Festival of Ideas at East Tennessee State University brings Mitch Albom and Piper Kerman

This year’s Festival of Ideas at East Tennessee State University is taking place from February 27 to February 29 at the Martin Center for the Arts on campus. The event’s two keynote speakers this year are best-selling authors Mitch Albom and Piper Kerman.

According to an article on East Tennessee State University’s website, Dr. Kimberly D. McCorkle, who serves as East Tennessee State University’s provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs, was quoted as saying of the event and the well-known speakers who will be present, “The annual Festival of Ideas draws internationally and nationally known speakers to our region. This year, we are excited to welcome two authors who recognize the power of stories to shape culture, promote conversation and document the human experience.”

Albom is a best-selling author known for his books “Tuesdays with Morrie” and The Stranger in the Lifeboat.” He is also a columnist with the Detroit Free Press. His philanthropy projects include SAY Detroit, which is made up of several charity organizations that aim to improve life in Detroit for the underserved. In addition, Albom has won numerous awards for his sports journalism and has appeared on talk and news shows across the country.

Kerman is the author of “Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison,” which was adapted into a Netflix original series. Kerman spent time in prison for drug trafficking and wrote her memoir about her experiences in prison and those of the women she was incarcerated with. Now, Kerman’s work involves advocating for prison reform and criminal justice reform. Since being released, she has become involved in numerous organizations and charities and has spoken at the White House on the topic of re-entry into society post incarceration.

In addition to the keynote speeches by Albom and Kerman, the Festival of Ideas includes a discussion and panel for the campus-wide read of the book “The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World” by Jamil Zaki. That panel will take place on February 28 with no tickets or reservations needed.

The Festival of Ideas is open to the public and it is free to attend the keynote addresses by Albom and Kerman; however, tickets must be reserved in advance, which can be done on the festival’s webpage.

For more information about East Tennessee State University, visit the school’s website.