Upcoming Events
The Book Gallery: James Panero explores "Old House of Fear"
October 25, 7:00 p.m. EST
Join James Panero, executive editor of The New Criterion, for a conversation about Russell Kirk’s eerie novel Old House of Fear. Kirk was an award-winning writer of fiction and this gothic mystery set in 20th century Scotland outsold all his other books combined. Panero will explore Kirk’s literary influences, conservative sensibility, and other themes during this book-club style episode. Participants are encouraged to read the most recent edition (Criterion Books, 2019).
Register here for this webinar.
The Fund for American Studies Retreat
November 2 – 5
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI
Hillsdale Collegiate Scholars Seminar
November 9 – 12
Hillsdale College students
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI
The Gerald Russello Memorial Lecture
November 15, 6:00 p.m.
The University Bookman and friends will hold a memorial lecture in honor of Gerald Russello, longtime editor of the University Bookman. The speaker will be Dr. Dermot Quinn, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at Seton Hall University. Dr. Quinn and Gerald served together on the board of the G. K. Chesterton Institute for Faith and Culture, sharing a love of all things Chestertonian. A reception with drinks and hors d’oeuvers will follow.
Fordham University’s Lincoln Campus, New York City
All are invited. Sign up here.
"American Order: The Foundation of Conservatism"
November 20 – 21
Michigan legislators
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI
"Adapting Conservatism for the Current Generation"
December 5, 6:00 p.m.
In celebration of the 70th anniversary of The Conservative Mind, the Kirk Center will hold a special evening event with a panel of rising conservative leaders who adapt the best of the conservative tradition to contemporary circumstances. In addition, the Kirk Center will announce the launch of two significant new programs.
The Mayflower Hotel’s Grand Ballroom, Washington, DC
Find out more and register here.
Recent Past Events
The Book Gallery Webinar
September 19, 7 p.m. EDT
Join Luke Sheahan, editor of the University Bookman, for a discussion of The Classical and Christian Origins of American Politics with the authors, Justin Dyer and Kody Cooper.
Register at this link to join this live webinar.
The John Adams Society's Political Philosophy Retreat
August 18 – 22, 2023
Students from the John Adams Society of Harvard University
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI
"The Book Gallery" Webinar
August 9, 1:00 p.m. EDT
The editors of the University Bookman will be joined by Eduard Habsburg, Ambassador of Hungary to the Holy See and the Sovereign Order of Malta, for a discussion of his new book The Habsburg Way.
A video recording is available on the University Bookman homepage.
"Writing and the Moral Imagination" Workshop
July 20 – 23, 2023
This new program brings together two themes central to the life and work of Russell Kirk: character and composition. Over the course of three days, participants will deepen their acquaintance with the chief habits of moral excellence, both the cardinal virtues and the theological virtues. They will explore these virtues in direct relation to American education and effective, ethical prose, guided by the Kirk Center’s Distinguished Teaching Fellow, David Hein.
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI
"The Conservative Mind at 70"
July 18, 2023
Acton Institute Interns
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI
"Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, and the Birth of the Left and Right”
July 15, 2023
McConnell Center teachers
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI
"The Politics of Prudence"
July 11, 2023
Mackinac Center Interns
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI
"The Essential Russell Kirk"
June 15 – 18, 2023
Faulkner University Graduate Students
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI
“What Do Conservatives Believe?"
May 31, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Frederik Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids, MI
"What is an American?"
May 10, 2023
Sacred Heart Academy Seniors
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI
“The Impartial Spectator in Adam Smith and Jane Austen”
April 27 – 30, 2023
ISI Graduate Students
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI
Calvin University Students Seminar
April 19, 2023
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI
Hillsdale Collegiate Scholars Seminar
April 13 – 15, 2023
Hillsdale Collegiate Scholars
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI
"American Conservatism, Statesmanship, and the Politics of Prudence" Seminar
March 23 – 26, 2023
Michigan Legislators
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI
"The Conservative Spirit of the High Modernists" Seminar
February 25, 2023
Dr. James Matthew Wilson and ISI students
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI
"Martin Luther King and Russell Kirk: A Consensus of First Principles"
January 16, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. EST
Discussion and Q&A with John Wood Jr., national ambassador for Braver Angels.
This event is co-sponsored by the Acton Institute and will be held in the Mark Murray Auditorium of the Acton Institute, 98 Fulton Street East, Grand Rapids, MI.
Watch the video here.
"The Book Gallery" Webinar
January 10, 7:00 – 8:15 p.m. EST
The editors of the University Bookman will be joined by Joseph Stuart to discuss his new book, Christopher Dawson: A Cultural Mind in the Age of the Great War (Catholic University of America Press, 2022). Dr. Stuart was a Wilbur Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center while writing his doctoral dissertation that later formed the basis for this book on the English historian Christopher Dawson, one of the foremost Catholic intellectuals of modern times.
The video recording can be viewed on this page.
"The Book Gallery" Virtual Conversation
December 6, 7:00 – 8:15 p.m. EST
Luke Sheahan, editor of the University Bookman, will be joined by Samuel Gregg to discuss The Next American Economy: Nation, State, and Markets in an Uncertain World (Encounter Books, 2022).
Video recording available on this page.
Remembering Gerald Russello: An Evening on the Enduring Value of Old Books
November 14, 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. EST
An evening of fellowship to honor the memory of Gerald Russello, longtime editor of the University Bookman, and unveil plans to carry forward his legacy in the years to come. John Emmet Clarke, Editor-in-Chief of Cluny Media, will give the keynote address, “Take and Read, Lest You Forget: The Enduring Value of Old Books.”
Regis High School, 55 East 84th Street, New York, New York.
"The Book Gallery" Virtual Conversation
October 25, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. EST
Luke Sheahan, editor of the University Bookman, will be joined by executive editor of The New Criterion James Panero and Hollywood screenwriter Adam Simon to explore Russell Kirk’s ghostly fiction.
Video recording available on this page.
"The American Political Tradition" Seminar
October 20 – 23, 2022
The Fund for American Studies Public Policy Fellows
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI
"The Book Gallery" Virtual Conversation
September 27, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. EST
Luke Sheahan, editor of the University Bookman, will be joined by Rachel Ferguson, co-author with Marcus Witcher of Black Liberation Through the Marketplace. Dr. Ferguson is a professor at Concordia University Chicago, Assistant Dean of the College of Business, and Director of the Free Enterprise Center, as well as an affiliate scholar of the Acton Institute.
"Why Edmund Burke Still Matters" Lecture
September 23, 3:00 p.m., Ruane Center Room 105
Jeffrey Nelson, executive director of the Russell Kirk Center
Providence College, RI
"Pillars of American Order" Conference
August 1 – 4, 2022
High school teachers may apply on this page.
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI
"Conservatism: Then and Now" Seminar
July 23, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Speaker: Dr. George Nash
Open to the public; email info@kirkcenter.org.
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI
"Politics of Prudence" Seminar
July 19, 2022
Acton Institute Interns
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI
"Dimensions of Contemporary Conservatism" Seminar
July 8, 2022
Mackinac Center Interns
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI
"Russell Kirk and Ordered Liberty" Seminar
June 27 – 29, 2022
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI
"An Introduction to Russell Kirk for Our Times" Seminar
April 29, 2022
St. Michael High School of Petoskey
The Kirk Center, Mecosta, MI