Fall 2011

Journey of the Universe

Wednesday, September 7   |   7 p.m.

Angelico Concert Hall

Presented in cooperation with Big History

Watch the video.

An exclusive screening of Journey of the Universe, an eye-opening new film about the origins of everything, the stardust that holds it all together, and the humans’ profound role in this intricate web of life. Cosmologist and host Brian Swimme takes viewers on a 14 billion-year voyage through time and space in this scientific narrative as he daringly combines science with humanistic insights concerning the nature of our universe. Dr. Swimme will answer questions after the show.

The Kite Runner Graphic Novel

Thursday, September 15   |   7 p.m.

Angelico Concert Hall

Watch the video

Khaled Hosseini’s bestselling novel, The Kite Runner, revealed the beauty and agony of a tormented nation, Afghanistan, as it brought a little known part of the world to the attention of readers. Now, in this richly illustrated graphic novel adaption (with text by the author), Hosseini brings his spellbinding story to a new generation of readers. The Kite Runner Graphic Novel is a beautiful new rendering of a story loved by millions around the world.

Happy Accidents

Angelico Concert Hall

Sunday, September 25   |   7 p.m.

Listen to the podcast

Jane Lynch is a much loved and very busy comedienne, actress and singer and one of the stars of Glee, for which she has won both an Emmy and Golden Globe. Her film work includes Best in Show and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, among others. Reflecting upon the successes of her recent past and wishing she could have told her more anxious, younger self to not worry so much, Lynch has now written a memoir, Happy Accidents.

The Great Journey: Americans in Paris

Angelico Concert Hall

Thursday, October 13   |   7 p.m.

The Greater Journey chronicles the lives of generations of young Americans whose time in Paris (from 1830 to 1900) changed both own their lives as well as the course of American literature, medicine, art, architecture, and history. “Not all pioneers went west,” writes David McCullough in The Greater Journey, implying that more American history has happened in France than in any other country outside the United States.

At Home:  A Short History of Private Life

Monday, October 24   |   7 p.m.

Angelico Concert Hall

From Bill Bryson, one of the most beloved and bestselling authors of our time comes At Home: A Short History of Private Life. This fascinating excursion into the history behind the place we call home shows “Houses aren’t refuges from history. They are where history ends up.” Bryson is the author of A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, A Short History of Nearly Everything, and The Mother Tongue, among others.  If this event doesn't supply you with five years' worth of dinner conversation, then you're not paying attention.

Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero

Wednesday, November 9   |   7 p.m.

Angelico Concert Hall

Watch the video

To Chris Matthews, the host of Hardball on MSNBC, President Kennedy has long been both an avatar and a puzzle, a beacon and a conundrum. Whenever he spotted Kennedy’s name, he stopped to read. Whenever he met someone who had known the President, he asked to hear their story. Years in the making, Matthews has now woven those firsthand encounters with JFK into a remarkable new portrait, Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero.

Spontaneous Happiness

Thursday, November 17   |   7 p.m.

Angelico Concert Hall

Deemed "the father of integrative medicine" by Dr. Mehmet Oz and named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People, Dr. Weil has hugely transformed the practices of modern American medicine. In Spontaneous Happiness, Dr. Weil draws on carefully researched information and personal experience to examine our country's—and the world's—fastest-growing epidemic: depression. Dr. Weil offers information about the critical importance of exercise, prescription drugs and natural remedies for depression and anxiety, the surprisingly powerful effects that pets and nature can have on how we feel, a customizable eight-week plan for long-lasting happiness, and much more.