Author and psychologist Pipher to open E.N. Thompson series

Author, activist and clinical psychologist Mary Pipher will present “Trauma and Recovery: A New Story of Interconnection and Action” at 7 p.m. Sept. 2 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts.

The free event is the opening lecture in the 2020-21 E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues. To order tickets, click here, call 402-472-4747 or visit the Lied Center box office, 301 N. 12th St. The forum is general admission, with seating on a first-come, first-served basis.

To prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, the event will feature socially distanced seating. In addition, all patrons, volunteers and staff will be required to wear face coverings while inside the Lied Center. For more information on the Lied’s ticketing policies and health and safety measures, click here.

Pipher has written 10 books, including the No. 1 New York Times bestseller “Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls” and most recently “Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing as We Age.” In 2013, she published “The Green Boat: Reviving Ourselves in Our Capsized Culture” about environmental activism in Nebraska. Pipher received her doctoral degree from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1977. She was a Rockefeller Scholar in Residence in Bellagio, Italy, and has received two American Psychological Association Presidential Citations.

A pre-forum talk by Joy Castro, Willa Cather Professor of English and ethnic studies at Nebraska, is available here.

This year’s E.N. Thompson series, “Regeneration: Leadership and Hope for a Changing Planet,” focuses on how people can and should thoughtfully respond to current issues, from COVID-19 to climate change to political polarization.

The series continues with a lecture by Doris Kearns Goodwin, presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 22. The event is the 25th annual Governor’s Lecture in the Humanities, presented by Humanities Nebraska. Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, an indigenous climate activist and hip-hop artist, will give a talk at 7 p.m. Nov. 4; a youth panel on climate change will take place at 7 p.m. Feb. 23; and Ann Bancroft, polar explorer, climate advocate and philanthropist, will speak at 7 p.m. March 31. All events will be at the Lied Center except for the youth panel, which will be at the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts.

Events will be streamed on the E.N. Thompson Forum website. The Goodwin event will stream by registration only. All other livestreams will be available on NET, LNKTV City and LNKTV Education. The Sept. 2 event will be broadcast on ALLO channel 23 and Charter Spectrum 1303. Events other than the Sept. 22 date will also be accessible on campus channel 4 and KRNU radio 90.3 FM. All talks are interpreted for people who are deaf and hard of hearing.

The E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues is a cooperative project of the Cooper Foundation, Lied Center and the university. It was established in 1988 with the purpose of bringing a diversity of viewpoints on international and public policy issues to the university and people of Nebraska to promote understanding and encourage discussion.