“America at 250: A View from Canada and Iceland,” February 20 America at 250 Lecture with Eliza Reid

REGISTER HERE

Acclaimed author and former First Lady of Iceland Eliza Reid will deliver the third America at 250 lecture, exploring how storytelling has shaped and can re-shape the ways in which we understand the United States within the context of an interconnected world (see abstract below). The event will be held on Friday, February 20 in the ballroom at the Tiger Hotel, with the talk starting at 5pm and a reception to follow. Anyone interested in attending can RSVP (recommended, but not required) using the link above.

“The Power of Storytelling: How Everyday Encounters Can Shape Extraordinary Journeys”

Canadian-born Eliza Reid grew up with a neighbo(u)r’s curiosity about the United States, but it was through meeting Americans in all their complexity—people whose daily lives spoke of both hardship and hope—that she saw that the country’s myths take on human shape. These encounters underscored that the American story is not fixed, but constantly rewritten. In this talk, she explores how storytelling can help Americans reclaim ownership of that story and see themselves as active authors of their shared future in an interconnected world.

Eliza will share her experiences of the United States over nearly half a century—from a cross-country road trip when she was twenty years old, to various national book tours as an adult author and events she spoke at as First Lady of Iceland. She discusses how her travels and personal connections with Americans shaped her impression of a nation of courage and contradiction. She reveals why serving as First Lady of Iceland—an unexpected honour that occurred after a seven-week campaign on her husband’s first foray into elected office—made her more of an optimist, and how now is the time to galvanize our communities and understand that we can all use our everyday encounters to shape extraordinary stories.

Eliza Reid is the bestselling author of Secrets of the Sprakkar: Iceland’s Extraordinary Women and How They Are Changing the World, a 2022 New York Times Book Review Editors’ Pick, a sought-after public speaker, and co-founder of the acclaimed Iceland Writers Retreat. She served in the unofficial and nonpartisan role of First Lady of Iceland from 2016 to 2024 when her husband was president of the country, using her time in the position to advocate for gender equality, increased sustainability in tourism, and the promotion of Iceland’s rich literary heritage (among many other things).

The Spring 2026 America at 250: Global Perspectives Lecture Series is brought to you in partnership with the State Historical Society of Missouri