Katie Hafner who recently published her first novel, The Boys (2022), is our first of two authors visit this winter. A journalist for The New York Times, host and co-executive producer of the popular podcast Lost Women of Science, and author of multiple non-fiction books, Hafner will discuss her highly acclaimed debut fiction in conversation with Elyse Mall Klayman this coming Thursday, February 16, 2023 (Course 11695).

The Boys is about the yearning for love and connection and the ways childhood trauma plays out in adult life. When introverted Ethan Fawcett, a computer programmer, marries the vivacious Barb, he has every reason to believe he will be delivered from a lifetime of solitude. One day, Barb brings home twin Russian orphans, Tommy and Sam, to foster parent. When the pandemic hits, Ethan becomes obsessed with providing a perfect life for them, Ethan is unable to tell Barb something that has been haunting him since childhood, and the boys become a wedge in Barb and Ethan’s relationship. Ethan takes the boys on a biking trip in Italy and a surprise plot twist sheds light on Ethan’s behavior and what will be required for him and Barb to repair their marriage.

After the February break, David Sipress will be joining us for Author Visit: David Sipress, What’s So Funny?: A Cartoonist’s Memoir (2022) (Course 11696) on Monday, February 27, 2023. The staff cartoonist for The New Yorker since 1998, Sipress has published nearly 700 cartoons in the magazine. His memoir draws on his talent for evoking the predicaments and foibles of human nature to tell poignant stories about his family, life, and vocation. Richly illustrated with dozens of witty and wry cartoons, What’s So Funny? offers an illuminating, honest, and often hilarious glimpse into his emotional experience, creative process, and professional career. Praised by one reviewer as a “delightful jaunt through an inspiring artist’s mind,” this captivating memoir reminds readers that amidst all the laughs and amusement, cartooning is also serious business. Sipress will share some of his favorite cartoons during the presentation.

Lori Rotskoff will moderate the event and will also be including his memoir in her upcoming course, Reading Contemporary Memoirs (Course 11681), which begins on Wednesday, March 4, 2023.

Time will be reserved for audience Q&A. As with Hafner's author visit, this event will also be recorded and available to registered students for up to one week.

Most classes are on hiatus for our February break during the week of President's Day, with the exception of Italiano Conversazioni (11687) (already in progress) and the following single session class:

All upcoming classes are listed in our Printer-Friendly, Interactive Version of our Winter 2023 Catalog. New classes are added regularly.