Once the world’s bastion of liberal, democratic values, Europe is now having to confront demons it thought it had laid to rest. The resurgence of nationalism, racism, and anti-Semitism contribute to a looming crisis that threatens to tear Europe apart. Drawing on his extensive firsthand reporting across the Continent, as well as his book The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues, and the Coming Dark Age, New York Times bestselling author James Kirchick shines a light on some of the many crises confronting America’s most important ally.

Until quite recently the mere suggestion that someone might be gay could ruin careers and destroy lives. Today, gay people enjoy full participation in American life. How did we get to this point so rapidly? In this talk based on his instant New York Times bestselling book Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington, award-winning journalist James Kirchick discusses the many and surprising ways in which the fear of homosexuality impacted American politics and society, and the transformative role freedom of expression played in overcoming it. Covering every president from FDR to Bill Clinton and drawing on the extensive research he conducted for Secret City, hailed by the New York Times as “a luxurious, slow-rolling Cadillac of a book,” Kirchick opens America’s closet door.

Record numbers of Americans say that they are afraid to speak their minds. Some of the nation’s top universities can be found at the bottom of campus free speech rankings. Freedom House reports that freedom of expression is in decline around the world — including the West. Drawing on his experience reporting from unfree countries and his two widely acclaimed books — Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington and The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues, and the Coming Dark Age — New York Times bestselling author James Kirchick delivers a report on the precarious state of free expression in the world today and a stirring call in its defense.

The horrific attack of October 7^th was a particularly gruesome manifestation of an evil that has poisoned humanity for thousands of years: antisemitism. For over two decades, New York Times bestselling author James Kirchick has been a vigilant and vocal foe of this societal scourge, condemning it frequently in leading publications and the media. Drawing on his personal experiences as a student confronting antisemitism at Yale University, a foreign correspondent who has reported on Jewish communities around the world, and a sharp observer of American politics and society, Kirchick doesn’t hold back from calling out antisemitism wherever it appears on the ideological spectrum.