Events & Outreach
The Z. Smith Reynolds Library features a variety of events, workshops, and more. The library often partners with other units on campus to offer these programs. For more information, contact the library.
Upcoming Events
–ZSR Library, Special Collections & Archives Research Room (Room 625)Tobacco has played a significant role in shaping North Carolina’s cultural, economic, and social identity, even before the state’s official establishment. Early depictions of Native American communities along the coast at the end of the 16th century show cultivation and use of the plant.
During the 19th century, tobacco became a cornerstone of the plantation economy, generating immense wealth for select families. In the 20th century, the rise of mass production and commercialization, along with an expanding labor force dedicated to its cultivation and processing, further embedded tobacco in North Carolina’s way of life. Marketing campaigns and iconic imagery tied to tobacco are deeply woven into the state’s historical narrative.
This exhibit showcases images, artifacts, and records from Special Collections & Archives, spanning from the sixteenth century to the modern era. It also features contributions from North Carolina artists and photographers, including Daisha Bunn and Erin Kye and their families, as well as works by photographer Dan Routh.
–ZSR Library, Library Auditorium (Room 404)We Were Here – The Untold History of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe sheds light on the overlooked presence of African and Black individuals in Renaissance Europe, highlighting their depiction in masterpieces by some of the era’s most celebrated artists. How did they come to Europe? Why were they portrayed? Were they truly all servants or slaves? If the Black faces portrayed in these Renaissance masterpieces could speak, what would they tell us?.
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Fred Kudjo Kuwornu and produced by Do The Right Films, this multilingual documentary takes viewers on an expansive journey through the UK, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and France, offering a compelling reexamination of European art history and its cultural legacy. Featuring insights from leading scholars in Art History, Black Studies, and History, alongside Black activists and curators, the film provides a rich, layered perspective on a neglected chapter of European history.
We Were Here has already attracted international attention, having been exhibited in the Central Pavilion curated by Adriano Pedrosa at the 60ᵗʰ International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, which attracted 700,000 visitors. The documentary has received critical acclaim for its fresh, thought-provoking exploration of race, art, and identity in the Renaissance.
More Info: https://www.wewereherethefilm.com.
–ZSR Library, ZSR 665 (Faculty Commons Classroom inside the Faculty Commons space in ZSR Wilson Wing).Alarming statistics in recent years indicate that mental health problems have been skyrocketing among youth. Psychologist and professor Sarah Rose Cavanagh interviews experts who work with young people to help them actualize their goals, and highlights voices of college students from a range of diverse backgrounds. The result of these combined sources of inquiry indicates that to support youth mental health, we must create what Cavanagh calls compassionate challenge. Let’s meet and discuss what that might look like.- –ZSR Library, Special Collections & Archives Research Room (Room 625)Join us for the opening reception for our new exhibit “Fields of Fortune: North Carolina’s Legacy in Leaf and Labor.” Light refreshments will be served. Please register here.
–ZSR Library, Room 476CLASS and the Grad School of Arts & Sciences are partnering together with the Writing Center and ZSR to host a weekly formal writing group for grad students throughout the Spring semester. This common space and hour offers community with your peers; live feedback from peers and Writing Center and CLASS staff on your academic, professional, or personal writing work; and tips and tricks each week on time management, writer’s block, and more. Free snacks will be provided!
–ZSR Library, Library Auditorium (Room 404)The Environmental and Epistemic Justice Initiative at Wake Forest University, with funding from the Mellon Foundation and support from the Program in African American Studies at Wake Forest University is pleased to host a lecture series with Dr. Sacoby Wilson.
Moderated by Crystal T. Dixon, MPH, MA, EEJI Faculty Fellow, Associate Professor of the Practice, Environment & Sustainability Studies Program, Wake Forest University.
Dr. Sacoby Wilson is a Professor with the Department of Global, Environmental, and Occupational Health and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the University of Maryland, College Park School of Public Health where he directs the Center for Community Engagement, Environmental Justice and Health (CEEJH). Dr. Wilson has over 20 years of experience as environmental health scientist in the areas of exposure science, environmental justice, environmental health disparities, community-based participatory research, water quality analysis, air pollution studies, built environment, industrial animal production, climate change, community resiliency, and sustainability. He works primarily in partnership with community-based organizations to study and address environmental justice and health issues and translate research to action.
Please join us at 5pm for a lecture, followed by a reception.
–ZSR Library, ZSR 665 (Faculty Commons Classroom inside the Faculty Commons space in ZSR Wilson Wing).One of the most urgent and long-standing issues in the US education system is its obsession with grades. In Failing Our Future, Joshua R. Eyler shines a spotlight on how grades inhibit learning, cause problems between parents and children, amplify inequities, and contribute to the youth mental health crisis. Equal parts scathing and hopeful, Failing Our Future aims to improve the lives of students by encouraging them to define success on their own terms.
–ZSR Library, Library Auditorium (Room 404)During a time of readily available misformation, it is important for college students to hear from highly credentialed and reliable professionals. In partnership with the Women’s Center and the Office of Wellbeing, SHAG is hosting a two-part keynote speaker event titled, “Exploring the Complex Intersection of Reproductive Health Care and Law”. The events are intended for pre-health, pre-law students, and those interested in the topic. Our first speaker on March 5th, Dr. Colleen Cardella, will share her story of becoming an OB/GYN and what she has noticed in her clinic as reproductive laws continue to change. The event will be held in ZSR Auditorium at 6:00 pm.
–ZSR Library, Library Auditorium (Room 404)Dr. Alex Kor, the son of two Holocaust survivors, tells their remarkable story with co-author Graham Honaker in a conversation moderated by ZSR Library Dean Tim Pyatt.
–ZSR Library, Library Auditorium (Room 404)Join Christy Cobb (Associate Professor of Christianity, Univ of Denver; MA WFU Religious Studies, 2010) and Associate Professor of New Testament WFU School of Divinity, Katherine Shaner for the first lecture in the Spring 2025 Albritton Lecture Series sponsored by the Department for the Study of Religions.
–ZSR Library, Library Auditorium (Room 404)During a time of readily available misformation, it is important for young scholars to hear from highly credentialed and reliable professionals. Professor Boone is a Professor at the Wake Forest School of Law. She will share her path to becoming a lawyer as well as discuss current trends in state and federal reproductive health laws. She will be presenting in ZSR Auditorium on March 19th at 4:00 pm.
–ZSR Library, Room 204Are you currently a Canva user? Would you like another (free!) tool in your toolbox? Join us for a beginner-friendly “quick start” workshop all about Express, Adobe’s easy cloud-based design tool, featuring Firefly AI for amazing transformations in a snap. Attendees will see a live demonstration, learn easy ways to achieve a design vision using Express and Firefly, then dig into making their very own poster, card, or other design with friendly support and guidance readily available. Join us!
–ZSR Library, Room 204Join us to learn about NotebookLM, which is an AI-powered tool that helps us interact with our documents, notes, slides, websites, videos, and more. This cutting-edge tool offers intelligent summarization, in-depth explanations, and instant answers. Discover how NotebookLM can supercharge your productivity and elevate your understanding of complex topics. Whether you are a seasoned AI practitioner or a curious beginner, this workshop will offer you a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience with NotebookLM and unlock the future of interactive AI.
ZSR Library, Library Auditorium (Room 404)The Program in African American Studies will be hosting a book talk and public conversation with Dr. Therí A. Pickens. Dr. Pickens is a Professor of English at Bates College, specializing in African American, Arab American and disability literatures and theories.
Dr. Shanna Greene Benjamin, Professor of African American Studies at Wake Forest University, will lead the conversation with Dr. Pickens about her first collection of poetry, What Had Happened Was (Duke University Press 2025). A reception will follow.
Thank you to the Department of English and Creative Writing for co-sponsoring this event.
Read more about Dr. Pickens.
–ZSR Library, Library Auditorium (Room 404)Nazita Lajevardi will give a talk on her seminal Outsiders at Home: The Politics of American Islamophobia
–ZSR Library, Room 476Join us for an interactive workshop titled “Preparing for Success: Build Your Finals Study Plan.” Participants will leave with their very own detailed study schedule for finals week. Workshop will be held on Thursday, April 24 at 6pm in ZSR 476.
–ZSR LibraryWake the Library – snacks, giveaways for students during final exams.
–ZSR Library, Room 204Join us to learn the basics of AI and generative AI, and how it may be used here at Wake Forest and beyond. In this workshop, we will explore how generative AI works, its potential applications, what to know before using it, and then we’ll explore a few tools. We hope you’ll join us!