Society & Culture

Insightful and compelling lectures from leading figures in print and broadcast media

Mike Duncan

American political history podcaster and author.  His award winning series, “The History of Rome,” remains a legendary landmark in the history of podcasting.

David Quammen

Quammen’s science journalism creates a fascinating blend of exploration and storytelling.  A National Book Award Finalist, he explains complicated science concepts to his audiences.  Author of Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus. Three-time winner of the National Magazine Award (the Ellie) and author of 15 books, Quammen is one of the world’s top nature and science writers.

Jessica Valenti

Valenti is one of the Top 100 Inspiring Women in the world. Bestselling author and co-founder of award-winning blog, Feministing.com, she speaks on feminism, politics and defying gender norms. A leading voice in the #MeToo movement.

Charles C. Mann

Offering valuable insights into the most significant events, from the European discovery of the Americas to the rise of the digital age, Charles Mann transforms our views of history. His book, The Wizard And The Prophet, asks the question “Can Earth support 10 billion people?”

Shola Lynch

Award-winning filmmaker, scholar, and film curator of documentaries: Free Angela & All Political Prisoners and Chisolm ’72-Unbought and Unbossed

Andres Oppenheimer

Pulitzer Prize winning Latin American journalist, and international authority on the influence of Latin America in the global economy.

Ted Conover

Pulitzer Prize finalist and National Book Award winning author who has worked as a correctional officer in a prison, and traveled from Mexico to the US with migrants crossing the border.

Michael Mann

Recognized as one of our planet’s heroes & part of the IPCC team that won the Nobel Peace Prize, Dr. Mann is an award-winning climate scientist and expert on climate change.

Jianying Zha

Born in Beijing, educated in the West, journalist and author Jianying Zha brings unique insight into the rapid changes and movement in Chinese culture, politics, and economics.

Lewis Hyde

Writer, translator, scholar and poet whose work focuses on the nature of imagination, creativity and “the art of forgetting” as it appears in myth, politics, art and spiritual life.

Emily Hunter

An environmental activist, Hunter’s documentary series Activism 2.0 shows the new wave of environmentalism of grassroots movements.