Ringling College Library Association (RCLA) has announced the lineup of speakers for the 43rd season of its Town Hall lecture series, which kicks off in January 2024. 

“Next season will include three women who are absolute powerhouses in their respective fields,” RCLA executive director Lauren Kurnov said in a press release. “Our two male speakers are equally exceptional. The 2024 season promises to be thought-provoking, entertaining and inspiring.”

Former congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) is the first speaker of the 2024 season. The daughter of former vice-president Dick Cheney, Liz Cheney served as the U.S. representative for Wyoming’s at-large congressional district from 2017 to 2023. She also chaired the House Republican Conference, the third-highest position in the House Republican leadership, from 2019-2021 and, perhaps most memorably, served as the vice-chair of the select committee investigating the January 6 insurrection.

Amb. Marie Yovanovitch will take to the Van Wezel stage in February. Yovanovitch has served as a U.S. ambassador three times, most recently in Kyiv as the ambassador to Ukraine. Born into a family that survived both Soviet and Nazi terror before emigrating to the U.S., Yovanovitch earned the Senior Foreign Service Performance Award eight times and the State Department’s Superior Honor Award on nine occasions. In early 2022, her memoir, Lessons from The Edge, became an instant New York Times bestseller.  

Stanley Tucci arrives in Sarasota in late February. Tucci is an Academy Award-nominated actor known for his versatility as an performer, writer, director and producer. He has appeared in more than 90 films, countless television shows and more than a dozen plays on and off Broadway. A well-known food enthusiast, his latest project is CNN's Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, in which he travels through Italy exploring its culture, cuisine and history.

In March, best-selling author Nir Eyal will share key insights from the field of behavioral design. Eyal writes, consults and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology and business. He has co-founded and sold two tech companies and was dubbed "the prophet of habit-forming technology" by the M.I.T. Technology Review. He's also the author of two bestselling books, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life.

The season closes in mid-April 2024 with ballerina and activist Misty Copeland. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, and raised in San Pedro, California, Copeland began her ballet studies at the late age of 13. She joined American Ballet Theatre’s studio company in 2000 and became a member of its corps de ballet in 2001. In 2007, she became the company’s second Black female soloist and the first in two decades. In 2015, Misty was promoted to principal dancer, making her the first African-American woman to ever be promoted to the position in the company’s 75-year history.

All five lectures will be presented at Van Wezel Performing Arts Center, 777 North Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. Morning lectures begin at 10:30 a.m. and evening talks begin at 7:30 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.