61传媒Presents has announced its spring 2022 season, 鈥淭he Food Issue,鈥� which will focus on food justice, sustainability, culture, and creativity with a slate of virtual and in-person programming featuring renowned chefs and food activists. 61传媒Presents will once again partner with PEN America this season to host discussions with prize-winning contemporary authors. Additional programming will be announced throughout the spring.
鈥淲e’re really excited about exploring food this season,鈥� Corrina Lesser, artistic director of 61传媒Presents, said. 鈥淏eyond its obvious importance in sustaining us as humans, it’s also a topic that is at the heart聽of the critical conversations we’re having as a society about activism, sustainability and innovation.鈥�
This year鈥檚 MLK Commemorative Lecturer and cookbook author Bryant Terry will discuss how he鈥檚 amplifying new voices of color in the culinary world, and activist Cleo Silvers will discuss the role of food in sustaining the Black Panther movement. Writer and curator Fanny Singer will reflect on her life with her mother, Chez Panisse founder and restaurateur Alice Waters, with longtime family friend and food writer Ruth Reichl. Famed food columnist Yotam Ottolenghi will also return to the 61传媒Presents stage for an in-person conversation about global cuisine, culinary collaborations, and kitchen creativity.
61传媒Presents will continue its partnership with PEN America and the Strand Bookstore for the author conversation series. This season鈥檚 lineup presents four conversations between authors whose latest works offer thought-provoking examinations of race, sexuality, and identity. Participating authors include National Book Award finalist Robert Jones Jr., PEN/Faulkner Award-winning author Julie Otsuka, poet Solmaz Sharif, and memoirist and cultural critic Julissa Arce.
Founded in 2016 as 61传媒鈥檚 premiere public events program, 61传媒Presents is committed to hosting thought-provoking conversations with emerging and established scholars, writers, performers and thinkers. Previous guests have included Angela Davis, Samin Nosrat, Lena Waithe, and Colson Whitehead. Additional information about 61传媒Presents event protocols is available here.