Central College News

Debra Rienstra to Speak at Writers Reading Series

Featured: Debra Rienstra to Speak at Writers Reading Series

February 17, 2023

Central College will be hosting Debra Rienstra, professor of English, Calvin University, at the Spring 2023 Writers Reading Series. Rienstra will read from her latest book “Refugia Faith: Seeking Hidden Shelters, Ordinary Wonders, and the Healing of the Earth,” a book discussing eco-theology and climate change. The event will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, March 20, in Boat, Moore, Weller rooms of the Maytag Student Center on Central’s campus. The event is free and open to the public.

“Much of my writing lately focuses on taking the climate crisis seriously and responding with the resources of faith, mercy, and justice,” Rienstra explains. She shares that Refugia Faith “explores how Christian spirituality and practice must adapt to prepare for life on a climate-altered planet.”

Rienstra is the author of three other books as well as an essayist and poet. Her prose includes topics on faith, culture and nature. Her essays have appeared in “Rock & Sling,” “The Examined Life Journal” and “Aethlon,” among other places. She is also the host of her own podcast.

Rienstra will host an Author Talk at the Pella Public Library on Sunday, March 19, and participate in Central classes on March 20-21.

Geisler Library’s Writers Reading Series started in 1987 to promote an appreciation of books and their authors. It features locally, nationally and internationally known writers who read and discuss their works.

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