Lectures. Talks. Ideas.
Dear Friends,
As we enter sweater season, and temperatures start to drop, things are heating up here at The Speakers Annex!
In just three weeks, we kick off our next courses at the Miles Nadal JCC: “The Joy of Food,” on Friday mornings starting November 7th; and “How Paris Changed the World,” on Wednesday afternoons starting November 12th. Tickets are selling fast and we’re very excited to host you!
I’m also thrilled to announce that The Speakers Annex, in partnership with the MNjcc and the Toronto International Festival of Authors, will be co-presenting an author event with the great John Irving. On the evening of December 1st, at the Isabel Bader Theatre, this legendary writer will join Globe and Mail columnist Marsha Lederman to discuss his hotly anticipated new novel Queen Esther. This event is now on sale and you can learn more and get tickets HERE.
As always, I’m standing by for questions about these programs, and please feel free to join us, for a drop-in ticket, as we wrap up our current courses on “History’s Most Influential Architects” and “The Making of Modern Art.” Please scroll below for more interesting programs from our MNjcc partners and other friends in the city.
We’re having so much fun learning 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 NEXT TWO FALL COURSES!
Fridays, November 7-December 12
10:30 AM-12 PM
MNjcc Members: $99
Non-Members: $119
| The Joy of Food: Six Delicious Dishes That Explain the Modern World
Speakers Annex favourite Dr. Laura Carlson leads this delightful survey of the history of six foods that have become staples of the modern table.
From bagels and lox and its lip-smacking journey into the heart (and stomachs!) of the Jewish diaspora to the migration of ice cream from the royal courts of Europe into your freezer at home, Laura will explore the rich histories of these iconic dishes and what they each reveal about the exchange of culture, ideas and delicious food that has shaped our modern world.
Click HERE for the full course schedule and descriptions of each of the six sessions.
Click HERE for a video greeting from Laura Carlson, previewing the series. |
Wednesdays, November 12-December 17
1:00 PM-2:30 PM
MNjcc Members: $99
Non-Members: $119
| How Paris Changed the World
Acclaimed writer and TV host Lisa Pasold takes us on an immersive journey through the history of Paris, exploring the city’s outsized impact on many aspects of urban life that we’ve come to cherish.
Drawing on exciting new material that we didn’t cover in her popular recent courses on Paris’s cultural landmarks and cafe society, she’ll guide us through the revolutions in art, fashion, food and politics that emerged from the City of Light, transforming our idea of the modern city.
Click HERE for the full course schedule and descriptions of each of the six sessions.
Click HERE for a video greeting from Lisa Pasold, previewing the series. |
AN EXCITING AUTHOR EVENT!
December 1, 2025
7:30 PM
Isabel Bader Theatre
| John Irving on Queen EstherJoin us for a memorable evening with internationally acclaimed author, John Irving, as he presents his sixteenth novel, Queen Esther – a powerful return to the world of his beloved classic The Cider House Rules.
Spanning from Vienna in 1905 to Jerusalem in 1981, Queen Esther traces Esther Nacht’s extraordinary journey: from her early orphanhood and the care of Dr. Wilbur Larch, to her enduring bond with the philanthropic Winslow family, to her own reckoning with history, faith, and identity.
With characteristic depth, humour, and humanity, Irving crafts a story that confronts anti-Semitism while celebrating the enduring strength of love and loyalty. |
COURSES STILL IN SESSION
Fridays, September 12-October 17
10:30 AM-12 PM
Drop-in Tix Available:
MNjcc Members: $21.60
Non-Members: $24
| The Making of Modern Art
In this new series from art historian Barbara Isherwood, we’ll explore how the radically new ideas and inventions that changed life in the 19th and early 20th centuries transformed art as well.
As we survey stunning works by Manet, Gauguin, Kandinsky, Picasso, Mondrian, O’Keeffe and Canadian icons like Lawren Harris and Emily Carr, we’ll examine the stories behind their most important creations and learn how the social changes that they were living through impacted the development of modern art.
Click HERE for the full course schedule and descriptions of each of the six sessions.
Click HERE for a video greeting from Barbara Isherwood, previewing the series. |
Thursdays, September 11-October 23
10:30 AM-12 PM
Drop-in Tix Available:
MNjcc Members: $21.60
Non-Members: $24
| History’s Most Influential Architects
He's back! After rave reviews for his courses on Great Buildings of the 20th and 21st Centuries, former Toronto Star architecture critic Christopher Hume returns to explore the careers of history's most influential architects.
Tackling architects, eras and buildings that we didn’t cover in his recent courses, Hume will guide us from the Classical pioneers who invented architecture as we know it today to the modern giants, from Frank Lloyd Wright to Rem Koolhaas, who have expanded its potential for creative expression.
Click HERE for the full course schedule and descriptions of each of the six sessions.
Click HERE for a video greeting from Christopher Hume, previewing the series. |
SOME COOL EVENTS FROM OUR PARTNERS
| 2025 Canadian Jewish Literary Awards Winners Gala
Join the MNjcc in the Al Green Theatre to honour the 2025 winners of the Canadian Jewish Literary Awards! Local and international authors discuss their award-winning publications on important Jewish themes and diverse subjects, including Fiction, Jewish Culture, Biography/Culture, Biography/Memoir, Yiddish, Scholarship, Poetry, and the Irving Abella Award in History.
Sunday October 26, 2-4:00 PM, followed by a dessert reception and book sales/signing.
Free - register to attend in person or to receive the recording! Questions? Email Lisa Roy, [email protected].
Learn more here. |
| Join Rock & Roll Professor Rob Bowman in the Al Green Theatre
The Laurel Canyon – the 1960s West Coast music colony – attracted such burgeoning superstars as Joni Mitchell, Mamas & Papas, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and The Eagles.
Learn about this musical renaissance with Grammy Award-winning ethnomusicologist Rob Bowman. Mondays: October 20-November 10, 1:00-2:30pm. Join us in the Al Green Theatre, on Zoom simulcast, or register to receive the recordings!
Questions? Email [email protected].
Register HERE. |
| Grand Global Cultural Centres with Peter Harris
Immerse yourself in grandeur as Dr. Peter Harris draws back the curtains to reveal some of the world’s most majestic performing arts houses and cultural centres! In this three-part lecture series, learn about the history and design of such renowned opera houses as Sydney and La Scala; classic theatres from ancient Epidaurus to The Globe; contemporary sites including The Met and Tasmania’s MONA, and repurposed structures such as Musée d’Orsay in Paris and London’s Tate Modern.
Thursdays: November 13-27, 1:00-2:30pm. Join us in person, on Zoom simulcast, or register to receive the recordings!
Questions? Email [email protected].
Register HERE.
|
Tours available every weekend until October 25th.
Tours are 90-120 minutes.
$15 per person (and free for Society Members).
| Take An Architecture Walking Tour of Toronto
Get in the mood for our upcoming architecture series with Christopher Hume with our pals at the Toronto Society of Architects and their fun and informative architecture walking tours of Toronto.
With 11 unique themes to choose from, from heritage to contemporary design, their volunteer guides will share tales that will help you (re)discover your city!
Learn more and get your tickets here.
Contact: [email protected] |
| Visit and Enjoy the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto
The Arts & Letters Club is a social club for people active or interested in literature and the arts. Located in its historic Toronto building at 14 Elm Street, the Club hosts literary talks, stage productions, musical performances, painting sessions and more. The Club’s lounge and bar is open to visitors every Friday from 4 pm to 7 pm. Beginning in September, the Club will be offering the Speakers Annex community an opportunity to sample its fun events.
If you are interested in learning more, please email Martin Jones at [email protected]. For more information on the Club, please visit www.artsandlettersclub.ca. |
THE SPEAKERS ANNEX READING GUIDE!
In June, I asked some of our favourite Speakers Annex contributors to share a few books that we all might enjoy over the summer months. The summer months are now (sadly) over but if you’re ever looking for something fun to read you can see the full list HERE.
And if you’ve read anything lately that totally knocked your socks off, please email me at [email protected]. I’d love to add it to the list for others to enjoy!
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 fall 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!
