Studebaker Talks: Kathy Burnette | Building Empathy, One Book at a Time

Kathy Burnette is the owner of Brain Lair Books, a bookstore in South Bend focused on developing empathy and building community with inclusive books. In 2020, The Oprah Magazine included the store in their "125 Black-Owned Bookstores in America That Amplify the Best in Literature." She is on a mission to build empathy, one book at a time.

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The Studebaker Talks is an annual gathering on a former Studebaker factory floor to listen to stories about South Bend's people, ingenuity, and progress. Our first gathering happened October 8, 2021, with 7 speakers and a sold-out crowd of 250, raising nearly $3,000 for the South Bend Education Foundation.

Save the date: our second gathering is scheduled for October 7, 2022.

Speaker submissions will be open during May, and early bird tickets will be available this summer. Join the email list on our website to get notified and follow us on social media: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter.