The world's greatest lecture hall.
Discover carefully curated public lectures, author talks, debates and intellectual events in New York, USA — selected by The Mindful City editorial team.
Last updated: August 10, 2026
Ta-Nehisi Coates · Brooklyn Academy of Music · September 17, 2026
Writer Ta-Nehisi Coates revisits the ideas in his landmark letter to his son — on the Black body in America, on fear, on love, on history — a decade on, in conversation with his ow…
Elizabeth Kolbert · 92nd Street Y (92NY) · August 11, 2026
Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Elizabeth Kolbert discusses the latest science and reporting on climate change and its implications for policy and everyday life. She will take au…
Ta-Nehisi Coates · 92nd Street Y (92NY) · August 12, 2026
Ta-Nehisi Coates discusses his latest work exploring race, memory, and civic life in America, followed by audience Q&A. The talk will weave personal narrative with historical analy…
Atul Gawande · 92nd Street Y (92NY) · August 12, 2026
Surgeon, writer, and public-health advocate Atul Gawande discusses aging, caregiving, and the future of end-of-life care, drawing on his recent writing and research. The talk will …
Roxane Gay · New York Public Library — LIVE from the NYPL · August 12, 2026
Roxane Gay reads from her newest collection and discusses feminism, cultural criticism, and the evolving landscape of literary memoir. This NYPL event is free with RSVP and will in…
Atul Gawande · 92nd Street Y (92NY) · August 12, 2026
Surgeon and author Atul Gawande presents a talk on the responsibilities of modern medicine and the ethical dilemmas clinicians face in public health. He will draw on recent work to…
Mary Beard · Cooper Union · August 12, 2026
Classicist Mary Beard offers a public lecture on why ancient Rome continues to matter for contemporary politics, art, and public debate. The talk will connect scholarship with ques…
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie · New York Public Library (Stephen A. Schwarzman Building) · August 12, 2026
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie reads from her forthcoming essay collection and discusses storytelling, identity, and the responsibilities of the modern public intellectual. The event inc…
Siddhartha Mukherjee · New York Public Library — LIVE from the NYPL · August 12, 2026
Physician and author Siddhartha Mukherjee explores medical storytelling, the ethics of memoir in medicine, and how doctors remember and learn from failure. The program includes a m…
Simon Schama · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · August 12, 2026
Art historian Simon Schama gives a lecture on narrative painting and the ways visual art has been used to craft national and imperial stories. The talk includes close readings of w…
Malcolm Gladwell · 92nd Street Y (92NY) · August 12, 2026
Malcolm Gladwell returns to 92NY to explore the changing landscape of storytelling and what it means to rethink widely held assumptions. He’ll draw from new work and a Q&A with the…
Paul Krugman · Cooper Union · August 12, 2026
Nobel laureate Paul Krugman delivers a public lecture on macroeconomic policy and inequality in the post-pandemic era. The event is followed by a student Q&A and is open to the pub…
Mariana Mazzucato · Cooper Union · August 12, 2026
Economist Mariana Mazzucato presents her latest thinking on mission-oriented policy and how governments can steer innovation toward public value. The lecture will include a case-st…
Malcolm Gladwell · 92nd Street Y (92NY) · August 12, 2026
Malcolm Gladwell returns to 92NY to explore how small moments can produce outsized cultural change and to discuss his latest book. The event will include audience Q&A and a brief s…
Fareed Zakaria · 92nd Street Y (92NY) · August 12, 2026
Journalist and foreign-affairs commentator Fareed Zakaria offers his take on the shifting geopolitical landscape and the economic forces reshaping the world. A moderator will join …
Roxane Gay · Strand Bookstore · August 12, 2026
Roxane Gay reads from her new book and engages the audience in a discussion about memoir, criticism, and cultural politics. The evening includes a moderated Q&A and a signing follo…
Public Walking Tour · Museum of Chinese in America · August 12, 2026
Uncover the history of one of New York City’s oldest and most culturally diverse neighborhoods! This walking tour explores how both everyday buildings and places of historical sig…
Roxane Gay · Greenlight Bookstore (Fort Greene) · August 14, 2026
Roxane Gay discusses the craft of personal and political storytelling while reading from her latest collection. She engages with themes of vulnerability, power, and community in a …
Jennifer A. Doudna · Cooper Union · August 15, 2026
Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna presents an accessible overview of CRISPR technology and its implications for healthcare and society. The talk concludes with audience questions abou…
Elizabeth Kolbert · Greenlight Bookstore (Fort Greene) · August 15, 2026
Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Elizabeth Kolbert returns to topics of biodiversity loss and the human drivers of mass extinction in a talk tied to new reporting. She will presen…