SPAC 60October 23, 2026 on SPAC’s Amphitheater Stage

Saratoga Springs, NY (August 13, 2026) – Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) today announced Constellating Wonder: Maria Popova and Friends Celebrate 20 Years of The Marginalian, a singular evening of literature, music, science, philosophy, and storytelling honoring the twentieth anniversary of one of the world’s most beloved independent literary publications. Taking place in the SPAC amphitheater on October 23, 2026—exactly twenty years after Popova shared the very first Brain Pickings email with seven colleagues—the one-night-only event will bring together an extraordinary constellation of artists, writers, musicians, scientists, and performers.

“Maria Popova is one of the most extraordinary thinkers and cultural voices of our time, and her work has had a profound personal impact on how I see and think about the world,” said Elizabeth Sobol, Chief Executive Officer of Saratoga Performing Arts Center. “For years, Maria’s books and The Marginalian have led me into a new way of understanding the deep interconnectedness of art, science, literature, philosophy, and the natural world—and of approaching all of it with greater wonder and curiosity. Maria has inspired millions to think more deeply and expansively and I am thrilled that SPAC will be the place where we celebrate her remarkable work and the twentieth anniversary of The Marginalian. This evening embodies so much of what we believe in at SPAC: the power of art to connect us, to expand our understanding of the world, and to remind us of the extraordinary miracle of being alive.”

At the dawn of her twenties, Maria Popova began keeping a small personal record of her marginalia on the search for meaning. On October 23, 2006, she began sharing it in an office email to seven colleagues at one of the four jobs she held to pay her way through college. They in turn began sharing it with friends, who began sharing it with friends. The fractal grew and, within a few years, the Library of Congress had included it in its permanent digital archive of culturally valuable materials. It changed shape (the essays grew longer, the questions deeper) and name (Brain Pickings became The Marginalian) but continued beating with the same heart, reckoning with the ongoing bewilderment of being alive – sometimes through science and philosophy, sometimes through poetry and children's books, always through the lens of wonder. Without staff, without advertising, it has remained a thoroughly one-woman labor of love beloved by millions. 

To celebrate twenty years of it, Maria is inviting friends from various walks of life – poets and physicists, musicians and actors, artists and historians of science – to read passages from the books that have most touched her over the years, each of which she will introduce with a reflection on its resonance to the eternal questions we live with: what do we make of our suffering, why did the world have to be beautiful, how do we see more clearly and love more purely. With the format of her popular show The Universe in Verse and the feeling-tone of her Marginalian essays, the evening will feature live appearances and special contributions across spacetime by a constellation of friends, among them Krista Tippett, Marie Howe, Diane Ackerman, James Gleick, Natascha McElhone, Debbie Millman, Sophie Blackall, Uma Thurman, Stephon Alexander, Natalie Batalha, Willow Defebaugh, Paola Prestini, Wendy MacNaughton, Zoë Keating, Joan As Police Woman, and Nick Cave.

The event will also feature a pop-up “Museum of Delights,” where attendees may enter a raffle to receive one of Popova’s handmade ceramic works and other original creations by the impartial hand of chance. A curated bookstore will feature Popova’s twenty favorite books of all time alongside signed copies of her own works. Vegan food offerings will also be available for purchase onsite.

Honoring the spirit by which The Marginalian has endured over the years, offered freely and supported by donations, tickets will be available on a pay-what-you-please basis, ranging from the event’s basic operating costs to higher levels of support. Complimentary tickets will also be available by request for those who need them. In addition, a livestream viewing option will also be available for audiences unable to attend in person.

For tickets, livestream access information, and additional details, visit spac.org.

This event is made possible through the generous support of Walt & Whitman.

Event Details:

Constellating Wonder: Maria Popova and Friends Celebrate 20 Years of The Marginalian
Friday, October 23, 2026
6:00–9:00 p.m.
Saratoga Performing Arts Center Amphitheater

About Maria Popova

Maria Popova thinks and writes about our search for meaning, lensed sometimes through science and philosophy, sometimes through poetry and children's books, always through wonder. She is the creator of The Marginalian (born in 2006 under the name Brain Pickings), which is included in the Library of Congress permanent digital archive of culturally valuable materials. Her books and projects include Traversal, The Universe in Verse, Figuring, The Coziest Place on the Moon, and An Almanac of Birds: 100 Divinations for Uncertain Days.

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SPAC’s 60th anniversary is being celebrated throughout 2026 with a series of special performances, events, and initiatives that honor its legacy as a home for world-class artists while highlighting its continued evolution as a year-round cultural destination. To follow along and be the first to receive updates, visit spac.org and follow Saratoga Performing Arts Center on social media.

Saratoga Performing Arts Center

Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), located in the historic resort town of Saratoga Springs in upstate New York, is one of America’s most prestigious outdoor amphitheaters. Its exquisite setting in a 2,400-acre park preserve surrounded by hiking trails, geysers, and natural mineral springs draws lovers of arts, culture and nature for performances by resident companies New York City Ballet, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Saratoga Jazz Festival, and concerts by Live Nation. SPAC also hosts imaginative programming such as Caffè Lena @ SPAC and initiatives in culinary, literary, healing and visual arts.  

 

SPAC is a 501c3 charitable organization. Donations and proceeds from fundraising events benefit the Center’s thriving education program, community outreach efforts, and the vibrancy of its programming. For more information visit spac.org.