Literary Favorites

Where classic authors come to life

I’m Lauren Radick, a passionate literature instructor dedicated to more than just summarizing great books—I bring their authors to life. My lectures explore the personal histories, creative battles, friendships, rivalries, and cultural forces that shaped the world’s most iconic literary voices.

Through rich storytelling and insightful analysis, I guide lifelong learners beyond the page to truly discover the authors behind the classics—who they were, how they lived, and why their voices still echo today.

Available for in-person lectures in South Florida, and via Zoom.

All lectures offered individually, as a complete series, or customized to meet the unique interests of your community.

Background:

Before turning to teaching literature, I spent many years as an early childhood center administrator—an experience that fostered my lasting appreciation for curiosity and learning at every stage of life.

Today, I lead dynamic lectures for adult learners, bringing classic authors to life through their personal histories, relationships, and cultural moments. My signature series, The Life and Times of Literary Favorites, explores the real people behind the books we love.

As an adjunct literature instructor for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Florida International University, I have the privilege of working with engaged, thoughtful readers who share a true passion for literature.

My academic background includes a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Literature from Emerson College and a master’s in Education from The George Washington University.

Lectures from The Life and Times of Literary Favorites:

• Agatha Christie: The Real-Life Gone Girl
• F. Scott Fitzgerald: Love, Loss and the American Dream
• Gertrude Stein and The Lost Generation
• Jane Austen: Social Critic and Comedian
• Oscar Wilde: A Life of Brilliance, Wit and Wisdom
• Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Beyond Sherlock Holmes
• Sylvia Plath: Poet and Fashionista
• The Bronte Sisters: The Lives of Three Remarkable Writers
• The Hoax Execution of Fyodor Dostoevsky
• Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group
• George Eliot: A Mind of Her Own
• Charles Dickens: Voice of the People
• Elizabeth Gaskell: Stories of Society
• Thomas Hardy: Fate and Fiction
• Mark Twain: Wit on the River
• Harriet Beecher Stowe: Voice of Justice
• Louisa May Alcott: Courage and Compassion
• Nathanial Hawthorne: The Scarlet Legacy
• Writers of The Lost Generation: Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Stein

Lectures from the Literary Anniversaries:  

• 100^th Anniversary of The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
• 100^th Anniversary of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• 65^th Anniversary of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• 90th Anniversary of Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
• 60th Anniversary of Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball

Lectures from Acting Out The Classics: From Page to Stage:

• Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway and James Joyce’s Ulysses
• Harriet Beecher Stowe Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Mark Twain Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
• Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula
• Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird and Truman Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Other classes:

• What Should I Read Now? A Fresh Guide to Choosing Your Next Book
• Contemporary Jewish Woman Novelists
• The History of True Crime: Real Stories, Lasting Impact
• Voices of Today: Women in Writing

Where I teach:

• Florida International University OLLI, Biscayne Bay Campus, Miami
• Florida Atlantic University OLLI, at Boca Raton and Jupiter Campus
• University of Miami OLLI, Coral Gables
• Nova Southeastern University Life Learning Institute, Fort Lauderdale
• Rochester Technical/Community College, Learning Is ForEver (LIFE) (via Zoom)
• Brockway Memorial Library, Miami Shores
• Pembroke Pines Jewish Center, Pembroke Pines
• Plaza at ParkSquare, Aventura
• William Island Club, Aventura
• The Waterford Senior Living, Juno Beach
• Vi Living, Aventura
• University of Pittsburgh OLLI (via Zoom)
• Florida State University OLLI, Tallahassee (via Zoom)
• Washington University at St. Louis OLLI (via Zoom)

Upcoming Lectures/Series:

OLLI at Florida International University – FIU | The Life and Times of Literary Favorites: Voices of 19th- Century America | Online Registration

OLLI at Florida International University – FIU | Truman Capote: 60th Anniversary of the Black and White Ball | Online Registration

The Life and Times of Literary Favorites at OLLI at Florida State University

OLLI at Florida International University – FIU | Getrude Stein: The Heart of the Lost Generation | Online Registration

Miami Shores Florida – OSHER Program: The Life and Times of Literary Favorites with Lauren Radick

Seminar: Writers of The Lost Generation: Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Stein

Life and Times of Literary Favorites OLLI at University of Pitt

Arthur Conan Doyle: Beyond Sherlock Holmes – Bundle Eligible OLLI at Florida Atlantic University

All lectures offered individually, as a complete series, or customized to meet the unique interests of your community.

Please contact Lauren Radick at LRadick10@gmail.com.