Monday, September 21, 2026

5:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum

Who was Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis underneath the woman we think we see? Irreverent and artistic, Jackie projected myriad selves but was, at her core, a deeply private person, with a nuanced, formidable intellect. Fluent in Spanish, French, Italian, she kept in shape on a trampoline, bit her nails, and read everything. Homer, Chekhov, James Baldwin, the works of theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, the novels of Isak Dinesen. A consummate observer, she was a rigorous master at wielding influence behind the scenes. Though she reckoned with the decades-long challenge of living in the glare of the public eye, Jackie described herself as “an outsider…a very hard thing to be in American life.” In this conversation, award-winning author Dawn Tripp will share highlights culled from her ten years of research that breathe new life into the story of a complex woman who shaped American history, and forged her own myth even as she lived it.

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

5:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Kravis Center Lower Court 62

Join the Gould Center for a film screening of Remarkably Bright Creatures based on a novel by Shelby Van Pelt ’02. An uplifting novel about a grieving widow who cleans a Pacific Northwest aquarium at night and forms an unlikely, life-changing friendship with a remarkably smart giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus who helps uncover the truth about her son's decades-old disappearance.

We hope to see you there!

Monday, September 28, 2026

5:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum

When Shelby Van Pelt (PPE ’02), on a hiatus from her consulting career, started writing a novel narrated by a snarky giant Pacific octopus, she never imagined anyone would read it. But writing it prodded parts of her imagination that she hadn’t engaged in decades, and that was fun, so she kept at it. Fast-forward fifteen years and Remarkably Bright Creatures has sold more than five million copies worldwide, and its Netflix adaptation, starring Sally Field, held the streamer’s number-one spot for weeks following its May 2026 release, sparking a global social-media outpouring of emotion and joy and tears, with “Why am I sobbing over a fictional octopus” as a common caption. Van Pelt doesn’t have a definitive answer to that question, but she’s thought about it plenty. In true CMC fashion, she contemplates society’s marketplaces: in this case, for imagination and curiosity. In this talk, she offers her candid take on how a fictional octopus might fill a whimsy-void that we don’t know we’re missing.

Thursday, October 1, 2026

11:45 AM - 1:45 PM

Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum

Leïla Slimani is a critically acclaimed French-Moroccan novelist, journalist, and cultural figure whose work has made her one of the most influential voices in contemporary francophone literature. Join the conversation in exploring taboo subjects that goes against some customs and traditions of certain societies.  What does it mean to go against the grain in some cultures? She grew up between cultures — Moroccan, French, and Algerian — and studied political science in Paris before turning from journalism to fiction writing. Slimani’s literary career is marked by bold, provocative storytelling and a fearless exploration of taboo subjects such as sexuality, gender roles, societal pressures, and identity. Her first novel, Adèle (Dans le jardin de l’ogre), was published in 2014 and examines female sexual addiction and self-destruction within a societal context of repression and shame. This debut work garnered critical attention and was nominated for the Prix de Flore and won the La Mamounia Prize, marking her arrival on the French literary scene. Following this success, Slimani published works that expanded her literary range: the essay Sex and Lies (2017), a series of intimate testimonies from women in the Arab world that highlights sexual politics and gendered silences; In the Country of Others (2020), the first in a family-history trilogy set in post-World War II Morocco; Watch Us Dance; and I’ll Take the Fire (Penguin, June 9, 2026).

 This event is co-sponsored by the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies and the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum.

Monday, October 5, 2026

5:30 PM - 8:00 PM

Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum

Emily Anderson (’99), who has worked as both as a historian in academia and a museum curator, makes a case for not just the possibility, but the importance of creating space for humanities scholarship that engages the public.

Friday, October 30, 2026

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Gould Center in Kravis Lower Court

Join us for our annual Humanities Halloween on Thursday, October 30th from 12:00-1:00pm at the Gould Center in Kravis Lower Court. There will be music and activities, including our humanities-themed costume contest. A prize will be awarded to the best costume. We encourage you to come dressed up as your favorite artist, musician, philosophical concept, or maybe even a moment in history - the possibilities are endless! Raising Cane’s and Mac & Cheese will be provided - first come, first served.

We hope to see you there 👻

Monday, November 9, 2026

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

An immersive audio show experience made by Chris Hoff and Sam Harnett. The experience encourages people to reconsider the world through their ears instead of their eyes.