Ostrove Auditorium, Diamond Building, Colby College

Award-winning short-story writer and novelist Nathan Englander is this year’s Lipman lecturer. The title of his talk is “Writing in Uncertain Times.” Englander, the distinguished writer-in-residence at New York University, is the author of the collection What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, as well as the internationally bestselling story collection For […]

Described by the New York Times as a “virtuoso playing at the edge” and “a technologically fearless violinist,” violinist/composer Mari Kimura, director of the Atlantic Music Festival’s Future Music Lab, will perform both her own compositions that integrate interactive computer and pieces written for her by other composers. These works will demonstrate how the living […]

How did Donald Trump win over blue-collar voters? Why didn’t they stick with the Democrats? Thomas Frank will share his take on what led to the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. Frank is a best-selling author, political analyst, historian, journalist, and columnist for Harper’s Magazine. He has written several books, most notably What’s the […]

Chamique Holdsclaw, former WNBA All-Star, Olympic gold medalist, and three-time NCAA champion, will hold a Q&A with the audience following a screening of her biographical documentary, Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw, narrated by fellow mental health activist Glenn Close. Since retiring from professional sports, Holdsclaw travels the country to events within the mental health community […]

Aldon Morris, Leon Forrest Professor of Sociology and African-American Studies at Northwestern University, will deliver the Martin Luther King Jr. Day keynote address titled “Du Bois at the Center: From Science to Martin Luther King to Black Lives Matter.” Morris is an award-winning scholar whose work explores the social and political underpinnings of the civil rights movement and its legacy. His […]

Oak Fellow Khalid Albaih and Bangor Daily News cartoonist George Danby have thought a lot about how to respond to violence, including the actual shooting of artists like themselves, or really bad jokes about killing artists like themselves. In 2015 Albaih was horrified by the murder of cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo, even though he, a Muslim, had criticized the […]

Can there be tolerance of a belief system without endorsement of it? Does coexistence allow one to claim that their beliefs are exclusively true? Join a panel of five each speaking from their own perspective and belief system to address the idea of coexistence in today's world. Folks from these traditions will participate: humanist/atheist, Conservative […]

Gurinder Chadha, director of the hit film Bend It Like Beckham and more than a dozen other films, will deliver Colby’s annual Compagna-Sennett Religious Studies Lecture. Her lecture is titled “Religion, Culture, and Identity: A Journey Through Film.” The movie, which follows the daughter of orthodox Sikhs who rebels against her parents’ traditions to chase her […]

Join panelists E.J. Dionne, columnist for the Washington Post and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, Eliana Johnson, Washington editor for National Review Magazine, and David Shribman, editor-in-chief for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for a discussion on the 2016 election, which in many ways has shattered the mold. This panel of experts will explore a host of topics: candidate strategy, voter attitudes […]

Robin D.G. Kelley will offer the keynote address as the Pugh Center celebrates its 20th anniversary. Cosponsored by the Pugh Center and the African-American Studies Program.

The elections of 2016 are being held during a period of deep voter unrest and general dissatisfaction with the presidential candidates, the political parties, and politics in general. The larger political environment undoubtedly will influence the tone and outcomes of some congressional elections. However, congressional campaigns have their own dynamics and idiosyncrasies. Paul Herrnson, professor […]

Khalid Albaih, a cartoonist from Sudan, is the 2016 Oak Fellow with Colby’s Oak Institute for the Study of International Human Rights. Albaih uses his daring, often biting cartoons to champion freedom of expression and democracy in the Arab world while criticizing Islamophobia, torture, and drone attacks.

This event is the second in a series of statewide forums that brings together leaders in Maine to discuss the current status of Maine’s solar market. The panelists will include Tim Schneider, Office of the Public Advocate; Vaughan Woodruff, Chair of the Committee on Renewable Energy; Dylan Voorhees, Natural Resources Council of Maine; Roger Katz, […]

Join us to watch short films made by students enrolled in the Integrated Studies 224 seminar on Global Maine. While Maine remains the whitest state in the union, demographic trends are rapidly changing many regions. Refugees, asylum seekers, medical and high-technology workers, undocumented farmworkers, and guest workers in the hospitality industry are transforming urban and […]

The Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement at Colby College has selected Chief Justice of California Tani Cantil-Sakauye as the recipient of the 2016 Morton A. Brody Distinguished Judicial Service Award. The ceremony and award was established to honor Morton A. Brody, a former Maine U.S. District Court judge and friend of the […]

One of the most significant transformations in American society in recent decades is the growing ranks of women in the law and on the bench. In 1970, women made up less than five percent of the nation’s lawyers, a figure that has since jumped to 34 percent. Half of law school students today are women, […]

Check out the movie trailer here! Did you know that 40% of the food produced for humans in the U.S. is wasted every year? That's enough to fill the Empire State Building nearly 100 times. Meanwhile, Maine ranks first in New England in terms of food insecurity, including for children, and the State struggles to […]

Documentary films play a vital role in generating public awareness and mobilizing change, and films about the environment are no exception. Ever wonder what it takes to bring environmental stories to life through documentaries? Filmmaker Andrea Palombella will share her experiences, highlight the essentials of effective storytelling and the craft of documentary filmmaking, and discuss […]

Hardy Girls Healthy Women is committed to amplifying the voices of brave and amazing girls throughout our state. We have found girls whose bold voices and daring acts have made a substantial impact on their communities.  Join us as we congratulate them for their achievements and learn how you and the girls in your life can join […]

Oscar-winner Louie Psihoyos (The Cove) assembles a team of artists and activists to show the world never-before-seen images that expose issues around endangered species and mass extinction. Whether infiltrating notorious black markets or exploring our effect on the environment, Racing Extinction will change the way we see the world.

Ellen Sharp, director of the Butterflies and Their People Project at the Cerro Pelon Butterfly Reserve, Mexico, will discuss competing stakes in transnational efforts to protect the annual monarch butterfly migration. Despite well-meaning efforts to foster development projects that will keep forest-dwelling Mexicans from logging in the butterfly sanctuaries, communications between scientists, citizen-scientists, transnational NGOs, […]

 Paul Gorski, cofounder of EdChange and associate professor of integrative studies at George Mason University, will discuss how poverty impacts opportunity in today's education system. In addition to his work in poverty and educational opportunity, he also writes about social justice education and social justice activist sustainability.

Eric Barthold ’12, facilitator and speaker of Man Up and Open Up, explains how and why he conducts facilitated discussions with male athletes, as well as what we can learn about masculinity and sexual violence on college campuses from similar peer-to-peer discussions. Talking openly with boys about masculinity and sexual assault deviates from what we […]

Former U.S. Senator George J. Mitchell will recount some of his most compelling and enlightening stories from his recently released book, The Negotiator, including his instrumental work on clean air and water legislation, the Iran-Contra hearings, and healthcare reform, as well as life after the Senate, from leading the successful Northern Ireland peace process to […]

Author and poet Reginald Dwayne Betts will read from his latest book, Bastards of the Reagan Era, which examines the war on drugs while challenging popular conceptions about its ending and its impact on the black community. Currently a student at Yale Law School, Betts once served nine years in prison for carjacking. A Q&A […]