Art Historian Tina Rivers Ryan is currently Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, NY. Dr. Ryan earned a B.A. from Harvard, three Master’s Degrees, and a Ph.D. from Columbia, and specializes in art from the 1960s to present day, with a focus on the uses of new media technologies. … Continue reading "Town Hall: Tina Rivers Ryan – Art Historian and Critic"

"American Nations: The Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America" - An award-winning author and journalist whose books include American Nations: A History of The Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America, which was named a book of the year by The New Republic and The Globalist and won the Maine Literary Prize for Non-Fiction, … Continue reading "Town Hall: Colin Woodard"

"The Power of Literature in a Time of Crisis" - Joseph Luzzi is an award-winning author and widely sought after speaker whose recent books include My Two Italies, a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, and In a Dark Wood: What Dante Taught Me About Grief, History, and the Mysteries of Love, a Vanity … Continue reading "Town Hall: Joseph Luzzi"

"Revolutionary Mothers" - This former Presidential Professor of History brings the early days of our country to life as she examines the times, the issues and the personalities of our Founders.  She explodes myths of the American Revolution, examines the evolution of the US Constitution from concept to passage, and sheds light on some early … Continue reading "Town Hall: Carol Berkin"

"Musicals That Changed Broadway" - Sean Hartley is the director of Theater@Kaufman, the musical theater division of the Kaufman Music Center. He curates, produces and often hosts the series Broadway Close Up and Broadway Playhouse. As a lyricist, composer and/or playwright his productions include Cupid and Psyche, Little Women (Syracuse Stage, Village Theater), Love and Real … Continue reading "Town Hall: Sean Hartley"

Kara Cooney, a professor of Egyptian Art and Architecture at UCLA, specializes in craft production, coffin studies, and economies in the ancient world. Dr. Cooney earned a Ph.D. in Egyptology from Johns Hopkins University. She was co-curator of Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She … Continue reading "Town Hall: Kara Cooney – Egyptologist “The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut’s Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt”"

Andy Och, an award-winning television and multimedia producer, has traveled the world with his pen, paper, and camera. A University of Maryland graduate, Och began his production career in music, later adding his camera to the mix. A storyteller from a young age, he will go anywhere in the world for knowledge, greater understanding, and … Continue reading "Town Hall: Andrew Och – Television and Multimedia Producer “First Ladies: Influence and Image”"

Caroline Winterer, the William Robertson Coe Professor of History and American Studies at Stanford University, earned a Ph.D. in History from the University of Michigan. She specializes in American history before 1900, particularly the history of science, ideas, and political theory. Dr. Winterer has authored or edited five books, most recently Time in Maps: From … Continue reading "Town Hall: Caroline Winterer – Historian and Author “The Genius of Ben Franklin”"

Austin Sarat is Associate Dean of the Faculty and the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence and Political Science at Amherst College. He is also the Hugo L. Black Visiting Senior Faculty Scholar at the University of Alabama School of Law. Dr. Sarat earned a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin and a J.D. from … Continue reading "Town Hall: Austin Sarat – Political Scientist, Author, and Teacher “Four Trials That Changed America”"