Library Talks

This week, we're bringing you a very special episode produced in partnership with Public Radio International. Along with a panel of speakers including NYPL's Denise Hibay, the World in Words' hosts Patrick Cox and Nina Porzucki examine the state of endangered languages around the world: Why do languages become endangered, and how have some speakers worked to ensure a future for their native tongues? In this special live podcast taping, we explore what's happening to endangered languages from Ainu to Zaza.

Award-winning English author Geoff Dyer came to the Library this spring to discuss his latest book, "White Sands: Experiences from the Outside World." In this conversation with NYPL's Jessica Strand, Dyer talks about travel, unexpected awareness, and looking for meaning in the world around you.

Award-winning photographer Bruce Davidson's prolific body of work includes documentations of the 1960s Civil Rights movement and the gritty underbelly of New York City in the late 70s. He came to the Library this spring for a conversation with Academy Award-winning actor Matt Dillon, who is a great admirer and collector of Davidson's work. In this riveting discussion between the two great artists, Davidson and Dillon talk about images, storytelling, and the joy of working in silence.

Padma Lakshmi, author and Emmy-nominated host of "Top Chef," came to the Library to mark the release of her debut memoir, "Love, Loss, and What We Ate." In this conversation with NYPL's Jessica Strand, Lakshmi talks about food, family, and the importance of being raised by strong women.

This week, we bring you a conversation with the 2016 winner of The Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism. Each year the award is given to journalists whose books have brought clarity and public attention to important issues, events, or policies. This year's winner, Jill Leovy, explores the country's murder epidemic and the long-standing plague of black homicide in her bestselling book, "Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America." In this conversation with NYPL's Jessica Strand, Leovy talks about race, violence, and the search for justice in the face of tragedy.

Award-winning artist and designer Maya Lin first achieved fame at the age of 21 as the designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and her work today encompasses large-scale environmental installations, intimate studio artworks, architectural works, and memorials. Her latest design project, "What is Missing?," raises awareness about the crisis surrounding biodiversity and habitat loss. In this conversation with NYPL's Paul Holdengraber, Lin talks about space, memory, and the incredible resilience of nature.

Award-winning Norwegian journalist Åsne Seierstad's book "One of Us: The Story of Anders Breivik and the Massacre in Norway" examines the incidents of July 22, 2011, when one man's attacks left more than 70 people dead. In this conversation with NYPL's Jessica Strand, Seierstad discusses violent extremism — and how a society copes with the reverberations of homegrown evil still felt today.

"New Yorker" writer Larissa MacFarquhar's book "Strangers Drowning" examines the psychological roots and existential dilemmas motivating those rare individuals who are practicing lives of extreme ethical commitment. In this conversation with NYPL's Jessica Strand, MacFarquhar tells the stories of people who devote themselves fully to bettering the lives of strangers—even when it comes at great personal cost.

This week, we're excited to welcome Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning actress Helen Mirren. Going back to her start with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Mirren's career has been heavily influenced by the works of legendary poet and playwright William Shakespeare. In this conversation with NYPL's Paul Holdengraber, to help mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, Mirren reflects on the legacy of the prolific playwright and his impact on her life.

This week, we bring you the 2nd of five conversations with the2016 finalists for NYPL's Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellencein Journalism. Each year the award is given to journalists whosebooks have brought clarity and public attention to importantissues, events, or policies. In this episode, we're thrilled towelcome renowned journalist Dan Ephron, who is nominated for hisbook "Killing a King: The Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and theRemaking of Israel." In this conversation with NYPL's JessicaStrand, Ephron talks about the event that fundamentally altered thetrajectory for both Israel and the Palestinians, and continues tohave a significant impact on the situation in the Middle Easttoday.