Lecture Programs

Antisemitism, racism, and political violence raise difficult questions about how individuals and communities respond to hate. What are the conditions that allow hate to take hold? How can communities resist it without amplifying it? And what can history teach us about confronting mass harm? This program explores the social and cultural roots of hate, the choices individuals make in the face of violence and injustice, and the ways communities can…

Join us Thursday, November 19th, for an in-person program on migratory birds with Twan Leenders. Leenders will go through the fascinating (and sometimes perilous) journeys many birds take in the spring and fall. Twan Leenders is a federally licensed bird bander and has spent many years tracking and banding migrating birds both here in the United States, as well as in Central America, both on their breeding and wintering grounds. He promises some…

Democracy is more than a system of government; it depends on the choices and responsibilities of the people who participate in it. From voting and jury duty to public service, community engagement, and civil discourse, what do we owe one another as citizens? This program explores the responsibilities that come with living in a democracy and the ways everyday civic participation shapes our communities. It also considers how we can disagree across…

The Chautauqua County Historical Society (CCHS) and Patterson Library have announced the schedule for the second half of their 2026 Fireside Lecture Series, a free public program that highlights the rich history of Chautauqua County and Western New York. Launched earlier this year, the Fireside Lecture Series was developed through a partnership between the two organizations to provide engaging presentations on local and regional history. The…

Kate Shaw is a Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. A constitutional law scholar, her academic work and writing focus on executive power, the law of democracy, administrative law and legislation, the Supreme Court, and reproductive rights and justice. Shaw brings her extensive expertise on the American Constitution to close out Week One of the Chautauqua Lecture Series. Her scholarly writing has appeared, among…

Chris Hayes is the Emmy Award–winning anchor of “All In with Chris Hayes” on MS NOW and host of the podcast “Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast” and miniseries “The AI End Game: Power, Profit, and Progress.” He is also the editor-at-large of The Nation and the author of The Sirens’ Call: How Attention Became the World’s Most Endangered Resource. In “The AI End Game,”…

Lisa D. Cook took office as a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System on May 23, 2022, to fill an unexpired term ending January 31, 2024. She was reappointed to the Board on September 8, 2023, and sworn in on September 13, 2023, for a term ending January 31, 2038. Prior to her appointment to the Board, Cook was a professor of economics and international relations at Michigan State University. From 2018 to 2021, she was…

David French is an opinion columnist for The New York Times, where he writes about law, culture, religion, and armed conflict. He was previously a senior editor at The Dispatch, a contributing writer at The Atlantic, a columnist at Time and a senior writer at National Review. He and Melody Barnes were the inaugural Chautauqua Perry Fellows in Democracy, serving in the 2024–25 cycle. French is a former litigator, working for both commercial…

Opening Week Four, with a morning lecture on how the arts can unite us during moments of change, is Wynton Marsalis, the world-renowned trumpeter, bandleader, composer and a leading advocate of American culture. He will close the week with a rousing performance by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and appear mid-week to premier his newest orchestral composition, Liberty Symphony, performed by the JLCO in collaboration with Chautauqua’s…