2025-2026 Creative Living Speaker Series

Bonnie Blair
The Most Decorated US Woman in Winter Olympic History
October 16, 2025

Bonnie Blair never set out to become famous. She simply loved speed skating. Time after time she met the pressures and challenges of competition to win five gold medals and one bronze. She shares her Olympic experiences and her formula for success to inspire anyone to achieve their personal best. A Champaign native, Blair is a 2025 recipient of The Order of Lincoln, Illinois’ highest civilian honor for professional achievement and public service.

Tommy Walton
Fusing Fashion Design and Culinary Arts
November 20, 2025

Tommy Walton is a multi-faceted fashion designer, culinary artist, educator, and MasterChef Fan Favorite. In a captivating multimedia presentation, he shares insights on creativity, cuisine and celebrity, topped off with a delectable tasting of one of his favorite desserts.

Shelby Van Pelt
Remarkably Bright Creatures: Lessons I Learned from the Fictional Octopus in My Head
December 11, 2025

Van Pelt’s debut novel about a beguiling octopus she saw one day has become a word-of-mouth sensation and a "Read with Jenna" pick for the Today show's book club. She recounts her unexpected creative journey – from financial consultant to New York Times bestselling author – and what she learned along the way about friendship, reckoning and hope.

Leigh Omilinsky
Beyond the Butter and Sugar: A Pastry Chef's Passion, Perseverance, and Persistence
February 19, 2026

Omilinsky, a 2025 James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Baker/Pastry Chef and executive pastry chef and partner at Chicago’s Daisies, shares the sources of her prodigious passion. By day, she stocks her Logan Square café with sought-after treats that marry nostalgic flavors rooted in her own childhood experiences and Midwest traditions. Come evening, her career in legendary kitchens like TRU, Nico Osteria, and three Michelin-starred L20 are on display with desserts that mirror works of art. A dedicated mentor and educator, she advocates for the advancement of women and working mothers in the industry, championing the balance between a thriving career and a fulfilling home life.

Joseph Luzzi
A Grand Tour of Italy: Art, Music, Film & Literature
March 19, 2026

"You may have the universe, if I may have Italy" is Giuseppe Verdi’s oft-quoted praise of il Bel Paese, the Beautiful Land. In an immersive tour of Italy’s cultural masterpieces, Dr. Luzzi delves into what is behind Italy’s remarkable appeal and explores what makes it such an inexhaustible place of discovery. With passionate insight, he shares how art, literature, and the humanities can change our world. Dr. Luzzi, is a teacher, scholar and award-winning author. His Botticelli’s Secret: The Lost Drawings and the Rediscovery of the Renaissance was a New Yorker Best Book of 2022.

David Maraniss
Four Legs of the Table: How a Pulitzer-Winning Biographer Searches Out Truth
April 16, 2026

Drawing on vivid anecdotes from his travels around the country and the world, David Maraniss illustrates his approach to research and writing. In his 13 books on politics, sports, and social movements, his method has taken him beyond prevailing lore in search of dramatic true stories—from Bill Clinton to Jim Thorpe, from Barack Obama to Vince Lombardi.