ETSU Festival to host bestselling author John Green after program shifts

East Tennessee State University will soon host bestselling author John Green as a keynote speaker during its annual Festival of Ideas, which brings together thought leaders for public discussions on cultural topics. Green, author of "The Fault in Our Stars" and "Looking for Alaska," will speak Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. in the Martin Center for the Arts. His appearance ties to ETSU's Common Read program, which selected his book "The Anthropocene Reviewed" for the campus community to read together this academic year. ETSU Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Kimberly McCorkle said the Common Read program aims to encourage discussion among students and faculty about selected readings. The university has integrated the program into the festival in recent years, inviting keynote authors including Anthony Doerr in 2025 and Mitch Albom in 2024. "A lot of our university students in particular are so excited about having John Green come to campus," McCorkle said. "Some of them have stopped me and said, 'We're so happy John Green's coming. He taught me history.' "He's pretty well known because of his YouTube videos, but he's [also] taught history," she added. "He just has such an interesting and varied background as a thought leader." The festival will open Feb. 24 with violinist Vijay Gupta, a MacArthur Fellowship recipient and founder of Street Symphony, presenting "Why Music Education is Essential." His Los Angeles-based nonprofit has presented thousands of musical workshops in shelters, jails and prisons. "He's going to talk about the power of music and the ways that music is compelling and brings people together, and the ways that he's used music in his communities in order to connect folks," McCorkle said. The Feb. 25 programming will feature campus activities focused on the Common Read, encouraging students and faculty to write essays about their own experiences and insights relating to Green's work. This year's festival comes as higher education institutions navigate increased scrutiny and funding uncertainty under President Donald Trump's administration, with the lineup differing from previous festivals that featured more politically oriented speakers and critics of the president. The 2022 event included CNN host Van Jones and Meghan McCain, daughter of the late Sen. John McCain and a political commentator critical of Trump. The inaugural 2019 festival, held during Trump's first term, featured former White House Communications Director Jennifer Palmieri, while the 2023 festival included discussions from New York Times columnist David Brooks and the co-hosts of Pantsuit Politics. ETSU has faced other challenges relating to cultural programming at the university more broadly. The International FL3TCH3R Exhibit recently relocated from the ETSU Reece Museum to the Fischman Gallery downtown following what organizers described as "numerous censorship challenges initiated by conservative actors" during its fall 2024 presentation. McCorkle said the festival's mission, however, has remained consistent since its 2019 launch. "We set out [to host the] Festival of Ideas with a very broad mission — to bring someone thoughtful to campus who would appeal to the campus community, but also to the region," McCorkle said. "They're not setting out to be political." ETSU faculty, staff and students can claim early-access tickets Jan. 28 before public tickets become available Jan. 29 at 10 a.m. ETSU officials expect strong turnout for Green's appearance and encouraged attendees to secure tickets as early as possible. Rush seating will be available for those without reserved tickets, though seats are not guaranteed. Additional updates and information on events can be found on the ETSU Martin Center website and festival webpage at www.etsu.edu/festival.