Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marilynne Robinson, renowned for her deeply reflective explorations of faith, humanity, and the divine, will deliver this year’s Noel Q. King Memorial Lecture on Dec. 3 at the Rio Theater in Santa Cruz.
The lecture, part of The Humanities Institute’s 25th anniversary celebration, promises to be an evening of profound insight and reflection, featuring one of the most celebrated writers of our time.
Robinson, best known for her novels Housekeeping and Gilead, will discuss the theme of Humanity in a lecture that aligns with the focus of THI’s anniversary year. Her work is widely praised for its meditative examination of God’s faith in humanity, offering rich, poetic reflections on grace, existence, and human imperfection.
“I am so excited that Marilynne Robinson is coming to Santa Cruz, I am at a loss for words,” said Sean Keilen, Professor of Literature. “She is extraordinarily discerning, lucid, versatile, and wise. Her insights into the human condition will resonate deeply with anyone who is curious about the complex ways we live with and relate to one another.”
The lecture is presented by THI, in partnership with Porter College, and is co-sponsored by Merrill College, Bookshop Santa Cruz, and the Shakespeare Workshop. Irena Polić, Managing Director of The Humanities Institute, emphasized that the 25th anniversary celebration is focused on exploring big questions surrounding what it means to be human and how we coexist on this planet with other sentient beings.
“The theme of our 25th anniversary is 'Humanity,'” said Polić. “Marilynne Robinson’s work delves into these very questions with a depth and grace that is rare in contemporary literature. Her writing asks us to consider what it means to be human, tand to live with compassion and understanding in a complicated world.”
Robinson’s work resonates with the themes of the Noel Q. King Memorial Lecture series, which honors the legacy of UC Santa Cruz’s founding religious studies scholar, Noel Q. King. King, a scholar of comparative religion who died in 2009, was known for his unique perspective on faith and culture. The lecture series, established in his memory, seeks to continue his commitment to exploring the intersection of religious studies, human experience, and intellectual inquiry.
Keilen, who also serves as a key organizer of the lecture, praised Robinson’s alignment with King’s intellectual legacy: “At the heart of everything Robinson writes is a profound, honest appreciation of humankind, grounded in her faith that we are sacred beings. Her belief in the sacredness of humanity, despite our flaws, mirrors the themes of compassion, grace, and redemption that Noel Q. King valued so highly.”
Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005, and she has since earned critical acclaim for a body of work that includes Home (winner of the Orange Prize) and Lila (winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award). Her nonfiction includes The Givenness of Things, When I Was a Child I Read Books, and Absence of Mind. Her most recent book, Reading Genesis, is a philosophical meditation on creation, the problem of evil, and what it means to be made in the image of God.
“Robinson’s exploration of Genesis is both surprising and deeply refreshing,” said Keilen. “She asks difficult, often profound questions about humanity’s place in the world, and her answers, rooted in faith, offer hope and clarity.”
The Noel Q. King Memorial Lecture will take place on Dec. 3 at 7:00 p.m. at the Rio Theater in downtown Santa Cruz. Tickets are available through the event’s official website. This promises to be an unforgettable evening for anyone interested in the deep, existential questions of human existence—questions Marilynne Robinson explores with wisdom and eloquence. This event is free and open to the public. Seating is first come first served.
