Emmy-nominated Producer
 CAPPY McGARR
will discuss his acclaimed new book
THE MAN WHO MADE
MARK TWAIN FAMOUS:
 Stories from the Kennedy Center, the White House, and Other Comedy Venues
Friday, January 7^th, 2022, 7PM

In The Man Who Made Mark Twain Famous, Cappy McGarr shares how he became an Emmy-nominated founder/executive producer of the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and got involved in national politics—all with charming southern style and a self-deprecating sense of humor. For decades, Cappy McGarr has been in the room where it happens. With The Man Who Made Mark Twain Famous, he’d like to invite you into that room, complete with his color commentary on the other folks inside.

For the first time in print, Cappy reveals how the Mark Twain Prize was conceived, how it changed venues and networks, and even how it almost wasn’t renewed after a controversial first outing with Richard Pryor. From there, Cappy pulls back the curtain for a behind-the-scenes look at over two decades of the Mark Twain Prize, sharing his take on the Kennedy Center’s tributes to Pryor, Jonathan Winters, Carl Reiner, Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Newhart, Lily Tomlin, Lorne Michaels, Steve Martin, Neil Simon, Billy Crystal, George Carlin, Bill Cosby, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Ellen DeGeneres, Carol Burnett, Jay Leno, Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray, David Letterman, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Dave Chappelle. Cappy also gives the inside scoop on several shows he produced from the East Room of the White House, including the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Plus, he tells tales from his involvement in national politics—including encounters with the likes of President Lyndon B. Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, Governor Ann Richards, President George W. Bush, President Barack Obama, and many others.

“Reading Cappy’s book is not unlike sitting down to dinner with him and listening to the stories he has picked up from decades of rubbing elbows with political leaders and comedians alike. There are historic set pieces. There are laughs and howls and chuckles and chortles.” —Ken Burns

“I have no doubt that if Mark Twain could vote, he would give his Prize to the brilliantly funny Cappy McGarr. Cappy’s witty, self-deprecating account of his work as a creator of the Mark Twain Prize makes it clear: the reports of humor’s death in Washington are greatly exaggerated.” – David Rubenstein, Chair of the Kennedy Center

Cappy McGarr is an Emmy-nominated co-creator and Executive Producer of the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. He has also served as an Executive Producer of seven White House musical performances honoring music legends including Stevie Wonder, Sir Paul McCartney, and Carole King.  His writing has been published in The New York Times, Politico, and USA Today.

Renowned Paleontologist and SDSU Professor
David Archibald

will discuss his critically acclaimed new book

 CHARLES DARWIN

Friday, January 14^th, 7PM ,2022

In 1859 Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species. In this bedrock of biology books Darwin carved a new origin-story for all life: evolution rather than creation. In his new biography J. David Archibald describes and analyzes Darwin’s prodigious body of work, as well as his equally productive home life – he lived with his wife and seven children in the hectic environs of Down House, south of London. There among his family and friends Darwin continued to experiment and write many more books on orchids, sex, emotions, and earthworms until his death in 1882, when he was honored with burial at Westminster Abbey. This is a fresh, up-to-date account of the life and work of a most remarkable man.

David Archibald taught at Yale University from 1977-83, is Professor Emeritus of Biology, San Diego State University, and Curator of Mammals at the SDSU Vertebrate Collections. He is the author or co-editor of many books including Charles Darwin: A Reference Guide to His Life and Works; Origins of Darwin's Evolution: Solving the Species Puzzle Through Time and Place; Dinosaur Extinction and the End of an Era: What the Fossils Say; and Aristotle's Ladder, Darwin's Tree: The Evolution of Visual Metaphors for Biological Order.