University Libraries

Carlson Conversations Lecture Series

The University Libraries Carlson Conversations Lecture Series returns for the 2024-25 academic year. This year the libraries will bring in 6 lectures to cover a wide range of topics from local history to craft beer to A.I. Beginning in September the lecture series will feature:

THE TOLEDO PAPERS: UNCOVERING THE HIDDEN BACKSTORIES OF TOLEDO’S PAST

Lecture by Tedd Long
September 18 at 3 p.m.

Tedd Long is a multi-talented author, blogger, photographer, lecturer, and curator known for his work on holytoledohistory.com. His deep passion for the history of the Maumee Valley shines through in his engaging storytelling, uncovering fascinating backstories and surprising facts. Tedd has earned acclaim for his award-winning books and his contributions to the Emmy-winning series Untold: Hidden Stories of Northwest Ohio.

SUBURBAN NIGHTMARES: TEENAGE TERROR AND THE SLASHER FILM

Lecture by Dan Compora
October 24 at 7 p.m.

During the latter half of the Twentieth Century, as fears of urban sprawl and crime weighed on the minds of Americans, citizens left the cities for the perceived safety and comfort of the suburbs. The emergence of the slasher film challenges this concept, presenting suburban America as neither safe nor secure. Infamous horror villains use the American suburbs as their playground: Halloween’s Michael Myers attacked people in their homes, while Freddy Krueger invaded the subconscious minds of the teenage residents of Elm Street. Despite people’s best efforts to enjoy middle-class life, these films proved that nowhere is safe.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: THE URBAN GEOGRAPHY OF AMERICAN CRAFT BREWERIES

Lecture by Neil Reid
November 20 at 3 p.m.

Neil Reid, Ph.D. is Professor of Geography at the University of Toledo. Much of his recent research has focused on the economic geography of the American craft brewing industry. Dr. Reid’s academic research has covered a variety of topics including craft breweries and neighborhood change, the role of craft breweries as Third Places, craft breweries and adaptive reuse of abandoned buildings, and craft beer tourism. Dr. Reid writes a blog on the beer industry, www.thebeerprofessor.com.

THE THREE LIVES OF PHILIP MARKOWICZ

Lecture by David Neil & Steven Markowicz
Januray 29, 2025 at 3 p.m.

Some stories should not be left untold, and the life experiences of Philip Markowicz comprise one such story. In fact, when he looks back upon his past, Philip feels like he has lived three lives, not just one. His first life was growing up as a young boy in Przerab, Poland. But that was all disrupted and his second life began when the Germans invaded Poland at the start of World War II. Of his large family just he and his brother, Henry, survived the ghetto only to be sent to Auschwitz and a series of other concentration camps ending the war on a death march that few survived. Philip did survived the Holocaust to start his third life, one of rebuilding in spite of what he had lost. He met and married his wife, Ruth, in a Displaced Persons camp, and they eventually moved to the United States, where Philip worked hard to give his wife and three children every opportunity his new country offered.

CODE, COLLAGE, AND CRITIQUE: EXPLORING CREATIVITY AND CONTROL IN THE AGE OF A.I.

Lecture by Ashley Pryor, John Sarnecki & Ammon Allred
February 26, 2025 at 3 p.m.

Join us for a discussion about the complex relationship between human creativity and the increasing power of artificial intelligence. Three philosophers will examine the complex technical, political, ethical, and artistic considerations around AI and art to consider what makes something 'creative.'

TOLEDO’S TENDERLOIN IN THE PRE-PROHIBITION ERA

Lecture by Doug Tracy
April 9, 2025 at 3 p.m.

Doug Tracy is a retired software engineer and project manager. A child of the sixties, he grew up on the far east side of Columbus, Ohio. Always involved in creative pursuits of some kind, from art to music to writing, his innate inquisitiveness led him to the rich world of Toledo history and the many untold stories of the Tenderloin, Toledo’s Red-Light District, all of which will be featured in his upcoming book, “Wide Open.”