Lectures For Lifelong Learners!

From the ancient world to the recent past, this talk explores ten remarkable women who defied expectations and reshaped the world around them. Some names may be familiar—like Joan of Arc or Susan B. Anthony—but others, such as Queen Boudica or Licoricia of Winchester, might be less well known. Each made bold choices that challenged the norms of their time and left a lasting mark on history.

As we approach the 250th anniversary of American independence, this lecture recovers the hidden half of the Revolutionary story. Beyond the battlefield and the Continental Congress, women sustained the revolution through their labor, intelligence networks, and political activism, often at great personal risk. From camp followers and boycott organizers to spies and homefront revolutionaries, we’ll explore how women shaped the founding of the nation and then faded from its memory. Discover the patriots whose contributions were erased and why their stories matter today.

You don’t need to be a Taylor Swift fan to appreciate how popular culture processes history. This lecture uses Swift’s songwriting as a window into how we remember (and misremember) our past. Through close readings of Swift’s historical references, from Shakespeare to World War II and the Medieval period to the Gilded Age, we’ll explore the power of myth-making through popular music. Let’s take an unexpected journey through history, memory, and the stories we tell ourselves about who we were – all through the music of the world’s most famous songstress.