“Let necessity be the godmother of invention," Pico Iyer advises. "So many of us have been crying out for a pause, a time of inwardness, a chance to collect ourselves, the opportunity for reflection – and now circumstances have, for once, obliged.”

This week, we invite you to get creative in the kitchen with Yotam Ottolenghi and Samin Nosrat; gain insight from Nobel Peace Prize-winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu; celebrate poetry month with former U.S. poets laureate; and laugh and learn with Martha Graham Dance Company.

Finding yourself with more time at home to cook? Let James Beard Award-winning chefs Samin Nosrat and Yotam Ottolenghi serve up some mouthwatering inspiration.

Mixing his Cordon Bleu training, Mediterranean background and unapologetic love of ingredients, the recipes in Yotam Ottolenghi's beloved cookbooks Plenty and Jerusalem are notoriously complex – leading home chefs everywhere to celebrate the arrival of Ottolenghi Simple. Peruse an assortment of fuss-free favorites and new selections from Simple with 20 Ottolenghi Recipes That Make Our Lives a Little Simpler (and a Lot Tastier).

Samin Nosrat's Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat – both the revolutionary cookbook and its delightful Netflix spinoff – have transformed the way home chefs approach the kitchen. With the philosophy that “anyone can cook anything and make it delicious,” she teaches us about the four basic elements that can make or break a dish: salt, fat, acid and heat. Catch up on the show or listen to Nosrat's timely new podcast, Home Cooking.

This week, we're going into the archives to hear from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, whose public lecture Reconciling Love (55 min.) examines how we find our humanity through our connection to others. Video available through Friday, April 17; use password "Tutu2005" for access.

Archbishop Tutu spent years working to create a democratic and just society without racial divisions, and in 1984 was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his opposition to South Africa's apartheid regime. The author of numerous works including No Future Without Forgiveness and God Has a Dream: A Vision of Hope for Our Time, he is also a recipient of the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Templeton Prize.

More and more, people are turning to poetry to find comfort, resilience and connection. This National Poetry Month, we're turning to poets laureate present and past to open the possibility that poetry offers.

Did you know? Considered the mother of modern dance, Martha Graham was also a graduate of Santa Barbara High School. When her company returned to Santa Barbara earlier this season, its members led master classes, workshops, an open rehearsal and more, serving 500-plus students from UCSB's Theater and Dance department and Santa Barbara High School. Many thanks to Jody and John Arnhold for their generous support of the company's extensive two-day residency.

Want to give it a try? Visit Martha Graham Dance Company's YouTube page for a series of Graham Classes (from basic to advanced) recorded at home by the dancers.

Or, get playful with the company's #19poses insta-Graham challenge celebrating the centennial of 19th amendment! Visit the MGDC website for instructions and inspiration, and show the world the creative ways you can use one (or more) of Martha Graham's poses to perform an everyday task.

Let's Get Cooking!

A&L staffers have been swept up by the Ottolenghi effect along with everyone else, salivating over his veg-forward blend of Italian, North African and Middle Eastern influences. So we put our chops to the test in a (pre-quarantine) Ottolenghi potluck. See the results for yourself!

Try your own hand at recreating his photo-worthy recipes, and share your pics @artsandlectures on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We hope the sense of belonging, generosity and love his recipes conjure can fill your own table, your own home. 

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