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Lecture Series: Crossing the Heart of Africa w/ Julian Smith

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Few people have heard of the British explorer Ewart Grogan. Yet in his day, “Grogs” was famous on both sides of the Atlantic for a unique and groundbreaking feat of exploration: in 1898-1900, he made the first trek the length of Africa, from “Cape Town to Cairo,” much of it through unmapped and hostile territory, to win the hand of the woman he loved.

In 2007, author Julian Smith was the first person to retrace Grogan’s route from South Africa to Sudan. In his presentation, he compares the modern reality—from cell phones and endangered wildlife to the specters of AIDS and genocide—to the world Grogan saw, with its hostile cannibals, lethal animals, near-constant sickness and the ongoing tragedy of colonialism. (And just as New Zealand beauty Gertrude Watt was waiting for Grogan, Julian’s fiancée Laura was also waiting for him, with their wedding scheduled a month after he came home.)

Julian Smith is an award-winning travel and science writer whose work has appeared in Smithsonian, Outside, Wired, National Geographic Traveler, New Scientist, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and US News & World Report. His African journey is the subject of his recent book “Crossing the Heart of Africa: An Odyssey of Love and Adventure” (Harper Perennial).

Member Ticket price:

No Charge

Guest Ticket Price:

$20

Student Ticket Price:

$5 w/ ID

Reservation Notes:

Payment must accompany reservation. Tickets are secured only when a credit card is provided at the time the reservation is made. Reservations made without a credit card are not secured and tickets will be forfeited by 6:50pm the evening of the lecture.

Reservations are suggested on a first-come, first-served basis. Please call 212-628-8383, Fax 212-228-4449, or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)