Lectures. Talks. Ideas.
Dear Friends,
What a joy it’s been learning with you this spring! Over the next two weeks, we hope that you will join us at the Al Green Theatre to celebrate the finales of our three current courses:
This Friday, May 15, channel your inner flower child with “The Spirit of the ‘60s,” as we close out our series with a groovy session on Woodstock! Learn more and register HERE.
On Tuesday, May 19, join the grand finale of “The Wonderful World of Design,” where I’ll be sitting down with author David Sax for a lively celebration of vinyl records, moleskine notebooks, and other fun examples of “analog” design. Learn more and register HERE.
And on Wednesday, May 20, join “The Impressionists” to look at stunning paintings by Cezanne and Van Gogh, and the movement’s remarkable legacy. Register HERE.
Drop-in tickets to our remaining sessions can be purchased in advance via our course websites or on the day of each lecture at the MNjcc’s front desk. And if you can make it to our Design series finale, stick around for complimentary Harbord Bakery treats after the lecture’s over.
After next week, The Speakers Annex is off over the summer months, but I’m pleased to let you know we’ve renewed our partnership with the Miles Nadal JCC for another exciting year. Our first fall programs kick off in September and you can expect an update on the course schedule in June.
In the meantime, scroll below to “Something You Might Enjoy,” our newsletter feature with cultural recommendations, for a book I’ll be including in our upcoming Summer Reading Guide. Along the way, make sure to take a look at the cool events coming up from our wonderful partners.
Enjoy those spring flowers and look forward to seeing you soon!
Will Di Novi
Host and Organizer
The Speakers Annex
The Speakers Annex is proud to be presented in partnership with
OUR EXCITING SPRING COURSES!
Fridays, April 10-May 15
10:30 AM-12 PM
Drop-in Tix Available:
MNjcc Members: $21.60
Non-Members: $24
| The Spirit of the ‘60s
Join Speakers Annex favourite Dr. Peter Harris for a rollicking cultural history of the grooviest of decades!
From the election of JFK to the sultry sounds of Woodstock; from the landmark protest movements exploding in Berkeley and Paris to the cultural watershed that was Expo ‘67, we’ll take a spirited look at the people, movements and earth-shaking events that left their mark on the decade, leading to sweeping changes in politics, arts and culture.
Click HERE for the full course schedule and descriptions of each of the six sessions. |
Wednesdays, April 15-May 20
1 PM-2:30 PM
Drop-in Tix Available:
MNjcc Members: $21.60
Non-Members: $24
| The Impressionists: The Movement that Changed Art Forever
Art historian Angela Glover makes her Speakers Annex debut with this delightful series on one of the most beloved artistic movements in history.
A veteran art educator who’s led popular courses for the 92Y in New York, Angela will offer a fresh perspective on artistic icons like Monet, Degas, Mary Cassatt and Renoir, exploring the radical vision at the heart of their beautiful paintings and their dramatic impact on how we still look at art.
Click HERE for the full course schedule and descriptions of each of the six sessions. |
Tuesdays, April 14-May 19
10:30 AM-12 PM
Drop-in Tix Available:
MNjcc Members: $21.60
Non-Members: $24
| The Wonderful World of Design
In this exciting new series, an all-star roster of leading writers and scholars—including many longtime Speakers Annex favourites—guides us through the history of modern design, each delivering a talk on the design history of a favourite object or place.
From the architecture of libraries with critic Christopher Hume to the intriguing history of the “little black dress” with a leading fashion writer, we’ll look at stunning examples from innovative designers and examine the world around us with a fresh new set of eyes!
Click HERE for the full course schedule and descriptions of each of the six sessions. |
SOME COOL EVENTS FROM OUR PARTNERS
| Enjoy a Folk Tribute Concert with Sue & Dwight
Popular folk singing duo Sue and Dwight return to the Miles Nadal JCC in June, along with special musical guest Henry Lees! Folk trios were central to the 1960s American folk revival, with their rich harmonies and timely lyrics, and the close-harmony trios of the 1970s blended soft rock with traditional acoustic folk. Enjoy legendary folk classics from The Rooftop Singers, The Kingston Trio, Peter Paul and Mary, Crosby, Stills & Nash, America… and more!
Thursday June 18, 1:00-2:30pm
Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC
Questions? Email [email protected].
Learn more and register here.
|
| Yiddish Concert Featuring Josh “Socalled” Dolgin
Josh "Socalled" Dolgin is a Yiddish rapping, accordion wielding, piano playing, Klezmer hip hop maestro! In this intimate solo performance, Josh will accompany himself on piano and accordion, presenting songs from the Yiddish Theatre tradition, Hasidic melodies, Klezmer, folksong, and some of his own originals. Join us after the concert for a dessert reception. Co-presented by the UJA Committee for Yiddish, in collaboration with Ashkenaz Foundation.
Thursday June 11, 1:00-3:00 pm
Al Green Theatre, Miles Nadal JCC
Questions? Email [email protected].
Learn more and register here. |
 Claude Monet, The Water Lily Pond (Clouds), 1903.
Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret
McDermott Art Fund, Inc. | Impressionism at the AGO!
Don’t miss the chance to see the Canadian debut of a remarkable new exhibition that opens next month at The AGO! “The Impressionist Revolution: Monet to Matisse from the Dallas Museum of Art” is a sweeping overview of Impressionism, illustrating the origins of the movement and its impact on two successive generations of avant-garde painters.
Drawn from the extensive holdings of the Dallas Museum of Art, the exhibition includes key works by Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Berthe Morisot, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Henri Matisse, Piet Mondrian, Edvard Munch, and more.
Opens June 24, 2026 — learn more HERE! |
| Heliconian Club Writing Workshop Series
Join our friends at historic Heliconian Hall for the 2026 Heliconian Club Writing Workshop Series. All three sessions run from 1 to 4 PM.
Thursday, June 11 - Getting Your Book
Published: an interactive panel with a literary agent, editor and publisher moderated by author and former Globe and Mail writer Deirdre Kelly.
Friday, July 10 - Humour Writing with Terry Fallis: author of ten best-selling novels and two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for
humour.
Thursday, August 11 - Kate Marshall Flaherty on Mining for Memoire is back by popular demand!
Space is limited to 25 participants. Learn more and register 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. |
SOMETHING YOU MIGHT ENJOY
Regular recommendations of fun things to read, watch and listen to!
| THE GREATEST TORONTO BOOK?
There are certainly other contenders in the realm of fiction: Margaret Atwood’s Cat’s Eye; In the Skin of a Lion by the brilliant Michael Ondaatje; the unforgettable Brother by David Chariandy.
But when it comes non-fiction books about our wonderful city, I haven’t read another that filled more gaps in my knowledge than my current reading obsession: Accidental City by the journalist Robert Fulford.
You may remember Fulford as an eminent columnist, for The Globe and Mail and elsewhere, and in this wonderful book, from 1996, he examines the secret histories of Toronto’s civic landmarks, from the New City Hall to the city’s majestic ravines, bringing to life the events and colorful characters that made them look and feel the way they do today.
As the weather warms up, snag yourself a copy from the Toronto Library system and let this inspired book be your guide to the city!
**Read anything else you’d like to recommend? Email me at [email protected] and I’ll make sure to include it in the next, upcoming, edition of our Summer Reading Guide! |
SPEAKERS ANNEX READING GUIDES
Last June, I asked some beloved Speakers Annex contributors to share a few books that we all might enjoy over the summer months. The result was our first ever “Summer Reading Guide,” which you can see HERE.
Over the winter months, we returned with a new “Winter Reading Guide,” presented in partnership with friend-of-The Speakers Annex Eleanor Wachtel, the host of CBC’s Writers & Company, who offered her own list of wonderful reading suggestions!
Stay tuned more of these fun reading guides as we head into the summer of 2026 and beyond!
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!
