Community Calendar

Author and former book editor Jillian Laine published five books with Sesame Street early in her career, but getting a novel in print was a long game. Over the course of 10 years and 12 manuscripts in various genres, she queried nearly 150 literary agents before getting that elusive "yes." Within two weeks, she had an agent.

Presented by Herm Triezenberg and Elizabeth Mostrom Health and Wellness: Author Conversations

The positive effects of nature don’t just end at the individual; contact with nature can make people more caring towards one another, promote economic and racial justice, encourage people to care more for the environment, and more. A groundbreaking guide on why and how nature is good for our brains and bodies, Nature and the Mind gives us a window into fundamental aspects of our psychology and physiology that can be improved through interactions with nature.

Marc Berman will be joined in conversation with Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy Board member Terrie Taylor. Marc Berman is the world’s leading environmental neuroscientist, and founder and director of the Environmental Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Chicago.

Event Details
Doors open at 6 p.m. with live music, and the conversation begins at 7 p.m. This event includes a Q&A session and an author signing immediately following in the lobby.

Virtual tickets available to watch live or on-demand.

Many are discussing what AI and other advanced technologies may become; few have thought through what we will become. "Generation AI"-those who are born after 2022-will be the first humans to grow up in a world of immersive AI, intelligent robots, and ambiguous boundaries between the born and the made. They will differ fundamentally from us, yet their future is our future too.

Drawing on evolutionary biology, social science, and progress in advanced technologies, renowned scientist-philosopher Gregory Stock offers the most comprehensive analysis yet of how AI will reshape not just our world, but our very nature. "Generation AI: The Transformation of Human Being" is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the profound transformation already underway-and our place within it.

Event Details
Doors open at 6:00 p.m. with live music, and the conversation begins at 7:00 p.m. This event includes a Q&A session and an author signing immediately following in the lobby.

Virtual Tickets are available to view the event live or on-demand.

Thank you to our donors and sponsors!

Join us for Queer Tales Book Club where we chat about books that are by and/or about LGBTQIA+ people. Reading is not required, and everyone is welcome.

Join the National Writers Series for the second annual Traverse City Food and Wine. NWS is honored to host the legendary Ruth Reichl, recognized as one of the most discerning voices in the food world as a bestselling author, revered restaurant critic, and culinary industry influencer. Her icon status stems from her groundbreaking roles in food journalism as the lead restaurant critic at the New York Times and editor-in-chief at Gourmet magazine.

Reichl will be joined in conversation with returning guest host Matt Rodbard to talk about her life of food writing and most recently her first fiction work, "The Paris Novel." It’s a coming-of-age story about Stella, a young book copy editor who inherits money from her estranged mother with instructions to go to Paris. Set in the 1980s, the novel follows Stella as she discovers herself through food, fashion, and art, exploring her mother’s past and finding a new passion for life, with vivid descriptions of French cuisine and culture. The book blends a personal journey of self-discovery with a historical mystery involving a Manet painting and the House of Dior.

Event Details
Seating begins at 3:00 p.m. with programming starting at 4:00 p.m. at Traverse City Food & Wine’s tent at the Open Space. Seating is general admission. At the end of the conversation we’ll invite guests to participate in a Q&A with Reichl & Rodbard. This event will not be livestreamed.

When Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith crowned Martin Sorge the winner of the Great American Baking Show in 2023, few would have guessed that his baking journey began with him setting the microwave on fire, trying to make a biscuit. But after years spent in the kitchen, he had become a full-fledged “baking nerd next door.” He is the perfect guide to explain simply how to adjust a recipe for rye flour or perfect your pavlova without bogging you down with too many details.

In this debut cookbook, Great Bakes: Modern Classic Recipes from the Midwest, Martin shares more than 100 recipes for sweet and savory bakes that celebrate the bounty of the Midwest, from modern classics to innovative show-stoppers.

Event Details
Seating begins at 3:00 p.m. with programming starting at 4:00 p.m. at Traverse City Food & Wine’s tent at the Open Space. Seating is general admission. At the end of the conversation we’ll invite guests to participate in a Q&A with Sorge & Rodbard. This event will not be livestreamed.