Past Conversations

Click here to see an alphabetical listing of participants.

Constructive Interference Panel

A dialogue on sanitation and health through inquiry and art

The following panelists explore the impact of safe sanitation on human health: Christine Moe (Eugene J. Gangarosa Professor of Safe Water and Sanitation; Director, Center for Global Safe Water), Nathaniel Garrett Slaughter, Stan Woodard, Susan Krause (Chair, Department of Sculpture, SCAD), Steve Jarvis, Louise E. Shaw (Curator, David J. Sencer Museum, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), and Ciannat Howett (Director of Sustainability Initiatives, Emory University) [March 19, 2012].

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Billy Collins, Kevin Young, and Rosemary Magee

Poetry and the creative process

Poet Billy Collins takes part in a Creativity Conversation with poet Kevin Young, professor of creative writing and English and a curator with the Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (MARBL); and Rosemary Magee, vice president and secretary of Emory University. The three discuss the creative process and the influence of experiences and ideas [January 30, 2012].

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John Grade and Julia Kjelgaard

Innovation and Public Art

John Grade, a Seattle-based environmental artist, shares his insights and experiences related to public art with Julia Kjelgaard, chair of the Visual Arts Department in this Emory Creativity Conversation. [November 16, 2011, Carlos Museum Reception Hall]

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Deborah Lipstadt and Rosemary Magee

Talking about the relationship between history and creativity

Deborah Lipstadt, Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish and Holocaust Studies, and Rosemary Magee, vice president and secretary of the University, explore the curious relationship between history and creativity at this Creativity Conversation. They also discuss Lipstadt's latest book, "The Eichmann Trial" [October 3, 2011].

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Pearl Cleage and Rosemary Magee

Notes on History, Music and Literature

This Creativity Conversation ("Notes on History, Music and Literature") features poet, novelist and playwright Pearl Cleage and Vice President and Secretary of the University Rosemary Magee '82PhD. As in the other Creativity Conversations held over the last four years with influential thinkers, the talk ranges widely across poetry, fiction, music and history, including insights on the creative process and the power of the imagination. This conversation was held as part of the Atlanta Music Festival (Sept. 21-24) [September 22, 2011 | Jones Room, Emory's Woodruff Library].

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Albert SC Chan and Rosemary Magee

HKBU President Chan talks about creative process in Chinese universities

Hong Kong Baptist University President Albert S C Chan talks about the creative process with Emory Vice President and Secretary Rosemary Magee during her visit with Emory colleagues to HKBU. Prof. Chan's research areas include the application of chiral catalysts in asymmetric syntheses and their industrial applications, development of pharmaceutical products and related processes, pharmaceutical and nutritional products based on Chinese medicines, novel anti-cancer drugs discovery and development, new organic chemical process and their industrial applications [June 21, 2011, Hong Kong Baptist University].

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George Trakas and Rosemary Magee

Trakas talks about environmental art

Sculptor and landscape artist George Trakas talks with Rosemary Magee about his work on "Source Route," nestled in a ravine behind the Carlos Museum on campus, and his long career in environmental art [April 8, 2011, Baker Woodlands Ravine].

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Robert Spano, Steve Everett and Martha Grover

At the Intersection of Music & Science

This discussion between Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Music Director and Emory University Distinguished Artist in Residence Robert Spano, Steve Everett, Professor of Music at Emory University and Martha Grover, Associate Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech and member of the NSF/NASA Center for Chemical Evolution explores the overall connections between music and science and specifically looks at ways in which these relationships might benefit in illuminating and explaining scientific concepts. In addition to exploring musical works that have drawn significantly from some aspect of scientific research, a collaborative project between Everett and Grover that seeks to use music to help explain research on the chemical origins of life undertaken is highlighted. [April 8, 2011, Atwood Chemistry Center]

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John Anthony Lennon and Rosemary Magee

Lennon is a composition professor at Emory University

Professor of Composition John Anthony Lennon and Vice President and Secretary of Emory University Rosemary Magee discuss the artistic process of composition in preparation for the world premiere of John Anthony Lennon's symphony "Eternal Gates" on April 15-16, 2011. [April 7, 2011, Michael C. Carlos Museum]

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Robert Spano and Simone Dinnerstein

Robert Spano and Simone Dinnerstein discuss the life of a full-time performer

World-renowned pianist and Candler Concert Series artist Simone Dinnerstein talks to Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Music Director and Emory Distinguished Artist in Residence Robert Spano about the life of a full-time performer and the creative process. Director of Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta and Director of Piano Studies William Ransom moderates. [April 1, 2011, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts]

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Rita Dove

Rita Dove visits for Women's History Month

Rita Dove won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1987 and was Poet Laureate of the United States from 1993 through 1995. A canonical figure in American and African American literature, Dove is known for her interdisciplinarity and her collaborative ventures with composers, musicians, and other artists. Dove was the featured speaker during Women's History Month sponsored by the Center for Women. During her visit she collaborated and spoke with violinist William Fitzpatrick, pianist William Ransom, Robert Spano, Alvin Singleton, and Natasha Trethewey. [March 20-22, 2011]

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Salman Rushdie, Robert Spano and Steve Everett

Discussing innovative technology in music and literature

Novelist Salman Rushdie, Distinguished Writer in Residency, and Maestro Robert Spano, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Music Director and Distinguished Artist in Residency, participate in a Creativity Conversation moderated by Steve Everett, Professor of Composition and Computer Music. The artists discuss innovations in technology and how they pertain to music and literature. Sponsored by Creativity: Art and Innovation. [March 14, 2011]

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Martha Fineman and Rosemary Magee

Fineman is a leading scholar of family law and feminist jurisprudence

Robert W. Woodruff Professor Martha Fineman is the founding director of Emory Law's Feminism and Legal Theory Project and serves as the faculty facilitator of the Vulnerability and the Human Condition Initiative. Her scholarly interests include the legal regulation of intimacy and the implications of human dependency and vulnerability." [February 28, 2011, Emory Law School]

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Salman Rushdie and Rosemary Magee

Rushdie shares his experience of writing a memoir

Novelist Salman Rushdie and Rosemary Magee, Vice President and Secretary of Emory University, engage in a Creativity Conversation that focuses on memory, memoirs, nonfiction, history and politics in the Middle East -- and everything in between -- including Jerry Springer. As a Distinguished Writer-in-Residence at Emory, Rushdie presents public lectures, teaches, leads graduate seminars and engages with the academic community on campus. [February 27, 2011, Glenn Auditorium]

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Joseph Skibell and Rosemary Magee

Skibell talks about his latest novel

Joseph Skibell, associate professor of English, talks with Rosemary Magee, Vice President and Secretary of Emory University, about writing and his latest novel, "A Curable Romantic" (Algonquin Books, 2010), at an Emory Board of Visitors event (February 17, 2011, Carlos Museum].

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Bob Patillo and Rosemary Magee

Patillo shares his experiences in microfinancing

Bob Pattillo, founder of Gray Ghost Ventures, joins Rosemary Magee, Vice President and Secretary of Emory University, for a discussion on "Creatively Using Financial and Human Capital to Solve the World's Problems." [November 16, 2010, Goizueta Business School]

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Margaret Atwood and Rosemary Magee

Atwood talks to class about writing

Margaret Atwood participated in a Creativity Conversation with students during her three-day visit as the presenter of the 2010 Richard Ellmann Lectures in Modern Literature. The Conversation was moderated by Rosemary Magee, Vice President and Secretary of Emory University. [October 25, 2010]

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Ann Weiss and Jason Francisco

On the meaning of Holocaust photos

Ann Weiss discusses Holocaust photos brought to Auschwitz, their meaning and their echo, with Jason Francisco, Associate Professor of Visual Arts, an artist and photographer. Dr. Weiss is director of the educational non-profit foundation Eyes from the Ashes, author, filmmaker and curator. Speaking from the 'inside' of the experience as a child of survivors, Weiss share reflections about these photos, and what it means to preserve visual memory. [September 27, 2010]

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Emily and Don Saliers, and Rosemary Magee

Saliers talk about art, spirituality, and collaboration

Emily Saliers '85C of the Indigo Girls and her father, Don Saliers, Professor Emeritus at Candler School of Theology, join Emory VP and Secretary Rosemary Magee '82PhD in this "Creativity Conversation" about art, spirituality, and collaboration. Not to be missed... father and daughter perform together. The event took place during Homecoming Weekend on Friday, Sept. 24, 2010, in Cannon Chapel.

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Walter Mirisch and Matthew Bernstein

Legendary Hollywood producer talks about career

Film producer Walter Mirisch and Matthew Bernstein, Professor and Chair of the Department of Film Studies, talk about Mirisch's career in the film business. Author of "I Thought We Were Making Movies, Not History," Mirisch produced, in whole or in part, more than one hundred films. The many honors bestowed on the Mirisch Company, an independent filmmaking organization which he founded in 1957 with his late brothers Marvin and Harold, include three Oscars for best picture -- "The Apartment" (1960), "West Side Story" (1961), and "In the Heat of the Night" (1967). This "Creativity Conversation" was held August 31, 2010, at the Michael C. Carlos Museum Reception Hall.

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Robert Spano and Rosemary Magee

Maestro Spano talks about musical connections

Robert Spano (music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Emory University Distinguished Artist in Residence) and Rosemary Magee (Vice President and Secretary) engage in a Creativity Conversation that delves into his musical background and metaphysical musings on music's power in our lives. [April 14, 2010]

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Jon Ludwig and John Ammerman

Collaborating on the puppet play "Frankenstein"

Jon Ludwig of the world-renowned Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta talks with John Ammerman, Associate Professor of Theater, about adapting and directing "Frankenstein," an adult puppet play based on the classic story by Mary Shelley. [February 25, 2010]

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Frans de Waal, Ariel de Man and Leslie Taylor

Collaborating on the play "Hominid"

Frans de Waal, director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Candler professor of psychology at Emory University, talks with Leslie Taylor, Professor and Chair of Theater and Dance, and Ariel de Man of Out of Hand Theater about the production of "Hominid" presented by Theater Emory and Out of Hand Theater in October 2009. [Recorded November 15, 2009]

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Jimmy Carter and Rosemary Magee

Pres. Carter shares stories from a lifetime of creativity

President Jimmy Carter and Rosemary Magee (Vice President and Secretary) engage in a Creativity Conversation that touches on many of the former president's artistic interests, including writing, painting, and woodworking. President Carter also reads several of his poems. [November 10, 2009]

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Christopher O'Riley and Rosemary Magee

O'Riley takes it from the top on creativity

Christopher O'Riley, acclaimed concert pianist and host of "From the Top", the hit NPR show, discusses the creative process--as well as his formative years and his experiences of working with young performers--with Rosemary Magee. [Nov. 3, 2009]

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David Neumann, David Lynn and Rosemary Magee

Neumann and Lynn shares ideas on dance and evolution

In this Emory Creativity Conversation, dance choreographer David Neumann visits Emory to talk with David Lynn, professor of biomolecular chemistry, and Rosemary Magee about the intersection of dance, biology and theories of evolution. [Oct. 15, 2009]

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Ray Troll, Anthony Martin, Pat Marsteller and Linda Williams

Artist Troll talks about his passion for art and natural history

Ray Troll and Emory faculty in the arts and sciences talk about their interests in biology, drawing, fish, environmental studies, paleontology, science education and Dooley. [April 15, 2009]

Enjoy the music video "Devonian Blues" | Audio (iTunesU) | Transcript

Salman Rushdie and Matthew Bernstein

Rushdie and Bernstein on film and literature

Salman Rushdie, Distinguished Writer in Residence, and film studies professor Matthew Bernstein engage in a lively conversation about film and literature in front of an audience of students. [March 19, 2009]

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Edward Albee and Rosemary Magee

Playwright Albee talks about the writing life and Beckett's influence

Playwright Edward Albee ("Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", "The Zoo Story", "The American Dream") talks about his writing careeer and influences with Emory Vice President Rosemary Magee. [March 18, 2009]

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Matthew Maguire and Leslie Real

Playwright Maguire and Biologist Real talk about art and science

Taking a break during Emory's New Works Festival, Playright Matthew Maguire and Leslie Real, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Biology, share a conversation about how art and science intersect. [February 19, 2009]

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Philip Glass and Rosemary Magee

Composer Glass visits Emory during the Atlanta premiere of his opera "Akhnaten"

Over a career spanning four decades, Glass has composed symphonies, operas, orchestral works and film scores. In his wide-ranging conversation with Rosemary Magee, he talks about music and collaborations. [January 26, 2009]

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Steve Everett, Natasha Trethewey and Rosemary Magee

Emory professors Everett and Trethewey talk about artistic collaboration

Rosemary Magee moderates a conversation between Steven Everett, associate professor of music, and Pulitzer-winning poet and Emory Creative Writing Program faculty member Natasha Trethewey, in anticipation of the world premiere of Everett's chamber opera "Ophelia's Gaze," based on Trethewey's poems. [November 5, 2008]

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E. O. Wilson and Rosemary Magee

Biologist E. O. Wilson talks about ants and creativity

Known as "the father of biodiversity," E.O. Wilson has earned international distinction for his research, ranging from ant ecology to gene-culture evolution and theories about chemical communication. While visiting as a featured guest of Emory's public symposium "Evolution Revolution: Science Changing Life," Rosemary Magee talks to him about his brilliant career. [October 23, 2008]

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Dorothy Allison, Natasha Trethewey and Michael Elliott

Visiting professor Dorothy Allison talks about writing with faculty Trethewey and Elliott

Serving as the Bill and Carol Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry Distinguished Visiting Professor, Allison was a 1992 National Book Award finalist for her novel "Bastard out of Carolina." Natasha Trethewey, Creative Writing Program faculty member, received the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 2007 for her collection, Native Guard. Michael Elliott, an associate professor of English, specializes in the literature and culture of the U.S. from the mid-nineteenth to early twentieth century; his most recent book is Custerology (University of Chicago Press, 2007). Together, they share thoughts on the writing life. [April 15, 2008]

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Steven Tepper and Rosemary Magee

Sociologist Tepper leads the "creative campus movement"

Tepper, associate director of Vanderbilt's Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy, talks with Rosemary Magee about deepening creative engagement in the community. [February 4, 2008]

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Salman Rushdie and Rosemary Magee

Novelist Rushdie is Distinguished Writer in Residence, Emory University

Salman Rushdie, one of the world's most celebrated contemporary authors, talks with Rosemary Magee about writing and creativity. [February 1, 2008]

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Seamus Heaney and Rosemary Magee

Nobel Prize-winning Irish poet Heaney invites Magee to his home for conversation on creativity

In 2003, Heaney donated a major portion of his archives to Emory's Woodruff Library. Five years later, Magee visited Heaney at his home in Northern Ireland, where he shared his insights on creativity, writing and teaching. [August 2, 2008]

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Joshua Bell and Rosemary Magee

Grammy-award winning virtuoso Joshua Bell performs at Emory

Since making his first recording at the age of 18, violinist Bell has received international acclaim for his distinctive and wide-ranging body of work. During his Emory visit, he spoke with students and Magee about his career and artistry. [February 10, 2007]

Transcript with students | Transcript

Katherine Mitchell and Rosemary Magee

Mitchell is an artist on the faculty of the Emory Visual Arts Program

Mitchell and Magee talk about art and life as Mitchell was preparing for her retrospective at City Gallery East in Atlanta. [October 2006]

Transcript