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Final event of the 2025-2026 season examines imperialism, exploration, and the life and legacy of Captain James Cook.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky Author Forum will host former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke in conversation with bestselling historian Hampton Sides on May 7 at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts. O’Rourke, who represented Texas’ 16th Congressional District from 2013 to 2019 will interview Sides about his latest book, The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook.
The non-fiction piece, which was named one of the New York Times Book Review’s 10 best books of 2024 and earned a spot on former President Barack Obama’s summer reading list, explores Cook’s final voyage and his quest for the Northwest Passage, including interactions with Pacific Islanders. The narrative is juxtaposed with the story of Mai, a Tahitian man brought to England and returned to his home islands, highlighting the Indigenous perspective.
O’Rourke, a member of the Democratic Party, gained national attention during his 2018 U.S. Senate campaign in Texas, and was a candidate for the presidential nomination in 2020. He later founded Powered by the People, a voting rights organization, and is the author of We’ve Got to Try, a case for the importance of voting rights for a productive and healthy democracy.
The event will begin at 5 p.m. with a reception and book sale sponsored by Carmichael’s Bookstore, followed by the interview at 6 p.m. and an audience question-and-answer session at 7 p.m. in the Bomhard Theater. A dinner honoring Sides and O’Rourke will follow at 7:30 p.m. at the Muhammad Ali Center (a vegetarian option is available).
Tickets range from $35 for the program to $170 for a full package that includes dinner. Tickets are available through the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts box office at 502-584-7777.
Discounted tickets are available for University of Louisville students, faculty and staff by calling the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts directly at 502-584-7777.
