When Marla Mendelson enrolled in the University of Chicago Graham School’s Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults, she found a community devoted to something increasingly rare: sustained, thoughtful conversation about big ideas.
Along with her husband, Stephen Wolff, MBA ’86, who takes Graham’s open enrollment courses, Marla began to imagine how that spirit of inquiry might extend beyond the classroom. Together with their daughters, Tova and Rachel, the Mendelson–Wolff family brought that vision to life in partnership with the Graham School through an Evening Inquiry Series. This new public conversation series will bring together world-class thinkers, writers, and scholars for dialogue on the most pressing questions at the intersection of culture, technology, and society.
Inspired in part by the long-running conversation programs at the 92nd Street Y in New York, the family envisioned creating a regular forum where Chicago’s intellectually curious community could gather to explore big questions. As Marla and Stephen explain, they recognized a need for accessible opportunities for lifelong learning, intellectual engagement, and informed discussion in the city, and saw the Graham School as the ideal partner to bring this vision to life:
“We approached the Graham School with the idea to create the Evening Inquiry Series because we saw a real need for accessible opportunities for lifelong learning, intellectual engagement, and informed discussion in Chicago. We believed Graham was the ideal partner to bring this vision to life – creating a space where the community can come together around shared interests and deepen both their intellectual and personal experiences.”
Together, they sought to create a space where individuals could come together around shared interests while deepening both their intellectual and personal experiences.
Seth Green, dean of the University of Chicago Graham School, said the series reflects Graham’s broader mission to foster intellectual engagement across the lifespan.
“Chicago is a city filled with curious people who want to think deeply about the forces shaping our culture, our technology, and our civic life,” Dean Green said. “Evening Inquiry Series at the Graham School creates a space for exactly that kind of conversation. It brings together leading thinkers and an engaged public community to explore ideas that matter, and it embodies the Graham School’s belief that rigorous intellectual inquiry should remain a lifelong pursuit.”
Opening Event
The inaugural event in the series will take place on the evening of June 30, 2026, and will feature Megan Garber, award-winning staff writer at The Atlantic, discussing her forthcoming book Screen People: How We Entertained Ourselves into a State of Emergency.
Megan’s work examines how life in a media-saturated environment has reshaped the way people see themselves and one another. Her book argues that modern culture increasingly encourages individuals to experience the world as though they are characters in an unfolding narrative, a shift that carries profound implications for politics, social trust, and democratic life.
The evening will begin with a reception for attendees, followed by a moderated discussion and audience Q&A. The event is open to all.
