Season One
Happy Hour Recordings
June – November 2020

Thursday, July 23rd at 4:00 PM (EDT)

Regency and Gothic Revival: Architecture of the South with Robin D. Williams, PhD.

Robin B. Williams, Ph.D., has chaired Architectural History at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), since founding the department in 1995. Having earned his Ph.D. in the History of Art at the University of Pennsylvania, he specializes in the history of modern architecture and cities in Europe and North America. His Happy Hour session explores the evolution and diversification of architectural styles during the Regency and early Victorian eras in England and their impact on the United States, particularly in the American South.


Wednesday, August 5th at 4:00 PM (EDT)

Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to know, the Brontë Sisters with Marie Kervin

Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to know, The Brontë Sisters will challenge the pearl of established wisdom that sisters Charlotte, Anne, & Emily were mild, decorous examples of Victorian womanhood. This lecture will debunk the myth and contains themes of domestic violence, opium addiction, extramarital affairs, alcoholism, necrophilia, sadism and coercive control apparent in the sisters’ literary work.


Wednesday, August 19th at 4:00 PM (EDT)

Write ON! with Outlaw Poet Ron Whitehead

Ron Whitehead, Outlaw Poet, will present “Write ON”! a feast for your mind and heart. Ron has lived the extraordinary life of a writer, performer, traveler, and activist through his poetic world of unparalleled vision. Through his writings, photographs, and clips from his upcoming film, Ron will share how his ESU scholarship to Oxford, meeting with exalted persons, and general life connectivity has developed a deeper vision of a world where Respect has led the way. In this program you will be entertained, challenged, and encouraged to tap your inner writer.


Wednesday, September 2nd at 4:00 PM (EDT)

Shakespeare Scandals and Scoundrels with Andrea Mays

Andrea will share her favorite Shakespeare cocktail concoction with us and then will present background information about the First Folio and why it was a fetish object for collectors. She will delve into the Scandals surrounding the First Folio and will disclose fascinating information about the Shakespeare Scoundrels dating back to the Gilded Age of Collectors, to forgers of folio pages, to facsimiles created in the 1790’s, and finally to the stolen Durham University Copy in 1998.


Wednesday, September 16th at 4:00 PM (EDT)

Downton Abbey in the Kitchen with Dr. Annie Gray

Annie Gray, food historian, chef, and broadcaster has published four books including the best-selling “The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook.” Dr. Gray will tell how she compiled those extraordinary recipes and stories about the TV series. She will also tell us about her latest book, “Victory in the Kitchen—The Life of Churchill’s Cook.” We will learn the story of Georgina Landemare who was Winston Churchill’s cook during WWII. Her book offers fascinating insight into the dining habits of the war-time leader and the nation as a whole.

Click here to download Dr. Gray’s treacle tart recipe.


Wednesday, September 30th at 4:00 PM (EDT)

Still the Promised Land with Dr. Natwar Gandhi and Panna Naik

Dr. Natwar Gandhi program presents fascinating and deeply personal story of how an impoverished immigrant made his way to the new world, remade his life and ultimately became the chief financial officer of Washington, D.C. His life is an inspiring account of how to survive seemingly hopeless circumstances, with an uplifting message for present-day America. He will be joined by his wife, distinguished poet, Panna Naik.