Sarah Lewis, a best-selling author and Harvard University faculty member, will give a talk as part of Auburn University’s celebration of Black History Month and the annual speaker’s series of the Africana Studies Program in the College of Liberal Arts
As part of Auburn University’s celebration of Black History Month and the annual speaker’s series of the Africana Studies program in the College of Liberal Arts, author and Harvard faculty member Sarah Lewis will give a free public presentation Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. in Foy Hall auditorium on the Auburn campus. Her talk will feature prominent African American figures who worked through failure to achieve mastery as part of their process of innovation and discovery. A book signing will follow.Lewis is a best-selling author, curator and assistant professor at Harvard University. Her most recent book is Los Angeles Times bestseller, “The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery,” a narrative of how innovation, discovery and creative progress are driven by the challenges of goals not yet achieved.
In her book, Lewis profiles individuals from a variety of backgrounds—dancers, writers, painters, scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs—to show how our greatest accomplishments are often preceded by failure.
“Members of the selection committee feel that the themes and the variety of individuals examined in ‘The Rise’ will resonate with our students and faculty across STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] and humanities disciplines and across racial and ethnic boundaries as well. Dr. Lewis’s lecture will serve to inspire our students, faculty and staff, as well as create a space for these groups to come together and engage in a cross-disciplinary conversation,” said Jaena Alabi, chair of the Africana Studies speaker selection committee.
