New Montgomery County Speaker Series: 'Contemporary Conversations'

GAITHERSBURG, MD — Beginning in March, Montgomery County Public Libraries and Friends of the Library will offer a new speaker series focused on cultural and current issues.

The series is called Contemporary Conversations @ MCPL and will feature conversations with journalists, authors and other relevant speakers.

The first speaker of the series will be acclaimed radio journalist Kojo Nnamdi, the host of National Public Radio’s “The Kojo Nnamdi Show” and the TV talk show “Evening Exchange." Nnamdi is one of the most well-known interviewers and talk show hosts in the DC area.

Nnamdi is known for his extensive knowledge on a wide range of social, political and cultural issues relevant to DC and beyond.

His most recent episodes cover a variety of topics, such as: “Washington and The Trump Effect,” “Defriended By The Governor? Maryland ACLU Questions Larry Hogan’s Use Of Facebook” and “Is Washington A College Town?”

Nnamdi has received several awards, like Washingtonian of the Year in 2016 and when he was named one of the one hundred fifty most influential people in the metropolitan area.

This free event will take place on Saturday, March 4 at 7 p.m. at the Gaithersburg Library at 18330 Montgomery Village Avenue.

The next speaker in the series will be David Ignatius on April 1. Ignatius is a best-selling author, and an associate editor and prize-winning columnist for the Washington Post. He’s covered the Middle East and the CIA for more than 25 years.

Ignatius has also been honored with many awards, including the Urbino World

Press Award from the Italian Republic, the Legion of Honor from the French Republic and a lifetime achievement award from the International Committee for Foreign Journalism.

Ignatius will speak at 7 p.m. at the Gaithersburg Library.

For registration information, go to the library website.

Photo: The Kojo Nnamdi Show, Ted Eytan/Flickr