Scripps Presents has announced that its virtual programming for the 2020鈥�21 season will center on the theme of 鈥淭he Future.鈥� As part of its fifth-anniversary celebration, Scripps Presents will partner with other programs and events series around the country to address topics such as the future of language, race, food, science and more.
鈥淎nniversaries may be a time to reflect on the past, but they鈥檙e also an invitation to look ahead,鈥� said Corrina Lesser, artistic director of Scripps Presents. 鈥淭he future is impossible to predict but infinitely fascinating to consider. What is the future of women鈥檚 leadership, storytelling, comedy and politics? And how will we tackle issues like institutional racism, immigration and community, especially now that the world we鈥檝e known for so long is changing every day?鈥�
This season鈥檚 lineup of guest thinkers, artists, and writers includes FiveThirtyEight statistician Nate Silver, Pod Save the World host Ben Rhodes, and New Yorker staffer and historian Jill Lepore. The program鈥檚 @Noon series will feature Scripps alumnae and faculty in conversation about their work, including authors Kendra Atleework 鈥�11 and April D谩vila 鈥�99, as well as Grammy-winning Quetzal lead singer and Associate Professor of Chicanx-Latinx Studies Martha Gonzalez. Scripps Presents is also partnering with PEN America and the Strand Bookstore for this fall鈥檚 author conversation series; participating authors include Yaa Gyasi, Roxane Gay, and Claudia Rankine.
鈥淲e鈥檙e delighted to be partnering on the PEN Out Loud series. PEN America鈥檚 mission to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible is vital, most especially in this moment,鈥� Lesser said. 鈥淭hese writers鈥� perspectives on race, immigration and community are at the center of the kinds of conversations we want to explore. Although we dearly miss connecting with our audiences in person, the virtual format is also an opportunity for us to engage in a discussion with folks across the country and to share our passion for deep and meaningful reflection on art and the humanities.鈥�
Additional information about Scripps Presents, including the full calendar of events, is available here.