2022 Lenten Speaker Series and Lunches
THE STORIES WE TELL
WEDNESDAYS in LENT | 12:00 P.M. to 12:45 P.M.
The 2022 Lenten Speaker Series brings together storytellers who are revealing truths that cut to the heart of who we are as a city, a church, and a society. Especially now, many individuals and institutions are excavating our stories in the hopes of being more accurate, authentic, and honest. Who we are? How did we get this way? What is important? What are we saying (or, not saying) about ourselves and the future we want to embody? The arts have always been a medium through which we tell our stories. Whether around a typewriter, with brush in hand, or seated around a campfire, stories have helped us remember who we are and who we are called to be. Please join us on this journey of creative and imaginative storytelling as we move through the holy season of Lent – a space of learning, growth, and discovery.
Each Wednesday during Lent (see Ash Wednesday details below), you are invited to join us in person or online for a very engaging speaker series. In addition to joining us in person, these talks will also be live-streamed onto our website, YouTube Channel and Facebook Page. Please note, Sadeqa Johnson’s talks will be live-streamed but not recorded or made available for later viewing.
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LENTEN LUNCHES | St. Paul’s is excited to offer another year of the Lenten Lunch program, a 100-year old Richmond favorite! Lunch will be available for take-out only following our Lenten Speaker and will be available for pick up in the Parish Hall from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch must be preordered on our website the prior Wednesday for pick up the following Wednesday. CLICK HERE for details and to Pre-Order your lunch.
OUR 2022 LENTEN SPEAKERS
SADEQA JOHNSON | MARCH 9, 16, & 23 from 12:00-12:45 p.m.
Author of the highly acclaimed Yellow Wife and a National Book Club Conference Award Winner, Sadeqa Johnson is the international best-selling and award-winning author of four novels. Johnson’s moving book resonates with audiences as we still grapple with issues of race today, and has been named a “Most Anticipated Historical Fiction Book of 2021,” by O, The Oprah Magazine and SheReads, as well as a “Books We Love” pick by PARADE and BuzzFeed. Johnson is a Kimbilo Fellow, former board member of the James River Writers, and proud member of the Tall Poppy Writers. She also teaches fiction writing for the MFA program at Drexel University. Originally from Philadelphia, she currently lives near Richmond, Virginia with her husband and three children.
MICHAEL TAYLOR | MARCH 30 from 12:00-12:45 p.m. | CLICK HERE for LIVESTREAM
Dr. Michael R. Taylor is the Chief Curator and Deputy Director for Art and Education at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Prior to his appointment at VMFA in 2015, Dr. Taylor served as the Muriel and Philip Berman Curator of Modern Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art from 1996 to 2011, and Director of the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College from 2011 to 2015. A scholar of Dada and Surrealism, Dr. Taylor has curated a number of exhibitions, including Salvador Dalí: The Centennial Retrospective (2004); Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective (2009); and Man Ray: The Paris Years (2021). At VMFA, Dr. Taylor has led the curatorial, education, and exhibition teams to new heights of success and he was recently named as the Project Director for VMFA’s upcoming expansion project.
JANELLE WASHINGTON | APRIL 6 from 12:00-12:45 p.m.
Janelle Washington is a self-taught paper-cut artist from Virginia. She graduated from VCU with a BFA in Fashion Design and worked as a designer for 12 years. Through the simplicity of paper, Janelle creates images that showcase African Americans’ courage, achievements, and grace in difficult situations. Paper reminds her of her ancestors, how from humble beginnings, a transformation can occur, creating something extraordinary. Her artwork retells a past story to current and future generations by adding a present-day perspective by empowerment and reflection. She has permanent silhouettes housed at the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington, DC, and Downing-Gross Community Arts Center in Newport News, Virginia. (Photo courtesy of Class & Style Productions)