This year marks the 450th birthdays of Shakespeare and Galileo, and in honor of this event, the Benjamin Franklin Project at IIT will be hosting lunchtime discussions about their works, lives, and legacies. Feel free to drop in for an informal conversation and some free food.

Lunch will be provided (RSVP appreciated), and the brief recommended readings can be obtained in advance from Carolyn Purnell (cpurnel1@iit.edu or carolynpurnell@gmail.com).

All talks will take place from 12:40-1:50 p.m. in the Hermann Hall, Armour Conference Room.

November 4: David Wootton, “Galileo: Watcher of the Skies” (15 pp.)
David Wootton, one of our conference speakers, is a Professor of History at the University of York. This piece from his book *Galileo: Watcher of the Skies* will focus on Galileo’s historical legacy.

This reading group leads the the way for a gala conference on Galileo and Shakespeare, to be held on November 13 and 14th, which is open to all members of the public and the IIT community. For additional information about the reading group or the conference, please contact Carolyn Purnell at cpurnel1@iit.edu.

These events are sponsored by the Benjamin Franklin Project at IIT and the Montesquieu Forum at Roosevelt University in partnership with the Jack Miller Center and with generous support from the John Templeton Foundation.