New York Public Library - Stephen A. Schwarzman Building

Dr. Amanda Quirk joins us to discuss analyzing starlight, also known as stellar spectroscopy. This powerful technique tells us the make up of stars and how they're moving, which allows us to make discoveries about stars and galaxies millions of miles away. You'll get a glimpse into the life of an astronomer, as you learn about how to plan for, conduct, and analyze real data from one of the largest telescopes on Earth, the Keck telescope. ABOUT THE SPEAKER Dr. Amanda Quirk did her undergrad at Columbia, inspired to study astronomy after seeing Saturn in a telescope at an observatory in Atlanta, GA. She completed her PhD at UC Santa Cruz, where she studied the evolutionary history of the Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies. During graduate school, she discovered her love of teaching and returned to Columbia after graduation as a Frontiers of Science Fellow. Now, she is a lecturer in the Astronomy Department and runs the outreach program. For fun, Amanda loves to paint, explore museums, and watch trashy reality TV.

At this event presented by the American Library Association, join us to explore how libraries contribute to resilient communities, digital inclusion, informed decision-making, sustainability, and global collaboration across local, national, and international contexts. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Featured speakers will include Leslie Weir, IFLA President; Dr. Maria McCauley, ALA President Elect and Director, Cambridge Public Library, Massachusetts; Dr. Corinthia Price, President International Association of School Librarianship, Board Member of the American Library Association; Dr. Anthony Chow, Director of the San Jose State University iSchool, California. President of the Chinese American Librarians Association, President of the California Library Association; Heba Mohamed Ismail, Libraries Technical Manager, Egypt's Society for Culture and Development and Chair of training and Education Committee at Arab Federation for Libraries and Information (AFLI); with moderator Loida Garcia-Febo, Consultant and Professor, Chair ALA IRC UN SDG Subcommittee, ALA Past President, Governing Board Member of IFLA, Chair IFLA Management of Library Associations Section.

Why do we love our favorite foods? What is “American food”? Explore these questions and more with NYC’s culinary experts. There’s no American melting pot bigger than the diasporic mix of food traditions found in the United States. Food brings people from all walks of life together in the spirit of connection, understanding, and the search for bold, new flavors. Join us for a discussion on America’s rich culinary tradition through two acclaimed books featured in NYPL’s Reading America list: Jane Ziegelman’s 97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement and Edna Lewis’s The Taste of Country Cooking. Author and culinary director Jane Ziegelman speaks with chef and culinary storyteller Lana Lagomarsini about the history of foodways in the US through the lens of immigration and Black culinary traditions, and to reflect on the shifts in taste over the course of US history.

In this conversation about Dining Out: First Dates, Defiant Nights, and Last Call Disco Fries at America's Gay Restaurants, author Erik Piepenburg takes us on a culinary tour of spaces filled with joy, sex, sorrow, activism, and nostalgia, joined by colleagues from the food world Telly Justice, Camille Lindsley, and Florent Morellet. This event was rescheduled from January 26 due to inclement weather. It will take place in person and online at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library on the 7th Floor. ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS Erik Piepenburg is the author of Dining Out: Last Dates, Defiant Nights and Last Call Disco Fries at America's Gay Restaurants (2025), a look at 100 years of queer dining history. A journalist, Erik has been writing for The New York Times since 2004, covering LGBTQ+ issues, film, theater, television, food and travel. His writing has also appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Grub Street, Out magazine, and many other publications. Originally and proudly from Cleveland, he now lives in New York City. Telly Justice (she/her) is the chef and owner of HAGS. A proud trans woman who has been working in the food industry for over a decade and a half. Her hard work has led to her being recognized as a Michelin Young Chef NY Winner 2023, a James Beard Foundation nomination for Best Chef New York 2023, a James Beard Foundation nomination for Emerging Chef in 2022, a Star Chefs Community Award Winner 2022, and in 2025 was recognized as one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs. At HAGS, Telly oscillates between serving flamboyant and outrageous tasting menus as well as fun and inclusive Pay What You Can meals. Camille Lindsley (she/her) is the wine director and owner of HAGS. A Queer sommelier with an undeniable eye for the finer things, Camille’s passion for hospitality runs deep and demonstrates her love of community, culture and history. She has received the Wine Enthusiast Future 40 in 2022 as well as winning the Star Chefs Community Award in 2022. Running the beverage program, and front of house operations at HAGS, Camille is devoted to marrying the theater of fine dining with the care and compassion of Queer hospitality. Florent Morellet owned the eponymous Restaurant Florent in the Meatpacking District. The restaurant was open in 1985 and closed in 2008. He now lives in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

Award-winning journalist, radio host, and political analyst Clay Cane joins us to discuss his debut novel, Burn Down Master's House, a rallying cry for the disenfranchised, a reminder of the power of defiance, and a testament to the enduring spirit of resistance. A brilliant work of provocative historical fiction, it features four stories of resilience and grit, each based on the harrowing experiences of real individuals, form a single, intricate, and stunning narrative of identity, power, and resistance. ABOUT THE SPEAKER Clay Cane is a New York Times bestselling author and award-winning journalist, radio host, and political analyst. More than 3 million listeners tune into The Clay Cane Show on SiriusXM each week, his commentary is heard on television networks such as ABC, MSNBC, FOX, and CNN, and his work has been featured in The Washington Post, CNN.com, and BET. He is the author of the instant New York Times bestseller The Grift: The Downward Spiral of Black Republicans from the Party of Lincoln to the Cult, Live Through This, and Burn Down Master's House. A graduate of Rutgers University, Phi Beta Kappa, with a B.A. in English and African American Studies, he lives outside of New York City. At this event, Clay Cane will be in conversation with NYPL Librarian Chasity Moreno. Chasity Moreno has dedicated 30 years to the New York Public Library, serving as a professional librarian for the last 20. Throughout her tenure, she has had the privilege of supporting and connecting with a diverse assortment of communities across New York City. Among her proudest accomplishments are her contributions to NYPL’s best book committees, co-hosting the Bryant Park Classic Book Club, and serving as a contributor to the NYPL book, Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers: A Little Book of Whimsy and Wisdom from the Files of the New York Public Library.

Singer-songwriter Eleri Ward performs her original song "Float" during her first visit to the New York Public Library. Set in a "beautiful gilded room," this intimate acoustic performance explores the concept of surrendering to the present moment and the "flow of life". Ward reflects on the challenge of letting go of control—noting it is often "delicious in theory, but terrible in practice"—and how allowing oneself to "float" leads to where one is meant to be. Performers - Eleri Ward feat. Jacob Yates Josh Rogosin - Creative Director Sam Fuentes - Senior Building Manager Scotty Illuminati - Intro Animation Filippo Passamonti - Mastering (VDSS Studio) TJ Woods - Associate Director, Technology Training Programs Brandy McNeil - Deputy Director, Branch Programs and Services Special Thanks to the patrons of the Field Recording Breakdown at NYPL's TechConnect Concert Hosted At The New York Public Library's Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in The Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division