The Lewisville Talks – City Speaker Series brings national influencers to Lewisville to discuss current events, trends, and ideas that can enrich our lives and create a discussion forum for the future of communities, residents, and community leaders. Past speakers have included New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown, first female private space explorer Anousheh Ansari, and others. 

Upcoming Lewisville Talks Events:

Future speakers will be announced at a later date.

Past Speakers

Mary Annaïse Heglar

Heglar is known for her essays that dissect and interrogate the climate crisis, drawing heavily on her personal experience as a Black woman with deep roots in the South. 

Brent Gleeson

Gleeson is a Navy SEAL combat veteran, entrepreneur, best-selling author, and acclaimed speaker on topics ranging from leadership and building high-performance teams to culture and organizational transformation.

Tom Luce

Informed by decades of public policy experience at the local, state, and national level, in 2016 Luce founded Texas 2036 amid growing concern that without careful consideration, planning, and decision-making regarding the future, the tremendous opportunities Texas offers may not exist for future generations.

Anousheh Ansari

On September 18, 2006, Ansari captured headlines around the world as the first female private space explorer. She is a serial entrepreneur and co-founder and chairman of Prodea Systems, a technology company working to unleash the power of the Internet to all consumers and dramatically alter and simplify consumer’s digital living experience.

Sandra Brown

Sandra Brown is the author of 71 New York Times bestsellers, including Outfox, Tailspin, Seeing Red, Sting, Mean Streak, Friction, Deadline, and Rainwater.

Donald Norman-Cox

Denton-based writer Donald Norman-Cox is the author of Juneteenth 101: Popular Myths and Forgotten Facts.

John Bramblitt

Denton-based artist who after losing his eyesight, was able to reconnect with the visual world through his art.  John discussed the methods, materials, and techniques that led him from being someone who felt they could never paint again to someone who has had the great fortune of sharing their art with people all over the world.

Dr. Peniel Joseph

As one of our preeminent historians of race and democracy, Dr. Joseph argues that the period since 2008 has marked nothing less than America’s Third Reconstruction. In his book, The Third Reconstruction, Dr. Joseph offers a powerful and personal new interpretation of recent history. The racial reckoning that unfolded in 2020, he argues, marked the climax of a Third Reconstruction: a new struggle for citizenship and dignity for Black Americans, just as momentous as the movements that arose after the Civil War and during the civil rights era.

Javier Avila - The Trouble With My Name

Javier Ávila is a professor of English as well as a poet, novelist, and public speaker. He writes in both English and Spanish, and his work has earned him numerous awards, including his most recent honor as the recipient of the Cultural Arts Award given by the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education. In 2015, he was named Pennsylvania’s Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation. This award inspired Javier to take his classroom to the masses, using the power of poetry and storytelling to deliver a powerful message about unity and inclusion. Thus, The Trouble with My Name was born.