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Author and New Yorker magazine writer Adam Gopnik will speak next week at the University of California, Davis, on subjects near and dear to his heart: drawing and food. Both talks are free and open to the public.

• Wednesday, May 2 — “Drawing Conclusions: Life Lessons Learned from Drawing,” 4:30 p.m., Nelson Gallery, Nelson Hall (formerly the University Club) on Old Davis Road east of Mrak Hall Drive.

• Thursday, May 3 — “The Table Comes First: France, Family and the Meaning of Food,” based on his 2011 book of the same title, 4 p.m., Conference Center on Old Davis Road at Alumni Lane. Books will be available for purchase, and Gopnik will be signing them.

The Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science is sponsoring Gopnik’s “The Table Comes First” talk, and a reception afterward. The talk is free, but the reception comes with an admission charge of $15. People planning to attend are asked to arrange reservations with Tracy Dickinson, (530) 754-6349 or .

Gopnik is the “nearest thing there is -- in the English-speaking world, at any rate -- to a philosopher of food,” according to William Skidelsky, author of “Gourmet London.”

Gopnik has been writing for The New Yorker since 1986, receiving numerous accolades including the National Magazine Award for Essay and the George Polk Award for Magazine Reporting. He also is featured regularly by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

His books include “Angels & Ages: A Short Book about Darwin, Lincoln, and Modern Life,” “Through the Children’s Gate” and “Paris to the Moon.”