According to renowned social critic and author Naomi Klein, our world today is like a hall of mirrors, made up of conspiracy theories, AI-generated content blurring the lines between truth […]

Literary powerhouse Zadie Smith is back with a new, highly-anticipated historical novel, The Fraud, which centers around the unforgettable Eliza Touchet and a real-life, explosive trial that divided Victorian England […]

Based on their critically acclaimed podcast of the same name, Keegan-Michael Key and Elle Key are excited to share their new book with the Chicago Humanities audience: The History of […]

A botanical journey of beauty and botany, myth and mayhem: Bestselling author Jonathan Drori takes a gloriously illustrated trip across the globe, bringing to life the science of trees by revealing how their worlds are intricately entwined with our own history, culture and folklore. His journey includes self-mummifying monks, entrepreneurial resin diggers and the Venetian […]

From the author of Steve Jobs, Leonardo da Vinci, Einstein and more, Walter Isaacson returns to Chicago Humanities with the astonishingly intimate story of the most fascinating and controversial innovator of our era—a rule-breaking visionary who helped to lead the world into the era of electric vehicles, private space exploration, and artificial intelligence—and took over […]

Oliver Jeffers is an acclaimed storyteller and visual artist. His latest picture book, How We Got Here and Where We Might Go - Our Human Story. So Far., is written for adults and is an artistic exploration of humankind’s impact on itself and our planet. The renowned artist and writer takes Chicago Humanities audiences of […]

In her long career in literature and teaching, Sandra Cisneros has shared her passion for creative writing and expressing her experience as a Mexican woman. After a 28 year break from poetry, she returns to her roots with her most recent collection of songs, elegies, and declarations that chronicle her pilgrimage toward rebirth and the […]

As one of the most historical buildings in Chicago, the Governor’s Mansion has hosted many legendary people, including Abraham Lincoln, FDR, and the current First Family. First Lady MK Pritzker and former interior designer for the Obama White House, Michael Smith, have teamed up to restore this iconic building and bring Chicago history to life, […]

During our era of COVID, many of us felt as if we were living through “unprecedented times,” but was our experience really that unique? Pandemics have been around as long as people. Join esteemed historian and bestselling author Simon Schama with author and Richard W. Leopold Professor of History Deborah Cohen for a conversation exploring […]

How does cancel culture impact our social, cultural, and political lives? With The Atlantic’s Caitlin Flanagan leading the discussion, join Johns Hopkins’ Yascha Mounk, out with his latest book The Identity Trap; and FIRE President Greg Lukianoff and journalist Rikki Schlott, co-authors of The Canceling of the American Mind, for a captivating conversation about the complexities of our […]

Comedian Sarah Cooper rocketed to fame during the pandemic with her lip-synched videos of Donald Trump’s speeches. Her face, his voice–it was social media magic. In her hilarious and honest debut memoir, Foolish: Tales of Assimilation, Determination, and Humiliation, Cooper tells witty and heartfelt tales of growing up as the youngest in a Jamaican family, […]

Why does the United States, one of the richest countries on earth, allow one in every eight of its children to go without basic necessities, permit citizens to live and die on the streets, and continue to pay poverty wages? Pulitzer Prize-winning sociologist Matthew Desmond uses vivid storytelling and rigorous research to delve into the […]