2026-2027 Creative Living Speaker Series

Maureen Corrigan
Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading

October 15, 2026

As the iconic voice of NPR’s Fresh Air for over 30 years, Maureen Corrigan has been described as “brilliant,” “hilarious,” “passionate” and “eloquent.” She is a past juror for the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction and an award-winner for criticism, non-fiction book reviewing and free speech advocacy. After you experience this deep dive into books and the life of a book critic, what are
the chances you’ll go home with at least one fantastic book recommendation from this well-read friend? Very high, indeed.

Craig Bergmann & Russell Buvala
The Art of Fine Gardening

November 19, 2026

Traditional North Shore gardens are famous world-wide for their unique designs and breathtaking beauty. President and Landscape Architect Craig Bergmann and Horticultural Director Russell Buvala have created many such gardens in their 40-year collaboration. Sharing their artistic vision into the essential partnership between design and horticulture, they describe how a two-dimensional plan is transformed into a living masterpiece that reaches its full potential over time. They’ll send you home with tips from their years of in-the-garden experience on how to create far-from-the-lowest-common-denominator landscapes.

Amy Reinhard
Home for the Holidays: From Woodstock to Hollywood

December 17, 2026

Woodstock native and Netflix’s worldwide President of Advertising Amy Reinhard shares her trajectory from Woodstock High to a Harvard BA and MBA to a career in entertainment. A seasoned executive with a number of different roles over the years, her expertise covers film financing to content acquisition, distribution, and live-action and animated production. She has also led major deals to buy world-class special effects studios. Before Netflix, she served as President of Worldwide TV Licensing at Paramount Pictures.

Daniel Pollack-Pelzner
Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist

February 18, 2027

The incredible, never-before-told story of Miranda’s path from often-isolated child to winner of multiple Tonys and Grammys for his Broadway hits Hamilton and In the Heights, a global chart-topper for songs in Moana and Encanto, and the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize and a MacArthur Genius Grant. Drawing on interviews with Miranda’s family, friends, mentors, and Miranda himself, Daniel Pollack-Pelzner delves into the experiences that shaped the artist’s new way of telling American stories and of speaking to new audiences.

Sara Levine
Women Behaving Badly

March 18, 2027

Though she describes herself as an "exceedingly polite person from Ohio," Sara Levine's  novels are all about women behaving badly. She first mastered the "hilariously unlikable" protagonist in the cult classic Treasure Island!!! and continued the streak in The Hitch. The novel’s main character is an "exhausting but endearing" control freak more devoted to her Newfoundland dog than to people. Levine shares how she was able to put niceness aside and write these very funny, critically acclaimed books.

Amy Stewart
The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession

April 15, 2027

Focusing on the deeply human connection to the world’s largest plants, Amy Stewart moves beyond botany to explore the profound human desire for legacy, healing, and connection. She shares poignant stories of the “arboreal” obsessed—healers, visionaries, and community builders—people whose lives have been transformed by their relationship with trees. You’ll leave with a new perspective on the giants in your own backyard—and perhaps the inspiration to start a collection of your own.