MIDDLEBURY — New York Times columnist Frank Bruni will share his insights on issues affecting colleges and communities in a talk at Middlebury College’s Wilson Hall on Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 7 p.m. The event, “Conversations with Frank Bruni,” is part of the Vermont Humanities Council’s First Wednesdays lecture series and is free and open to the public.
Bruni will lead a wide-ranging conversation on topics including identity politics and its effect on campuses and communities, and the importance of free speech.
Bruni has been an Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times since June 2011. In his columns, which appear every Sunday and Wednesday, he reflects on diverse topics including American politics, higher education and gay rights. He joined the newspaper in 1995 and has been a White House correspondent, chief restaurant critic, a staff writer for “The Times Magazine” and the Rome bureau chief.
He is the author of three New York Times bestsellers, the most recent of which, “Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania,” was published in March 2015 to widespread acclaim. His previous bestsellers were the 2009 memoir “Born Round,” about the joys and torments of his eating life, and a 2002 chronicle of George W. Bush’s initial presidential campaign, “Ambling into History.”
The Vermont Humanities Council’s First Wednesdays series is held on the first Wednesday of every month from October through May in nine communities statewide, featuring speakers of national and regional renown. Talks in Middlebury are usually held at Ilsley Public Library unless otherwise noted. All First Wednesdays talks are free and open to the public.