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Engage! Enhance your experience at Peak Performances. The cultural engagement program of the Office of Arts and Cultural Programming (ACP) at Montclair State University involves both on- and off-campus communities in creative and intellectually stimulating education events that connect audiences with the work of artists from around the globe. Discussions Be curious! Ask a question, get an insider's view, learn the story behind the story at sessions of our discussion series. Free and open to all. Community Conversations Audiences and artists come together to share reflections and responses immediately following select Saturday evening performances. Sneak Peeks Good conversation goes with good food on select Thursdays (starting at 6 p.m.) as artists, writers and thinkers offer insight and behind-the-scenes looks into our exciting productions. Art & Society This series explores the vital role of the arts in illuminating contemporary social and political issues. "What if students have the opportunity to not only read literary work but also discuss it with its creators? Evidence suggests that a campus community that encourages literary engagement and attendance at live performance events privileges a culture of empathy and social intelligence, qualities sorely needed for students to succeed both in work and in life. For this reason, the collaboration between the Department of Writing Studies' Live Literature reading series and Peak Performances is a vital part of the First-Year Writing Program." —Carrie O'Dell, Instructional Specialist, Dept. of Writing Studies 38 CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT Jedediah Wheeler, Executive Director

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