The Ideas Festival Emory, a hallmark event organized by Emory University’s Center for Public Scholarship and Engagement (CPSE), is set to take place on October 18 on the Oxford Campus.
This second edition promises to illuminate significant contemporary topics through conversations, performances, and engaging narratives from an array of over 30 distinguished figures including scientists, scholars, musicians, and filmmakers.
Kenneth Carter, the CPSE’s founding director and a professor of psychology at Emory, emphasizes the foundational philosophy of the festival: “Knowledge belongs to all of us.”
He further elaborates, “When people come together to talk about the challenges we all face, the closer we can get to solutions.”
Headlining this year’s festival is the renowned Rosanne Cash, who will lead a keynote conversation and participate in a live taping of the Sing for Science Podcast alongside Dr. Robyn Fivush at 5 p.m.
Cash’s illustrious career spans over 45 years, featuring 10 No. 1 singles in country music and securing four Grammy Awards, including three she received in 2015 for her acclaimed album The River & the Thread.
Beyond music, Cash is also a talented author, with her first book of short stories, Bodies of Water, published in 1996.
Her children’s book, Penelope Jane: A Fairy’s Tale, was released in 2000, while her memoir, Composed, became a New York Times bestseller in 2010, drawing acclaim from critics as one of the most compelling reflections on American life.
In addition to Cash, festival attendees will benefit from discussions led by prominent figures like Kevin Young, the poetry editor for The New Yorker and former director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
Young will address the significance of libraries and museums in the current era, especially as they contend with funding cuts.
His previous roles include being the Andrew W. Mellon director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, providing him with a unique perspective on these institutions’ value in society.
He is set to engage in a conversation with Atlanta author Jessica Handler during the festival.
Film will also be a focal point, featuring producer-director Brad Lichtenstein, who will discuss his latest project, American Reckoning: Wilmington 1898, created alongside producer-director Yoruba Richen.
This important film delves into the little-known coup in Wilmington, North Carolina, wherein white supremacists resorted to violence to dismantle the city’s multiracial government and thwart the self-governance of its democratically elected Black citizens.
The festival will also explore local issues, showcased through a live taping of WABE’s A Closer Look hosted by Rose Scott.
This segment will inspect the implications of Atlanta’s upcoming role as a host city for the 2026 World Cup, examining both the opportunities and challenges involved.
Additionally, the festival serves as a homecoming for John Kessler, formerly of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who has shifted his focus to chronicling Chicago’s dining landscape, while still contributing to national publications like The Washington Post and The Bitter Southerner.
Carter expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “I couldn’t be happier about this year’s featured speakers.
They remind us that great ideas come from labs, libraries, and from songs, poems, neighborhoods, and lived experiences.
At Emory, we’re creating a space where those voices can come together where ideas aren’t just studied, they’re shared.”
image source from：artsatl
