Dear Grownups, it’s time to find joy in bleak times! Welcome designer, educator, and play expert Cas Holman as she shares insight from her newly released book Playful: How Play Shifts Our Thinking, Inspires Connection, and Sparks Creativity. Holman is joined in conversation by the visual artist Liz Collins, who’s colorful, textile-based works and installations often reflect notions of play and connectivity. Following the discussion the dynamic duo invites you to a spirited Q&A as well as a book singing.

Drawing on psychology, history, art, and design, Playful makes a powerful case for the vital necessity of play in our lives and its essential importance to adult’s mental health, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Playful weaves together inspiring stories and eye-opening research into the emerging science of play. It shows us how adopting a playful mindset is crucial in helping us overcome fear of failure, embrace new ways of thinking, destress, reset, connect with one another, and grow our creativity at every stage of our lives. Come play!

Playful: How Play Shifts Our Thinking, Inspires Connection, and Sparks Creativity by Cas Holman with Lydia Denworth will be released by Avery, an imprint of Penguin Random House, on October 21, 2025.