Named a most anticipated book by The New York Times, The New Yorker, TIME, Vulture, Today.com, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, LitHub, and Bookriot.
Two-time Pulitzer Prize–winning author Colson Whitehead joins us to celebrate Cool Machine, the exuberant final volume of his Harlem Trilogy.
Spanning the early 1980s, the novel follows Harlem businessman and fence Ray Carney as he is pulled back into the city’s shifting criminal landscape. In 1981, a desperate bid to secure a loan for his wife draws Carney into one last heist. By 1983, his volatile partner Pepper navigates the downtown art and club scene as a bodyguard. And in 1986, Carney risks everything to save his late cousin’s son, confronting the past he thought he’d left behind.
Moving across a transforming New York—from Harlem to Wall Street to the East Village—Cool Machine brings to life a city of ambition, danger, and reinvention.
The evening features a conversation with the author, followed by an audience Q&A.
The Innovators at Guild Hall brings you an insightful series spotlighting the business and cultural leaders who are reshaping their industries and doing game-changing work.
The Innovators, Episode 2: Women Redefining Travel, Hospitality & Lifestyle
Hosted by Malcolm Carfrae, this conversation brings together some of the most influential women shaping the future of luxury travel, hospitality, and lifestyle. Featuring Sarah Wetenhall of The Colony Hotel and The Hedges Inn, Jayma Cardoso of The Surf Lodge, Deborah Calmeyer of ROAR AFRICA, and Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos of Flag Luxury Group, the panel will explore visionary entrepreneurship, experiential hospitality, brand-building, and the growing impact of women-led businesses across the global luxury landscape.
The Innovators at Guild Hall is a conversation series featuring the visionaries redefining business, culture, and innovation across industries. From brand-building and audience growth to marketing strategy and operational excellence, each discussion offers fresh perspectives and actionable insights from today’s leading entrepreneurs and executives.
The program takes the form of a 50-minute conversation hosted by Malcolm Carfrae (Carfrae Consulting), a sought-after global brand and communications strategist, followed by a Q&A.
Networking and Reception to follow with drinks and light bites by Moby’s East Hampton.
Support Guild Hall as a Community Pillar and enjoy exclusive benefits for your business.
THIS PROGRAM IS SOLD OUT AND THE WAITING LIST IS NOW CLOSED. IN-PERSON STANDBY ON THE DAY WILL NOT BE PERMITTED FOR THIS PROGRAM. ONLY TICKETED PATRONS WILL BE ALLOWED ENTRY.
DON’T MISS OUT – WATCH IT LIVE ON C-SPAN HERE – MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 7 PM EST.
A CONVERSATION WITH SECRETARY HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON Moderated by Michael Froman
Presented by Guild Hall & The Common Good Series programmed by Ellen Chesler and Patricia Duff
Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton—former First Lady, U.S. Senator from New York, U.S. Secretary of State, two-time presidential candidate, bestselling author, and Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia—has spent decades at the center of American public life and global diplomacy. From advocating for women’s rights on the world stage to navigating moments of crisis and change in U.S. foreign policy, Secretary Clinton has engaged with some of the most complex challenges facing the world.
She will be joined in conversation by Michael Froman, President of the Council on Foreign Relations, for a wide-ranging discussion of diplomacy, development, and national security, touching on war and peace, shifting alliances, and the evolving role of the United States in a rapidly changing global landscape. At a time of uncertainty and realignment, Secretary Clinton offers both hard-earned insight and a clear-eyed view of what global leadership and cooperation might look like in the years ahead.
NivenBreen and Guild Hall invite you to the second annual East Hampton Design Day, a dynamic gathering celebrating creativity, craftsmanship, and the enduring impact of design in the Hamptons.
This year’s program brings together leading voices in interiors, architecture, publishing, and landscape design for four engaging panel discussions that explore the ideas, collaborations, and innovations shaping our built and natural environments. Through lively conversations, personal insights, and opportunities to connect with industry leaders, East Hampton Design Day highlights the designers, architects, and tastemakers who continue to define—and redefine—the Hamptons’ aesthetic landscape.
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
In Pursuit of Beauty: Charlotte Moss, Margot Shaw, Marshall Watson Speakers: Charlotte Moss (Principal, Charlotte Moss & Co.), Margot Shaw (Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Flower Magazine), Marshall Watson (Principal, Marshall Watson Interiors Ltd.)
A rare design trifecta, Moss, Shaw, and Watson invite audiences behind the lens of their work, sharing perspectives on world-class interiors and sumptuous gardens before joining in a dynamic conversation.
Design Stories: Reimagining the Past Speakers: Jacqueline Terrebonne (Editor-in-Chief, GALERIE), Deborah Berke (TenBerke Architects; Dean, Yale School of Architecture), Cordelia de Castellane (Artistic Director, DIOR Home & Baby DIOR), Bryan Graybill, and Alex Papachristidis (Principal, Alex Papachristidis Interiors & Everyday Elegance)
Moderated by Terrebonne, this conversation explores how history and tradition can be reinterpreted for contemporary living.
From Ho-Hum to Sublime: The Secret Powers of Transforming Rooms Speakers: Dara Caponigro (Creative Director, Schumacher; Editor-in-Chief, Frederic), Tom Scheerer (Principal, Tom Scheerer Inc.), Cathy Kincaid (Principal, Cathy Kincaid Interiors, Ltd.)
Kincaid and Scheerer share their intuitive approaches to transforming interiors, with Caponigro offering an editorial perspective on blending creativity with livability.
AD at Home in the Hamptons: Amy Astley in-conversation with Aerin Lauder & Sara Wetenhall Speakers: Amy Astley (Global Editorial Director & U.S. Editor in Chief, Architectural Digest), Aerin Lauder ( Founder and Creative Director of AERIN) & Sara Wetenhall (Owner & CEO, The Colony Hotel).
A Conversation with Leah Greenberg, Ezra Levin and Carlos Eduardo Espina Moderated by Margaret Hoover
Presented by Guild Hall & The Common Good Series programmed by Ellen Chesler and Patricia Duff
More than eight million people took to the streets in 3,300 determined yet joyous gatherings this past spring—the largest protests in American history. What motivates this contemporary revival of civic engagement? Who is behind this effort? How has it been organized, and what has been its impact?
Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin, partners in life and in work, are the co-founders of Indivisible, the grassroots network that has mobilized millions of Americans around civic participation and democratic reform through “No Kings” rallies across the country and around the world. Joining them is Carlos Eduardo Espina, a leading digital organizer and immigrant rights advocate whose widely followed social media platforms have mobilized millions, raised critical funds, and amplified stories often absent from national discourse, helping shape a more inclusive vision of civic participation.
The conversation will be moderated by Margaret Hoover, CNN political commentator, host of Firing Line, and former White House staffer, known for her clear-eyed perspective on American politics. Together, the panel will explore civic responsibility, collective action, and how democratic ideals continue to evolve in a divided country.
A Conversation with Jeh Johnson and Michael Luttig Moderated by Michael Waldman
Presented by Guild Hall & The Common Good Series programmed by Ellen Chesler and Patricia Duff
President Trump has asserted an expansive vision of executive power, challenging established legal and constitutional norms: he has dismantled congressionally authorized federal agencies and programs; imposed unilateral tariffs; summarily arrested and deported immigrants; canceled university grants for scientific and medical research; pardoned convicted criminals; and ignored protections against conflicts of interest. He has authorized military incursions in Venezuela and elsewhere, engaged in war in Iran, and publicly threatened interference with midterm elections.
The courts have pushed back, reversing many—but not all—of these actions. Litigation continues. Where do we stand today? How strong is our democracy? Midterms 2026: Is Democracy Itself on the Ballot? will bring together leading legal and national security voices to examine what is at stake in the months ahead.
Jeh Johnson, former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security and General Counsel of the Department of Defense, has served at the highest levels of government during moments of crisis. Michael Luttig, a former federal appellate judge and one of the country’s most respected conservative legal thinkers, has become a prominent voice on the rule of law and constitutional limits.
The conversation will be moderated by Michael Waldman, president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice and a leading authority on voting rights and constitutional law.
A book signing in the lobby will follow the program.
A Conversation with Lloyd Blankfein and Steven Rattner Moderated by Gillian Tett
Presented by Guild Hall & The Common Good Series programmed by Ellen Chesler and Patricia Duff
With inflation, interest rates, geopolitical tensions, and rapid technological change all in play, the global economic outlook feels unusually uncertain. The Global Economy: Where Is It Headed? will feature experienced voices from finance and public policy to unpack what matters most right now and what may be coming next.
Lloyd Blankfein, former Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs and author of a bestselling memoir, led one of the world’s most influential financial institutions through periods of both crisis and growth. Steven Rattner, financier, former head of the Obama administration’s Auto Task Force, and frequent economic commentator, brings perspective from both Wall Street and government. Gillian Tett, Member of the editorial board and weekly columnist at the Financial Times, and Provost of King’s College, Cambridge, known for making complex financial systems accessible and relevant, will moderate.
A book signing in the lobby will follow the program.
A Conversation with Tina Brown and Tom Freston Moderated by Ken Auletta
Presented by Guild Hall & The Common Good Series programmed by Ellen Chesler and Patricia Duff
Over the course of just three decades, the media business has been reshaped: newspapers and magazines have shuttered; three broadcast networks gave way to cable television and then fragmented further into a world of digital platforms, streaming, and artificial intelligence. The Changing Media Landscape will feature two media icons who helped drive that transformation, reflecting on where we have been and where we may be headed next.
Tina Brown, the influential editor behind Vanity Fair and The New Yorker and founder of The Daily Beast, has long been at the center of major shifts in journalism. Tom Freston, co-founder of MTV, former CEO of Viacom, and author of the 2025 book Unplugged: Adventures from MTV to Timbuktu, helped build some of the most recognizable global media brands of the past half-century and continues to weigh in on the industry’s future.
Moderating is Ken Auletta, longtime New Yorker writer and one of the country’s most trusted media observers, known for his reporting on the intersection of journalism, business, and power. The discussion will address the rise of social platforms, the erosion of traditional gatekeepers, and the responsibility media leaders carry in an age of misinformation and polarization.
A book signing will follow the program in the lobby.
Join David Breslin, Leonard A. Lauder Curator in Charge of Modern and Contemporary Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, for a conversation about the upcoming exhibition he co-curated, Krasner and Pollock: Past Continuous, opening at The Met on October 4, 2026, with an introduction by Max Hollein, Marina Kellen French Director and CEO of The Met.
The exhibition spotlights Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner, two artists with deep ties to the East End, and considers the parallel yet distinct breakthroughs that followed their move to Springs in 1945. Pollock and Krasner shared a long relationship with Guild Hall and in 1981, Guild Hall presented Krasner/Pollock: A Working Relationship, guest curated by Barbara Rose—an art historian, professor, critic, and biographer who organized the first major Lee Krasner retrospective in the mid-1980s.
Rush Tickets: A limited number of $25 rush tickets will be on sale for this performance, starting 20 minutes before the program begins, in person only, subject to availability. Customers will be instructed to line up outside no earlier than 45 minutes before the start of the show in order to access rush tickets, which are max 2 per customer.
The popular series kicks off its 15th year with Padma Lakshmi, the Emmy-nominated producer, television creator/host of CBS’s America’s Culinary Cup, food expert, New York Times best-selling author, and one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. Padma will sit down with Florence to discuss her 2025 book, Padma’s All American—Tales, Travels, and Recipes from Taste the Nation and Beyond: A Cookbook. This very personal book is the result of seven years of traveling, tasting, listening, and observing.
Doors will open at 10 AM for a pre-show continental breakfast courtesy of Citarella. A book signing will follow in the lobby.
Rush Tickets: A limited number of $25 rush tickets will be on sale for this performance, starting 20 minutes before the program begins, in person only, subject to availability. Customers will be instructed to line up outside no earlier than 45 minutes before the start of the show in order to access rush tickets, which are max 2 per customer.
