Taking a Stand lectures begin May 3 at Lewes library

The Lewes Public Library and Topical Seminars present Taking a Stand, a series of free public lectures and interviews featuring prominent thinkers, authors and leaders, many of whom have taken a stance regarding important issues of the time. All lectures begin at 6 p.m. at the Lewes Public Library, 111 Adams Ave., Lewes, and are free of charge and open to the public.

Friday, May 3, Steven Pressman will be interviewed about his HBO documentary, “50 Children: One Ordinary American Couple’s Extraordinary Rescue Mission Into the Heart of Nazi Germany.”

Wednesday, June 26, Judge Thomas Ambro of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit will participate in a conversation on “The Life and Legacy of Justice Holmes.”

Saturday June 29, Georgetown University law professor and author Shon Hopwood, whose incredible transformation from convicted bank robber to prominent attorney was highlighted on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” will speak of his experiences and criminal justice.

Saturday, July 13, prominent First Amendment attorney Robert Corn-Revere will discuss his successful defense of Lenny Bruce and how it led New York state to posthumously pardon Bruce.

Saturday, July 20, Susan Cohen, who served as vice president for public policy for the Guttmacher Institute for 38 years, will speak on “Reproductive Rights: Past, Present and Future.”

Saturday July 27, Dr. Richard Pazdur, MD, director of the Federal Drug Administration’s Oncology Center of Excellence, will discuss “Treating Cancer: What We Do and Do Not Know.”

Saturday, Aug. 3, author and New York Times reporter John Leland will be interviewed about his book “Happiness is a Choice You Make: Lessons From a Year Among the Oldest Old.”

Saturday, Aug. 10, Ronald Collins and David Skover, co-authors of “The People v. Ferlinghetti: The Fight to Publish Allen Ginsberg’s ‘Howl,’” will hold a conversation. 

Saturday, Aug. 17, Paul M. Smith, the lawyer who in 2003 successfully argued one of the nation’s landmark gay rights cases, will discuss the state of LGBTQ rights in America.

This lecture series is co-hosted by the Lewes Public Library and Topical Seminars. Topical Seminars is a bimonthly meeting of community members interested in informed discourse on a variety of topics. The goal is to have a shared learning experience that will improve the social capital of the community.