Padma Lakshmi, Veronica Roth, Xochitl Gonzalez, Michael Pollan to appear at 2026 Chicago Humanities Fest

Tonika Lewis Johnson, the artist behind the Folded Map Project, NPR’s Peter Sagal, “Top Chef” host Padma Lakshmi and author Xochitl Gonzalez will give talks at this year’s Chicago Humanities Spring Festival, the non-profit organization announced Tuesday.

Tickets go on sale to the public Thursday.

The festival, running from March 24 to June 28, offers events throughout the city and features a wide array of conversations from notable artists, musicians, politicians, authors and television hosts. The lineup this spring also travels to three different neighborhoods.

Bridgeport Day on April 18 features a variety of programs centered on racial justice, including a discussion about the “Great Replacement” theory with Mayor Brandon Johnson and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi at the Ramova Theatre. Yann Martel, the author of “The Life of Pi,” will discuss his new book in the same venue.

Northwestern Day will take place at various venues on the Evanston university campus on May 17 and include a visit with three of Frida Kahlo’s great-nieces, who opened Museo Casa Kahlo in Mexico City late last year.

For Lake View Day on May 9, architecture photographer and writer Will Quam will lead walking tours of the neighborhood, while David Axelrod, the former political advisor to former President Barack Obama, and New York Times columnist David French discuss politics.

Several notable Chicagoans are also participating in programming, including chef Curtis Duffy and musician Charles Joseph Smith, as well as historian Sherman “Dilla” Thomas and scholar Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor.

Here is a full calendar of 2026 Humanities Fest events.

March 24 Bassist Melissa Auf der Maur at Three Top Lounge

April 11 “Yellowface” author R.F. Kuang at First United Methodist Church

April 15 James Beard Award-winning author of “How to Change Your Mind” Michael Pollan at Francis W. Parker School

Bridgeport Day, April 18 features a talk about housing justice with Tonika Lewis Johnson, Amanda Williams and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, neighborhood bus tours led by Shermann “Dilla”” Thomas and a performance from Chicago composer Charles Joseph Smith.

Also happening on April 18:

• Dr. Nabarun Dasgupta & Dr. Gregg Gonsalves discuss public health in the era of fentanyl at Ramova Theatre Loft
• Walking tours of Bridgeport with Will Quam
• Photographer Sandra Steinbrecher on re-imagining The Salt Shed at Co-Prosperity
• Bestselling author Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Mayor Brandon Johnson in conversation at Ramova Theatre
• Author of “Life of Pi” Yann Martel talks about his upcoming novel, “Son of Nobody,” at Ramova Theatre Loft
• Letterpress printer and typographer Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. speaks at Co-Prosperity
• Peace activists Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon speak at the Ramova Theatre
• Arts writer Andy Beta talks about legendary jazz composer Alice Coltrane at Co-Prosperity
• Iconic comic artist Art Spiegelman at Ramova Theatre

April 20 Travel writer Rick Steves talks about his career at Francis W. Parker School

April 23 “Olga Dies Dreaming” author Xochitl Gonzalez appears at Three Top Lounge

April 23 The team behind NPR’s Planet Money speaks at the Athenaeum Center

May 3 Author Joe Abercrombie (“The First Law” and “The Age of Madness” trilogies) speaks at Francis W. Parker School

May 8 Host of NPR’s “Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!” Peter Sagal brings his U.S. Constitution Sessions to the Athenaeum Center

Lake View Day, May 9 features talks from political analyst David Axelrod and New York Times columnist David French at the Athenaeum Center. “Top Chef” host Padma Lakshmi and the creator of Radiolab will also appear.

Also appearing on May 9 at the Athenaeum (unless otherwise noted):

• NPR host Peter Sagal holds his U.S. Constitution Sessions
• Historian Gregory Dreicer talks Chicago skyscrapers and infrastructure
• Walking tours of Lake View with Will Quam
• Acclaimed historian and Columbia Journalism School professor Jelani Cobb
• Scholar of Critical Race Theory Kimberlé Crenshaw

Northwestern Day, May 17 Chef Curtis Duffy, of Chicago restaurants Ever and Grace, will be at the Block Museum of Art, while Rep. Lauren Underwood gives a talk at the Norris Center Louis Room on the Northwestern University campus in Evanston.

Also happening on May 17:

• Historian Mary Beard at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall
• Bestselling author Griffin McElroy at Norris Center, Louis Room
• Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel on the Wellness Industrial Complex at Norris Center, McCormick Auditorium
• Bestselling biographer Walter Isaacson at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall
• NPR host Peter Sagal’s U.S. Constitution Sessions at Norris Center, Louis Room
• Filmmaker John Waters at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall
• Bestselling author Veronica Roth (also an alumnus of Northwestern University) at Norris Center, Louis Room

May 20 "Culture Therapist" columnist Megan O’Grady will speak at Three Top Lounge

June 9 Bestselling author Matt Haig (“The Midnight Library,” “The Humans”) at Athenaeum Center

June 10 Pulitzer Prize finalist writer Dave Eggers (“A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius”) at the Old Town School of Folk Music

June 11 American jazz pianist Marilyn Crispell at the Art Institute of Chicago, Griffin Court

June 28 Bestselling author Ann Patchett ("Bel Canto," "The Patron Saint of Liars") at Athenaeum Center