• By Nicole Harterink
• Posted Monday, December 11, 2023

DENT Creative Reuse Center to serve up another round of Mixed Doubles with Central Library in 2024

After a three-year hiatus, a playful, informative, and engaging tandem lecture series on unrelated topics will return to the Forsyth County Central Library beginning Jan. 25, 2024: Mixed Doubles.

“The goal of Mixed Doubles is to highlight, celebrate, and share the diverse viewpoints, knowledge and expertise, interests, research, experiences, and meaningful activities that occur in the Triad community in a non-hierarchal, fun and relaxed manner,” said David Brown, Mixed Doubles host and director/co-founder of DENT Creative Reuse Center and Art Laboratory. “We’re ‘mixing it up’ — combining scholars, artists, chefs, musicians, and farmers — all active in their respective fields of interests, all passionate about what they do. DENT firmly believes that everyone is an expert in a particular field or branch of knowledge.”

The Central Library hosted the first season of Mixed Doubles in January 2020, and the topics were a huge hit with the community. “It was standing room only in our auditorium,” said Yolanda F. Bolden, director, Forsyth County Public Library. “It was amazing to hear and see the audience make connections to the seemingly incongruous topics and speakers. You’ve got to experience it to believe it!”

The 2024 Mixed Doubles lecturers are a diverse group of informed and passionate individuals or teams from various disciplines in the Triad region, and the lecture pairings range from a social justice choral group and intellectual humility to hot sauce and contemporary dance.

During each Mixed Doubles event, each lecturer will spend 20 minutes on their topic without making any references to the other topic. “Then comes the fun part: a 15-minute combined Q&A,” Brown said. “I’ll encourage the audience to ask adventurous questions, and, as it happened in 2020, an alchemy of creative chaos will ensue!” There will also be some unannounced special guests.

Mixed Doubles Season Two: Tandem Lectures on Unrelated Topics
Forsyth County Central Library Auditorium 660 W. Fifth St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101
Social Mingling at 5:30 p.m.; Program 6-7 p.m. All Forsyth County Public Library programs are free and open to the public.

Thursday, Jan. 25: Burke Singers (social justice choral group) and Intellectual Humility

Maestra D’Walla Simmons-Burke, director of choral and vocal studies, Winston Salem State University

Dr. Eranda Jayawickreme, Harold W. Tribble professor of psychology, Wake Forest University

Thursday, Feb. 1: Honey bees and Burning Man

Samantha ‘Foxx’ Winship, founder and queen, Mother’s Finest Urban Farm

Christine Toole, artist/creative, 12-year Burning Man veteran

Thursday, Feb. 8: Hot Sauce and Contemporary Dance

Niki Farrington, celebrated chef and entrepreneur

Trish Casey, professor contemporary dance, University of North Carolina School of the Arts

Week 4: Thursday, Feb. 15: Spy Music/Exotica and Solar Bikes
Carlos Bocanegra, owner/chief operator, Monstercade

Ryan Gillespie, president, Sol Mobil LLC