is free and open to the public and runs for 15-straight weekdays Monday, January 15 through Friday, February 2. The eclectic lineup of speakers will dive into some of today’s most important and timely topics.
On the docket
A few of the notable names joining the series in 2024 include: Matthew Desmond, who won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction; Tim Dalrymple, the president and CEO of Christianity Today; and Tommy Caldwell, who in 2015, National Geographic called “arguably the best all-around rock climber on the planet.”
Perhaps the most unique experience will take place when renowned poet and three-time National Book Award finalist Marilyn Nelson joins Abram Van Engen and Joanne Diaz on stage for a recording of their podcast Poetry for All.
“To be part of this experience will be quite special,” said Michael Wildschut, director of the January Series. “To my knowledge this is the first time we’ve done anything like this at the January Series.”
Worldwide reach
In addition to the opportunity to join the speakers live on Calvin’s campus, the January Series is also available worldwide and on-demand.
“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 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 January Series runs from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. EST Monday through Friday in the Covenant Fine Arts Center on the campus of Calvin University. In 2024, attendees will also be able to watch and listen to the 15 noontime presentations virtually both live and until midnight PST on the day of each presentation. Registration to watch online will be available beginning in late November on the January Series website. Some of the recordings will be archived. Dozens of remote webcast locations will also stream the series live.
About the January Series
Started in 1988, 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 calvin.edu/january.
About Calvin University
Founded in 1876, Calvin University is a top-ranked, liberal arts institution that equips its 3,300 students from 48 U.S. states, 55 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 a growing number of graduate-level programs. Calvin students engage in intensive internships, community-based service learning, and significant research that results in publishing and presenting alongside world-class faculty.
