The Monadnock Summer Lyceum will launch its 57th season of Sunday morning presentations on July 5 at the Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Church, featuring a lineup of eight speakers and performers addressing foreign policy, history, youth perspectives and social issues.
The series, which runs through Aug. 23, traces its roots to the original 1828 Peterborough Lyceum. Each event begins with live music at 10:30 a.m., followed by the main presentation at 11 a.m., and concludes with a noon reception where attendees can meet the speakers. All programs are free and open to the public at 25 Main St.
Local retiree and 30-year U.S. foreign policy veteran Bob Beck will kick off the Monadnock 2026 Summer Lyceum speaker series Sunday, July 5, at the Unitarian Universalist Church.
Beck’s presentation, “Why Foreign Policy Matters,” begins at 11 a.m. and will draw on his decades of experience living abroad, including firsthand observations of the post-communism transition in Prague, conflict in Syria and Iraq, and rising Chinese influence in Southeast Asia.
The event will open at 10:30 a.m. with a musical performance by the Tara Greenblatt Band, a contemporary folk, jazz, world, and soul ensemble. Following the lecture, a question-and-answer session will be held, concluding with an informal reception at 12 p.m.
Karl Kaiser, a Peterborough resident and senior fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School, will introduce Beck. The program is sponsored by the Peterborough International Affairs Forum, with season sponsorship provided by Microspec Corp.
The rest of the 2026 schedule includes:
- July 12: Writer Tom Weiner and Dr. Amilcar Shabazz, professor of Afro-American Studies at UMass Amherst, present “Listen to the Abolitionists.” Michelle Stahl will moderate, with music by Gwir and Abhai Llewellyn. The Putnam Foundation sponsors the event.
- July 19: Vermont-based ensemble Village Harmony will perform “Songs of the World,” featuring traditional ethnic music sung by teens and young adults. Marybeth Hallinan will moderate, with sponsorship from Waterhouse Restaurant. Free childcare will be provided.
- July 26: Michael Brownstein, professor of philosophy at John Jay College, presents “Somebody Should Do Something,” which explores individual action on global issues such as climate change. Dr. Kiki Berk will moderate, with music by the Grove Street Band. Belletetes, Inc. sponsors the event.
- Aug. 2: Recent ConVal High School graduates Hadley Bates, Ava Cronin and Clara Wilsher present “On Growing Up Today.” Eric Bowman will moderate, with music by Melissa and Emily Goodrich. RBC Wealth Management sponsors the event, and free childcare will be available.
- Aug. 9: Laura Knoy, former host of New Hampshire Public Radio’s “The Exchange,” discusses her transition to fiction writing in “A New Chapter for a New Hampshire Icon.” Mel Allen will moderate, with music by Volkert Volkersz. RiverMead sponsors the event.
- Aug. 16: Alex Green, Harvard Kennedy School lecturer and biographer, presents “What Do We Do When We Know We’ve Been Wrong?” Elizabeth Goodhue will moderate, with music by pianist Virginia Eskin. Monadnock Community Hospital sponsors the event.
- Aug. 23: Louis P. Masur, history professor at Rutgers University, concludes the season with “Leadership Lessons from Lincoln.” Dr. Mary Kelly will moderate, with music by Wendy Keith and Walden Whitman. Runyon Law Office, PLLC, sponsors the event.
Microspec Corporation provides season sponsorship for the series. More information is available at monadnocklyceum.org.