Symposium Books and WaterFire Providence Curate a Series of Public Dialogues At The WaterFire Arts Center, Named “WaterFire Symposium”
The new WaterFire Symposium event series at the WaterFire Arts Center is curated by Symposium Books and WaterFire. These public dialogues consist of talks, panels, and readings covering the most pressing topics facing our society today, from environmentalism and urbanism to science and visual arts.
“The WaterFire Symposium is a series of public lectures, readings and conversations about vital and timely issues from the arts to the sciences, from history to the climate crisis. WaterFire’s mission is to inspire our community. Bringing us all together in cordial discussion about the issues impacting our community helps us better understand the issues of the day.
In an era where complex issues become reduced to silly slogans, a forum for learning understanding and dialog is critical to the democrtic process. WaterFire is pleased to partner with Symposium Books to host and co-curate this series of community conversations that are presented for free and are open to all.”
Barnaby Evans, Executive Artistic Director
The series will start at the end of January and be about once a month until early June. Author Peter Andreas will be the first WaterFire Symposium on Tuesday, January 28th talking about his new book, “Killer High: A History of War in Six Drugs”.
WaterFire Symposium Event Dates:
Tuesday, January 28, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Author Talk with Peter Andreas on “Killer High: A History of War in Six Drugs”
“Ingeniously plotted, briskly written, and strikingly illustrated, Killer High delivers a kaleidoscopic trip through the history of drugs and war. Peter Andreas looks at the drug-war relationship from every angle: how combatants and noncombatants used drugs; how wars were fought through, for, or against drugs; and how wars shaped the fates of drugs, often speeding their rise as global commodities.”
David Courtwright, author of Forces of Habit and The Age of Addiction
Wednesday, February 12, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Writer Marjan Kamali reading from her widely acclaimed novel “The Stationary Shop”
Friday, February 28, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Cultural critic and theorist Ariella Aïsha Azouley in conversation with Stanley Wolukau-Wanambwa on “Unlearning Imperialism, Repair and Reparations?”
Monday, March 16, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Lukas Rieppel, “Assembling the Dinosaurs”
Thursday, April 9, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
An Evening of Poetry with Charles Kell, Timothy Liu, and Rob Ostrom
Monday, May 11, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Reza Negarestani, “Philosophy as A Generation Spaceship: How to explore the outer rims of who we are and what we can become”
Tuesday, June 2, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Dr. Mikkael Sekeres, “When Blood Breaks Down: Life Lessons from Leukemia”
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The views and opinions expressed by speakers/presenters at the WaterFire Arts Center are those of the speakers/authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of WaterFire Providence or any of our partners, sponsors, or supporters.
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About the author
Over the last 10+ years, alongside some incredible co-workers and volunteers, I've worked to build the organization that WaterFire Providence is today. As Director of Creative Services, my team and I work on visual communications, graphic design, the visitor experience, merchandising as well as project management for programming at the WaterFire Arts Center. Being a part of the 'Rhode Island' experience for tens of thousands of people is incredible and I have an intense pride in place for both Downtown Providence and the Valley neighborhood.
