Anthropologist and Author Barbara J. King to Speak in Setauket

Acclaimed anthropologist, science writer, and public speaker, Dr. Barbara J. King will appear on Setauket Presbyterian Church’s “Faithful Conversations” series on Thursday, October 9, 2025 at 7:00pm. The event includes a panel discussion and audience Q&A.

BARBARA J. KING is emerita professor of anthropology at William & Mary and a freelance science writer and public speaker. The author of seven books, including most recently Animals’ Best Friends: Putting Compassion to Work for Animals in Captivity and in the Wild, Barbara focuses on animal emotion and cognition, the ethics of our relationships with animals, and the evolutionary history of language, culture, and religion. Her book How Animals Grieve has been translated into 7 languages and her TED talk on animal love and grief has now received over 3 million views.

Barbara is honored to be a new Research Fellow at PAN Works, a center for ethics and policy dedicated to the wellbeing of animals.

Barbara is a Guggenheim Fellowship recipient whose work has appeared in Scientific American, NPR, Aeon, and Undark, and she regularly reviews books for NPR, the Washington Post, and the TLS. Barbara enjoys science outreach at events like the World Science Festival and the National Academy of Sciences’ Science & Entertainment Exchange “science speed dating” night, and through online discussions with groups interested in topics ranging from compassion for animals to ecological grief. In Virginia, she lives with her husband and rescued cats. She tweets about animals, science, and books @bjkingape.