The ‘L word’ Comes to Life

Meghan Bush, who was appointed the Miller McCune executive director of UCSB Arts & Lectures just over a year ago, is understandably excited about the “Word of Mouth” series in the upcoming 2026-27 season, the part that makes up the bulk of the latter half of the A&L moniker. 

“We have very high standards and fortunately we’ve been able to attract very interesting and elite speakers, some of the great thinkers and writers of the world, for a long time,” she said. “I think it’s the strongest since Roman Baratiak, who was an exceptional programmer, retired six years ago. It was a concerted choice by our team as we put the season together.” 

Bush pointed to Scott Galloway, who kicks off the series on September 25 with a talk at the Arlington Theatre based on his No. 1 bestseller Notes on Being a Man. “I can’t think of anybody who shows up in people’s (social media) feeds with more opinions more frequently. And I love what he’s talking about, which is, frankly, how to be an empathetic male, which is pretty darn important right now.” 

Even more politically pointed are Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and Atlantic staff writer Anne Applebaum (January 31, Granada) whose books include Autocracy, Inc., and who Bush called “an institution.”

“There may not be another author who’s been more prescient about the state of the world we’re living in right now,” she said. “She is an absolute authority on world affairs and has a lot of wisdom to share.”

Also on tap: Christopher Wray, the former FBI director, who will talk about geopolitics and national security at Campbell Hall on February 16; Kara Swisher (April 8, Granada), who will discuss the promises, pitfalls, and profound questions surrounding the pursuit of longevity in her talk titled “Technology and the Future of Being Human”; and Hakeem Oluseyi (May 5, Campbell), an astrophysicist and inventor who will draw on his book Why Do We Exist for his talk, rounding out the Word of Mouth series. 

Then there’s the Speaking with Pico series that is truly unique to Arts & Lectures as the ever curious and insightful author and essayist lives part time in Santa Barbara, and never fails to draw surprising connections in his intimate conversations with the collection of compelling voices in contemporary culture who populate the events. Among those guests are multiple returnee Michael Pollan (February 19, Granada), this time talking about his journey into consciousness as reported in his latest book A World Appears, and literary prize collector Margaret Atwood (April 23, Arlington), whose prolific prose includes The Handmaid’s Tale and many other bestsellers. Iyer will also be investigating beyond the obvious with tennis star turned cultural icon John McEnroe (May 7, Arlington), and author Yiyun Li (January 26, Campbell Hall), whose Things in Nature Merely Grow – a memoir that explores life after losing both her sons to suicide, finding meaning through writing, gardening, and philosophy – received the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Memoir. 

“They’re all exciting names who we really put a lot of muscle behind acquiring for our program this year. Curating spoken word events with the same energy and care we apply to the performing arts helps to set us apart from other universities and performing arts centers,” Bush said. “We want people to remember that we’re really good at this.”

Subscriptions for both Word of Mouth and Speaking with Pico, like all of A&L’s series, are available at 20 percent off the single ticket prices, and now is the time to act if you want to take advantage of the deal with premier seating. Otherwise, single tickets go on sale at 10 am on August 7. 

Talk at Tecolote 

Jane Hulse, former city editor at the Santa Barbara News-Press, discusses Spanktown Papers, the latest novel in her American Revolution series, at 3 pm on Saturday, August 1, at Tecolote Book Shop, 2470 E. Valley Road in Montecito. The story takes place in Philadelphia, the heartbeat of America’s founding, where young journalist Sarah Barrett, not surprisingly, is working at a newspaper. When a dashing coffeehouse proprietor is murdered, Sarah dives into the mystery and becomes entangled in a scandal that rocked the city where 20 Quaker pacifists were rounded up, jailed, and banished to the wilds of Virginia for eight months for refusing to back the war for independence. We imagine the revival of the News-Press as an online nonprofit might also get mentioned. 

Chaucer’s Choices

Mario T. García’s book Rupert García: The Making of an American Artist, a Testimonio, the first biography of the renowned American Chicano visual artist and activist Rupert García, draws on 50 hours of interviews conducted over 30 years and accompanied by 80 images. The in-depth oral history gives an unparalleled look at García’s life and work, tracing his evolution as an artist and the political upheavals that shaped his life and worldview. Talk and book signing with author García, UCSB professor of Chicano studies and history, takes place on Tuesday, August 4. 

Jann Winford’s novel Dating Under the Influence of Estrogen has been described as a rom-com with a dash of memoir, a no-holds-barred, laugh-till-you-snort adventure of returning to the riotous and hilarious dating scene that may – MAY – lead her to finding her Mr. Right. Talk and signing on Wednesday, August 12.

Chaucer’s Books is located at 3321 State St. in Loreto Plaza Shopping Center. 

Visit www.chaucersbooks.com

Reflections on Resiliency 

Sissy Taran and Tiffany Howard, authors of We Are Resilient, an emotional, conversational journey through the meaning of resilience with inspirational characters of varied life experiences, are joined by contributing authors Grace Fisher, Emma Solano, and Andy Gilliland in the sharing of personal reflections on resilience and the experiences that have shaped their stories in a special event at the Central Library. Book signing and refreshments will follow the 5:30 pm talk on Thursday, August 13, in the Faulkner Gallery, where an exhibit of Grace Fisher’s artwork will be on display through the month of August.