On Tuesday, April 1, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will host its first in a series of high-profile speakers on the Edwardsville campus. The inaugural keynote features author Amanda Ripley. Ripley will present her topic, “Breaking the Spell of High Conflict” on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Meridian Ballroom at the Morris University Center (MUC).

Ripley is the author of the titles “High Conflict:  Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out,” “The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes—and Why” and the New York Times bestseller “The Smartest Kids in the World.”

Her book “High Conflict” chronicles the journey of people who were trapped in very different kinds of conflict, from the personal to the political, and then found their way out. "High Conflict” won the 2022 Christopher Award for “lighting a candle instead of cursing the darkness.”

The distinguished speaker, author and conflict mediator is an acclaimed journalist who is a contributing columnist for The Washington Post and a writer for The Atlantic and Politico. Ripley co-hosts the "How To!" podcast on Slate.

Earlier in her career, Ripley spent a decade writing about human behavior for Time magazine in New York, Washington, and Paris. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and The Times of London. Her stories helped Time magazine win two National Magazine Awards.

Ripley has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, FOX News and NPR. She has spoken at the Pentagon, the U.S. Senate, the State Department, and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as dozens of conferences on leadership, communicating in conflict, disaster behavior and education.

During her keynote at SIUE, Ripley will explore the psychology of conflict, why we get trapped in it and how we can break free.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. RSVP is encouraged.

PHOTO: Amanda Ripley, “Breaking the Spell of High Conflict” keynote speaker