Atheneum boats excellent week of speakers
BY MARLI GUZZETTA INDEPENDENT ARTS EDITOR
Science, education, poetry, ecology. If any of these subjects appeal to you, the Nantucket Atheneum is a beacon of intellectual stimulus this week, with speaking engagements scheduled for writer Calvin Trillin, MIT President Dr. Susan Hockfield and National Resources Defense Council President Frances Beinecke.

Calvin Trillin

Trillin has been acclaimed in fields of writing that are remarkably diverse. As someone who has published solidly reported pieces in The New Yorker for forty years, he has been called "perhaps the finest reporter in America." His wry commentary on the American gestalt and his books chronicling his adventures as a 'happy eater' have earned him the reputation of "classic American humorist." Trillin was born and raised in Kansas City, Mo. and now lives in New York. He graduated from Yale in 1957. Since 1990, Trillin has written a piece of comic verse weekly for The Nation. His latest book, "About Alice," released in January of this year is a New York Times Best Seller. (Wed., July 25, 8 p.m., at the Unitarian Church)

"Calvin has been one of my favorite authors through the years. The minute I get my New Yorker, I open to the list of contributors and scan it for Calvin," said Atheneum director Molly Anderson. "It's going to be wonderful to hear him in person. I adored his last book on Alice, but we didn't ask him specifically to talk about the book, so he's chosen a topic that's specifically of interest to him, on being a 'deadline poet.'Anumber of people have said they're coming on island specifically that week to catch him."

A noted neuroscientist whose research has focused on the development of the brain, Hockfield is the first life scientist to lead MIT and holds a faculty appointment as professor of neuroscience in the Institute's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. (Friday, July 20, 8 p.m., at the First Congregational Church)

"Susan Hockfield will be really interesting. The whole educational scene up there on the Charles is changing - with a woman president at M.I.T. and a woman president at Harvard. I just think it's a very cool period, and she has a wonderful science and education background. I'm interested to hear what she has to say not just about women and education, but just education in general," Anderson said.

Beinecke became the NRDC's second president in 2006. She served as executive director from 1998 through 2005 and has been with NRDC for more than 30 years. The NRDC is a national environmental action organization that uses law, science and the support of 1.2 million members and online activists to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living things. Beinecke's leadership is informed by a strong background in ecosystem studies. She received her bachelor's degree from Yale College and a master's degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. (Monday, July 23, 8 p.m., at the Unitarian Church)

"Frances Beinecke is of course related to the island Beineckes, and she has been just a powerful force for the environment for a long time," Anderson said. "Again, that's an area that will be focused on a great deal in the next election, and it's important for us to know who are the agents for change and how this one organization has been able to make significant changes in the world. … I want her to also tell us how we can paticipate and

what we can expect in the future." I

For tickets, call 228-1110 or visit the Atheneum, 1 India Street.