The Cornell University Library Chats in the Stacks is a series of book talks featuring recent publications by Cornell authors. This semester, all the book talks will be virtual, so you can enjoy them wherever you are! See the schedule below for Mann Library.
January 29, 2021 4pm
Fault Lines: Fractured Families and How to Mend Them by Karl Pillemer
What makes family estrangement so painful? Why do these rifts arise in the first place, and how can we overcome them? Based largely on Pillemer’s groundbreaking, ten-year Cornell Reconciliation Project—the first national survey on estrangement—Fault Lines (Avery, 2020) combines science-based repair tools with the personal experiences of hundreds of people who have mended family rifts.
April 2, 2021 4pm
The Constants of Motion with Roald Hoffman
In his poetry, chemist Roald Hoffmann explores philosophy and science, weaving worlds of sound and meaning from the simple building blocks of words. In his latest book of poetry, Constants of the Motion (Dos Madres Press, 2020), Hoffmann delves into personal experiences, including a desperate childhood shaped by the Holocaust and a search for consilience in the tranquil beauty of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
April 15, 2021 4pm
Climate change is a recipe for disaster. Whether you’re a home cook or a master chef, backyard gardener or professional grower, the yields, flavors, nutritional content, and cost of what you eat are already being impacted, according to Our Changing Menu: Climate Change and the Foods We Love and Need (Cornell University Press, 2021), a book that celebrates the power of food and tackles what is arguably the greatest challenge of our time.