Redlands Forum

Educational and cultural programs for the community to learn and engage with the important topics of our time. Founded in 2009.

Esri Chief Scientist Dr. Dawn Wright wearing a pink blouse, and background designs of orange circles and semi circles.

About the Redlands Forum

Throughout the year, presenters and attendees come to the Esri campus for discussions that bring awareness to issues and offer practical action items. Attend talks from anthropologists, environmentalists, entrepreneurs, filmmakers, journalists, performers, and more.

Learn more about the forum
How to attend

Attend the Redlands Forum in-person. Registration is no cost thanks to Esri and the University of Redlands Town & Gown.
Access past recordings

Explore the list of previous presentations and panels.

Access the recordings

Up next

Sacrament: How a novel can celebrate the geography of America

May 28, 2026 | 5:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m.

With Susan Straight, author of Sacrament, and distinguished professor of creative writing, University of California, Riverside

Join us for an evening of insight, inspiration, and conversation that will change the way you read about—and see—the geography of America. Acclaimed novelist and essayist Susan Straight shares how place becomes a living presence in fiction, shaping character, memory, and meaning.

Susan is the author of nine novels and one memoir, has been a finalist for numerous prestigious awards, and has received the Lannan Literary Prize, the O. Henry Award, the Edgar Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement from the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes. Her work has been translated into 10 languages, and her essays have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and other publications.

Born and raised in Riverside, California, Susan continues to live and write there with her family.