2024 Monadnock Summer Lyceum

Monadnock Summer Lyceum is gearing up for their 2024 speaker series and you won't want to miss the next eight weeks of thought-provoking talks on a well-curated list of topics. The Lyceum originated in 1828 as a forum for diverse opinions. It consistently features prominent speakers from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines who discuss current topics of importance. Each event, which is simultaneously broadcast online, is preceded by live music and followed by a reception where audience members have a chance to meet and talk with the speaker. Over the years, the series has attracted speakers such as Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, and more recently, Heather Cox Richardson, Joseph Nye and Sy Montgomery. When it comes to choosing the topics and the guest speakers, the Speaker Committee works diligently to find topics that are prevalent in the community and in the world today. "Our motto is to inform, engage and inspire the cultural landscape of the Monadnock Region," explained Jeanne Henriques, co-chair of the Monadnock Summer Lyceum. Henriques was on the Speaker Committee last year. "The Speaker Committee is just really special. They are so dedicated." "I have been involved with the Lyceum for two years. I lived overseas for a long time, and we settled here in Peterborough. I went to my first lyceum, and I just thought, 'wow, this is such a rich cultural community.' We offer so much — it feels really special to work and continue that." The 2024 season will begin on Sunday, June 30, as author Rinker Buck will speak to "What Makes a Writer." Buck has written extensively on American history, with his most recent book, "The Oregon Trail," reaching bestseller status. On July 7, documentary filmmaker, Susan Strickler, will be discussing nuclear disarmament and her critically acclaimed film "The Vow from Hiroshima." In conjunction with the talk, the Lyceum will sponsor a showing of the film on July 6 at the Peterborough Community Theater at 11:30 a.m. The July 14 speaker series will feature professor and author Leila Philip, who will regale the audience with her research on the incredibly positive environmental effects of the American beaver. Philip's recent book, "How Beavers Made America and Now Fight Climate Change," has been featured frequently in print and television reporting. Following a one-week break for MacDowell's Medal Day, the season will resume on July 28 with a presentation by noted sociologist, Michael Kimmel, on "Angry White Men: Masculinity on the Extreme Right." Kimmel, until recently a distinguished professor of Sociology at Stony Brook College, is considered a leading figure in the academic field of men's studies. On Aug. 4, UNH Manchester professor Laurie Shaffer will lead a critically important discussion on inclusion and the special needs community. The talk, titled, "The Deaf Community and How the Road of Good Intentions Is Poorly Paved," will be groundbreaking for the Lyceum as it will be the first presentation to include a simultaneous sign language interpreter. Aug. 11 will spotlight the work of Peter Zheutlin, an author and unabashed canine lover whose books on rescue dogs have touched a nerve across our dog-loving nation. His address, "How My Life Went to the Dogs," will focus on his efforts to find rescue dogs secure homes. The penultimate talk will take place on Aug. 18 and will be a joy for music lovers across the region. Animaterra, a women's chorus led by Allison Aldrich Smith, will reunite for an exhibition of song and stories that will be sure to uplift all in attendance. The presentation is appropriately titled, "How Can We Keep from Singing?" The 2024 season will conclude on Aug. 25 as Harvard professor Sat Bir Singh Khalsa will inform and educate on the medical benefits of yoga. His talk, "Yoga for Today: The Science Behind How It Works," will attempt to take some of the mystery out of this ancient healing practice. "There is something special in all of the speakers," said Henriques. "We hope to capture something for everybody and after the talks they can go on with their Sunday inspired by what they have heard." All programs will be presented live at the Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Church, 25 Main St., and live streamed on the Lyceum's website. Programs begin at 11 a.m., with music starting at 10:30 a.m. For information about the Monadnock Summer Lyceum and to find links to the live-streamed events, visit monadnocklyceum.org. All events are free, but donations are welcome in person and via the website.