New York Times bestselling author Ruta Sepetys to speak at Landiss Lecture Feb. 25
Gracie Stanley |
On Feb. 25, 2025, Lipscomb University will host its annual Landiss Lecture, providing Nashville residents, scholars and academics the opportunity to hear from internationally acclaimed Ruta Sepetys, a New York Times bestselling novelist and winner of the Carnegie medal.
Sepetys, the daughter of a Lithuanian refugee, has made her mark on the world through an impact on global education and the preservation of history that has “fallen through the cracks”. Her books have been nominated for over forty prizes, included on over thirty state reading lists and are currently in development for film and television.
Passionate about worldwide dialogue, Sepetys has dedicated her life to shining a light on underrepresented history. Her historical fiction has been published in over 60 countries and 40 languages, read by students and adults from across the globe. Sepetys esteemed reputation has earned her invitations to speak at prestigious institutions such as NATO, European Parliament, the U.S. Capitol, the Library of Congress, and Embassies worldwide. Mainly inspired by the impact of connectivity, she has been awarded The Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Fellowship for her studies on human resilience. The New York Times Book Review said, “Ruta Sepetys acts as champion of the interstitial people so often ignored—whole populations lost in the cracks of history.”
Born in Michigan, her love for writing was fostered by her family, who valued art, reading and music. Her Baltic heritage has been highlighted through the Cross of the Knight of the Order, bestowed to her by the President of Lithuania, honoring her contributions to the world of education, communication and history. Today, Sepetys resides with her family in the hills of Tennessee.
The Landiss Lecture will take place in Lipscomb’s George Shinn Center with a reception at 5 p.m., followed by the lecture at 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is requested. Register here. Hosted by Lipscomb’s College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and Department of English and Modern Languages, the Landiss Lecture is part of the university’s Presidential Signature Series.
The Landiss Lecture was established by the late Morris P. Landiss, long-time chair of the Lipscomb University Department of English. He dreamed of bringing to the Lipscomb campus practicing writers, critics and scholars of national reputation to challenge the minds of those in Lipscomb’s academic community and in the community at-large. In the years since the series first presentation in 1985, the lectures have drawn notable speakers such as Bret Lott, George Garrett, Terry Kay, John Egerton, Wilma Dykeman, Robert Massie, Unita Blackwell, Sena Jeter Naslund, Emmy-winning film director Martin Doblmeier, R.T. “Rod” Smith, RoseAnn Benson, Constance Fulmer, Robert Hicks, Robert Morgan, Silas House and many others.