Evolutionary Biologist Richard Dawkins to Speak to Des Moines Audiences April 12 at Hoyt Sherman

DES MOINES, Iowa - March 17, 2014 - PRLog -- DES MOINES, IA – SecularityUSA presents A Conversation with Richard Dawkins, Saturday, April 12, 2014, 4:30 p.m. at Hoyt Sherman Place, located at 1501 Woodland Avenue in downtown Des Moines. The event supports SecularityUSA in their primary objective of raising public awareness of the dangers of religious bias in government and promoting the traditional separation of church and state. Regular reserved seating for this public event is $25, with a discounted rate of $10 for students and volunteers. Premium ticket prices range from $100 to $2,500 and entitle ticketholders to extra benefits, including premium seating, autographed books and opportunities to personally meet with Dawkins at two private events – an elegant Saturday evening dinner on April 12 and a Sunday reception on April 13. All ticketholders (from discounted to premium) are invited to attend a post-event social hosted by SecularityUSA in the Hoyt Sherman Art Gallery immediately following the program.

A Conversation with Richard Dawkins will feature the world-renowned evolutionary biologist and New York Times best-selling author, Richard Dawkins, in a conversational format that will include live audience Q&A. Author of The Selfish Gene, The Magic of Reality, An Appetite for Wonder, and many other popular books, Richard Dawkins is one of the world’s leading scientific intellectuals, an entertaining communicator, and a brilliant writer. A selection of his books will be available for purchase, and will be signed by Dawkins on site after the presentation.

Sean Faircloth, author of Attack of the Theocrats!: How the Religious Right Harms Us All – And What We Can Do About It, will conduct the on-stage conversation with Dr. Dawkins in a lively, dynamic format that combines impromptu discussion and audience interaction. Former Majority Whip of Maine's legislature, Faircloth has spoken on secularism throughout America and in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Turkey. As a lead-in to A Conversation with Richard Dawkins, Faircloth will present SecularityUSA, a project that unites both religious and nonreligious supporters of church-state separation.

Local religious and political dignitaries, including Temple B'nai Jeshurun Rabbi David Kaufman and Iowa State Senator Matt McCoy, will kick off the program by addressing the audience with opening remarks before welcoming Dawkins and Faircloth to the stage. This event will be live streamed for online audiences. Link can be obtained by subscribing to the GSHM Facebook page at Facebook.com/GSHMP.

Tickets & Location
Ticket prices range from $10 to $2,500 and can be purchased by calling the Hoyt Sherman Box Office at (515) 244-0507. Tickets are also available online at TicketMaster.com. A student rate of $10 is available both online and at the box office. SecularityUSA volunteers can obtain a special offer code for receiving $15 off the regular ticket price by visiting SecularityUSA.org. The Hoyt Sherman is located at 1501 Woodland Avenue, approximately three blocks from the MLK Jr. Parkway on the corner of 15th and Woodland. Ample parking is available just east of the building.

About SecularityUSA
SecularityUSA is a specific, practical plan to return America to its secular roots. This strategic approach to church-state separation unites people of all religious viewpoints who are committed to ridding government of religious bias, which profoundly harms U.S. citizens, including those in religious communities. This unique coalition of freethinkers and religious individuals is dedicated to promoting a just, fair-minded, and positive government based on an actionable ten-point vision for a Secular America. SecularityUSA is a project of Global Secular and Organizing Strategy, a nonprofit corporation with 501(c)(3) status pending. The project’s web site is SecularityUSA.org.