Today, President Martin announced some of the distinguished speakers visiting Amherst College this spring. This roster of creative, curious, and influential voices is sure to enrich the intellectual life of our campus throughout the semester.
MASHA GESSEN
Thursday, January 26
8 p.m. Cole Assembly Room of Converse Hall
Masha Gessen is an acclaimed Russian-American journalist, author, and activist. A regular contributor to The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Slate, among other publications, Ms. Gessen has reported on a range of topics, including LGBTQ rights, Russia’s Jewish state, and the 2016 United States presidential election. This talk is free and open to the public.
JEB BUSH
Tuesday, January 31
7:30 p.m. Johnson Chapel
Serving as Florida’s 43rd governor from 1999 through 2007, Governor Bush is the first Republican in the state’s history to be reelected for a second term. He is the son of former President George H. W. Bush and brother of former President George W. Bush. He currently serves as the chairman of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, a national foundation focused on education reform. This talk is free and open to the public. Amherst students, faculty, and staff will receive priority seating. Tickets are required.
KELLIE JONES ’81
Thursday, February 23
8 p.m. Cole Assembly Room of Converse Hall
Art historian, curator, and professor Kellie Jones was recently awarded a MacArthur Foundation "genius grant" for bringing the work of critically important, but under-recognized, black artists into the canons of modern and contemporary art. Dr. Jones currently serves as an associate professor in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University. This talk is free and open to the public.
LITFEST
Thursday, March 2–Saturday, March 4
Amherst’s second annual literary festival features readings and conversations with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, award-winning novelist Zadie Smith, and 2016 National Book Award Fiction Finalists Chris Bachelder and Jacqueline Woodson, among others. The events are free and open to the public. The festival schedule and biographies of each guest are available at www.amherst.edu/go/litfest.
RICH LOWRY
Wednesday, March 8
8 p.m. Stirn Auditorium
National Review editor, Rich Lowry, is the author of the New York Times bestseller Lincoln Unbound and Legacy: Paying the Price for the Clinton Years. Mr. Lowry is also a syndicated columnist, author, and political commentator who writes for Politico and Time, and often appears on such public affairs programs as Meet the Press and The McLaughlin Group. This talk is free and open to the public.
CORNELL WILLIAM BROOKS
Friday, March 24
8 p.m.Johnson Chapel
Cornell William Brooks is the president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the nation’s oldest, largest, and most widely respected civil rights organization. In 2014, he became the 18th chief executive of the organization. With branches in every state and more than a half-million members and supporters in the US and abroad, NAACP members advocate for civil rights, fight against police brutality, conduct voter mobilization campaigns and advocate for equal opportunity in their communities. This talk is free and open to the public.
MELISSA HARRIS-PERRY
Monday, March 27
8 p.m. Johnson Chapel
Melissa Harris-Perry is a writer, professor, and political commentator with expertise in race, gender, and American politics. She hosted the MSNBC television show “Melissa Harris-Perry” from 2012–16. She is the Maya Angelou Presidential Chair, Executive Director of the Pro Humanitate Institute, and founding Director of the Anna Julia Cooper Center at Wake Forest University. This talk is free and open to the public.
As each event draws near, additional information about each speaker will be made available on the College event calendar.