Author and architect Sarah Susanka continues the Bridges to the Future theme on “The Pursuit of Happiness” by sharing her message of downsizing. Susanka’s speech is Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. in the Gates Concert Hall at DU’s Newman Center for the Performing Arts.
“All of my books written to date are about how we inhabit space,” Susanka says. Her latest book,The Not So Big Life: Making Room for What Really Matters (Random House, 2007), focuses on how people engage in time and the quality of that time.
“The only way we really live balanced is to engage time in a new way,” she says. “A way in which we’re present in what we’re doing.”
Her free lecture, “Not So Big: The First Step in True Sustainable Living,” is part of the sixth year of Bridges to the Future programming. DU created the lecture series in 2002 to engage Coloradans in an exploration of American history, values and expectations in a post-Sept. 11 world.
This year guest speakers turn their attention to how we pursue happiness in the midst of tough ongoing issues, like war and pollution.
Susanka, most known for her book The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live (Taunton, 2001), takes her three-dimensional view as an architect and applies it to everyday living. She equates the time we waste in our lives with the space in our homes that we fill with clutter.
“Clearing the clutter to make room for what is meaningful is critical,” Susanka says.
The event is at capacity, so no further reservations will be accepted; however, live video streaming will be offered atwww.du.edu/bridges. The site will feature a blog about Susanka’s remarks beginning Jan. 16.