The Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal is a nonprofit educational institute based in Mecosta, Michigan, home of the American writer and thinker Russell Kirk (1918–1994).

Russell Kirk at his deskContinuing in the tradition of Dr. Kirk, the Center’s mission is to strengthen the foundations—cultural, economic, and religious—of Western civilization and the American experience within it. Its programs and publications have a particular focus on moral imagination and right reason. They celebrate and defend the “permanent things”—all that makes human life worth living, particularly the bedrock principles that have traditionally supported and maintained the health of society’s central institutions: family, church, and school.

The Center’s efforts are directed at students, business and religious leaders, policy makers, and the general public. It identifies, educates, and mentors thoughtful men and women, and develops and promotes the writing of both established and emerging thinkers.

The Center also seeks to further these aims through cooperation with people and groups worldwide that are committed to revitalizing our common cultural inheritance.

The University BookmanTo these ends the Center offers an unrivaled program of seminars and unique facilities for the support of undergraduate, graduate, and senior residential fellowships. It also has its own list of publications, which includes America’s oldest conservative quarterly review of books, The University Bookman.

We are grateful for your interest in the Russell Kirk Center and invite you to learn more about our mission and projects.

Companion Site

We also offer a companion site with video and audio archives by and about Dr. Kirk. It features video interviews with scholars, prominent persons in the conservative movement, and Kirk himself. The site is kirkcenter.wordpress.com.

As the prophet of American conservatism, Russell Kirk has taught, nurtured, and inspired a generation. From . . . Piety Hill, he reached deep into the roots of American values, writing and editing central works of political philosophy. His intellectual contribution has been a profound act of patriotism. I look forward to the future with anticipation that his work will continue to exert a profound influence in the defense of our values and our cherished civilization.

Ronald Reagan, 1981

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News and Events

Kirk in Traverse Magazine

John J. Miller has a lovely article about Dr. Kirk and his life and legacy in the January issue of Traverse Magazine, now released online. Take a look.

Aug 2010

Kirk in the 1950s

We have new posts of several articles of Russell Kirk in the online archive, including four from the 1950s. Kirk covers topics including tradition, revolution, the age of boredom (addressing themes that later became Eliot and His Age), and ”The Inhumane Businessman.” Do take some time and read them.

Aug 2010

The University Bookman

We have posted the latest number of the University Bookman, which is our penultimate print issue. The Bookman will be expanding our presence online after this point. This number features reviews on two very different historians—Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., and Carlton Hayes—and continuing efforts to define the right. The full contents are available here.

Jun 2010

Spring Permanent Things

The Spring 2010 number of our Permanent Things newsletter is up featuring updates on past Wilbur Fellows and articles on other admirers of Russell Kirk. You can download a copy of the PDF from this link.

Jun 2010

Intercollegiate Review on Kirk

To commemorate the 16th anniversary of the death of Russell Kirk on April 29, we would like to highlight the new archives of the Intercollegiate Review, particularly the 1994 commemorative issue on Russell Kirk, featuring essays from several noted writers and friends of Dr. Kirk.

Apr 2010

Kirk Center in Italy

Senior Fellow Marco Respinti announces progress on the web site for the Centro Studi Russell Kirk based in Milan, Italy. It is still under development, but you can visit at www.russellkirk.eu. We have also recently posted an updated bio for Marco.

Feb 2010