In your area July 9, 2008 and January 9 & April 13, 2009
SANDRA STEINGRABER – Could the food you eat or the floors you walk on be toxic? Praised as “the new Rachel Carson” for her groundbreaking book Living Downstream, Steingraber raises awareness of how toxins all around us adversely affect our health. She takes a personal and scientific look at the ecological links to cancer and other medical problems, and offers insight into how we can protect our environment and ourselves.
In your area July 11, 2008
BERNICE JOHNSON REAGON - Dr. Reagon is a Freedom Singer who highlights her forty year journey as a cultural activist, scholar and artist. Founder of Sweet Honey In the Rock, she renders her passionate convictions in a moving and memorable mixture of song and spoken word, drawing on the life stories of 19th and 20th century African American women whose struggles for freedom guide her in this moving presentation.
In your area August 28 and October 9-10, 2008
CHARLES CAMERON MANN – A powerful storyteller, Mann’s most recent book 1491 explores the history of the Americas before Columbus. A three-time National Magazine Award finalist, he has received awards for his articles and books on everything from emerging technologies to the business of medicine to endangered species.
In your area September 11, 2008 and January 19, 2009
SPENCER OVERTON – Voters don't choose politicians-politicians choose voters by manipulating election rules. What can we do to restore power to the people? A noted expert on campaign finance and voting rights law, Spencer Overton is the author of Stealing Democracy: The New Politics of Voter Suppression. Overton articulates new ideas for enriching American democracy. Spencer serves as the Chairperson of Barack Obama's Government Reform Committee, a group of more than 30 experts who advise the Obama presidential campaign on campaign finance reform, lobbying, voting rights, and government ethics and transparency policies.
In your area September 18, 2008
LISA SEE – Drawing on the history of her own family and community, Lisa See draws readers into the rich tapestry of life in both China and the United States through her acclaimed novels Flower Net, The Interior, Dragon Bones, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love. Her first book, On Gold Mountain: The One Hundred Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family, was a bestseller and a New York Times Notable Book.
In your area October 8, 2008
PAUL WATSON – Founder of Greenpeace, Paul Watson currently heads The Sea Shepherd Society, an organization dedicated to preventing the illegal slaughter of whales, dolphins and other endangered sea life. Watson is renowned for such controversial methods as tree spiking and sinking commercial fishing vessels in his battle to protect the environment.
In your area October 8, 2008 and February 3, 2009
NEIL deGRASSE TYSON – As Director of the Hayden Planetarium and host of the PBS magazine “NOVA Science NOW”, Dr. Tyson is one of the most high profile astrophysicists in America. He hopes to use the state-of-the-art Hayden to capture the scientific curiosity of a new generation of young people. His recent books include One Universe: At Home in the Cosmos, Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries, and Origins, the companion book to his acclaimed four-hour miniseries on the PBS program “NOVA.”
In your area October 20, 2008
CAMILLE COOPER – Cooper’s powerful multi-media presentation, "Discover the Truth," addresses issues of women in Hollywood and how the media portrays the "perfect American girl". She delivers a unique, humorous, and insightful look at a media industry obsessed with thinness and beauty. Ms. Cooper has worked professionally in film and television.
In your area October 23, 2008 & April 23-24, 2009
ARN CHORN POND – How does a child who was both a victim and survivor of the Cambodian genocide grow to become an internationally recognized human rights leader? A founder of Children of War, an international youth leadership organization for building community, activism and healing for teenagers, Pond opens our eyes and hearts, and helps us to heal.
In your area October 30, 2008
ROBIN WRIGHT – Traveling for years with Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and other diplomats, Wright uses her experience as Senior Diplomatic Correspondent for the Washington Post to bring light to the rise of freedom in the Middle East, the continuing challenge of Islamic extremism, and America’s relations with the rest of the world. She is the author of four books including the critically acclaimed The Last Great Revolution: Turmoil and Transformation in Iran.
In your area November 1 & 13, 2008
RICHARD RODRIGUEZ – Essayist Richard Rodriguez discusses how America – and every American - is shaped by the continual interaction of cultures, blurring boundaries between “black” and “white”, Hispanic and Anglo. He is the author of the critically acclaimed books Hunger of Memory, Days of Obligation: An Argument With My Mexican Father and Brown: The Last Discovery of America.
In your area November 3, 2008
JESSICA VALENTI – Founder and executive editor of the popular website Feministing.com, author of Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters and She’s a Slut, He’s a Stud and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know, and a seasoned activist for women’s rights, Jessica presents a fresh vision of feminism that debunks the myths and focuses on the future Covering a range of relevant topics, Valenti provides young women a primer on why feminism matters.
In your area November 8, 2008
ROBERT BULLARD – Leading the battle for environmental justice, from dealing with the toxic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to curbing urban sprawl, Dr. Bullard tells the stories of frontline warriors who are fighting environmental and human rights abuses. His research and activism challenges government and industry policies that place people of color and the poor at special risk. He is the author of 14 books, including Growing Smarter: Achieving Livable Communities, Environmental Justice, and Regional Equity and The Black Metropolis in the Twenty-First Century: Race, Power, and the Politics of Place, which were released in 2007.
In your area December 3, 2008
CLEVE JONES – As founder of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, he has collected thousands of panels representing individual lives lost to the disease. Jones offers an eye-opening and heart-felt presentation on how this epidemic impacts victims’ friends, families and communities across America and around the world. His autobiography is Stitching a Revolution: The Making of an Activist.
In your area January 22, 2009
JIANLI YANG - A leading organizer in the Chinese student democracy movement, he is among forty-nine individuals blacklisted by the Beijing government. As research fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and President of The Foundation For China In The 21st Century, he continues to provide a forceful and unique perspective on this historic struggle. Jianli Yang, returned to his adopted home in 2007 in the United States after five years in Chinese prisons.
In your area February 3, 2009
EDITH WIDDER – What beauty can be found at the ocean’s greatest depths? And how can we protect it? Biologist and deep-sea explorer Edith Widder combines her expertise in research and technological innovation with a commitment to reversing the worldwide trend of degradation in our marine environment. Her presentation gives a breathtaking view of the world beneath the surface of the seas.
In your area April 1, 2009
ANNA ROSMUS – Rosmus triggered a firestorm of controversy in her German hometown by writing about the role it played under the Nazi regime; her story was told in the film The Nasty Girl, as well as on "60 Minutes." She is committed to combating the neo-Nazi movement and the extreme right. The recipient of numerous awards, she has authored several books dealing with the impact of the Nazis on Germany and the rest of the world.
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