Past Event Recordings

Explore Unexpected Twists and Turns with Bestselling Author Lisa Jewell
#1 New York Times Bestselling Author of None of This Is True and Then She Was Gone
Tuesday, June 10th 2025 at 1:00 PM CDT

Extinctopedia–A Discovery of What We Have Lost, What is at Risk, and What To Do About it with Smithsonian Scientists
A Library Speakers Consortium and Smithsonian Institution Collaboration
Wednesday, June 4th 2025 at 1:00 PM CDT

How Judy Blume Rewrote Childhood for All of Us with Author Rachelle Bergstein
Lifestyle Writer, Editor, and Bestselling Author of The Genius of Judy
Wednesday, May 21st 2025 at 1:00 PM CDT

On Writing a Brilliant, Dark, and Diabolical Thriller with Author Liann Zhang
Julie Chan is Dead – A Propulsive Debut Thriller
Wednesday, May 14th 2025 at 6:00 PM CDT

How to Use Anxiety to Thrive with Dr. David H. Rosmarin
Harvard Psychologist, Author, and Keynote Speaker
Wednesday, May 7th 2025 at 1:00 PM CDT

The Thrill of Writing Action, Adventure, and Suspense: A Conversation with Bestselling Author Gregg Hurwitz
Author of the New York Times Bestselling Orphan X Series
Thursday, April 24th 2025 at 6:00 PM CDT

The Stories, Science, and History of Trees with Smithsonian Gardens Greenhouse Horticulturalist Matthew Fleming
A Library Speakers Consortium and Smithsonian Institution Collaboration
Tuesday, April 8th 2025 at 1:00 PM CDT

Wordsmith and Wonder: An Author Talk with Jodi Picoult
#1 New York Times Bestselling Author of By Any Other Name and My Sister’s Keeper
Wednesday, April 2nd 2025 at 6:00 PM CDT

Dreams We Chase: An Author Talk with Novelist Jennifer Weiner
#1 New York Times Bestselling Author of In Her Shoes, Big Summer, and The Breakaway
Wednesday, March 26th 2025 at 6:00 PM CDT

How Women’s Liberation Transformed America: In Conversation with Clara Bingham
Award-Winning Journalist and Author of Women on the Hill and Witness to the Revolution
Thursday, March 20th 2025 at 1:00 PM CDT

I Am Nobody’s Slave: An Author Talk with Pulitzer Prize Finalist Lee Hawkins
Award-Winning Journalist and Creator and Host of the podcast “What Happened in Alabama?”
Tuesday, February 18th 2025 at 1:00 PM CST

Dystopian Tropes from an Indigenous Perspective: In Conversation with Waubgeshig Rice
Award-Winning and Bestselling Author of Moon of the Crusted Snow
Tuesday, February 11th 2025 at 6:00 PM CST

How We Create Pandemics, From Our Bodies to Our Beliefs with Smithsonian Curator Sabrina Sholts
A Library Speakers Consortium and Smithsonian Institution Collaboration
Tuesday, February 4th 2025 at 1:00 PM CST

An Inside Look at Working with a Literary Agent: A Conversation with Seth Fishman
Vice President and Agent at The Gernert Company
Tuesday, January 28th 2025 at 12:00 PM CST

Notes on Modern Irrationality with Bestselling Author Amanda Montell
New York Times Bestselling Author of Cultish and The Age of Magical Overthinking
Thursday, January 23rd 2025 at 1:00 PM CST

On Pulse-Pounding, Family Driven Mysteries: A Conversation with Laura Dave
New York Times Bestselling Author of The Last Thing He Told Me
Wednesday, December 11th 2024 at 1:00 PM CST

Unearthed: Exploring the Smithsonian National Gem Collection with Dr. Jeffrey Post
A Library Speakers Consortium and Smithsonian Institution Collaboration
Wednesday, December 4th 2024 at 1:00 PM CST

Native Rights and Culture in Fiction–A Conversation with Mona Susan Power
PEN/Hemingway Prize Winner and An Enrolled Member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (Iháŋktȟuŋwaŋna Dakhóta)
Wednesday, November 20th 2024 at 6:00 PM CST

A Navajo Investigator’s Search for the Unexplained: In Conversation with Stanley Milford, Jr.
Fabled Navajo Investigator of the History Channel’s Beyond Skinwalker Ranch and the Netflix Series The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch
Thursday, November 7th 2024 at 6:00 PM CST

Maybe You Should Talk To Someone: Examining the Truths and Fictions we Tell Ourselves with Lori Gottlieb
Instant New York Times Bestseller of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
Tuesday, October 22nd 2024 at 1:00 PM CDT

Liberating Latin American Genre Fiction: In Conversation with Bestselling Author Silvia Moreno-Garcia
New York Times Bestselling Author of Mexican Gothic and Gods of Jade and Shadow
Wednesday, October 9th 2024 at 6:00 PM CDT

A Journey into the Hidden World of Tropical Bats with Scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Presented by Smithsonian Scientists Dr. Rachel Page, Dr. Dina Dechmann, and Dr. Teague O’Mara
Wednesday, October 2nd 2024 at 1:00 PM CDT

A Deep Dive in Character Development with Global Sensation Liane Moriarty
#1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Big Little Lies, The Husband’s Secret, and Apples Never Fall
Saturday, September 21st 2024 at 6:00 PM CDT

Living with an Expansive Mind in a Distracted World–with Nate Klemp, PhD
New York Times Bestselling Co-Author of Start Here: Master the Lifelong Skill of Well-Being
Wednesday, September 18th 2024 at 1:00 PM CDT

Capturing the Human Drama of 9/11 and D-Day Through Oral History with Garrett Graff
New York Times Bestselling Author and Pulitzer Prize Finalist
Tuesday, September 10th 2024 at 1:00 PM CDT

An Exploration of Friendship, Reckoning, and Hope with novelist Shelby Van Pelt
Author of the Instant New York Times bestseller Remarkably Bright Creatures
Wednesday, August 21st 2024 at 6:00 PM CDT

The Golden Ticket to College Admissions Is Not What You Think: Redefining Success for Parents of Teens with Irena Smith, PhD
Story Circle Network’s Gilda Award-Winner and Former Lecturer and Stanford Admissions Officer
Thursday, August 15th 2024 at 1:00 PM CDT

Your All Access Pass Behind the Scenes at the Space Station with Smithsonian Curator Dr. Jennifer Levasseur
A Library Speakers Consortium and Smithsonian Institution Collaboration
Wednesday, August 7th 2024 at 1:00 PM CDT

Graphic Novels are Life! Telling Your Own Story in a Graphic Novel with Dan Santat (5th-8th Grade)
Caldecott Medal Winner, National Book Award Winner, and New York Times Bestselling Author and Illustrator of Over 100 Books
Tuesday, July 30th 2024 at 1:00 PM CDT

Learning the Power of Poetry with Bestselling Author Elizabeth Acevedo (9th-12th)
National Book Award Winner and New York Times Bestselling Author of The Poet X and Clap When you Land
Tuesday, July 23rd 2024 at 1:00 PM CDT

Surviving the Summer with The Last Kids on Earth and Max Brallier (3rd-6th Grade)
New York Times Bestselling Author of More Than 50 Books for Children Under Both This Name and the Pen Name Jack Chabert
Tuesday, July 16th 2024 at 1:00 PM CDT

A Visit to Deckawoo Drive with Mercy Watson and Kate DiCamillo (PreK-2nd Grade)
Newbery Medal Winner for The Tale of Despereaux and New York Times bestselling author of over 30 books for children
Tuesday, July 9th 2024 at 1:00 PM CDT

Unpacking a History of Systemic Racism in the American Education System with Tiffany Jewell
New York Times Bestselling Author of This Book is Anti-Racist and Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School
Thursday, June 20th 2024 at 1:00 PM CDT

Psychological Thrillers and the Queen of Twists– An Author Talk with Freida McFadden
New York Times Bestselling Author of The Housemaid, The Housemaid’s Secret and The Housemaid Is Watching
Thursday, June 13th 2024 at 7:00 PM CDT

For the Love of Mars: A Human History of the Red Planet with Smithsonian Curator Matt Shindell
A Library Speakers Consortium and Smithsonian Institution Collaboration
Monday, June 3rd 2024 at 1:00 PM CDT

Asian American Representation in Literature: An Author Talk with Rebecca F. Kuang
New York Times Bestselling Author of Yellowface, Babel, and the Poppy War Trilogy
Tuesday, May 21st 2024 at 6:00 PM CDT

A Murder Mystery, Family Story, & Love Letter to Strong Women Everywhere: Author Talk w/ Nina Simon
New York Times Bestselling Author and Reese’s Book Club Pick - Mother-Daughter Murder Night
Wednesday, May 8th 2024 at 6:00 PM CDT

Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I - An Author Talk with Douglas Brunt
New York Times Bestselling Author of The Mysterious Case of Rudolph Diesel and Ghosts of Manhattan
Wednesday, May 1st 2024 at 2:00 PM CDT

A Literary Examination of Power, Love, and Art with Xochitl Gonzalez
New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming and Anita de Monte Laughs Last
Wednesday, April 17th 2024 at 7:00 PM CDT

The Foods, People, and Innovations That Feed Us–A Sweeping History of Food and Culture with Smithsonian Curator Paula J. Johnson
A Library Speakers Consortium and Smithsonian Institution Collaboration
Tuesday, April 2nd 2024 at 1:00 PM CDT

On Retelling Greek Classics: An Exploration of the Modern Epics with Madeline Miller
New York Times Bestselling Author of The Song of Achilles and Circe
Thursday, March 21st 2024 at 6:00 PM CDT

20 Years of Dragon-Riding in YA Fantasy with International Bestselling Author Christopher Paolini
International Bestselling Author of Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance
Thursday, March 14th 2024 at 3:00 PM CDT

The Power of Friendships with NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg
NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent and New York Times Bestselling Author
Wednesday, March 6th 2024 at 3:00 PM CST

Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity: An Author Talk with Kim Scott
New York Times Bestselling Author of Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity and Radical Respect: How to Work Together Better
Wednesday, February 28th 2024 at 1:00 PM CST

Exploring Identity, Love, and Being Black in America in Fiction Writing: A Conversation with Award-Winning Author Jason Mott
New York Times Bestselling Author and National Book Award Winner
Tuesday, February 20th 2024 at 3:00 PM CST

Spice, Spirit, and Swoon–A Guaranteed Happily Ever After with Rom-Com Author Tessa Bailey
#1 New York Times bestselling author of It Happened One Summer and Hook, Line, and Sinker
Thursday, February 8th 2024 at 7:00 PM CST

The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine: An Author Talk with Dr. Robert Lustig
Physician and New York Times Bestselling Author of Fat Chance
Tuesday, January 30th 2024 at 1:00 PM CST

Your Retirement: Dream or Disaster? How to Avoid the Hidden Traps in Retirement Planning Advice
Rajiv Nagaich, Expert in U.S. Elder Law and Host of Two Popular Public Television Shows
Tuesday, January 23rd 2024 at 1:00 PM CST

Embrace Love in the New Year: A Heartfelt Conversation with Rebecca Serle
New York Times Bestselling Author of One Italian Summer, In Five Years, and The Dinner List
Wednesday, January 10th 2024 at 7:00 PM CST

Let's Talk World Building with YA Fantasy Fiction Superstar Author Victoria Aveyard
#1 New York Times Bestselling Author of the Red Queen Series and the Realm Breaker Series
Tuesday, December 5th 2023 at 6:00 PM CST

Power of Women in Science Fiction: Naomi Alderman on Writing Dystopian Worlds
International Bestselling Author of The Power and Creator of Zombies, Run!?
Thursday, November 30th 2023 at 2:00 PM CST

Why She Writes - An Afternoon Chat with Joy Harjo, Internationally Renowned Performer, Writer and Poet of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation
The 23rd United States Poet Laureate and 2023 Winner of Yale’s Bollingen Prize for American Poetry
Thursday, November 16th 2023 at 3:00 PM CST

Get Good with Money and Reach Your Financial Goals with Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche
New York Times Bestselling Author and Award-Winning Podcast Host of Brown Ambition
Thursday, November 9th 2023 at 1:00 PM CST

Hollywood, Home, Heart, and Healing: A Conversation with Actor John Stamos
Three-time Emmy Nominee and Full House Star
Wednesday, November 1st 2023 at 7:00 PM CDT

A Lifetime of Writing: A Conversation with International Bestselling Author John Irving
New York Times Bestselling Author of A Prayer for Owen Meany and The Cider House Rules
Thursday, October 26th 2023 at 6:00 PM CDT

Master of Suspense: An Author Talk with Ruth Ware
#1 New York Times Bestselling Author of The It Girl and The Woman in Cabin 10
Wednesday, October 18th 2023 at 1:00 PM CDT

European Travel Tips and Tools with Guidebook Author Rick Steves
Popular Public Television Host and Best-Selling Guidebook Author
Tuesday, October 10th 2023 at 3:00 PM CDT

How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most: An Author Talk with Adam Alter
New York Times Bestselling Author of Drunk Tank Pink and Irresistible
Wednesday, September 20th 2023 at 1:00 PM CDT

Life, Love, Family, and Food: An Author Talk with Lidia Bastianich
Emmy award-winning public television host, a best‐selling cookbook author, restaurateur, and owner of a flourishing food and entertainment business
Thursday, September 7th 2023 at 6:00 PM CDT

A Year Inside College Admissions: An Author Talk with Jeff Selingo
New York Times Bestselling Author of There is Life After College and College (Un)Bound
Wednesday, August 30th 2023 at 1:00 PM CDT

Author Talk with Cassandra Clare of The Mortal Instruments Series
New York Times bestselling author of The Infernal Devices Series and The Last Hours Series
Wednesday, August 23rd 2023 at 7:00 PM CDT

New York Times Bestselling Author of The Prophets: Author Talk with Robert Jones, Jr.
2022 Publishing Triangle Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction and 2021 National Book Award for Fiction
Tuesday, August 15th 2023 at 3:00 PM CDT

Crying in the Bathroom: A Memoir: An Author Talk with Erika L. Sánchez
New York Times Bestselling Author of I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
Tuesday, July 25th 2023 at 3:00 PM CDT

Author Talk with Charles Soule: New York Times Bestselling Author of Daredevil & She-Hulk
Bestselling Author of Death of Wolverine and The Oracle Year
Saturday, July 15th 2023 at 1:00 PM CDT

Author Talk with Tananarive Due: Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda Contributing Author
Award-winning and bestselling author of sixteen books, including the Blood Colony, The Living Blood, The Good House, Joplin’s Ghost, and Devil’s Wake
Wednesday, June 28th 2023 at 7:00 PM CDT

An American In Provence: Author Talk with Award-Winning Photographer Jamie Beck
New York Times Bestselling Author of An American in Provence
Thursday, June 15th 2023 at 1:00 PM CDT

The Fun Habit: An Author Talk with Mike Rucker, Ph.D.
How the Disciplined Pursuit of Joy and Wonder Can Change Your Life: Lessons from Organizational Psychologist Mike Rucker, Ph.D.
Wednesday, June 7th 2023 at 3:00 PM CDT

Author Talk with Courtney Summers: New York Times Bestselling YA Author
Edgar and Odyssey Award Winning Author and NYT Bestselling author of Sadie
Saturday, May 20th 2023 at 1:00 PM CDT

Not Funny: Author Talk with Academy Award Nominated Jena Friedman
Comedian, Filmmaker, and Creator of AMC’s Indefensible and Soft Focus with Jena Friedman on Adult Swim
Wednesday, May 10th 2023 at 7:00 PM CDT

New York Times Bestselling Author of Ordinary Grace: Author Talk with William Kent Krueger
#1 Bestselling Author of More Than 20 Books Including This Tender Land and Lightning Strike
Thursday, April 27th 2023 at 7:00 PM CDT

Author Talk with Kate Beaton: Bestselling Cartoonist of Hark! A Vagrant!
NYT Bestselling Cartoonist of Hark! A Vagrant! and Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands
Tuesday, April 4th 2023 at 6:00 PM CDT

Bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris: Author Talk with Pam Jenoff
New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan’s Tale and The Lost Girls of Paris
Tuesday, March 28th 2023 at 6:00 PM CDT

Southern Inspired: Author Talk with Celebrity Chef Jernard A. Wells
Award Winning TV Host, Celebrity Chef, and Bestselling Cookbook Author of Southern Modified and Southern Inspired
Tuesday, March 21st 2023 at 3:00 PM CDT

Author Talk with David Epstein: Bestselling author of RANGE and THE SPORTS GENE
New York Times Bestselling Author of Range and The Sports Gene
Monday, March 13th 2023 at 12:00 PM CDT

Author Talk with Sadeqa Johnson of Yellow Wife
Recipient of the National Book Club Award, the Phillis Wheatley Book Award, and the USA Best Book Award for Best Fiction
Tuesday, February 28th 2023 at 3:00 PM CST

Author Talk with Grace M. Cho of Tastes Like War
2021 National Book Award Finalist and NPR Best Book of the Year
Thursday, February 16th 2023 at 12:00 PM CST

Author Talk with Lana Harper of The Witches of Thistle Grove Series
New York Times bestselling author of Payback’s a Witch
Thursday, February 9th 2023 at 6:00 PM CST

Author Talk with Randall Munroe of What If? Series
New York Times bestselling author and the hugely popular webcomic xkcd
Tuesday, January 31st 2023 at 1:00 PM CST

Author Talk with Dana K. White of Organizing for the Rest of Us
Bestselling Author of Decluttering at the Speed of Life
Tuesday, January 17th 2023 at 1:00 PM CST

Author Talk with Namina Forna of The Gilded Ones Series
New York Times Bestselling Author
Saturday, January 7th 2023 at 1:00 PM CST

Author Talk with Nicole Eustace of A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America
Pulitzer Prize Winning Historian
Wednesday, December 14th 2022 at 11:00 AM CST

Author Talk with Fredrik Backman of The Winners
New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove
Saturday, December 10th 2022 at 1:00 PM CST

Author Talk with Geraldine Brooks of Horse
New York Times Bestselling and Pulitzer Prize winning Author
Tuesday, December 6th 2022 at 6:00 PM CST

Author Talk with Kwame Christian of How to Have Difficult Conversations About Race
Bestselling Author and Founder of the American Negotiation Institute
Tuesday, November 15th 2022 at 11:00 AM CST

Author Talk with Bonnie Garmus of Lessons in Chemistry
New York Times Bestselling Author
Thursday, November 10th 2022 at 1:00 PM CST

Author Talk with Lisa Napoli of The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR
Acclaimed Writer, Journalist, Broadcaster, and Speaker
Wednesday, November 2nd 2022 at 3:00 PM CDT

Author Talk with Kate Quinn of The Diamond Eye
Acclaimed Best Selling Author
Tuesday, October 25th 2022 at 6:00 PM CDT

Author Talk with Zain E. Asher of Where The Children Take Us
CNN International Anchor and Memoirist
Tuesday, October 18th 2022 at 6:00 PM CDT

Author Talk with Simon Winchester of Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World
New York Times Bestselling Author
Tuesday, September 20th 2022 at 1:00 PM CDT

Author Talk with Dr. Michele Borba of Raising Thrivers: Parenting Tips & Tools to Help Kids Thrive in an Uncertain World
Bestselling Author and Internationally Renowned Educational Psychologist
Thursday, September 8th 2022 at 1:00 PM CDT

Author Talk with Michele Harper of The Beauty in Breaking
NYT Bestselling Author and NYT Notable Book
Monday, August 22nd 2022 at 8:00 PM CDT

Author Talk with Liz Moore of Long Bright River
NYT Bestselling Author and NPR Best Book of 2020
Tuesday, August 9th 2022 at 8:00 PM CDT

Author Talk with Dr. Marcia Chatelain of Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America
Historian and Pulitzer Prize Winner
Wednesday, August 3rd 2022 at 1:00 PM CDT

Author Talk with David Allen of Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity
NYT Bestselling Author and Louisiana Native
Thursday, July 14th 2022 at 11:00 AM CDT

Author Talk with Alka Joshi of The Henna Artist
Alka Joshi - New York Times Bestselling Author and Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick
Thursday, July 7th 2022 at 8:00 PM CDT