An Evening With Doris Kearns Goodwin
天天吃瓜 invites the University community and general public to "An Evening with Doris Kearns Goodwin," the renowned scholar and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, who will discuss how the past informs the 2024 U.S. presidential election. This conversation will be moderated by distinguished journalist and former host of 鈥淐hicago Tonight鈥 Phil Ponce. A Q&A with the audience as well as a book signing will follow the discussion.
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024
天天吃瓜, Main Campus Auditorium, 3701 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. in Chicago
Tickets are $25 per person and go on sale to the general public on Friday, Aug. 22. A limited number of tickets will be sold for $50, which will include admission to the event and a copy of 鈥淎n Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s,鈥 to be signed after the Q&A. To reserve your seat, visit , by tickets in person at the Welcome Desk and Box Office on the University鈥檚 Main Campus, or call (773) 442-4636.

Doris Kearns Goodwin
is the author of nine books, including the critically acclaimed and New York Times bestseller 鈥淟eadership: In Turbulent Times,鈥 which incorporates her five decades of scholarship studying U.S. Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson. Her first book for young readers, 鈥淭he Leadership Journey: How Four Kids Became President,鈥 will be published in September and examines the childhoods of Lincoln, both Roosevelts and Johnson, to show how essential leadership traits can be developed.
In 2020, Doris executive produced her first documentary miniseries, 鈥淲ashington,鈥 for the History Channel, through her independent production company, Pastimes Productions Inc. Other miniseries for the History Channel include 鈥淎braham Lincoln, 鈥淭heodore Roosevelt鈥 and 鈥淔DR.鈥 Pastimes is currently executive producing an eight-part documentary miniseries, Kevin Costner鈥檚 鈥淭he West鈥 for the History Channel, and has a number of other projects in various stages of development.
Doris earned the Pulitzer Prize in History for 鈥淣o Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II.鈥 Her 鈥淭eam of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln鈥漺as awarded the Lincoln Prize and was, in part, the basis for Steven Spielberg鈥檚 highly acclaimed film 鈥淟incoln.鈥
Photo by: Annie Leibovitz

Phil Ponce
Ponce is a longtime Chicago journalist who began at WTTW Channel 11 in 1992 as a correspondent for 鈥淐hicago Tonight鈥 and substitute for longtime host John Callaway. In 1997, Ponce joined the Washington, D.C.-based 鈥淣ewsHour with Jim Lehrer鈥 as an anchor. Two years later and until 2021, Ponce returned to Chicago to host 鈥淐hicago Tonight.鈥 He holds the title of the Alexandra and John Nichols Chief Correspondent.
About the Lecture Series
The Daniel L. Goodwin Distinguished Lecture Series was established in 2015 by the late Daniel L. Goodwin, Chairman and CEO of Inland Real Estate Group of Companies, Inc., as part of his historic $2.5 million commitment to 天天吃瓜. The lecture series continues to support freedom of speech by engaging prominent thinkers who represent all sides of contemporary issues.
Previous featured speakers in the Goodwin Lecture series have included:
- Political pundits James Carville and Mary Matalin (February 2017)
- Financial expert and author Terry Savage (October 2017)
- Olympic champion Jackie Joyner-Kersee (September 2018)
- Environmental activist Erin Brockovich (February 2019)
- Veteran political strategist Donna Brazile and former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer (September 2019)
- Former PepsiCo Vice President Richard P. Monta帽ez (February 2020)
- Former Illinois Director of Public Health Dr. Ngozi Ezike (April 2022)