Sewanee Event Highlights

March 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Convocation Hall

Did you know that men are four times more likely to die by suicide than women, but are much less likely to seek mental health services? It’s time to talk about it and destigmatize help-seeking for men. Join the Wellness Commons, the Greek Council, Peer Health, the Sewanee Wellness Advisory Committee, and the Wick in a men’s mental health panel in Convocation Hall moderated by CAPS therapist Kevin Cummings. To submit anonymous questions that will be answered during the panel, fill out this form. Mountain Goat food provided, all are welcome.

March 26 at 5 p.m.
St. Mark's Community Center

Shingai Njeri Kagunda (she/they) will be reading from her short story Air to Shape Lungs followed by a workshop on writing with land that holds difficult history. Kagunda is an Afrosurreal/futurist storyteller from Nairobi, Kenya, with a literary arts MFA from Brown University. Shingai’s work has been featured in The Best American Sci-fi and Fantasy 2020 and 2023 editions, the Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction in 2021, and the Year’s Best Dark Fantasy and Horror 2020. Register Here

3 p.m. - 7 p.m. Monday - Friday 
Carlson Listening Room

The William Ralston Music Listening Library is located on the second floor of duPont Library at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. The Ralston Library boasts an expansive collection of physical format recordings—LPs and CDs—that seeks to be representative of the standard repertoire of Western art music.
The centerpiece of the Ralston Library is the Carlson Listening Room, a loudspeaker room that was designed to bring a stunning, life-changing sonic and aesthetic experience to every visitor. The Carlson Room is considered by many reviewers and audiophiles to be the best publicly available audio playback space in the world.

March 23 at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.
All Saints' Chapel

We are thrilled that our preacher will be Ayala Harris, who serves as the 34th president of the House of Deputies, where she leads alongside the presiding bishop to guide the Episcopal Church in its governance and mission. Elected at the 80th General Convention in 2022, and re-elected at the 81st General Convention in 2024, she is the first Latina and woman of color to hold this esteemed position.

Jan. 30 - March 30
The University Art Gallery and the Museum Gallery of William R. Laurie University Archives
and Special Collections

Acclaimed multimedia artist and Oscar-nominated filmmaker RaMell Ross' photographs from Hale County, Alabama, create a loving portrait of a place, and community. That portrait confounds the viewer’s gaze. Sometimes it looks back. In the sculpture included in the exhibition, Ross combines the relentless facts of materials like wood and red soil with quotations and allusions—to poet Shel Silverstein, to basketball, to fallen soldiers. The everyday becomes magical.

March 20 at 5 p.m.
Guerry Auditorium

Grounded in place and experience, RaMell Ross’ work is at once funny and haunting, everyday and timeless. It is double-edged. It is one thing, and then another. The artist troubles categories and definitions, even as he explores them. In the University Art Gallery, Ross' photographs from Hale County, Alabama create a loving portrait of a place and community. That portrait confounds the viewer’s gaze. Sometimes it looks back. In the sculpture included in the exhibition, Ross combines the relentless facts of materials like wood and red soil with quotations and allusions—to poet Shel Silverstein, to basketball, to fallen soldiers. The everyday becomes magical.

March 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Guerry Auditorium

Roomful of Teeth is a two-time Grammy-winning vocal band dedicated to reimagining the expressive potential of the human voice. By engaging collaboratively with artists, thinkers, and community leaders from around the world, the group seeks to uplift and amplify voices old and new while creating and performing meaningful and adventurous music.

March 19 at 4:30 p.m.
Torian Room, duPont Library

The global energy sector is undergoing a profound shift as rising demand, climate change, and geopolitical pressures transform the market. These challenges present opportunities for financing energy infrastructure and investing in energy transitions to renewables such as solar, wind, carbon capture, hydrogen, and renewable natural gas. Two experts in energy finance, Robert Birdsey, C’99, and Steve Ridge will discuss energy market trends in the Southern United States during a panel discussion. Previously, they worked together in energy investment banking at J.P. Morgan in New York City. All are welcome to attend.

March 18 at 7 p.m.
Naylor Auditorium, Gailor Hall

In this talk, Maggie Thrash shares how she arrived at comics as the perfect medium for telling her personal story. You'll get a crash course in the history of comics, tracing its evolution from low-brow smut to high-brow literature. Thrash will also share insights from her new novel Rainbow Black, set during the Satanic Panic of the 1980s. This is a great talk for anyone interested in the strange and fascinating process of how an idea transforms into a finished product. Thrash is the author of the critically acclaimed graphic memoir Honor Girl, which was nominated for a Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Rainbow Black is her first novel for adults and has been awarded several prizes including the Mother Jones Award for 2024 and a noteworthy book by the Washington Times. Maggie attended the Sewanee School of Letters. She was born and raised in Atlanta and currently lives in New Hampshire.

March 18 at 4:30 p.m.
Breslin Tower and Convocation Hall

16 ringers from the UK, who are touring the U.S., will be visiting Sewanee to ring in Breslin Tower. Their plan is to ring at least two quarter peals. The ringing will be heard throughout the campus. A livestream of their ringing will be available to watch in Convocation Hall. Local ringers will present in Convocation Hall to explain the craft of bell ringing and the changes that will be performed.

March 18 at 11:30 a.m.
McGriff Alumni House

The ADA Office is excited to invite you to our third annual ADA Talk, where Grace Broadway, C'28, will interview alumna Megan Hart on the importance of disability advocacy, how to be an ally, and her personal experiences as an individual with a disability. Hart serves as director of Tennessee Disability Pathfinder within the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. As a person with a disability who has more than 20 years of experience working in the disability field, Hart strives to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities.

March 3 at 5 p.m.
Convocation Hall

Betsy Sandlin, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, will offer a talk that is free and open to the public. A deeply respected leader on campus, Sandlin will reflect on leadership in times of transition, drawing from her unique vantage point as an interim dean. She will explore the possibilities of "the in-between"—the bridge between stability and change, harmony and progress, responsibility and trust—and the lessons it offers. 

March 3 at 4 p.m.
McGriff Alumni House

We hope you’ll join the Sewanee Review in welcoming the poet Maria Zoccola to campus, where she’ll be in conversation with our very own Stephanie McCarter. Zoccola’s debut poetry collection, Helen of Troy, 1993, reimagines Helen as a housewife in 1990s Tennessee, reckoning with the perilous intersections of myth and modernity. Coffee and light fare will be provided. Sponsored by the Dakin Fund, Sewanee School of Letters, and the Classics, Creative Writing, and English departments.

March 2 at 3 p.m.
St. Luke's Chapel

Join soprano Eliza Warnock, C’25, for Finding Home, a senior voice recital of musical theatre, opera, and art song. This program explores the singer’s path in finding what “home” means to her through spaces, nature, community, and herself.

Feb. 28 - March 1 at 7:30 p.m. and March 2 at 2 p.m.
Proctor Hill Theater, Tennessee Williams Center

How to Save Ourselves is a play written by Enid Graham that follows a group of young volunteers at a struggling food distribution center who must confront personal biases, community challenges, and the effects of severe weather as they fight to help those in need. The play explores the epidemic of loneliness among today's youth and the transformative power of human connection in the face of adversity. The show runs about 90 minutes, and is directed by Professor Sarah Lacy Hamilton.

Reserve your free tickets here.

Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
All Saints' Chapel

The Sewanee Symphony Orchestra and the University Choir present a concert showcase of Sewanee superstars under the direction of Mario Alejandro Torres, music director of the Sewanee Symphony Orchestra, and Geoffrey Harris Ward, University organist and choirmaster. Hear a world premiere composed by Sarah Rimkus and performed by cellist Kaitlyn Vest, thrilling opera arias by Purcell and Bizet sung by soprano Christina Vial Comer, and Vivaldi’s Double Cello Concerto in G minor.

All featured artists have Sewanee ties. Rimkus is professor of composition and music theory. Ms. Vest is instructor of cello. Vest is joined by her husband and cellist, Paul Vest, for the Vivaldi concerto. And Comer is a Sewanee alumna who has performed across the United States in solo recitals, symphonic concerts, and in leading opera roles. 

Feb. 28 at 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
McClurg Dining Hall

This event, sponsored by Tigers Entertainment Board (TEB), in collaboration with Student Involvement and the Student Government Association (SGA), will feature a variety of soul food dishes, live music by the Neshawn Calloway Band, and an opportunity to learn about and celebrate Black history and culture. The first 150 attendees will receive a free Soul Food Luncheon T-shirt. We encourage you to arrive early to ensure you don’t miss out!

Feb. 27 at 8 p.m.
Chapel of the Apostles

Please join us for a very special lecture-concert featuring the music of Josquin des Prez, a composer of the High Renaissance known for the profound power and intimacy of his polyphony. The performance will be given by the internationally acclaimed vocal ensemble Cut Circle, and the pieces will be interspersed with comments by the group's director, Jesse Rodin (Stanford University). Rodin will discuss how the ensemble's approach to performance creates new modes of thinking about this early music. The concert will explore what is at stake when we re-embody (either as singers or as audience members) historical material of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. This performance is free and open to the public, and sponsored by the Department of Music, the University Lectures Committee, the School of Theology, and the Sewanee Medieval Colloquium.

Feb. 27 at 5 p.m.
The Carlos Gallery in the Visual Art Building

Humming Along / Here I Am for the First Time explores the intersection of American military practices, the preservation of historical artifacts, and the complex dynamics of destruction and memory. These sculptural works invite critical reflection on the objects and symbols that define national identity, power, and burial. 

Feb. 26 at 5 p.m.
Naylor Auditorium

Please join the Roberson Project on Slavery, Race, and Reconciliation for a panel discussion of the ways Sewanee has honored the legacies of the Confederacy, in the past and the present, whether intentionally or not. The panel will preview two new archival databases and showcase the research contributions of undergraduate students. Presentations by Maia Council of the Roberson Project staff and undergraduate students Betsy Baker and Gwendolyn Dickey will be followed by an audience Q&A, inviting further reflection on the University’s historical memory and the challenges of understanding and reckoning with its past.

Feb. 27 at 4:30 p.m.
Spencer Hall

Ranita Roy brings a unique perspective, combining her photography with a background in environmental science. She's done work for major outlets like Reuters, The Washington Post Magazine, New York Times, CNN, and others. Roy is currently a Magnum Foundation Photography and Social Justice Fellow. More information about Ranita Roy's life and work may be found here: www.ranitaroy.com.

Feb. 26 at 4:30 p.m.
Gailor 225, Language Resource Center

Featuring poets/translators Mary Jo Bang, professor of English at Washington University, St. Louis, and Yuki Tanaka, associate professor of English, Hosei University, Japan. Takiguchi’s obvious interest in style is perfectly wed to his daredevil rhetorical antics. His poems read as if they could have been written today, yet they are so original that they couldn’t have been written by anyone else. Bang and Tanaka’s skillful, colloquial translations offer English readers a long-overdue introduction to this important poet.

Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.
Naylor Auditorium

 "The Creative Imagination of Liberation: The Art of Freedom" Presented by Menna Demessie, senior vice president, Universal Music Group; executive director, Task Force for Meaningful Change; and adjunct professor, University of Michigan.

Feb. 25 at 5:15 p.m.
Convocation Hall

Join us for Dinner & Dialogue as we create community, spark connection, enjoy a tasty dinner, and engage in meaningful conversation about that which we hold dear at Sewanee. To broaden participation, we ask that "whoever comes brings someone who is not like them." Participants are invited to RSVP in pairs. Attending with "someone not like you" is intentionally left open and broad. Bring a roommate, a faculty member, a new acquaintance, a work study, or a friend, as we all have distinct experiences and perspectives to share. And, you'll get to sit together. Please RSVP by Feb. 24.

Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.
Convocation Hall

The Friends of the Library at the University of the South and the Department of English invite you to attend an event featuring Robin R. Bates, professor emeritus of English from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Bates will discuss the importance of card playing in Jane Austen’s novels and will instruct attendees on how to play Speculation, one of the card games played in Mansfield Park. An English tea will be served during the card game and Jane Austen-themed prizes will be awarded to the winners. Attendees who would rather watch than play can do so. We request that you RSVP via email to pcowan@sewanee.edu for the event by Friday, Feb. 21, to help us determine the number of card tables needed.

Feb. 24 at 4 p.m.
Guerry Auditorium

Nashville Opera presents Opera OUT LOUD, a light and lively 30-minute recital introducing the great operatic repertoire. Enjoy meeting four emerging professional opera singers as they bring to life the art form they love. After the performance, the Nashville Opera Artists will take questions from the audience and unpack what the life of an opera singer is like. This event is free and open to the public. 

Feb. 23 at 8 and 11 a.m.
All Saints' Chapel

The Right Rev. Peter Eaton, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida, was raised in New England, Barbados, Puerto Rico, and London, he read classics at King's College, London; theology at Queens' College, Cambridge; and was trained for the priesthood at Westcott House, Cambridge. He served for a year as the pastoral assistant at Saint George’s Anglican Church in Paris (France). He has twice been a Fellow-in-Residence at the School of Theology, Sewanee (1995 and 2014).

Feb. 20 at 7 p.m.
Convocation Hall

The Roberson Project has invited the Rev. Avery Hamilton and Dean Woods to come to Sewanee to tell their story of defying 150 years of lies and misinformation by telling the truth about a white vigilante militia’s massacre of more than 50 Black men in the town of Colfax, Louisiana, in 1873. 

Feb. 20 at 4:30 p.m.
Torian Room, duPont Library

Are you constantly thinking of ideas to solve problems? Pat Morrell, co-founder and head of strategic growth at Aiwyn, will share his entrepreneurial journey and the highs and lows that have come with taking risks, executing a plan, and working day and night to turn his vision into a success.

Feb. 20 at 4 p.m.
Naylor Auditorium

Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is the most expansive and widely viewed fictional narrative in the history of cinema. In 2009, Disney purchased Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion, including its subsidiary film production company, Marvel Studios. By 2022, eight of the 25 highest grossing films of all time are MCU movies. Please join Lilly Goren as she discusses this deeply political universe and answers the question "what lessons are this entertainment juggernaut teaching audiences about politics, society, power, genders, and inequality?"

Feb. 16 and 17 at 7 p.m.
Tennessee Williams Center

Looking for actors, musicians, and tech folk, no experiece required. Directed by Ivy Francis Moore C'26, performed in Angel Park. Please email moreifo@sewanee.edu if you have questions.

Feb. 15 at 4 p.m.
McGriff Alumni House 

Join us for a research presentation by Elijah Andrews, C’24, recipient of the 2024 Biehl International Research Fellowship. Andrews will share insights from his independent research project exposing systemic inequality and the prioritization of profit over lives. Backed by published data and firsthand interviews, this research brings statistics to life through the voices of those most affected.

Feb. 10 at 7 p.m.
Guerry Auditorium

Join us for a free screening of A Case for Love, followed by a Q&A session with the film’s director, Brian Ide. In the documentary, a film team travels the U.S. searching for people living their lives selflessly and interviews them about how that way of living affects others and themselves. We also learn what well-known figures, including Pete Buttigieg, Al Roker, Sam Waterston, John Danforth, Becca Stevens, Jon Meacham, Russell Moore, Kelly Brown Douglas, and Jim Clyburn, have to say about the topic. Finally, Bishop Michael Curry places all we’ve seen into context.

Feb. 7 at 7 p.m.
Tennessee Williams Center Studio Theatre

This play is written by Claudia Shear, featuring Amelia Barakat, C'25.

Feb. 6 at 7 p.m.
St. Luke's Chapel

Violist Hillary Herndon and pianist Bernadette Lo present the faculty recital Sonorous Journeys. The recital features an exciting program of works by celebrated composers George Rochberg, Gabriela Lena Frank, and Dobrinka Tabakova.

Feb. 6 at 4:30 p.m.
Naylor Auditorium, Gailor Hall

Jaime Harker, professor of English and director of the Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies at the University of Mississippi, will deliver a lecture, Envisioning a Queer and Feminist South. The lecture is free and open to the public; all are welcome. Sponsored by the Department of English and Creative Writing, the Center for Southern Studies, Q and A House and the Wick,  the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and the University Lectures Committee.  

Feb. 4 at 5 p.m.
Convocation Hall

Come hear from a panel of faculty and staff who have had community-engaged service adventures all over the world including programs such as: Peace Corps, Americorps, FoodCorps, Student Conservation Corps, Teach for America, Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program, and Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WOOF). Sponsored by the Offices of Civic Engagement, Career Readiness + Student Success, and Global Citizenship.

Feb. 3 at 4 p.m.
McGriff Alumni House

Ben Austen—a journalist, author, teacher, and former editor from Chicago—will be in conversation with Sewanee Review editor Adam Ross. Austen's latest book, Correction: Parole, Prison, and the Possibility of Change was named one of the best books of 2023 by The Washington Post. Austen is the writer and host of the podcasts The Parole Room and The Last Days of Cabrini-Green, and the cohost of the podcast Some of My Best Friends Are…. We hope you’ll join us to hear Austen speak about his work investigating the crisis of the criminal justice system. Coffee and light fare will be provided.

Jan. 26 at 8 a.m., 11 a.m., and 2 p.m.
All Saints' Chapel

Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe will preach and the Rt. Rev. Dr. Jacob Owensby will preside at both services in All Saints’ Chapel on Sunday, Jan. 26. The services are Rite 1 Holy Eucharist at 8 a.m. and Rite 2 Holy Eucharist at 11 a.m. A reception following the 11 a.m. Eucharist will be held in Convocation Hall. Additionally, a public panel discussion will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26, also in Convocation Hall. The discussion will feature Presiding Bishop Rowe, Chancellor Owensby, and Vice-Chancellor Rob Pearigen. The entire community is welcome and encouraged to attend.

Jan. 24 at 4:30 p.m.
Convocation Hall

Join us for a reading of What the Constitution Means to Me, Heidi Schreck’s hilarious and hopeful play, which challenges us to understand how the U.S. Constitution has shaped our lives while imagining how it can serve the next generation of Americans.  

Jan. 20 at 9 a.m., and 1 p.m.
Fowler Center

On Monday we will gather for a day full of service, learning, community building, and fun. Everyone will gather together at noon for an informal lunch and brief remarks to remember and honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We will again work in partnership with Sleep in Heavenly Peace to build beds for children in our community who otherwise would not have a bed to sleep in.

Jan. 17 at 1 p.m.
Jessie Ball duPont Library's Main Lobby

Friends of the Library, Library and Information Technology Services, and Sewanee Undergraduate Research are sponsoring this event to recognize the importance of research and scholarship among our faculty and students. faculty-student research teams will be sharing poster presentations of research projects, and they will be ready to talk with you about their work and answer questions. The University Bookstore will have faculty-authored books for sale, and you can  have those books signed by the authors.

Jan. 17 at 4:30 p.m.
All Saints' Chapel

The University’s Easter Convocation will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17. New members will be inducted into the Order of the Gown, and the teaching and scholarship of the faculty will also be recognized and honored with a convocation address delivered by a member of the University faculty. This year’s remarks will be given by Professor of Biology David Haskell.

Jan. 16 at 7 p.m.
Hamilton Hall

 A Full-Hearted Life: Following Jesus in This Secular Age articulates how believing in Jesus gives us a sense of who we are, why we’re here, what the good life is, and how to move toward that good life. The reading will be held in the newly renovated Hamilton Hall and livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

March 26 at 7 p.m.
Naylor Auditorium

Demessie, a political scientist and social justice advocate with a deep track record of civic and educational empowerment, currently is SVP/ED of Universal Music Group’s racial justice and philanthropic efforts for the world’s largest music company. In 2022, Billboard named her to their top list of women executives in music and Variety Magazine named her one of the DEI Impact Champions in Entertainment. In 2023, she was also awarded the prestigious Social Impact Award from the Black Music Action Coalition where she was honored for her social impact work in the music and entertainment industry alongside fellow honorees like producer Jermaine Dupri, artist Lizzo, and actress Keke Palmer among others.

March 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Tennessee Williams Center

Think you're funny?  Join comedian, writer, and performer Megan Gogerty for an interactive comedy workshop where you'll learn how to put your humor on the page then perform it on stage.  This is a fun, low-stakes, safe space to try something new.

March 27 at 4:30 p.m.
McGriff Alumni Hall

In today’s political climate of inflammatory rhetoric and fake news, citizens increasingly turn to an unlikely voice of reason: the comedian. The 21st century has seen the exponential growth of late-night satirists, infotainers, and pundits, and it sometimes can be difficult to tell the jokesters from the journalists. Do comedians really speak truth to power? If they do, does power listen? Should citizens? Professor and comedy studies scholar Megan Gogerty discusses the rhetorical advantages and disadvantages comedians have when doubling as public intellectuals.