The indefatigable and incomparable Rebecca Solnit returns to Kepler’s with The Beginning Comes After the End, described as an “urgent manifesto for our tumultuous time.”

Enshittification author Cory Doctorow joins us with his short, provocative guide to AI: the good, bad, and stupid.

From slush funds to yacht parties to fraud Theo Baker shares his account of the investigation that led to the resignation of Stanford's President.

Daisy Hernández joins us to discuss Citizenship, her provocative, personal, blazingly intelligent examination of one of the most vexing questions facing the United States today: Who is, and should be, a citizen?

Dr. Elizabeth Vartkessian's clients are guilty of the most heinous crimes. But as Vartkessian tells it, everyone has someone who loves them. Even people who have committed murder. Join us to hear her talk about her new book, The Deserving: What the Lives of the Condemned Reveal about American Justice.

New York Times bestselling author of Stiff and Fuzz, Mary Roach, joins us for a rollicking exploration of human anatomy with her new book: Replaceable You.

Randi Weingarten, attacked by the far right as "the most dangerous person in the world," joins us for a rousing defense of public education.

Political economist, cabinet member, beloved professor, and media presence, Robert B. Reich, joins us to share his compelling new memoir, Coming Up Short.

Veteran journalist Andrew North first set foot in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. In War & Peace & War, he draws on two decades of covering the country to tell the story of the West’s defeat and the Taliban’s return to power.

In her groundbreaking Eve, Cat Bohannon asks the questions that scientists should have been addressing for decades about female bodies.

Joshua Miele’s work has had a profound impact on making the world more accessible, and he joins us to share his groundbreaking work creating equitable access to information and tools for blind and visually impaired individuals.

Microdosing is proving to be a safe and powerful approach to a wide range of health conditions and enhanced performance. James Fadiman, an early psychedelic researcher, and co-author Jordan Gruber join us to discuss the first comprehensive book on microdosing, Microdosing for Health, Healing and Enhanced Performance.

Kevin Fagan’s The Lost and the Found, set in San Francisco, explores the human side of what’s behind the homelessness epidemic.

Longtime Kepler’s favorite Pico Iyer joins Angie Coiro to discuss what silence can teach us about how to love, how to die, and how to live.

Berkeley professor emerita Arlie Russell Hochschild takes us to the heart of Appalachia to uncover the reasons for our deepening political divide.

Trailblazing journalist Connie Chung shares her experience as the first Asian American woman to break into the television news industry.

FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silver takes us to the casino and into the lives of the professional risk-takers who are shaping modern life.

Healthcare reporter Shefali Luthra takes to the Kepler’s stage to discuss Undue Burden, an urgent investigation into post-Roe America.

Nicholas Kristof’s reporting has exposed him to terror and tragedy worldwide. Come hear how he nonetheless stays optimistic about humanity.

One of our most popular speakers—and one of the most compelling skeptics in politics—returns with an update on the death of expertise.

Join us for an evening with tech icon Guy Kawasaki to celebrate his new book, Think Remarkable.

The host of MSNBC’s The ReidOut and New York Times bestselling author of The Man Who Sold America traces the extraordinary lives and legacy of civil rights icons Medgar and Myrlie Evers, situating Medgar Evers’s assassination as a catalyzing moment in American history.

Volodymyr Zelensky: from TV comic to president of war-torn Ukraine. Meet Time senior correspondent Simon Shuster with his new book, The Showman.

Artificial intelligence is at the forefront of scientific and cultural discussions today, and we are delighted to welcome renowned Stanford professor Dr. Fei-Fei Li to pull back the cover on this powerful and controversial technology. Li’s breakthrough research and new book, The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration and Discovery at the Dawn of AI, will be at the center of this discussion.

Republican US Congressman Adam Kinzinger defied his party to vote for an investigation into the January 6th insurrection, and to serve on that committee. He knew it would cost him his political career—but he put the country first. He’ll join us with his new book, Renegade.

Roxane Gay sees the world clearly, in all its messy, anxious drama—yet she manages to laugh. This wit and clarity have gained her a huge following for her books, her newsletter, and her New York Times columns, as she analyzes America’s politics and culture. See her live at Kepler’s with her new book, Opinions!

The tale of billionaire iconoclast Elon Musk from the master of biography, author of Steve Jobs, told live at SFJAZZ.

Heather Cox Richardson’s popular Substack, Letters From An American, combines her calm, sane tone with deep knowledge of history—putting our country’s tumult into wider perspective. She’s bringing her new book Democracy Awakening to Kepler’s. Join us as Professor Richardson and Angie Coiro discuss drawing America back from the brink of autocracy.

Is equality the ideal feminist goal? Dr. Marcie Bianco says, “Equality is a lie fed to women to keep us complacent with the patriarchy.” If equal rights aren’t the Holy Grail, what’s the alternative? Join us for a decidedly new perspective.

Long before any non-white talent could expect fair, respectful treatment in Hollywood, film actress Anna May Wong rose to share the screen with the likes of Marlene Dietrich and Joan Crawford. Celebrated Bay Area author Gail Tsukiyama steps inside Wong’s mind to imagine the detailed, colorful memoir the unlikely star might well have written herself.