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.
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.
Join us for a special visit from Eddy Harris, author of Mississippi Solo, an account of his journey by canoe down the entire length of the Mississippi River. Born in the Midwest and educated at Stanford University, Harris has been Writer in Residence and professor of English, Creative Writing, and African American Studies at esteemed institutions including Washington University in St. Louis and Goucher College in Maryland. He has traveled extensively the world, often in the most precarious conditions, and while he remains a simple Midwesterner at heart, he currently lives in France. He counts Mark Twain as one of his favorite writers.
This program is part of the 2026 Adult Summer Reading Big Book Challenge. The project is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the Missouri State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
