January 6, 2024, 2-4pm, - Fellows and External Fellows Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis (2015) Discussion Leader: Meg Fox André Alexis offers “an utterly compelling and affecting look at the beauty and perils of human consciousness “in this amusing but serious novel that was shortlisted for Canada Reads 2017 and won the 2015 Giller Prize. […]
Wednesday Talk: January 8 , 2025, at 2pm. It is in-person and on Zoom Speaker: Elizabeth Clare, Biology, York University Title: “A Chance to Measure Life on Earth: The Potential of Airborne eDNA” Abstract: Rapid monitoring across all life is necessary to quantify biodiversity at regional and continental scales, infer trends and assess the success or failure […]
Wednesday Talk: January 15 , 2025, at 2pm. It is in-person and on Zoom Speaker: Gerry Friesen, History, University of Manitoba Title: “The Honourable John Norquay: Indigenous Premier, Canadian Statesman” Abstract: Dr. Friesen will talk about his recently published book, The Honourable John Norquay: Indigenous Premier, Canadian Statesman (University of Manitoba Press 2024). Born in the Red […]
Wednesday Talk: January 22 , 2025, at 2pm. It is in-person and on Zoom Speaker: Anne Urbancic, Italian; Semiotics, Victoria College, U of T Title: “Large Double Double: How Tim Hortons Coffee Ritualizes Canadian Identity” Abstract: My study takes as a point of departure a rather generous definition of ritual, not necessarily sacred and serious […]
Wednesday Talk: January 29 , 2025, at 2pm. It is in-person and on Zoom Speaker: Sharon Vattay, architectural historian, cultural heritage specialist Topic: “Toronto's Massey Music Hall: Conservation in Practice" Abstract: This lecture offers a behind-the-scenes look at the recent revitalization of a nineteenth-century music hall, updated to meet twenty-first-century standards. The presentation will recount […]
February 3 2025, 2-4pm, - Fellows and External Fellows Mapping the Darkness: The Visionary Scientists who Unlocked the Mysteries of Sleep by Kenneth Miller (2023) Discussion Leader: Daphne Maurer The history and findings of research on sleep, told through the work of four central characters. Hard to put down, and of course relevant to everyone. […]
March 3 2025, 2-4pm, - Fellows and External Fellows Homelands: A Personal History of Europe by Timothy Garton Ash (2023) Discussion Leader: David Milne Winner of the 2024 Gelner Prize, Homelands was chosen as the best book in international affairs by the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Taking his subject from the […]
April 7, 2025, 2-4pm, - Fellows and External Fellows The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (1974) Discussion Leader: Molly Wills Successful both as literature and as a thought experiment, this classic of speculative fiction illuminates different sides of human nature in two opposing political and economic worlds. On the planet of Urras an ancient […]
May 5, 2025, 2-4pm, - Fellows and External Fellows The Odyssey by Homer, in the new poetic translation by Emily Wilson (2017) Discussion Leaders: Linda Hutcheon and Martin Revermann Homer's Odyssey is an epic poem about violence and the aftermath of war; about wealth, poverty and power; about marriage and family; about travelers, hospitality, and […]
June 2, 2025, 2-4pm, - Fellows and External Fellows The Valley of the Birdtail by Andrew Stobo Sniderman and Douglas Sanderson (Amo Binashii) (2022) Discussion leader: Janet Paterson This book offers an opportunity to review Canadian history after the late 1880’s. according to the perspective of two communities in western Canada – one Indigenous and […]
July 7, 2025, 2-4pm, - Fellows and External Fellows The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI by Fei-Fei Li (2023) Discussion Leader: Susan Pfeiffer The Worlds I See is part autobiography, part informative description of how our current approach to Artificial Intelligence (AI) came to be. It is the […]