As a food historian, writer, and classical singer, as well as a professionally trained chef, Carl Raymond brings together the worlds of food, history, literature, and opera. Mr. Raymond received his culinary diploma from New York’s Institute of Culinary Education and studied further at the French Culinary Institute. He speaks regularly on food history for … Continue reading "Town Hall: Carl Raymond – “Divas and Dinners: A Culinary Look at Opera”"

Dr. Richard Bell is a scholar, writer, and teacher at the University of Maryland. Among his numerous teaching awards is the University System of Maryland Board of Regents Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, the highest honor for teaching faculty in the Maryland state system. British by birth, Dr. Bell received a B.A. from the … Continue reading "Town Hall: Richard Bell – “The Two Harriets: Tubman and Beecher Stowe”"

Art historian and renaissance expert, Denise Budd received her Ph.D. from Columbia University in 2002, and has taught art history courses over the past two decades at institutions such as Rutgers University and Columbia University, where she was a Lecturer-in-Discipline of its renowned Core Curriculum. A Leonardo da Vinci scholar and an “archival detective,” she … Continue reading "Town Hall: Denise Budd – “The Groundbreaking Genius of Leonardo da Vinci”"

Dr. Wendy Schiller is Royce Family Professor of Teaching Excellence in Political Science, Professor of Political Science, Professor of International & Public Affairs, and Director of The A. Alfred Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy at Brown University. After graduating from The University of Chicago (B.A. with Honors, Political Science), Dr. Schiller served on … Continue reading "Town Hall: Wendy Schiller – “The Impact of Women in Politics”"

Seven billion people inhabit our planet, and less than 60 have ever completed the Explorers Grand Slam, and only 12 of those are women. So writes Kim Hess on her website - https:// kimhessclimbs.com. Ms. Hess set the goal of climbing the Seven Summits - the tallest mountain on each of the seven continents - … Continue reading "Town Hall: Kim Hess – “Seven Lessons from the Seven Summits”"

Marcia Coyle is the Chief Washington Correspondent for the National Law Journal, a weekly newspaper that covers law and litigation. A lawyer as well as a journalist, she has covered the Supreme Court for 30 years. She is also a regular contributor of Supreme Court analysis to PBS NewsHour. Ms. Coyle has written about the … Continue reading "Town Hall: Marcia Coyle – “A Look Inside the Current Supreme Court”"

Tom Toro is a cartoonist and author, who has published over 200 cartoons in The New Yorker since 2010. His cartoons also appear in Playboy, The Paris Review, The New York Times, American Bystander, and elsewhere. He has written short stories for the New Haven Review as well as contributed a dozen essays to The … Continue reading "Town Hall: Tom Toro – “Funny Ha-Huh: Cartoons that Make Us Laugh and Think”"