Who Should We Invite for Live Conversations? — A Call for Submissions
Help shape our next live conversation series! Who would you love to hear from? Recommend authors, speakers, and thought leaders for community-curated discussions.
One of the most rewarding aspects of building this community has been discovering the incredible diversity of voices, perspectives, and expertise among our readers. Time and again, you've introduced me to authors, thinkers, and creators whose work has enriched our conversations and expanded our collective understanding.
Now I want to take this collaborative spirit to the next level
I’m eager to launch a new series of public live conversations featuring authors, speakers, researchers, activists, and thought leaders whose insights could spark meaningful discussions about immigration from a variety of perspectives. But here's the thing—I don't want to decide who these voices should be on my own.
This is where you come in.
I'm inviting you to help curate this speaker series by recommending people you'd love to hear from in an intimate, conversational setting. Whether it's a novelist whose latest work kept you up all night, a researcher whose findings challenge conventional wisdom, a journalist covering stories that matter, or an activist doing groundbreaking work. I want to know who's on your radar.
These won't be formal presentations or polished talks. Instead, I'm envisioning genuine conversations—like my recent conversation with Anton Flores—where ideas can breathe, where we can dig into the nuances and contradictions that make topics truly interesting, and where both the speaker and our community can learn something new.
Topics could range widely: immigration and social justice, creative writing and storytelling, research methodologies, policy analysis, community organizing, arts and culture, or any other area where thoughtful dialogue could illuminate something important about our world—so long as it is connected to immigration.
Recommend someone else: Share the name of an author, speaker, or thought leader you'd love to hear from, along with a sentence or two about why their voice would add value to our community conversations. Include their area of expertise, recent work, or what specifically draws you to their perspective.
Recommend yourself: If you're doing interesting work that would resonate with our community, don't hesitate to throw your own hat in the ring. Share what you're working on, what topics you're passionate about discussing, and why you think a conversation with our readers would be mutually enriching.
Show support: If someone else suggests a speaker you're excited about, give their comment a like (❤️) or reply to let me know there's broader interest.
Just as our community-driven reading lists have become some of our most valuable resources, I believe this collaborative approach to curating conversations will lead to far more interesting and relevant discussions than anything I could plan in isolation.
Every recommendation will be carefully considered, and I'll give proper credit to contributors when announcing upcoming conversations. This isn't just about building a speaker roster—it's about strengthening the connections and shared curiosity that make this community special.
I'll let this discussion run for a couple of weeks to gather a robust list of suggestions. From there, I'll begin reaching out to potential speakers, prioritizing those who generated the most enthusiasm from multiple community members.
The format will likely be live video conversations, with opportunities for community questions and follow-up discussions. I'm also exploring ways to make these accessible to those who can't join live, while maintaining the intimate, real-time energy that makes these conversations special.
Ready to help shape our next chapter?
Drop your recommendations in the comments below. Whether you're suggesting someone whose work you admire or putting yourself forward as a potential speaker, I'm eager to see what voices our community wants to amplify.
Let's build something meaningful together.
Thank you for your contributions!
– Austin Kocher
PS: For reference, below are just a few of the public conversations I’ve hosted in the past year—but you are invited to think outside the box! No one is off-limits and everyone is fair game.
1. Chris Rickerd: powerful analysis of immigration enforcement, clearly presents complicated concepts, the foresight to offer our group (The Brownsville Texas Welcoming Committee) the warning (back in January) that we "should think of the worst that could happen to our communities" and that our imaginations would fall short in any case. 2. Tom Cartwright, (Brownsville Welcoming Committee host); original tracker of ICE deportation flights, thoughtful, articulate) 3. Ruben Garcia, director of Anunciation House, El Paso 4. Molly Crabapple who produced in the first Trump go-round this good work https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/immigration-border-crisis-molly-crabapple-713991/ 5. Debbie Nathan. she has not stopped conversing
Robin Wall Kimerer wrote Braiding Sweetgrass” Then she won the genus award. To my knowledge, we haven’t heard from her since. 2) Medea Benjamin of Code Pink. She’s a strong voice for peace.