Library Talks

Glory Edim, the founder of Well-Read Black Girl, discusses her new memoir, Gather Me, an ode to the power reading has had on her life and to books’ ability to help us understand ourselves.

Clara Bingham discusses her new book, The Movement, the first oral history of the decade that built the modern feminist movement.

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, the beloved marine biologist and policy expert imagines an inspiring landscape of possible climate futures.

The U.S. Poet Laureate and Caldecott honoree Illustrator discuss their transcendent picture book featuring a poem that will travel into space aboard NASA’s Europa Clipper.

Author Richard Powers discusses his latest novel, Playground, which intertwines tales of technology, race, friendships, and the environment.

Not all evangelical churches fit the stereotypes. In their latest books, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Eliza Griswold and the Inaugural Director of the SNF Agora Institute, Hahrie Han, bear witness to two churches who break the mold. In Circle of Hope, Griswold chronicles the ravaging and ultimately destructive results to a group of progressive-leaning Philadelphia evangelicals who attempt a racial reckoning. In Undivided, Han follows four members of a conservative Midwest church whose lives are radically altered for the better by a six-week program designed to tackle racial injustice among their ranks. Griswold and Han discuss their books with journalist Andrea Elliott and examine how their stories shed light on the complexity of contemporary American evangelism.

DéLana R.A. Dameron is in conversation with author Renée Watson about her debut novel Redwood Court.

Connie Chung talks with Walter Isaacson about her new memoir, Connie. The book delves into her storied career as the first Asian woman to break into an overwhelmingly white, male-dominated television news industry. Chung is the first woman to co-anchor the CBS Evening News and the first Asian to anchor any news program in the U.S.

Brodesser-Akner, the author of Fleishman is in Trouble, came by the Library to talk about her latest novel, Long Island Compromise, the story of an American family and the dark moment that shatters the myth of their suburban paradise. She spoke with New York Times Magazine Jake Silverstein.

Two years after the U.S. Supreme Court effectively overturned Roe v. Wade with its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the future of abortion access, reproductive rights, and women’s healthcare is murkier than ever. In this episode of Library Talks, a panel of experts examines the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision, including what they’re seeing on the ground and where we might be headed in this significant election year. Featuring

The renowned novelist and the revered artist discuss their new book, An Encyclopedia of Gardening for Colored Children, a unique collaboration that explores the hidden history of the plant world.

Artist, producer, and former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe recently published his fourth book of photography, Even the birds gave pause, which features a series of works-in-progress in plaster, concrete, rotocast plastics, ceramics, bookmaking, and darkroom photographic printing. On this episode of Library Talks, Stipe sits down with artist Taryn Simon to discuss his book and creative practice.

Neel Mukherjee speaks with fellow author Hanya Yanagihara about his latest book, an explosive novel about the ramifications of choice.

In this episode of Library Talks, Stephen Breyer, retired Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, delivers the annual Robert B. Silvers Lecture. Breyer’s talk is inspired by his most recent book, Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism, which examines some of the most important cases in the nation’s history.

In this episode of Library Talks, investor and climate champion Tom Steyer sits down with New York Times columnist David Wallace-Wells to discuss his new book, Cheaper, Faster, Better: How We'll Win the Climate War.

In this episode of Library Talks, Colm Tóibín sits down with Irish writer Caoilinn Hughes to discuss his latest book, Long Island, which takes place twenty years after the events of his bestselling and beloved novel Brooklyn.

The groundbreaking translator and professor of classics reads from and discusses her masterful new English version of the greatest literary landmark of antiquity. Actors Ben Shenkman and Morgan Spector will read selections from Wilson's translation.

Social and technology critic Ruha Benjamin examines the power of our imagination to challenge systems of oppression and to create a world in which everyone can thrive.

Legendary novelist and essayist Marilynne Robinson discusses her new book, Reading Genesis, with author Ayana Mathis. Often overlooked as a piece of literature, Robinson reconsiders The Book of Genesis and its exploration of themes that resonate throughout the Old and New Testaments.

Hillary Rodham Clinton sits down with author Jennifer Weiner to discuss books, politics, and much more.