Calendar
Check here for all of the upcoming events at UCPL. If you have questions about any of them, give us a call at 314-727-3150.
Join us in an online conversation with bestselling author Jason Reynolds as we discuss his latest work, Coach, the fifth–and last–entry in the highly popular Track series. Following the immersive stories of Ghost, Lu, Patina, and Sunny, it’s finally time for Coach to shine in his own book as we discover: Who was Coach before he became an inspiring leader?
Before Coach was the man who gave caring yet firm-handed guidance to Ghost, Lu, Patina, and Sunny on the Defenders track team, he was little Otie Brody, who was obsessed with Mr. 9.99 (a.k.a. Carl Lewis) and Marty McFly from Back to the Future. Like Mr. 9.99—and his own dad—Otie is a sprinter. Sprint free or die is practically his motto.
Then his dad, who is always away on business trips, comes home with a pair of Jordans. JORDANS. Fine as fine can be. Otie puts them on and feels like he can leap to the moon…maybe even leap like Mr. 9.99 when he won the Olympic gold medal in the long jump. But one morning he wakes up to find his brand-new secret weapon kicks are missing—right off his feet! And Otie just might have a fuzzy memory of his dad easing them off as Otie was sleeping, but that can’t be right, can it?
Unless all the reasons for his dad’s “gone’s” are very different from what he’s been told… Because now, not only are the Jordans missing, but so is his father.
How can singing to your food and eating dessert before dinner improve your digestion, skin, and overall wellbeing? Join us for an online conversation with bestselling author and entrepreneur Radhi Devlukia-Shetty, who takes us on a journey, written with generosity and kindness, in her book JoyFull.
A passionate self-taught cook and nutritionist, Radhi Devlukia-Shetty’s JoyFull is abundant and inviting. With more than 125 plant-based recipes, it is designed to balance health and satisfaction; her wide-ranging dishes bring vibrant flavors to every meal of the day and rely on accessible ingredients.
And because food alone cannot sustain us completely, Radhi shares her daily wellness practices: her revitalizing morning skincare routine, ancient rituals to nourish and strengthen your hair, meditations and prayers for staying present, and breathwork that will carry you through each phase of the day.
Radhi shares its transformative principles in a way that’s easy for anyone to incorporate into their life. She offers mindful practices around cooking and explains how, as we connect to our food and understand our body, we can improve our health. Whether satisfying comfort food or a gentle bowl of grains and veggies, each dish—and ritual—in JoyFull is intended to bring harmony to you and your body.
Join us for an exciting online conversation with internationally acclaimed author Marjan Kamali as we delve into the timeless wonder of her New York Times bestselling novel, The Lion Women of Tehran.
In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Lonely and bearing the brunt of her mother’s endless grievances, Ellie dreams for a friend to alleviate her isolation.
Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit. Together, the two girls play games, learn to cook in the stone kitchen of Homa’s warm home, wander through the colorful stalls of the Grand Bazaar, and share their ambitions of becoming “lion women.”
But their happiness is disrupted when Ellie and her mother are afforded the opportunity to return to their previous bourgeois life. Now a popular student at the best girls’ high school in Iran, Ellie’s memories of Homa begin to fade. Years later, however, her sudden reappearance in Ellie’s privileged world alters the course of both of their lives.
Together, the two young women come of age and pursue their own goals for meaningful futures. But as the political turmoil in Iran builds to a breaking point, one earth-shattering betrayal will have enormous consequences.
What if the only thing standing between you and the seemingly impossible…was belief? This is the question we’ll examine in an online conversation with bestselling author Nir Eyal, discussing his new work, Beyond Belief.
Most of your limits aren’t physical. They’re psychological. In Beyond Belief, Nir Eyal reveals how the hidden assumptions you carry shape what you see, how you feel, and what you do—and how to replace them with beliefs that unlock your true potential.
Grounded in neuroscience, psychology, and unforgettable case studies, Eyal introduces the Three Powers of Belief: Attention, Anticipation, and Agency. Mastering these powers transforms how you see challenges, feel about the future, and act when it matters most.
