Lectures. Talks. Ideas.
Dear Friends,
We are thrilled to finally share the four courses that we’re offering this fall at the Al Green Theatre in the Miles Nadal JCC! Please scroll below to learn more about these programs and click the “Register Now” buttons to access the registration pages.
In particular, we’d like to highlight the two fun courses that kick off in September: “The World’s Great Food Cities” with culinary historian Dr. Laura Carlson; and “Literary Icons: World-Changing Writers and Their Fascinating Lives” with beloved CBC host Eleanor Wachtel and an all-star roster of Speakers Annex favourites.
If you’re interested in attending more than one of our fall courses, you may want to take advantage of our “Fall Season Pass,” which gives you discounted access to every one of our fall courses. For the cost of less than three courses, you can attend all four!
Season Passes can be purchased online HERE or you can contact our Help Desk at [email protected] or 416-924-6211 x0 for help with this or any other registration questions.
I am also standing by at [email protected] for any follow-up questions about these programs and you can find a link to a registration help sheet at the bottom of this email, along with some cool events from our partners and our “Speakers Annex Summer Reading Guide.”
We hope you’re all having a lovely summer. We couldn’t be more excited to learn with you this fall!
Will Di Novi
Host and Organizer
The Speakers Annex
The Speakers Annex is proud to be presented in partnership with
OUR 4 EXCITING FALL COURSES!
Thursdays, September 10-October 15
10:30 AM-12 PM
MNjcc Members: $99
Non-Members: $119
| The World’s Great Food Cities
She’s back! After wowing The Speakers Annex with her recent programs on the history of food, culinary historian Dr. Laura Carlson returns with this fun new series on the world’s great meccas of food.
From Rome’s temples to pasta, to Tokyo’s sushi masters and neighbourhood noodle shops, to Barcelona’s markets and world-renowned tapas bars, fasten your bibs and seatbelts for a globe-trotting adventure through the world’s most beautiful cities, exploring the food traditions and dishes they’ve given the world.
Click HERE for the full course schedule and descriptions of each of the six sessions. |
Fridays, September 18-October 23
10:30 AM-12 PM
MNjcc Members: $99
Non-Members: $119
| Literary Icons: World-Changing Writers and Their Fascinating Lives
Join Eleanor Wachtel, the beloved host of CBC’s Writers & Company, and an all-star roster of Speakers Annex favourites, for this exciting series on history’s greatest writers.
From Ira Wells on Margaret Atwood to Julia Zarankin on the life of Leo Tolstoy to mind-expanding talks on Lucy Maud Montgomery, Jane Austen and Mordechai Richler, we’ll explore the life and work of our speakers’ favourite authors, revealing the cultural impact that each has had on the world.
Click HERE for the full course schedule and descriptions of each of the six sessions. |
Wednesdays, November 4-December 9
1:00 PM-2:30 PM
MNjcc Members: $99
Non-Members: $119
| The Great Comedians
Join Andrew Clark, an award-winning humour columnist for The Globe and Mail, for this rollicking survey of the legends of comedy.
From big screen pioneers like Mel Brooks and Groucho Marx, to TV comedy icons like Monty Python and Seinfeld, to the local funny people, from SCTV onwards, that have put Toronto on the global comedy map, we’ll explore how these brilliant wits and keen-eyed social observers reshaped the comedy landscape, bringing us endless hours of laughter and delight.
Click HERE for the full course schedule and descriptions of each of the six sessions. |
Fridays, October 30-December 4
10:30 AM-12 PM
MNjcc Members: $99
Non-Members: $119
| Architectural Wonders
In this exciting new series, an all-star roster of leading writers and experts will take us on a thrilling tour through architectural history, each delivering a talk on their favourite modern buildings.
With critic Christopher Hume in our closing and opening sessions, and talks by popular speakers including Lisa Pasold, John Ota and others, we’ll explore the intriguing stories of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, stunning buildings in Prague, and groundbreaking designs by Arthur Erickson, Frank Gehry and more!
Click HERE for the full course schedule and descriptions of each of the six sessions. |
MNjcc Members: $289
Non-Members: $349
| All-Access Season Pass!
Interested in attending more than one of our fall programs?
Then consider signing up for this all-access season pass, which signs you up for every one of our fall courses.
For the cost of less than three courses, you can attend all four! |
SOME COOL EVENTS FROM OUR PARTNERS
| Share Your Story of Belonging
Storylines is now accepting submissions for a two-night, two-venue festival of Jewish stories exploring the theme of belonging.
Selected storytellers will receive a series of workshops led by Ronit Rubinstein and Samantha Hacker to help them shape and strengthen their live storytelling skills. Both festival evenings will be recorded in partnership with the CJN Podcast and archived by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Presented by the Al Green Theatre at the Miles Nadal JCC, Leah Posluns Theatre at Prosserman JCC, and the Ontario Jewish Archives, with support from UJA’s Kultura Collective and J.B. & Dora Salsberg Fund at the Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto.Submissions are due September 8 and you can learn more HERE. |
| Heliconian Club Writing Workshop Series
Join our friends at historic Heliconian Hall for their summer art show, Primary I, with public viewing on August 8 and 12. Learn more HERE.
The final workshop in their 2026
Writing Workshop series is on August 11. It’s called “Mining for Memoire with Kate Marshall Flaherty” and you can learn more HERE.
And their Literary Lecture
Series returns in September for its 30th season. The line-up includes John Irving, Helen Humphreys and Wayne Johnston as well as award-winning newcomers.
Only a few spaces remain for the monthly in-person Series, but space is unlimited for the Virtual Series. To register, please check out their website HERE. |
| A Special Invitation from The Arts and Letters Club
The Arts & Letters Club of Toronto is a social club for people interested in literature and the arts. Located in a historic downtown building at 14 Elm Street, the Club hosts wonderful literary talks, stage productions, musical performances, painting sessions and more.
It will be open to visitors from The Speakers Annex (almost) every Friday from 4 pm to 7 pm. Let them know you’re coming so that someone is there to greet you by emailing [email protected].
To learn more, email Daphne Maurer, [email protected] or visit www.artsandlettersclub.ca. |
SPEAKERS ANNEX READING GUIDES
This past June, we were excited to launch our 2026 Summer Reading Guide, featuring book recommendations from some of our favourite speakers.
If you’d like to check out previous editions of this popular feature, you can see our first-ever Summer Reading Guide, from 2025, HERE.
And you can click HERE to see the Winter Reading Guide we presented earlier this year in partnership with Eleanor Wachtel.
If you’ve read any books that you especially loved and would like me to include them in future reading guides, please email me at [email protected]. We always love your terrific recommendations!
HELPFUL LINKS AND MORE!
For registration assistance, please contact the MNjcc customer support team at 416-924-6211 x0 or email [email protected]. You can also refer to this detailed, step-by-step registration guide.
Email me about our upcoming programs, or anything else on your mind, at [email protected]. I always love to hear from you!
Consult this FAQ Help Sheet for answers to common questions about our events.
Thank you so much again!
