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Whitworth Welcomes Journalist Elizabeth Bruenig on Oct. 2

March 23, 2023

The Weyerhaeuser Center for Christian Faith & Learning, along with Speakers & Artists and the Simpson-Duvall Lectureship, will host journalist and Pulitzer Prize finalist Elizabeth Bruenig on Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. in Weyerhaeuser Hall’s Robinson Teaching Theatre. 

Bruenig is an opinion writer for The Atlantic. She previously wrote for The New York Times and was an opinion writer and editor at The Washington Post

Bruenig will discuss an article she wrote for The New York Times in 2020 after witnessing the death row execution of a man convicted of killing his daughter during the discussion “The Man I Saw Them Kill: Christianity and Death Row.”

Bruenig commonly writes about ethics, theology, politics and economics and uses her unique perspective as a Catholic and a socialist to weigh in on some of the world’s most controversial topics.

“Few public thinkers can weave together cultural commentary, an expansive knowledge of the Christian theological tradition, and nuanced storytelling as well as Bruenig,” Weyerhaeuser Center Director Davey Henreckson says. “Whitworth is privileged to be able to hear from her on such a morally and theologically urgent topic.” 

In 2019, Bruenig was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist for a story she wrote called “What Do We Owe Her Now?” about a 16-year old girl who said she was raped at Bruenig’s former high school in Texas. The townspeople turned against the victim, and the two suspects were never prosecuted. Shortly after the article was written, Bruenig appeared on Forbes magazine’s 30 Under 30 list.

Bruenig now co-hosts a podcast with her husband, Matt, called The Bruenigs, and is still writing. If you’d like to hear Bruenig speak, the event is free and open to the public.

About the Weyerhaeuser Center for Christian Faith & Learning:

The Weyerhaeuser Center for Christian Faith & Learning is dedicated to intellectual, moral and spiritual formation toward meaningful lives of faith and lifelong learning. Through conferences, workshops, faculty and student development, and a speaker series, the Weyerhaeuser Center aims to cultivate conversations about important questions connected to the vocation of Christian scholarship and service.

About Whitworth University:

Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The university, which has an enrollment of about 2,500 students, offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. 

Contacts: 

Trisha Coder, media relations manager, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or tcoder@whitworth.edu.