A message to campus from Katie Warber, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Communication & Digital Media and Director of Academic Programming and Events, on Monday, January 9, 2023:
On behalf of the Programming Board, I am excited to announce the return of the Wittenberg Series to campus after a long pause from COVID. We kicked the series off with Lessons and Carols for Advent & Christmas in December and are thrilled this spring to be hosting two of our endowed lectures as well as an arts event on campus.
Koppenhaver Literary Lecture
7 p.m. Friday, February 17
Bayley Auditorium; Barbara Deer Kuss Science Center
Wittenberg University is proud to welcome back to campus distinguished alumna Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, class of 2000, as its Koppenhaver Literary Lecture speaker for 2023, part of the Wittenberg Series.
Hissrich is the creator, showrunner, and executive producer of the Netflix hit, The Witcher. Before that, she worked as a co-executive producer for Defenders and Daredevil on Marvel/Netflix and on shows for NBC including Do No Harm and Parenthood. Hissrich started her career as a writer for Aaron Sorkin and John Wells on NBC's The West Wing. Thanks go out to the Department of English and alumna Camila Quiñones '17, who is currently working with Hissrich and who helped coordinate her visit.
William A. Kinnison Endowed Lecture in History
7 p.m. Monday, February 20
Bayley Auditorium; Barbara Deer Kuss Science Center
Wittenberg University welcomes environmental historian and Vice President for Scholarly Programs at the National Humanities Center, Dr. Matthew Morse Booker, to speak at its 2023 William A. Kinnison Endowed Lecture in History. Dr. Booker will meet with classes to discuss the role humanities plays in addressing climate change and will host a public lecture at 7 p.m. in Bayley Auditorium in the Barbara Deer Kuss Science Center.
Booker is associate professor of environmental history at North Carolina State University, where he directs the Science, Technology & Society program. His forthcoming volume, Food Fights: How History Matters to Contemporary Food Debates, pairs essays debating food safety, agricultural and food subsidies, GMOs, and other urgent disputes. He has published articles, books, and digital mapping projects on the transformation of urban estuaries from food producers to real estate, the history of food safety, and the U.S.’s first urban national wildlife refuge. His current book, begun as a Rachel Carson Fellow, explores the rise and fall of aquaculture in American industrial cities. Thanks to Dr. Chris Raffensperger and the Margaret Ermarth Institute for the Public Humanities for his assistance in facilitating Dr. Booker's visit to campus.
Musical Performance
7 p.m. Saturday, April 1
Weaver Chapel
Wittenberg is proud to welcome Third Coast Percussion, a Grammy Award-winning percussion quartet based out of Chicago, for a full day of workshops and an evening performance as part of the Wittenberg Series.
Founded in 2005, Third Coast Percussion has performed hundreds of concerts across the country, presents an annual concert season at home in Chicago, teaches musicians of all ages and experience levels, and has commissioned dozens of new works by composers including Glenn Kotche, Philip Glass, Devonté Hynes, Chris Cerrone, Augusta Read Thomas, Donnacha Dennehy, and David T. Little. Special thanks to Ed Dunlap, Adjunct Percussion Professor and Administrative Assistant & Events Coordinator in Wittenberg's Department of Music, for his work connecting the University with the esteemed musical group.
Thanks again to all who have helped this WittSeries-light come together. Please be sure to put these dates on your calendar. The Programming Board is working actively to put together a full series for the 23-24 academic year when we hope to host a full series.
All Wittenberg Series events are admission-free. Doors open 30 minutes prior to the beginning of each lecture or performance. All facilities are accessible without climbing stairs. Audio-description services and interpreters will be provided with 72-hour notice prior to each event.