Trinity Talks
Throughout the year, Trinity Church hosts events at the intersection of sacred and civic life. Trinity Talks educate, inform, and inspire – providing in-person opportunities to engage with writers, artists, and thinkers who deepen our understanding on issues of faith, social justice, and community.
Past Events
A Conversation with James McBride
On March 30, James McBride joined Trinity Talks to discuss themes explored in his novel, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, which tells the stories of Black and Jewish residents of a Depression-era Pennsylvania town who rally across lines of race and class to protect a deaf Black child from institutionalization. Accompanied by Trinity’s Rector, the Rev. Phillip A. Jackson, the author reflected on how love and community sustain us in even the darkest times.
James McBride is a National Book Award winner, New York Times bestselling author, musician, and screenwriter. Born in New York City and educated in its public schools, McBride studied composition at The Oberlin Conservatory of Music and received a master’s in journalism from Columbia University. McBride is currently a distinguished writer in residence at New York University.
Watch highlights of the event.
An Afternoon with Christian Wiman
The poet Christian Wiman visited Trinity on March 9 to share insights from his recent book, Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair. Through an experimental blend of poetry, memoir, criticism, and theology, Wiman’s book ruminates on the seductive appeal of despair — and the ways faith and hope can diminish its power. For Wiman, who was diagnosed with a rare cancer nearly two decades ago, the most potent antidote to despair is awe.
Christian Wiman is the acclaimed author of more than a dozen books of poetry and prose, including his memoir My Bright Abyss: Meditation of a Modern Believer. He has won multiple national awards for his work and has been called “the best devotional poet writing in English” (Poetry).
Read an exclusive interview.
Watch highlights of the event.
An Exploration of Mysticism with Mirabai Starr
On November 24, author Mirabai Starr shared wisdom from her book, Ordinary Mysticism: Your Life as Sacred Ground, which challenges readers to discover the extraordinary in the everyday. Grounded in lessons from spiritual teachers across the centuries and informed by her own experiences of heartbreak, Starr’s teachings offer a roadmap back to our common humanity.
Mirabai Starr is an author, translator, and speaker who travels the world to share insights on contemplative living, writing as a spiritual practice, and the transformational power of grief and loss.
A Conversation with Amanda Ripley
Journalist Amanda Ripley’s book, High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out, introduces a mind-opening way of thinking about conflict that will transform how we move through the world. Drawing from her experiences as a reporter and trained conflict mediator, Ripley came to Trinity on October 27 to shed light on how Americans can break out of destructive feuds and find common ground.
Amanda Ripley is a New York Times bestselling author, Washington Post contributing columnist, and co-founder of Good Conflict, a media and training company that helps people reimagine conflict.
Watch highlights of the event.
A Conversation with Edwidge Danticat
On October 22, award-winning novelist Edwidge Danticat discussed Brother, I'm Dying, a poignant memoir about her family’s decision to flee escalating violence in Haiti and seek asylum in America. Drawing on her family’s collective memory, her own experiences, and government documentation, Danticat highlighted the potentially deadly consequences of U.S. immigration policy, while demonstrating how a family’s bonds of love can survive distance, loss, and tragedy.
The recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” grant, Danticat is the bestselling author of several notable books and has written articles for The New Yorker, The New York Times, Harper’s Magazine, and other publications.
Watch highlights of the event.
A Conversation with Pico Iyer
Acclaimed author, journalist, and travel writer Pico Iyer opened the 2024-25 season of Trinity Talks on September 22 with a discussion of his recent bestseller, The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise. Drawing on a lifetime of global explorations, Iyer examined competing ideas of paradise to see how we might find peace in an ever more divided and distracted world.
Pico Iyer is the author of 15 books and a regular essayist for Time, The New York Times, Harper’s, National Geographic, Conde Nast Traveler , and more than 250 other periodicals worldwide.
A Conversation with Frank Bruni
In his powerful book, The Age of Grievance, best-selling author and New York Times columnist Frank Bruni examines how grievance has defined and shaped America — from the fierce debates of our Founding Fathers to today’s perilous climate of metastasizing anger. But while our politics and culture may seem irretrievably broken, Bruni says there are cures for what ails us.
Hear a compelling discussion between Bruni and the Rev. Phillip A. Jackson about how the U.S. became a divided land, and what it will take to break the hold of our grudges.
A Conversation with Marilynne Robinson
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marilynne Robinson discussed her book, Reading Genesis, “a powerful consideration of the profound meanings [of scripture] and promise of God’s enduring covenant with humanity.”
Robinson’s novels are noted for their thematic depiction of both rural life and faith. Her essays have spanned numerous topics, including the relationship between religion and science, US history, nuclear pollution, John Calvin, and contemporary American politics.
A Conversation with Richard Powers
Bestselling author Richard Powers discusses his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Overstory, and explores our relationship with nature, our understanding of time, and the defiant act of hope in the face of the climate crisis.
Powers is the author of thirteen novels, including The Overstory and Orfeo, and the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, the Pulitzer Prize, and the National Book Award.
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