Thought Exchange--Marvellous Fall Lectures at the Library

The fall calendar in Toronto is full of massive cultural events like Nuit Blanche, Word on the Street and Culture Days, not to mention author readings and film festivals galore. So how to choose?

One way is to thumb through Toronto Public Library's What's On guide to library programs and events--there are stacks in every branch, and it's on the TPL website, too.  Of special note is the Thought Exchange (p. 30-31 of What's On). Now in its third year, the Thought Exchange series of lectures continues to offer an exceptional array of speakers and subjects, from science, history and literature, to fine arts, music and philosophy.

In Exploring Evolution, four distinguished scientists from the University of Toronto shed light on evolution through the study of diverse life froms, from electric fish in the Amazon to plant-killing ants in Peru and baby dinosaurs from southern Africa.The concluding talk is The Evolution Revolution: Why Darwin's Insights Matter Today. The series was curated by Professor Ray Jaywardhana, the University of Toronto President's Senior Advisor, Science Engagement.

Thanks to the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, we are again able to offer some wonderful talks on astronomy, gathered together in the Cosmic Frontiers series. Library audiences can't get enough of Rick Phillip's Sound Advice on classical music, and so he is back at Runnymede branch to deliver two talks on the mind and music of renowned pianist Glenn Gould. If you are among the many who have for years looked to Rick Phillips for his insights into classical composers and performers, you will want to attend these talks. At the Locke branch, Jonathan Salem-Wiseman returns with his extremely popular talks on philosophy. The Essential Greek Philosphers spans Plato's Philosophical Revolution; Aristotle and Greek Science; and Epicurus and the Pursuit of Happiness. Be early because the room usually fills up quickly.

At Malvern, Saturday, October 20, Toronto's Tamil Literary Voices will explore the work and ideas of some of Toronto's finest Tamil novelists, poets and playwrights. With short-story writer Appadurai Muttulingam, poet-playwright R. Cheran, director Dushy Gnanapragasam and Professor Chelva Kanaganyakam.

At the Toronto Reference Library, the Thought Exchange lectures take up history, politics and the social sciences: Celebrity Humanitarianism, Islamic History, Haiti's New Dictatorship and Slavery in Africa. These talks are meant to intrigue and to educate, and they are completely free of charge.

Click for more Thought Exhange Programs.