Events

Natalia Mehlman Petrzela speaks often about her research on American culture and politics on college campuses, at cultural institutions, and for private and philanthropic groups all over the country. As well, she leads intenSati workshops and events in New York City and elsewhere.

To book Natalia for a speaking engagement, please contact info@outspokenagency.com.

Upcoming Events

Women’s History Month Lecture: Fitness History as Feminist Practice with Natalia Mehlman Petrzela

Northern Arizona University: March 3rd, 2026, 7:00 PM
The history of exercise in the United States is by no means limited to women’s stories, but the act of writing the history of fitness draws on the work of feminist scholars who expanded the realm of historical study to include the body, fashion, pop culture, and more. In this talk, historian Natalia Mehlman Petrzela will both trace the rich history of American fitness culture from a strange subculture to a social imperative and reflect on the process of researching and writing her book, Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America’s Exercise Obsession, drawing on over more than two decades spent in and around gyms and other exercise spaces.

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Jews in The Curriculum: Opportunities and Challenges in Humanities Classrooms

Center for Jewish-Inclusive Learning: March 10, 2026, 8:30am
The Center for Jewish-Inclusive Learning invites middle- and high-school humanities teachers to deepen their understanding of the complex and often misunderstood story of the Jewish people from its ancient roots to the present day and to delve into how this story shows up in their classrooms.
Teachers will have the opportunity to develop their foundational knowledge and then build upon it through breakout workshops on specific topics they select based on their area of interest.

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Andrew Hartman: Marx in America

The New School: March 9, 2026, 6:00pm
Andrew Hartman will speak about his recent book, Karl Marx in America.
To read Karl Marx is to contemplate a world created by capitalism. People have long viewed the United States as the quintessential anti-Marxist nation, but Marx’s ideas have inspired a wide range of people to formulate a more precise sense of the stakes of the American project. Historians have highlighted the imprint made on the United States by Enlightenment thinkers such as Adam Smith, John Locke, and Thomas Paine, but Marx is rarely considered alongside these figures. Yet his ideas are the most relevant today because of capitalism’s centrality to American life.
Moderated by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, Professor of History and Faculty Co-Director of the Center for the American Experience.

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