Political Commentator and Blogger
Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Smith Auditorium | Willamette University
Willamette University's Atkinson Lecture Series will feature Andrew Sullivan, a writer and commentator NPR calls “one of the most widely read, influential and prolific political voices online.”
Smith Auditorium opens at 6:30 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. presentation, “Knowing (and Loving) Thine Enemy: Gays, Conservatives and Common Ground.”
"Gays are fully part of our world and it is conservative to integrate them into mainstream society - through marriage equality and full access to military service," Sullivan writes. "Such reforms contribute to the conservative values of family, personal responsibility, mutual support, and service to a greater good. There is no contradiction here."
After the lecture, Sullivan will answer questions from the audience and sign copies of his books, which will be available for sale in the lobby.
Tickets are available online or in the Putnam University Center beginning Feb. 11. General admission tickets are $15. Students, faculty, staff can reserve one free ticket and buy additional tickets for $5. Alumni may purchase $10 tickets through The Compass.
About Sullivan
Sullivan is a practicing Catholic and author of five books. His landmark work, “Virtually Normal: An Argument About Homosexuality,” challenges church doctrine on gay life and helped frame the nation’s discourse about gay marriage.
Before becoming editor in chief of The New Republic, a columnist for TIME and senior editor of The Atlantic, Sullivan earned a master’s and doctorate at Harvard. “Adweek” named him Editor of the Year, and his writing earned two National Magazine Awards.
A Newsweek and Daily Beast contributor, Sullivan was one of the first journalists to experiment with blogging, writing 250 to 300 posts per week for "The Dish." The posts included his incisive analysis and observations about politics, socio-cultural issues, foreign affairs and religion, reaching some 1.3 million subscribers.
In January, Sullivan announced he’s leaving the Beast to publish a blog supported solely through reader subscriptions. Bloggers and other journalists are watching closely to see if Sullivan’s “declaration of independence” will succeed.
