Award-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario comes to Dillon Lecture Series to share her story

By Lizzie Kipp / Staff writer

Let’s face it- Kansas can be pretty boring. It’s 90% wheat, and the terrain is so flat, one could watch their dog run away for a week. But every once in a while, someone neat comes into Hutchinson for the Dillon Lecture Series.

Since 1982, the Dillon Lecture Series has been providing Hutchinson with some pretty interesting speakers – pro football players, NASA scientists, politicians – pretty much anyone you can think of. The next lecture, at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Sports Arena, is from Lynsey Addario, an award-winning photojournalist.

Addario is an award winning photojournalist. Her work focuses on human rights issues, especially in regards to the role of women in society. Her lecture is titled “Of Love and War: Stories of Tragedy and Resilience Across the World.”

“The Lecture Series Committee felt her photos and stories would be a good learning experience for the audience,” said Robin Woodworth, DLS Coordinator. “She has been on the suggested list of speakers for a couple of years, but her recent assignment in Ukraine during the Russian invasion made her more notable.”

Addario covers conflicts in all sorts of places like Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria and Libya. Her work is nothing short of breathtaking, and her lecture will feature many examples that put emphasis on human rights issues around the world.

“Through her photographs, students will see true examples of what is happening in the world outside of Hutchinson,” Woodworth said. “They can be raw, but her photographs are another side to what is really happening in the stories we hear from the news.”

These photos tell a tragic story about human suffering, but they also tell a story about hope and rising above the odds.

“A film company is currently working on a documentary about Lynsey,” Woodworth said. “They will be here in Hutchinson with her filming at the lecture.”

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