Michele Speich, executive director of the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, California, has announced a pair of public program initiatives with upcoming target dates. “We are kicking off our fall with a brand-new WebCast series called the NSC Inspiration Series,” explained Speich. “These WebCast events will happen once a month and will feature interviews with authors, scholars, musicians, artists, and more and will focus upon the inspirations that fuel their work, especially if part of that inspiration comes from John Steinbeck.”

On October 21, William Souder will give a book-launch talk on Mad at the World, his long-awaited life of John Steinbeck, scheduled for release by W.W. Norton and Company on October 13. On October 22, the first installment of a quarterly series called Steinbeck Conversations will feature David M. Wrobel, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Oklahoma. Joining Wrobel to discuss “Getting History Right” in understanding John Steinbeck will be Pete Peterson, Dean of the School of Public Policy at Pepperdine University, and Wilfred “Bill” McClay, Director of the Center for the History of Liberty at the University of Oklahoma.

Follow the links to register for these events, both of which are free.