WABE Arts: Roseanne Cash to keynote Ideas Festival Emory 2025

Ideas Festival Emory turns the university’s Oxford College campus’s historic quad into an open-air forum for conversation, performance, and community learning. Organized by the Center for Public Scholarship and Engagement, the annual gathering invites the public to experience university research in motion — from live music to graffiti art to fireside chats with authors and scientists. Dr. Ken Carter, who directs the Center, says the goal is to move academic ideas beyond campus walls and into public dialogue. “A lot of what we do at universities is to discover and disseminate knowledge, but sometimes that knowledge is trapped in journals and academic books,” he explains. “This is one of our attempts to share that knowledge with the public.” This year’s festival explores the theme of resilience, featuring panels and performances on how people adapt and find meaning through change. Singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash headlines the program, joining local scholars and creatives for a day of reflection and exchange. “I’m hoping that from the different panels, [visitors are] going to find new ways to look at things, new ways to think about themselves and other people — and just really leave with a sense of hope,” Carter says. Ideas Festival Emory takes place Saturday at Oxford College. Details are available at ideasfestival.emory.edu.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.