NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) will host its 8th Annual Day of Dialogue on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. 

 

This campus-wide alternative day of education will suspend regular day classes to ensure full participation by students, faculty, and staff in meaningful conversations about insecurity and its impact on individuals, communities, and systems.

 

This year's theme, "Unpacking Insecurity to Build a Shared Future," explores insecurity as a human experience that manifests in countless ways, from personal feelings of imposter syndrome to systemic forces that fuel competition, erode trust, and perpetuate scarcity mindsets in our rapidly changing world, stated a press release.

 

"We are excited about where students, staff, and faculty alike are taking our theme," said Kerri Leyda Nicoll, professor of social work and one of two Faculty Fellows for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at MCLA. "We have sessions planned on everything from journalism to community gardening to neurodivergence, all connected to experiences of insecurity and to visions of a more collectively-oriented future in which everyone feels secure, cared for, and connected."

 

The keynote panel, "From Scarcity to Solidarity: Imagining a Shared Future," will bring together three  voices.

 

Anaïs Duplan is a trans poet, curator, and artist who serves as professor of postcolonial literature at Bennington College. He is the author of a book of essays, "Blackspace: On the Poetics of an Afrofuture" (Black Ocean, 2020), among many other works. In 2016, Duplan founded the Center for Afrofuturist Studies, an artist residency program for artists of color. He is the recipient of the 2021 QUEER|ART|PRIZE for Recent Work and a 2022 Whiting Award in Nonfiction.

 

Dr. Timothy Callahan leads the North Adams Public Schools, where he has spent 27 years in the district. His journey began as a substitute teacher and included various roles from English teacher to high school principal and district leader before becoming superintendent in 2025. Beyond education, Dr. Callahan is a pop culture and role-playing game writer who has written for Fantagraphics, Goodman Games, Macmillan Publishing, and Marvel Entertainment. He is the author of "Grant Morrison: The Early Years" (2007), the editor of "Teenagers from the Future" (2008), and the designer of numerous adventures for Dungeon Crawl Classics. In 2021, he completed his doctoral dissertation on "Principal Actions in Massachusetts in Relation to School Accountability Status" and has presented at conferences on topics including Rethinking Discipline, Public Education as Equity, and Blended Learning Models.

 

Charles Redd, Berkshire Health Systems Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer began his career as a nursing assistant in 1985. He worked in nursing positions of increasing responsibility for nearly three decades, including at Baystate Medical Center as Assistant Manager of Telemetry and ICU Step-Down Units, Director of Emergency and Behavioral Health Services, and Clinical Documentation Improvement Lead. Prior to his appointment as BHS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Redd served as the Director of Quality for Fairview Hospital. Redd has been engaged in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work for more than 12 years, first as part of the Black Employees Connecting resource group at Baystate Health and then as a leadership fellow with Partnership Inc. in Boston. Locally, Redd represents Berkshire Health Systems on the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services' (EOHHS) Health Equity Accountability Group and the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association's (MHA) Hospital Incentive Workgroup. He is currently a member of the BHS Council for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and writes a weekly blog exploring relationships, respect, and equity called?Dignity Freedom Fighter.

 

The keynote panel is scheduled for noon to 1 p.m. in the Campus Center Gym and includes lunch (beginning at 11:30 a.m.). The keynote panel presentation is free and open to the public, while the remaining sessions throughout the day are reserved for MCLA campus community members.

 

The in-person event will feature workshops, panel discussions, and interactive sessions led by faculty, staff, and students.

 

The Day of Dialogue represents MCLA's ongoing commitment to creating spaces where difficult conversations can happen productively and respectfully, fostering critical thinking and community engagement across campus.