See Lynda Barry in conversation with Jad Abumrad this May 9th in Chicago!

May 9th, 2026: 7 PM - 8:30 PM at Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture

Drawing on Abumrad’s podcast about Fela Kuti and grounded in Barry’s book Syllabus, the two consider the healing and regenerative capacities of creative practice. Barry will share stories and slides from her work with children — demonstrating how drawing can lift us out of toxic, paralyzing feelings and return us to something more instinctive and alive. And together, Barry and Abumrad will consider art not as luxury or ornament, but as a vital human technology: a way of metabolizing fear, restoring imagination, and reconnecting us to one another. In a moment when despair feels ever-present, two of the world’s leading creatives offer us a living demonstration of how art can move us, change us, and carry us forward.

Buy tickets here