Library Talks

Internationally renowned fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg comes to NYPL for a conversation with Rhonda Garelick, award-winning scholar and author of “Mademoiselle: Coco Chanel and the Pulse of History.” Together, von Furstenberg and Garelick discuss success, women taking the lead, and what it means to be a fashion icon.

In this inspiring conversation with NYPL President Tony Marx, Sotomayor talks about her early life in the Bronx, the importance of education, and her rise to becoming one of the most powerful women in America today.

The author and popular op-ed columnist for the New York Times joins us to discuss his latest book, “Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania.” Talking to NYPL’s own Jessica Strand, Bruni reflects on modern anxieties, higher education, and what truly defines success.

Bestselling and prolific author T.C. Boyle comes to NYPL to discuss his twenty-fifth book, “The Harder They Come.” In this witty conversation with the Library’s Jessica Strand, Boyle talks about irony, black humor, and America’s obsession with image and materialism.

Joined by NYPL’s Jessica Strand, Tavis Smiley talks about his latest book, “My Journey with Maya,” which details his friendship with the late Maya Angelou. In this moving conversation, Tavis Smiley discusses the value of debate, his connection with the past, and how Angelou’s friendship transformed him into the man he is today.

The bestselling author of “Reading Lolita in Tehran,” a portrayal of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and its effects on one university professor and her students, Azar Nafisi comes to NYPL to celebrate the success of her most recent book, “The Republic of Imagination.” Nafisi joins NYPL’s Paul Holdengraber for a conversation on the importance of literature, freedom, and originality in today’s global society.

Jeffrey Deitch, a celebrated art critic and curator, talks about his popular new book “Live the Art,” which details his decades of boundary-pushing work in the galleries and museums of New York, California, and beyond. In a fascinating conversation with Massimiliano Gioni, Artistic Director of New York’s New Museum, Deitch discusses innovation, creation, and his appreciation for spectacle.

The musician, performer, and host of "RuPaul's Drag Race" sashays onto our stage to celebrate the recent release of his seventh studio album, "Realness." In a wildly entertaining and thought-provoking conversation, the cultural icon talks to NYPL’s Paul Holdengräber about success, performance, all things drag and beyond.

Get ready for our upcoming spring season of exciting talks from very special guests at the Library, now released every Tuesday on iTunes, Stitcher, and SoundCloud.

Art historian and curator Sarah Lewis talks to award-winning actress Anna Deavere Smith about Lewis’s nonfiction debut, “The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery,” which examines stories of innovation and discovery born from the unlikeliest of experiences. In a conversation that’s equal parts funny, moving, and thoughtful, the two women discuss how failure is crucial to true success.