Just a day after Dr. Anthony Fauci wrapped up the 2025 Ringling College Library Association Town Hall lecture series with two sold-out talks at the Van Wezel, the lineup has been announced for next year. The 2026 speaker series will feature Ken Burns, Laura Coates, Joel Sartore, Rob Reiner and Antony J. Blinken.   

Burns, the Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, will make his third appearance at Town Hall in January. In February, Emmy-nominated CNN chief legal analyst Laura Coates will take the stage, followed by National Geographic photographer and conservationist Joel Sartore later that month. In March, actor and director Rob Reiner will share highlights from his long career in Hollywood, and in mid-April, former U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will close out the series. 

All five lectures will take place at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center in Sarasota. Morning lectures begin at 10:30 a.m. and evening talks begin at 7:30 p.m.  

The Town Hall series is sold by subscription. Subscriptions sales will open for members in May and to the general public in June. For more information, click here.