“Critical Conversations” is a new series of discussions with some of Austin’s most provocative thinkers. Sponsored by the progressive community center 5604 Manor and held at Austin’s cooperatively owned-and-operated brewpub Black Star Co-op, the series offers an opportunity for interaction in a comfortable setting with great food and beverages.

Kicking off the series is University of Texas history professor H.W. Brands, http://www.hwbrands.com/ the author of 26 books that have brought American history alive for countless readers. Twice a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Brands’ work has covered foreign and domestic policy, political and business leaders, and the important trends in American history. His most recent book, Greenback Planet: How the Dollar Conquered the World and Threatened Civilization as We Know It, charts the dollar’s rise to become the world’s principal currency and concludes with a sobering dissection of the 2008 world financial debacle.

The Workers Defense Project, Third Coast Activist Resource Center, and Cooperation Texas came together in 2009 to purchase and renovate the building at 5604 Manor Road http://www.5604manor.org/ for office, meeting, and event space for the progressive community in Austin.

Black Star Co-op’s mission is to foster an environment in which member-owners can realize the principles of co-operative ownership, worker self-management, education and community action through the responsible enjoyment great beer and food.

For more information, contact Robert Jensen at (512) 471-1990 or rjensen@uts.cc.utexas.edu.

Location: Black Star Co-op, 7020 Easy Wind Drive, Austin, 78752, http://www.blackstar.coop/