TOWN HALL 2020 Subscriptions Available

Just few subscription series tickets remain for the 2020 Ringling College Library Association (RCLA) TOWN HALL Lecture Series.  Attendees will hear from former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, photojournalist Annie Leibovitz and travel guru Rick Steves among others. 

RCLA’S 2020 TOWN HALL Lecture Series will begin on Monday, January 27, with a talk by general Kelly, a retired U.S. Marine Corps general who served as President Trump’s Secretary of Homeland Security and White House Chief of Staff, a position he held until January 2019.   In a distinguished career spanning nearly five decades of service to his country, Kelly served in a wide range of positions, including leading the Marine Expeditionary Force in Iraq, and the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) in Miami, a position he held until January 2016.

On Tuesday, February 11, RCLA attendees will enjoy a tour of the travel world from Steves, the host of the popular public television series Rick Steves’ Europe, and best-selling author of more than 50 European travel books. By encouraging Americans to travel as “temporary locals,” he helps them connect much more intimately and authentically with Europe for a fraction of what mainstream tourists pay. 

Ambassador Wendy R. Sherman will be the featured speaker on Monday, February 17. Now a senior fellow at Harvard’s Institute of Politics and Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Sherman recently stepped down as undersecretary of state for political affairs after four years overseeing every region of the world, dealing with every major opportunity and crisis, and leading the U.S. negotiating team to a successful conclusion of the Iran nuclear deal.

On Monday, March 2, freelance journalist and author of three books, Sam Quinones will give a talk about his experience writing Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic for which he traveled across the United States.  Dreamland chronicles the roots of America’s epidemic of opiate addiction, the nation’s deadliest drug scourge in its history.  Quinones worked at the L.A. Times for 10 years (2004-2014) and is a veteran reporter on immigration, gangs, drug trafficking, and the border.

On Monday, March 23, renowned neuroscientist, Lisa Genova, will focus on neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, autism, Huntington’s disease, and ALS.   Genova graduated valedictorian from Bates College with a degree in biopsychology and holds a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard University.  She is the New York Times bestselling author of “Still Alice,” “Left Neglected,” “Love Anthony,” and several other books. 

Celebrated photographer Annie Leibovitz will wrap up the 2020 series on Tuesday, April 7, with a talk on her long career in journalism and the arts. A former chief photographer for Rolling Stone, her pictures have appeared regularly on magazine covers since the 1970s. 

All lectures will be presented at Van Wezel Performing Arts Center, 777 North Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. Morning lectures begin at 10:30 a.m. and evening talks begin at 7:30 p.m.  Call 941-309-5100 to become an RCLA member and subscribe to the 2020 TOWN HALL Lecture Series.  Learn more by going online to www.rclassociation.org.