Beyond the academy, using similar literary materials, she has for many years directed nationwide seminars on civic leadership and philanthropic practice, beginning with the "Tocqueville Seminars on Civic Leadership" at the University of Chicago, and, most recently, in the "Dialogues on Civic Philanthropy" at the Hudson Institute, where she is also a senior fellow. Author of numerous articles and books on cultural, philanthropic, and related topics, including The Perfect Gift: The Philanthropic Imagination in Poetry and Prose and (with Leon Kass) Wing to Wing, Oar to Oar: Readings on Courting and Marrying, she currently works with the philanthropic community - donors, foundation and non-profit leaders, scholars and trustees - to help develop more responsible, responsive, and civic-spirited philanthropy.