The North Olympic Library System, in partnership with Humanities Washington, hosts a multifaceted conversation about capital punishment in the United States.

Educator, writer and activist Dorothy Van Soest, a lecturer with the Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau, leads this free discussion at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8 at the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave.

Van Soest also will lead discussions Sept. 6 at the Port Angeles Library (6:30 p.m. ) and Sept. 7 at the Forks Library (6:30 p.m.).

A moratorium on executions in Washington announced in February 2014 by Gov. Jay Inslee helped further fuel the national debate. Van Soest, an author and educator, facilitates an interactive group dialogue about the death penalty and demonstrates how the issue is multi-faceted by weaving together personal connections, scientific research, life experience and creative storytelling.

Van Soest is Professor Emeritus and a former dean at the University of Washington. She has published nine books and more than 50 journal articles, essays and book chapters that tackle complex issues related to violence, oppression and injustice. Her 2014 novel, “Just Mercy,” personalizes the topic of the death penalty as told through the perspective of a family. See www.dorothyvansoest.com.

Humanities Washington aims to “spark conversation and critical thinking using story as a catalyst, nurturing thoughtful and engaged communities across the state.” Speakers Bureau is one of Humanities Washington’s oldest and more popular programs. Cultural experts and scholars provide public presentations across the state, encouraging audiences to think, learn and engage in conversation. Topics include popular culture, photography, architecture, literature, food, film and history.

For more about the Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau, visit www.humanities.org/programs/speakers.

For more information, see www.nols.org and select “Events,” or call the Sequim Library at 683-1161, or email Discover@nols.org.