Dr. Karen Swallow Prior at Demoss Hall on April 18, 2013. (Photo by Ty Hester)

WINONA LAKE — Dr. Karen Swallow Prior will visit Grace College to present this year’s installment of the Lyceum Series on Faith and the Academy. The event will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, in Westminster Hall, 105 9th St., Winona Lake. This event is free and open to the public; light refreshments will be served.

The Lyceum Series is an annual lecture series at Grace College dedicated to merging cultural engagement, academics and faith. Dr. Prior’s presentation, “Hannah More and the Moral Imagination,” will discuss More’s fascinating story.  Dr. Prior will describe how the poet helped end slavery, reform the United States and teach the poor to read.

“We are delighted to host Dr. Prior on campus,” said Dr. Lauren Rich, chair of the Languages, Literature and Communication Department at Grace College. “We hope that many from the community will join our students, staff and faculty to hear this dynamic speaker.  We anticipate that Dr. Prior’s presentation will inspire us to examine the relationship between Christian faith and social reform, both in the past and in our world today.”

Prior’s newly published book, “Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More,” is a timely call to strong convictions and moral imagination leading to social change. Copies of the book will be available for $5, cash only, at the event. Prior will sign books following her lecture.

Dr. Prior is an English professor at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. She is a member of the graduate faculty and specializes in 18th-century British literature.  She is well-known for her work in “1650-1850: Ideas, Aesthetics, and Inquiries in the Early Modern Era,” “The Shandean” and “The Scriblerian.” In addition to “Fierce Convictions,” Prior has authored “Abolitionist” and “Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me.”  Her work has appeared in many publications, including Christianity Today, The Washington Post, Break Point and The Atlantic.

The Lyceum Series draws inspiration from the history of Grace College and Winona Lake. The series reflects Winona Lake’s tradition of cultural engagement and Grace College’s commitment to vibrant conversation on issues related to the intersection of Christian faith and academics.  For more information, please call (574) 372-5100, ext. 6151 or email [email protected].