Contemporary Conversations is a series of talks about cultural and current issues with journalists, authors and other relevant speakers. Sponsored by MCPL and Friends of the Library, Montgomery County.
November 20, 2024
Brigadier General Charles McGee Library
To celebrate Native American Heritage and Military Family Months, Alexandra N. Harris, senior editor at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, will discuss her book Why We Serve: Native Americans in the United States Armed Forces, co-authored with Dr. Mark Hirsch.
November 14, 2024
Rockville Memorial Library
To celebrate Native American Heritage Month, join us for an insightful musical storytelling presentation by Mwalim “DaPhunkee Professor” that explores the cross pollinations of African and First Nations people that are at the core of American culture.
September 28, 2024
Wheaton Library
Join Robert Farid Karimi, a critically acclaimed Iranian-Guatemalan-Mayan author and artist, for an engaging evening of storytelling and poetry.
July 11, 2024
Rockville Memorial Library
In this presentation, renowned antiracism educator, Tim Wise, will examine the connections between systemic racism, white racial privilege, and America’s class system.
June 3, 2024
Marilyn J. Praisner Library
Join the Lincoln Center’s first-ever poet-in-residence, renowned writer Mahogany L. Browne to talk about her work.
May 20, 2024
Gaithersburg Library
MCPL celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a visit from Vietnamese-American children's author Bao Phi.
October 11, 2023
Rockville Memorial Library
& Virtual Event
Join us to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with author Dr. Tony Medina (Howard University) who will discuss Latino identity/culture and his professional career journey.
August 12, 2023
Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Library
& Virtual Event
Join us for a conversation with Dr. DJ Kuttin Kandi (Anomalies, 5th Platoon) and artist Danny “The Atomic Goofball” Nguyen (Lionz of Zion Breaking Crew) about Hip Hop and the art of the DJ.
June 9, 2023
Wheaton Library
& Virtual Event
Join us for a conversation about the importance of poetry, storytelling and the spoken word with writers Emanuel Xavier and Regie Cabico.
May 19, 2023
Connie Morella Library
& Virtual Event
A conversation with Karen Washington, urban community gardener and food justice advocate and Jabari S. Walker, Sustainability and Energy Coordinator at Bowie State University around the topics of urban farming, sustainability and the environment.
April 27, 2023
Gaithersburg Library
& Virtual Event
Join award-winning author Tyehimba Jess to celebrate National Poetry Month. Jess will be discussing his work as a poet and fiction writer.
February 23, 2023
Rockville Memorial Library
& Virtual Event
New York Times bestselling, two-time World Fantasy Award-winning author and editor Sheree Renée Thomas will talk about Afrofuturism & Diversity in Sci-Fi, in celebration of Black History Month.
December 10, 2022
Virtual Event
Award-winning culinary historian, food writer, teacher, and author Michael W. Twitty will discuss the connection between the foods and traditions of the African Atlantic and the global Jewish diaspora.
March 5, 2022
Virtual Event
Staff writer for The New Yorker and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Sixth Extinction, Elizabeth Kolbert, will participate in a moderated conversation about the topic of climate change and how we can make impacts through our habits and decisions.
June 5, 2021
Virtual Event
Haben Girma will be talking about her memoir, Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law, how she become an advocate and her journey from isolation to extraordinary accomplishment. Girma will be in conversation with Kim Jones.
June 26, 2021
Virtual Event
New York Times bestselling author/illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka will talk about his young adult graphic memoir Hey, Kiddo. With candor and humor, Krosoczka describes his journey growing up in a family coping with addiction and how his art helped him endure and survive.
April 24, 2021
Virtual Event
Michelle Singletary, prize-winning journalist and nationally syndicated personal finance columnist for The Washington Post, will provide an entertaining and informative presentation about how to understand personal finances from budgeting to becoming an informed investor, inspiring participants to learn more about money management and take better control of their financial affairs.
September 12, 2020
Virtual Event
Haitian-American literary writers discuss diasporic literature, the writing craft, the importance of people of color being represented in literature and the topic of immigration & deportation.
August 22, 2020
Virtual Event
A presentation by Ida Turner and Rebecca Roberts in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote in the USA.
June 24, 2020
Virtual Event
Montgomery County Councilmember Evan Glass will facilitate a conversation about LGBTQ issues. Panel members include Claire Rudy Foster, Deacon Maccubin, Tyrese L. Coleman, and Beth Chandler.
February 22, 2020
Silver Spring Library
Nigerian-American author Tope Folarin will be talking about his experience as a writer. Mr. Folarin is the first writer based outside Africa to win the prestigious Caine Prize for African Writing in 2013.
November 2, 2019
Silver Spring Library
Journalist Joshua Johnson will provide discus hosting 1A, one of the most important daily conversations in America. Inspired by the First Amendment, 1A explores significant confronting Americans.
May 11, 2019
Chevy Chase Library
Prize-winning journalist, former Washington Post columnist and TV-radio commentator Bob Levey will talk about his experience as a 37-year career reporter covering all aspects of life in the nation’s capital.
October 21, 2018
Rockville Memorial Library
Writer, historian and educator Joseph A. Esposito will talk about his 2018 book Dinner in Camelot, which is centered on a White House banquet hosting numerous Nobel prize winners.
June 9, 2018
Silver Spring Library
Award-winning author and MacArthur Foundation Fellow, Dinaw Mengestu will speak about his inspiration for his work The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears and his experiences as an Ethiopian immigrant.
March 25, 2018
Rockville Memorial Library
A recipient in 2011 of the Librarian of the Year and the Lifetime Achievement Awards, Ms. Pearl will share the origins of her love of reading and libraries. Of course, she’ll suggest some great books to read.
October 14, 2017
Silver Spring Library
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Inspiration: Screening of Alice’s Ordinary People, a documentary by Craig Dudnick.
June 4, 2017
Silver Spring Library
Picture book and middle grade author Hena Khan will speak as part of the Contemporary Conversations series at MCPL.
May 7, 2017
Silver Spring Library
Washington Post editorial writer, Charles Lane, is weekly columnist for the Post and a contributor to the PostPartisan blog. Mr. Lane specializes in economic and fiscal policy.
April 1, 2017
Gaithersburg Library
David Ignatius, best-selling author and prize-winning columnist for the Washington Post, has been covering the Middle East and the CIA for more than twenty-five years.
March 4, 2017
Gaithersburg Library
Kojo Nnamdi, one of the most well-known interviewers and talk show hosts in the Washington, D.C. area will be the first speaker in the new Contemporary Conversations series @ MCPL.
