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Author: Bill Huber

Winter / Spring 2026

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February 3 Abbas Milani.  Stanford professor of Iranian Studies and research fellow at the Hoover Institution.  Milani will address current political, security and cultural issues in this very dynamic area.

Iran and The Middle East
February 17 Robert M. Edsel.   Author of The Monuments Men and Remember Us. Edsel will speak about those who fought for our freedom and helped preserve our shared cultural heritage.

Living a Life of Greater Meaning
March 3 Katie Anderson.  Speaker, podcaster, consultant, and author of Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn.  Anderson will share insights from her experiences working in Japan and other countries.

Finding Purpose in Leadership
March 17

 

 Jose Antonio Vargas.  Journalist, bestselling author, filmmaker, and immigration rights activist. Vargas will  speak about his work and the power of narrative to humanize conversations about immigrants.

A Morning with Jose Antonio Vargas
April 7 Ross King.  Best-selling author, expert in Renaissance Art, lecturer, and tour guide. King will recount the history of Leonardo Da Vinci and his painting of The Last Supper.

The Accidental Masterpiece
April 21 Dacher Keltner.  Co-Director of the Greater Good Science Center at Berkeley. Kelter will speak about his research into how individuals differ in their response to emotions, conflicts, and negotiations.

Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder…
May 5 Michael McFaul.  Stanford professor and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia. McFaul will talk about his latest book, Autocrats vs. Democrats, and address the likely future of these three countries.

Current Issues between the US, Russia, and China
May 19 Gary Rivlin.  Journalist and author of AI Valley.  Rivlin will explain this moment, what’s at stake, and how businesses, policymakers, and individuals should respond.

The Promise and Peril of Artificial Intelligence
June 2 Richard Kogan, MD.  Psychiatrist, concert pianist, and storyteller.  Kogan will play short excerpts of classical music expressing depressed and manic moods as he discusses the  interaction of mental illness and creativity.

Musical Genius and Mental Illness:  What’s the Link?

 

Fall 2025

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September 16 Lamplighters Music Theater. This lively group captivates audiences with the timeless magic of musical theater and brings classic operettas to life with heart, humor, and virtuosic passion.

Celebrating our 75th season with Gilbert and Sullivan’s Music
October 7 Sivani Babu.  Award-winning journalist, photographer, co-founder and CEO of the women-led media  company, Hidden Compass. The magazine and podcast tell stories to challenge and inform.

Exploring and Photographing the Arctic and Antarctic
October 21 David M. Kennedy. Professor of History Emeritus at Stanford University and winner of the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for History for his book Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929–1945.

The Arc of US History from WWII to the Present Day
November 4 Timothy Egan. Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, popular author and NYT columnist. The book, and its photographs, tell of Edward Curtis who spent three decades documenting the stories and rituals of more than 80 North American tribes.

Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher
November 18 Jim Wiltens.  Adventurer, author, speaker, and wilderness guide. He has climbed active volcanoes, kayaked through headhunter territory, dove on sunken wrecks, ridden camels across India’s Thar Desert, and more.

Camels, Skulls and Cobras
December 2 Alka Joshi.  An internationally famous bestselling author of historical fiction. Her latest book takes readers from Bombay through four European cities in a search for answers to the mysterious death of a famous painter.

Six Days in Bombay
January 20 Bertrand Patenaude. Lecturer in History and International Relations at Stanford University. He edited numerous books and taught in the Dept. of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA.

The History and Current Status of the Baltic States

 

Winter / Spring 2025

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February 4 Lerone A. Martin, Centennial Professor in Religious Studies and Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University. An insightful author and educator.

Martin Luther King’s Process of Change through Nonviolence
February 18 Tara VanDerveer, Women’s Basketball Coach, retired 2024 after 38 years at Stanford University. Winner of 4 NCAA national titles, an Olympic gold medal, and 1,216 games as head coach.

The Changing Landscape of College Athletics
March 4  Dr. Francis Fukuyama, Mosbacher Director of the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law at Stanford University. Noted author and scholar focused on democracies’ cultural, political, and economic development.

The Status of Democracy around the World
March 18 Judge Len Edwards, ret.  Superior Court Judge in Santa Clara for 26 years. Widely recognized authority on juvenile and family court systems as a judge, teacher, and author.

Family Court – Current Practice and Needed Changes
April 1 Andrés Ruzo,  National Geographic Explorer, geoscientist, conservationist, author, science communicator, and educator. Exploration of an Amazon River feature that should not be there.

The Boiling River of the Amazon
May 6 Dr. Robert Hartwell,  Professor of Music History. Educator, author and lecturer at San Francisco Opera and Foothill College. Mozart led a colorful life but his last year may have been the most interesting.

Mozart’s Last Year
May 20 Darius Nabors, Adventurer inspired by his father and his love of America’s national parks.  Humorous and compassionate tales of his experiences visiting all of the national parks.

59 Parks in 59 Weeks
June 3 Steve Cushman, Professor of English at the University of Virginia. Illuminating and insightful examination of why America became fascinated with people writing about themselves.

My Book About Me, Why Do Americans Write Memoirs

Fall / Winter 2024 – 2025

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September 17 Candacy Taylor, Award Winning Author, including a New York Times notable book of the year, Photographer, Cultural Documentarian

The Overground Railroad, The Green Book and the roots of Black travel in America
October 1 Geoffrey Tabin MD, Expert Mountain Climber and Humanitarian, Co-Founder Himalayan Cataract Project, Professor of Ophthalmology and Global Medicine, Stanford University

The Himalayan Cataract Project:  Eradicating Preventable Blindness in the Developing World
October 15 Carol Porter,  Museum docent and art talks presenter, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Mary Cassatt,  American Impressionist Painter – Painting a Woman’s Perspective
November 5 Nicolas Garcia, Performer, now General Director, Pocket Opera, the Bay Area’s premiere chamber opera company

A  Bay Area Opera Experience: Discover the Magic of Opera (in English)
November 19 Raj Mathai,  Emmy award winning News Anchorman, Journalist and Sportscaster, NBC Bay Area KNTV

Life in TV News: The Good, Bad and Ugly
December 3 Jonna Mendez,  Former CIA Intelligence Officer, undercover spy, Chief of Disguise for the CIA, a real life “Q”(gadget master in James Bond films), and author.

The Master of Disguise
January 7, 2025 Ian Hodder,  Distinguished British Archaeologist, directs excavation of Çatalhöyük, Turkey.  Former Director, Stanford Archaeology Center.

Çatalhöyük: Contributions to European Civilization
January 21, 2025 John King, Pulitzer Prize finalist and long-time Urban Design Critic for the San Francisco Chronicle

Ten Significant San Francisco Buildings