Clare Frank, the State of California’s first female Chief of Fire Protection, discusses how she got hooked on pickleball, how pickleball players and tennis players can make peace, and whether pickleball has a bright future. Clare's new book is Just One More Game: A Pickleball Quest.

Robert Moor, bestselling author of On Trails, discusses how we can think more like trees, how cultures around the world celebrate trees, and what it's like to climb to the top of a 300-foot giant sequoia. Robert's new book is In Trees: An Exploration.

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, one of the world’s foremost historians and leading antiracist scholars, discusses his analysis of the ICE occupation of Minneapolis, how the Iran war is connected to Great Replacement Theory, and what we can collectively do to fight back against authoritarianism. Dr. Kendi's new book is Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age.
 
Dr. Kendi recently spoke at Town Hall Seattle as part of the Oculus Series, connecting audiences to the most impactful writing and ideas of our time. Info at townhallseattle.org

Nelson Dellis, a six-time US Memory Champion, two-time Guinness World Record holder, Grandmaster of Memory, keynote speaker, and world-renowned memory coach, discusses what it takes to have a genius mindset, how we can talk to our kids to encourage them to stay curious their entire lives, and what it was like climbing Mount Everest. Nelson’s new book is Everyday Genius: Hacks to Boost Your Memory, Focus, Problem-Solving, and Much More. Info at NelsonDellis.com

Alex Stewart, Head Winemaker for Avallé, whose brands include Matthews, Tenor, From the Sky Down, Jaine, Single Barrel, and Blackboard, discusses what the transition was like from Quilceda Creek to Matthews Winery, what is extraordinary about Washington wine grapes, and how drinking wine is connected to special memories. Info at TasteWashington.org and Avalle.us

Award-winning novelist Hala Alyan discusses how she is thinking about teaching her daughter about her rich culture, how she talks to her daughter about current world events, and what Hala's own upbringing looked like. Hala's new memoir is I’ll Tell You When I’m Home.

Shadi Hamid, an acclaimed columnist at The Washington Post, discusses whether America has the ability to learn from its past mistakes, what some examples are of America using its power for good, and what we should say to our kids about why we need to restore American power. Shadi's latest book is The Case for American Power.

John B. King Jr., who served in President Barack Obama’s cabinet as the tenth U.S. Secretary of Education, discusses how important it is for every student to have at least one caring adult in every school building, how we can shift mindsets so that educators believe every student can learn, and what the value is of higher education. Secretary King’s new book is Teacher By Teacher: The People Who Change Our Lives.

Martha Barnette, longtime journalist and co-host of the popular radio show and podcast A Way with Words, discusses how one can make a living after learning Latin and ancient Greek, what local dialects or colloquialisms stood out to her when she traveled around the United States, and how we can get our kids as excited about language as she is. Martha's new book is Friends with Words: Adventures in Languageland.

Choreographers and Pacific Northwest Ballet dancers Amanda Morgan and Christopher D'Ariano discuss how they decided to become professional dancers, how much of dance is drive versus talent, and how we can encourage our kids to pursue their dreams. Their new work, AfterTime, has its world premiere this weekend to kick off PNB's In the Upper Room repertory program. Info at PNB.org

Award-winning tech journalist Vauhini Vara discusses whether tech companies are delivering on their promises, how AI chatbots manipulate us into giving them data, and how we can circumvent bias baked into the AI code itself. Vauhini's latest book is Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age.