DISTINGUISHED GUEST LECTURES – FALL 2026 VIDEOS

Coordinators: Arlynn Greenbaum, Bob Reiss, Karen Levin, Estelle Selzer

The Distinguished Guest Lecture Series enhances the Quest program experience by inviting recognized experts in their fields to present on varied subjects.

To view a video click on the link above its description.

DISTINGUISHED GUEST LECTURES
Making the Best of What’s Left

Presenter: Judith Viorst
Presentation Date: September 16, 2026

• Judith Viorst Video

We are happy to start the Fall semester with our Kenneth Leedom/Peter Cott Memorial Guest Speaker – Judith Viorst, whose latest book is Making the Best of What’s Left: When We’re Too Old to Get the Chairs Reupholstered. With her signature wit and wisdom, she will discuss the trials and tribulations of the “final fifth” – ages 80 to 100.

Viorst is the author of over 40 books for children and adults including the beloved Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and Necessary Losses. She has written humorous books of poetry for every decade starting with It’s Hard to Be Hip Over 30. She and her late husband Milton had three sons and seven grandchildren. She lives in Washington, D.C.

DISTINGUISHED GUEST LECTURES
Nothing Random: Bennett Cerf and the Publishing House He Built

Presenter: Gayle Feldman
Presentation Date: September 30, 2026

• Gayle Feldman Video

At midcentury, Bennett Cerf was a household name — a witty panelist on What’s My Line and the head of Random House, which he co-founded. He published everyone from Eugene O’Neill, Gertrude Stein and William Faulkner to Truman Capote, Ayn Rand, Philip Roth and Dr. Seuss. Gayle Feldman’s comprehensive biography, which has received rave reviews, paints a vivid portrait of 20th century New York and the golden age of publishing.

Gayle has written for Publishers Weekly for 40 years and since 1999 has been the U.S. correspondent for The Bookseller. She is also the author of a cancer memoir, You Don’t Have to Be Your Mother and Best and Worst of Times: The Changing Business of Trade Books. She spent more than 20 years researching and writing Nothing Random