Fall 2018 SEASON Music and Performance
Groundbreaking Women
Literary Voices
Culture Critics
presents
Calendar
SEPT
7
Levitt on the Lawn: Chacombo
11
Gary Shteyngart
13
Lena Waithe in Conversation
15
Path to the Stars: Sylvia Acevedo
20 Charles Baxter
OCT
26
Dear America: Jose Antonio Vargas in Conversation
27
Eric Klinenberg: Palaces for the People
4
TRUCK: Bridgman|Packer Dance
9
Radiolab’s Latif Nasser
11
Good and Mad: Rebecca Traister in Conversation
15
Ignorance in the Age of Information: Zeynep Tufekci
16
On Community: Liz Lerman and Kevin Williamson in Conversation
24 Translating The Odyssey 24
ZigZag: Manoush Zomorodi in Conversation
30
W e Can’t Breathe: Jabari Asim in Conversation
Groundbreaking Women Cutting-Edge Scholarship
Literary Voices Music and Performance
Culture Critics
Humanities Institute
Family Friendly Events
NOV
7
Well-Read Black Girl: Glory Edim
8
Just the Funny Parts: Nell Scovell
11
Engineering Origami
14
Nathan Englander: A Reading and Conversation
Most events take place on the Scripps College campus and are FREE and open to the public. Tickets are required. Tickets for the fall season are available beginning August 22 for the Scripps community and August 24 for The Claremont Colleges and general public. For tickets, information, and directions, visit scrippscollege.edu/scrippspresents or call (909) 607-8508. Facebook: Scripps Presents Twitter: scrippscollege Instagram: scrippscollege
Scripps Presents partners include: The Huntley Bookstore of the Claremont Colleges and DLS Group
Groundbreaking Women Path to the Stars: Sylvia Acevedo Saturday, September 15, 3pm Garrison Theater “Shoot for the stars!” CEO of the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles Sylvia Acevedo took that mantra to heart. Her memoir, Path to the Stars, is a powerful reflection on the foundational experiences that led her to a career as a rocket scientist, award-winning entrepreneur, and former commissioner on the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for Hispanics. Madeleine Brand of KCRW’s Press Play joins her for a conversation. This program is made possible by the Alexa Fullerton Hampton ’42 Fund and is supported in part by Chicano Latino Student Affairs. Thank you to the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles for their non-financial support.
Just the Funny Parts: Nell Scovell Thursday, November 8, 6pm Garrison Theater Nell Scovell’s comedy chops landed her in the writers’ room for iconic American television shows including The Simpsons and Late Night with David Letterman, giving her insight into the astonishingly gendered world of Hollywood humor. Just the Funny Parts . . . And a Few Hard Truths About Sneaking into the Hollywood Boys’ Club is her scathingly funny behind-the-scenes account of the entertainment industry’s workplace politics before the #MeToo movement took hold. This program is made possible by the Alexa Fullerton Hampton ’42 Fund.
Lena Waithe in Conversation Thursday, September 13, 7pm, Garrison Theater Actress, producer, and screenwriter Lena Waithe was the first black woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Netflix’s Master of None. Her award-winning episode, “Thanksgiving,” was a poignant take on Waithe’s own experience coming out to her mother. Now, the Out100 Artist of the Year is turning her creative energies toward three projects: The Chi, written by Waithe and produced by Common; a comedy called Twenties with TBS; and a film, Queen & Slim, starring Daniel Kaluuya of Get Out fame. This program is made possible by the Alexa Fullerton Hampton ’42 Fund.
Cutting-Edge Scholarship Eric Klinenberg: Palaces for the People Thursday, September 27, 6pm Balch Auditorium The relationship between an individual and their community has preoccupied Eric Klinenberg for over a decade. In his latest study, Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life, he argues that the future of democratic societies rests not simply on shared values, but also on the shared spaces of libraries, childcare centers, bookstores, churches, synagogues, and parks, where essential, and sometimes life-saving, connections are made. This program is made possible by the Alexa Fullerton Hampton ’42 Fund.
Translating The Odyssey Wednesday, October 24 12:15pm Hampton Room First published in English around 1615, Homer’s The Odyssey has been foundational reading for generations. Four hundred and two years later, the first translation into English by a woman of this canonical text has made its way onto bookshelves. Emily Wilson, professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania, will read from her translation and discuss her approach to the project. This program is presented in partnership with the Scripps College Department of Classics.
Photo: Kevin Box and Michael G. LaFosse
Engineering Origami Sunday, November 11, 12pm and 3pm Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
In October, the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden will celebrate the art of Japanese paper folding, playing host to bold, colorful origami sculptures created by Jennifer and Kevin Box and their collaborators. The science behind this ancient practice has been inspiring Dr. Robert J. Lang for more than 50 years. As one of the world’s leading origami masters, and a collaborator with the Boxes for the past 10 years, he has shown that innovative solutions to engineering challenges—from air-bag design to expandable space telescopes—can be found in the principles of origami. Join Lang for a lecture about his work and stay for a special, small-group origami workshop and stroll around the garden. Tickets for this program are $10 and available at rsabg.org. A limited number of free tickets will be available to Scripps students. Please contact events@scrippscollege.edu for details. This program is presented in partnership with the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden and made possible by a grant from the City of Claremont.
Culture Critics
Dear America: Jose Antonio Vargas in Conversation Wednesday, September 26, 7pm, Balch Auditorium Jose Antonio Vargas made headlines in 2011 for revealing his undocumented status in the New York Times. A Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, his revelations gave new visibility to the immense challenges faced by young people who immigrated to the United States as children and have established academic and professional careers without citizenship. Vargas visits to discuss his book, Dear America, with Southern California Public Radio’s Leslie Berestein Rojas. This program is funded in part by Chicano Latino Student Affairs and presented in partnership with the IDEA Initiative.
Good and Mad: Rebecca Traister in Conversation Thursday, October 11, 12:15pm, Hampton Room Rebecca Traister, author of All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation, is an authority when it comes to parsing our current political moment, especially issues impacting women. She visits to discuss her latest book, Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger, a story of female fury and its cultural significance within the slow rise of women’s political power in America. Author Carina Chocano joins her for a conversation.
“The most brilliant voice on feminism in this country.” —Anne Lamott, author of Bird by Bird
We Can’t Breathe: Jabari Asim in Conversation
Tuesday, October 30, 6pm, Balch Auditorium In the vein of W.E.B. Du Bois, James Baldwin, Richard Wright, and Claudia Rankine, Jabari Asim has emerged as an essential voice on the black experience in America and the struggle for survival and persistence. The Emerson College professor and former editor-inchief of the NAACP’s magazine The Crisis visits to discuss his latest collection of essays and share his take on where America is right now. This program is made possible by the Alexa Fullerton Hampton ’42 Fund and presented in partnership with the IDEA Initiative.
Literary Voices
Gary Shteyngart
“[T]he funniest book you’ll read all year.” —Maria Semple
Tuesday, September 11, 8pm, Skirball Cultural Center Gary Shteyngart’s latest novel, Lake Success, stars failed hedge fund manager Barry Cohen on a Greyhound bus bound across America in search of his long-lost college sweetheart. Imbued with wry, yet melancholic humor, it is at once a piercing examination of the one percent and an unsentimental ode to what really makes America great. This program is presented in partnership with Book Soup at the Skirball.
Tickets will be available on Book Soup’s EventBrite page beginning August 22. Ticket options: $28.00 + tax (includes one entry and one signed copy of Lake Success) $34.00 + tax (includes two entries and one signed copy of Lake Success) A limited number of FREE books and tickets will be available for Scripps students on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact Scripps Presents by emailing events@scrippscollege.edu for availability. Please note: each ticket option includes one copy of Lake Success to be handed out at check in, the night of the event. Additional copies will be available for purchase as well.
Charles Baxter Thursday, September 20, 6pm, Balch Auditorium Charles Baxter has kept happy readers company for more than 30 years. His National Book Award– nominated The Feast of Love is an affecting meditation on the power and provocations of eros and a masterful showcase of Baxter’s authorial abilities. His longtime friend and colleague, Claremont McKenna College Professor of Literature and Film James Morrison, joins him for a conversation about the art of writing. This program is presented in partnership with the Scripps College Department of German and funded by the Alexa Fullerton Hampton ’42 Fund.
Well-Read Black Girl: Glory Edim Wednesday, November 7, 7pm, Balch Auditorium Glory Edim brings together communities of book fans and aficionados to celebrate a deep appreciation for black women’s writing. Through her immensely popular Instagram, a writers’ festival in her hometown of Brooklyn, and her book, Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves, she’s shaping a literary canon for the 21st century. Novelist Natashia Deón joins her for a conversation. This program is presented in partnership with PEN America and funded by the Alexa Fullerton Hampton ’42 Fund.
Nathan Englander: A Reading and Conversation Wednesday, November 14, 6pm Balch Auditorium Nathan Englander is the Pulitzer Prize–finalist and best-selling author of For the Relief of Unbearable Urges and What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank. His latest book, Dinner at the Center of the Earth, is equal parts political thriller, historical novel, and love story.
Music and Performance
Levitt on the Lawn: Chacombo Friday, September 7, 6:30pm, Bowling Green L.A.–based Afro-Peruvian band Chacombo knows how to get crowds moving with traditional tunes featuring the quijada de burro (donkey’s jaw) and cajon (box drum). Picnic on Bowling Green and dance the evening away! This program is presented as part of an ongoing series supported by the Levitt Foundation and Elizabeth Levitt Hirsch ’74 and supported in part by the the Intercollegiate Department of Chicano/a Latino/a Studies and Chicano Latino Student Affairs.
On Community: Liz Lerman and Kevin Williamson in Conversation Tuesday, October 16, 6pm, Garrison Theater Iconic choreographer Liz Lerman returns to Scripps for an encore engagement! In conversation with Assistant Professor of Dance Kevin Williamson, Lerman will reflect on the idea of community and its role in her inclusive practice and talk about how conversations with Scripps students and faculty are fueling Wicked Bodies, her powerful new project. This program is presented in partnership with Scripps College’s Core program and the Scripps Department of Dance and is funded by the Alexa Fullerton Hampton ’42 Fund.
TRUCK: Bridgman|Packer Dance Thursday, October 4, showtimes at 7pm, 7:45pm, and 8:15pm 10th Street in front of Garrison Theater It’s a testament to the choreographic brilliance and technological prowess of co-directors Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer that a box truck can be utterly transformed into a playful and vibrant otherworld. Since 1978, Bridgman|Packer Dance has been reveling in the intersection of technology and movement. Now, the Guggenheim Fellows visit Scripps “Eye-popping imagery, to share this mobile marvel. Audiences will thought-provoking have a chance to get in on the fun, too, by metaphor, and experimenting with an interactive video unvarnished dancing in a brilliant, seemingly playground at Garrison Theater! This program is made possible by the Alexa Fullerton Hampton ’42 Fund and presented in partnership with the Scripps Department of Dance.
effortless union.”
—The Albany Times Union
Humanities Institute This year, the Scripps College Humanities Institute will focus on “Ignorance in the Age of Information.” At the center of these conversations will be scholars and writers who explore “fake news” and “filter bubbles,” among other topics.
Latif Nasser Tuesday, October 9, 6pm, Balch Auditorium The history of science is stranger than fiction— Latif Nasser, director of research at Radiolab, should know. His research on such wide-ranging topics as culture-bound illnesses, snowflake photography, and 16th-century automata has turned up all manner of intriguing and insightful revelations.
Ignorance in the Age of Information: Zeynep Tufekci Monday, October 15, 6pm Balch Auditorium Zeynep Tufekci, a technosociologist and assistant professor in the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina and faculty associate at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, visits to discuss the social implications of technology and the politics of privacy and surveillance.
ZigZag: Manoush Zomorodi in Conversation Wednesday, October 24, 6pm Balch Auditorium When it comes to the social implications of technology, Manoush Zomorodi is obsessed. Zomorodi is the co-founder of Stable Genius Productions, a media company with a mission to help people navigate personal and global change. StableG uses podcasts as a lab to test new ways journalists can educate, entertain, and inspire through narrative. Her current podcast, ZigZag, is a very personal program about the changing nature of capitalism and journalism.
These programs are part of the Scripps College Humanities Institute’s Ignorance in the Age of Information series and are funded in part by the Alexa Fullerton Hampton ’42 Fund.
Fall 2018 SEASON
Join Scripps College as we present eye-opening, mindbending, genre-defying tête-à-têtes with the thinkers and doers, writers and performers, whose passions and perspectives are changing the way we see the world.
Scripps Presents is an electrifying mix of storytellers and artists, policymakers and musicians—and everything in between.
Office of Public Events & Community Programs Scripps College 1030 Columbia Avenue Claremont, CA 91711
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