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The Summer Conversations series will kick off its season with an evening of reminiscing and reflection with columnist Marsha McCabe. Marsha McCabe's talk will examine the unique culture, character, and challenges of our local communities. McCabe will use her unique vantage point as longtime cultural observer and critic to take a look at who we are at our best and worst, and how we might better shape our communities and neighborhoods.
Marsha McCabe has twice won national awards for her general interest column in the Standard-Times, which she wrote for 20 years. One judge commented: "McCabe's colunmns are a rare marriage of style and substance, the product of a writer who possesses literary and moral instincts."
As a writer and editor at Spinner Publications, she is the author of Not Just Anywhere, which documents the rescue of New Bedford's Waterfront Historic District from the urban renewal bulldozers. She has written and edited books on Fairhaven history, the Portuguese in New Bedford, the textile industry and South Coast farming and fishing. Her novella, "The Woman Behind the Counter," appears in Spinner IV and describes the vibrant history of New Bedford and surrounding towns as seen through one woman's eyes. |
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Education policy renegade Wick Sloane will discuss the current state of our public educaton system, and share some of his concrete ideas for reform. Currently an English professor at Bunker Hill Community College, and a regular columnist for HigherEd.com, Sloane has dedicated his career to helping those who most need education to succeed in the world.
Along the way, he has served as the Chief Financial Officer of the University of Hawaii, a visiting fellow at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and a member of the West Hartford School Board. A graduate of Williams College and Yale University, Sloane has made a mark at every level by challenging the status quo and advancing innovative ideas for change. |
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Author and journalist Matt Taibbi will discuss his new book, "The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics, and Religion, at the Twilight of the American Empire." Taibbi writes a regular column for Rolling Stone called "Road Rage," and a weekly blog for rollingstone.com called "The Low Post." He has appeared with John Stewart on "The Daily Show," and is a regular on "Real Time With Bill Maher." |
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Colin Beavan spent nearly all of 2007 living out a radical environmental experiment in the most unlikely of places. While living in Manhattan, Beavan vowed to systematically reduce his personal consumption by altering his lifestyle one piece at a time. His experiment received great attention from the press and was chronicled on his blog, "No Impact Man." With a book, a documentary, and a feature film in the works, Beavan recently received his biggest pat on the back when TIME.com named his website one of the 15 best environmental sites in the world. |
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