Pande Lecture Management

09/24/2026

09/21/2026

"We have traded a system that was biased and commercially distorted for one that is biased, commercially distorted, and prone to simply making things up, all while sounding more confident than any of the sources it cannibalized to produce its answer." —Siva Vaidhyanathan, Boston Review

In the midst of a sounding cry about the imminent doom of AI imposed mass-destruction, it's worth taking a step back.

What was the internet? How did we get here? And most importantly, how do we get out?

Siva speaks widely on the impact of digitalization on society and democracy, and has been doing so for years. He considers how technological advances like artificial intelligence, corporations like Google and algorithm-fueled social media platforms shape the way we think and what we can do to foster a new, and better Internet ecosystem.

That conversation feels especially urgent now. As AI chatbots and Google summaries increasingly stand between us and the web, they are also undermining the very ecosystem that has incentivized people to continue contributing to it. As Siva puts it, "Having organized the web, Google now proposes to replace it."

We highly recommend giving the full article a read, which you can find linked on our bio.

Or even better, invite Siva to speak to your audience in person or virtually.

09/16/2026

Two of our speakers, Wilbert L. Cooper and Lee Hawkins, recently took home Outstanding Book Awards at NABJ’s 2026 Authors Showcase! 🎉📚

Will was honored for his extraordinary new work, THE BLACK SHIELD: AN AMERICAN MEMOIR OF FAMILY AND POWER, a startling account of the lives of Black police officers in Cleveland, Ohio.

Lee was recognized for his harrowing and vital memoir, I AM NOBODY’S SLAVE: HOW UNCOVERING MY FAMILY’S HISTORY SET ME FREE, a powerful account of his family’s legacy of post-enslavement trauma and resilience.

Both memoirs address how to break oppressive cycles and the proactive steps we can take toward lasting healing.

Congratulations, Will and Lee! We’re so proud to have you as part of our speaker community. 👏👏👏

09/15/2026

This Thursday, Davarian L. Baldwin will be at in St. Louis for the Sawyer Seminar on Black Studies and the Future of the American University!

After last week’s launch with Angela Davis, Davarian will join the conversation on what’s next for the American university, considering how we think about academic freedom, knowledge, and the public good in the process.

Not in St. Louis? You can join virtually! Find more event details + the livestream link through the link in our bio.

09/01/2026

Planning to attend the Mississippi Book Festival on September 26? Be sure to catch while you're there and if you're able, make time to visit John's exhibition, Build Your World at The Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience, on view through March 27, 2027.

Exploring the art of visual worldbuilding, the exhibition features original sketches, storyboards, and finished artwork—including more than two dozen original drawings from the graphic novel Kindred—while highlighting how comics can reclaim history, celebrate Black culture, and design new futures.

“This exhibition is more than an art show—it’s an experience—a living laboratory for building a better future,” said The MAX President and CEO Penny Kemp.

Whether on stage, in the classroom, or in conversation, John brings these ideas to life in ways that inspire audiences to think differently about storytelling, history, and imagination.

Get in touch to learn more about speaking and appearance opportunities.

🎥 Video courtesy of and

08/24/2026

Big news: Wilbert L. Cooper is joining our speaker roster! 🎉

An award-winning writer and filmmaker, Wilbert has told stories everywhere from the page to the screen, including his VICE documentary, The Cleveland Strangler, which was nominated for a National Magazine Award. He brings that same versatility to the stage, with a passion for multimedia storytelling. We’re thrilled to have him with us!

Wilbert’s debut memoir, THE BLACK SHIELD: An American Memoir of Family and Power, tells the startling story of the Black Shield, a Black police organization in Cleveland, while tracing his own family’s journey into law enforcement.

"The result is an eloquent, enraging, earnest, often hilarious history of what it means to be Black and blue in Cleveland.” —Robin D. G. Kelley

THE BLACK SHIELD is out tomorrow! 🎉 📖

08/18/2026

Can love be political? The idea that love has a place in public life has been criticized for being impractical, impossible, and dangerous. Yet, this was the way James Baldwin lived his life.

Drawing on Baldwin's life and work, Myisha Cherry offers an action-oriented account of what it means to take love public, not as sentiment, but as a practice that can transform how we respond to conflict, injustice, and one another.

Cherry's talks explore our emotional lives: how we cultivate authentic resilience, rethink emotional intelligence, and understand our emotions as a path toward radical repair.

How has James Baldwin shaped the way you think about love and justice? We'd love to hear your thoughts, and if this question resonates with you, Myisha Cherry's Baldwin 101 lecture offers a compelling place to continue the conversation.

08/15/2026

As students, educators, and families head back to school, we couldn’t recommend a more timely resource than MAIN STREET and its accompanying educator’s guide. 📚

The book began when educator and author Tiffany Jewell was looking for resources to help teach her kids about redlining after they came across the concept in a book. She reached out to fellow educator Britt Hawthorne for recommendations, and together, they realized there were few books that explored redlining in a child-friendly way while also empowering young readers to take action in their own communities.

And so, MAIN STREET was born!

This back-to-school season, we’re sharing the MAIN STREET educator’s guide as a resource for classrooms, families, and curious young readers. Whether a student comes with questions of their own or you’re looking for ways to bring these important topics into your curriculum, this guide is a great place to start.

Here’s to a school year filled with curiosity, and conversations that help young people better understand the world around them. ❤️

You can find the full PDF at the link in our bio.

08/12/2026

Literary Cleveland’s Inkubator Writing Conference is the largest free writing conference in the country and this year two incredibly talented writers from the PLM roster will be joining the line-up!

Short-story writer extraordinaire, Danielle Evans will lead a workshop on time and interruption in fiction, contribute to a panel on writing in the age of genAI, and read from her own work.

Cleveland native, Wilbert L. Cooper will be giving a workshop on mining the past for memoir writing, based on his own challenges penning his debut memoir, THE BLACK SHIELD which chronicles three-generations of his Black family surviving in Cleveland and working in law enforcement. He will also be reading from his work.

Don't miss it! Learn more at:
inkubator.litcleveland.org

08/11/2026

Please welcome Danielle Evans, award-winning writer and, in the words of Roxane Gay, “the finest short story writer working today,” to our speaker roster! 🎤 📖

Danielle's story collections include the 2021 Joyce Carol Oates Prize winning The Office of Historical Corrections and Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self.

With the recent Executive Order calling for signage outside the Smithsonian for containing “inaccurate information,” Danielle's essay collection, and the title story in particular, could not be more relevant, and strangely prophetic.

In The Office of Historical Corrections, Cassie, a field agent for the government-backed Institute of Public Policy, is assigned to address the “contemporary crisis of truth” and “protect the historical record” by walking around with a handheld printer to generate corrections for inaccurate historical information.

Published in 2021, it’s clear that Danielle has an uncanny ability to bring insight to the beating heart of subjects of race, grief, love, apology, and American history.

Her work makes an excellent choice for author visits, writing workshops, and community or college one-read programs looking to use fiction as an entry point to discussing today’s hard topics.