Introducing the new 2026-2027 Speakers Bureau!
September 24, 2025
What’s the strange link between shark attacks and voting behavior? How will A.I. change humanity? Why do we still love reading print in our digitally saturated age?
With talks ranging from the personal to the global, we’re excited to announce the new 2026-2027 Speakers Bureau! These 39 speakers will begin giving talks both in-person and online in January.
Speakers Bureau brings free, accessible public talks to libraries, museums, and other venues from farm country to small towns to big cities around the state.
Among the talks is “Dollhouses and the Mighty Power of Miniatures,” in which author Elise Hooper explores the big benefits of small objects. During World War I, as Allied soldiers left the trenches of Europe and returned to England suffering from physical and emotional injuries, doctors discovered that making dollhouses and other miniatures had restorative and therapeutic benefits. This successful therapy led to an unexpected result: men left for war to be trained as warriors, and returned home as artists.
In the talk, “Doomscrolling Detox: Finding Your Balance in the Digital Age,” speaker and journalist Andy Wahl breaks down the events that led us to our phone-addicted culture, and offers concrete tips to help attendees develop a healthier relationship with their information diet. In “Being Human in the Age of A.I.,” A.I. researcher Chirag Shah asks: does anything remain distinctly human in this new world of artificial intelligence? How is A.I. reshaping our understanding of human identity and purpose?
Museums, libraries, and cultural venues: interested in bringing a speaker to your town? Speakers Bureau events are a great way to connect with your community, boost your local profile, and bring people together to explore fascinating topics. And yes, we are currently accepting applications to book our 2026-2027 roster.