The Inaugural Critical Concerns Visiting Writers Series Lecture by Colin McEnroe (In-Person Event) - "This is Why We Can't Have Nice Quadrangles — Or Can We?"
Date: Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Time: 7pm
Location: The Crystal Room, Mercy Hall, University of Saint Joseph
Cost: Free and open to the public
Refreshments to follow
Description: Using USJ's quadrangle as a jumping off place, Colin will talk about the quest by writers and thinkers to make order out of chaos, about how chaos seems to have gotten the upper hand, about what we can do. Presumably, he’ll think of something.
This project is supported in part by the NEH Arts & Humanities Fund at the University of Saint Joseph. Organized by the Department of Cultures, Arts, and Literatures at USJ.
Colin McEnroe
Columnist, Host of "The Colin McEnroe Show" on CT Public
Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer.
He started as a radio host in 1992 and moved to CT Public in 2009.
His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Hartford Courant, many Hearst newspapers, Men’s Health, Cosmopolitan, Forbes FYI, Mademoiselle, Mirabella, Backpacking, Bicycling, and McSweeney’s.
He has taught in the political science department at Yale. As an onstage interviewer and moderator, he has shared the stage with Stephen King, Anthony Bourdain, Joyce Carol Oates, Kurt Vonnegut, Tig Notaro, Marc Maron, Amy Tan, Bob Woodward, Tim Gunn, Alice Waters, Al Franken, Molly Ivins, Anita Hill and many others.
He is allergic to penicillin. He dislikes coffee mugs that are black or any dark color. He finds them very upsetting.
About the Critical Concerns Visiting Writers Series
The Critical Concerns Visiting Writers Series at the University of Saint Joseph is an annual lecture given by a noted local writer and public intellectual on a topic that underscores the value of critical thinking, storytelling, writing as a form of empowerment, and the social impact an individual can have on the broader community. The flagship event of the First-Year Writing program (FYW), this lecture will engage the public and students alike in civil discourse, demonstrating that critical thinking and writing skills matter—that we all have a voice, and an ethical obligation to use it as a force for good.
Any questions? Please contact aidanlevy@usj.edu.
