second annual may 4 – 6| may 3 – 5, 2019, …...simon winchester, a prolific british-american...

MAY 4 – 6, 2018SECOND ANNUAL | MAY 3 – 5 , 2019 F E S T I VA L S C H E D U L E

STONE BUILDING MAIN TENT SONOMA BALLROOM BLUE OAK ROOM PALM TREE ROOMF

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AT

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DA

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3:15 — 4:00

EVENT TIME

4:00 — 4:15

4:15 — 5:15

5:15 — 6:15

6:15 — 6:45

7:30 — 8:30

8:15 — 8:30

8:30 — 9:30

9:45 — 10:45

10:45 — 11:15

11:15 — 12:15

12:15 — 12:45

12:15 — 1:30 LUNCH

1:30 — 2:30

2:45 — 3:45

3:45 — 4:15

4:15 — 5:15

5:15 — 5:25

5:25 — 5:45

7:30 — 8:30

8:15 — 8:30

8:30 — 9:30

9:45 — 10:45

10:45 — 11:15

11:15 — 12:15

12:15 — 12:45

12:15 — 1:30 LUNCH

1:30 — 2:30

2:45 — 3:45

3:45 — 4:15

4:15 — 5:15

5:15 — 5:25

5:25 — 5:45

WELCOME BEVERAGES & BITES

JAMES & DEBORAH FALLOWS

FESTIVAL WELCOME

SIMON WINCHESTER

AUTHOR BOOK SIGNING

AUTHOR BOOK SIGNING

AUTHOR BOOK SIGNING

AUTHOR BOOK SIGNING

AUTHOR BOOK SIGNING

COFFEE, FRUIT & PASTRIES

COFFEE, FRUIT & PASTRIES

DAY’S OPENING REMARKS

DAY’S OPENING REMARKS

DAY’S CLOSING REMARKS

FESTIVAL CLOSING REMARKS

WADE DAVIS

TOM BROKAW IN CONVERSATIONWITH JEFFREY BROWN

JOSE ANTONIO VARGAS

ANTHONY RAY HINTON

ESI EDUGYAN ALANA NICHOLSMATTHEW WALKER

STEVEN JOHNSON

MACK McCARTER

JOHN BURNHAM SCHWARTZ MATTHEW WALKERESI EDUGYAN IN CONVERSATIONWITH JEFFREY BROWN

JAMES & DEBORAH FALLOWSFRANCIS FUKUYAMAWITH JAMES STROCK

JOHN McREYNOLDS WITH JILL HUNTING

JAMIE BERNSTEIN IN CONVERSATIONWITH JEFFREY BROWN

BILLY COLLINS

PHILIP K. HOWARD

MICHAEL McFAUL

ROGER McNAMEE

JUSTIN WANGLER & TUCKER TAYLORDR. GARY SMALL PEDRO IRAZOQUI

DAVID CRANE JAMES STROCK

CAITLIN O’CONNELL-RODWELL MICHAEL SHELLENBERGERALEX FILIPPENKO IN CONVERSATION

WITH JAMES STROCK

GORDON LITHGOW ANNE SNYDER

AUTHOR BOOK SIGNING

AUTHOR BOOK SIGNING

AUTHOR BOOK SIGNING

AUTHOR BOOK SIGNING

KEYNOTE PRESENTATION CHECK THE DAILY SCHEDULE IN THE PROGRAM TO SEE WHEN EACH AUTHOR IS SCHEDULED TO SIGN BOOKS. FESTIVAL SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE, CHECK SCHEDULE IN THE STONE BUILDING AND LOBBY FOR UPDATES.

7

FEST IVAL OP ENING

KEYNOTE S ESS ION ONE

MAIN TENT4:15 — 5:15


STONE BUILDING 3:15 — 4:00

James & Deborah Fallows

James & Deborah Fallows will discuss their incredible, life-changing five-year journey flying their single-engine propeller plane throughout the United States, an adventure they document in their book, Our Towns: A 100,000 Mile Journey into the Heart of America (2018). Join them as they discuss stories of Americans from every corner of the country. The Fallows were especially struck by the resilience of the American people overcoming challenges in their communities. In a time when many of us feel exhausted by the negative, divisive rhetoric about the American people, the Fallows highlight uplifting and encouraging stories from people who believe America’s best days are still ahead.

STONE BUILDING 2:00

Festival Bookstore Opens

Once again, our friends at Book Passage are the official booksellers to the festival – featuring titles by festival authors. Shop early for the best selections and have your book signed by the author! Book Passage will be happy to store your purchases while you attend festival sessions.

Welcome Beverages & Bites

Join us for a sip of wine provided by Kendall-Jackson and bites created by author-chef Justin Wangler, and Tucker Taylor.

Festival Kick-Off

Opening remarks and welcome from Sonoma Valley Authors Festival Founders David & Ginny Freeman.

FRIDAY

8


KEYNOTE S ESS ION TWO

Simon Winchester

Simon Winchester, a prolific British-American author, broadcaster and journalist was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his contributions to literature and journalism. Join him as he discusses his new book, The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineering Created the Modern World (2018). In this talk, Winchester will take the audience on an engaging journey through history to celebrate an unsung breed of precision engineers who, through the ages, have developed even more creative, precise and intricate machines that have changed our world.

Author Book Signing James & Deborah Fallows and Simon Winchester are scheduled

to sign books purchased in the festival bookstore.


FRIDAY

9

Good Morning!

Start your day with fresh coffee, tea, pastries and fruit in the Stone Building.


Browse the festival bookstore and shop early for the best selections. Book Passage will be happy to store your pur-chases while you attend festival sessions.

Festival Opening

Opening remarks and welcome from Sonoma Valley Authors Festival Founders Ginny & David Freeman.

Wade Davis

Wade Davis, a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, anthropologist and author of 14 books will discuss his book, The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in a Modern World (2009). In this book, he investigates unique cultural responses to one fundamental question: What does it mean to be human and alive? In attempting to answer this, Davis will lead us on a thrilling journey to celebrate the wisdom of the world’s indigenous cultures. Davis will tell us of Polynesian navigators whose ancestors settled the Pacific ten centuries before Christ. He will take us to the Amazon where we will meet the people of the Lost Civilization. In the Andes, we discover the liveliness of the Earth, and our journey will continue to Australia, Nepal, Africa and Borneo. Davis is a world-renowned photographer and after his thrilling presentation, you will understand why.


MORNING


STONEBUILDING 7:30 — 8:30

STONE BUILDING 7:30

MAIN TENT

8:30 — 9:30

SATURDAY

10

MAIN TENT

9:45 — 10:45

MAIN TENT

11 : 15 — 12:15


BREAKOUT S ESS ION ONE

STONE BUILDING10:45 — 11 :15

Tom Brokaw in conversation with Jeffrey Brown

Join Tom Brokaw, one of America’s most respected jour-nalists, anchor of NBC Nightly News for 22 years and author of five books, in conversation with Jeffrey Brown from PBS as they discuss the state of the newsroom in the age of social media. Together they will tackle the interest-ing and relevant questions about news and media with the advent of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram as they ask: “How does the newsroom of the last century keep up and compete in this new era?” Brokaw and Brown will also discuss the results of a recent Gallup Poll that conclud-ed that people have lost trust and confidence in the mass media and the broader implications of this. Join these two legends as they discuss what eroded America’s trust in the media and if and how the media can earn that trust back.

Author Book SigningWade Davis and Tom Brokaw are scheduled to sign books

purchased in the festival bookstore.

Jose Antonio Vargas

Join Jose Antonio Vargas as he discusses his memoir, Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen (2018) in which he chronicles being born in the Philippines and brought to the U.S. illegally 25 years ago. Vargas did not know he was “undocumented” until he went to get a learner’s permit to drive. For more than 14 years he hid in plain sight, keeping his immigration status a secret while reporting and writing for some of the most prestigious news organization in the country, including: The Washington Post and The New Yorker—reporting that earned him a Pulitzer Prize. Only after publicly admitting that he was undocumented could he begin to challenge what it means to be an American and the negative anti-immigration rhetoric that plagues our country.

SATURDAY

11

SONOMA BALLROOM

11 : 15 — 12:15

BLUE OAK ROOM

11 : 15 — 12:15


SATURDAY

Matthew Walker

Matthew Walker is a cutting-edge scientist and a pro-fessor of neuroscience and psychology at UC Berkeley. He is also the founder and director of the Center for Human Sleep Science, and the author of over 100 scien-tific papers, with appearances on 60 Minutes, Nova, BBC News and NPR Science Friday. Join him as he discusses his life-changing research and insights into the importance of sleep from his widely acclaimed book, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams (2017). What is the connection to sleep and warding off dementia? Recover-ing from cancer therapy? How important is the central-ity of sleep to the proper development of young minds? Walker presents sleep as a panacea for an array of condi-tions that would otherwise cause the slow deterioration of body and mind.

Alana Nichols

Join motivational speaker, Alana Nichols, and be inspired by her incredible story.. Nichols is a world-class athlete with a passion for challenging herself and others. From a young age, her passion for sports and adventure has driven her, and no matter the obstacles, she takes the challenge head on. After suffering a spinal cord injury at age 17 that left her paralyzed from the waist down, Nichols transitioned to adaptive sports. Join her as she shares her journey from her devastating injury to becoming the first American female to win gold medals at both Summer (wheelchair basket-ball) and Winter (Alpine ski racing) Olympic/Paralympic Games, and her most recent accomplishment: sprint kaya-king in the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Paralympic Games.

12


STONE BUILDING

12:15 — 12:45

LODGE PROPERTY WEST

12:15 — 1:30

Esi Edugyan

Esi Edugyan will discuss her 2018 novel, Washington Black, one of the New York Times Book Reviews’ 10 Best Books of 2018. The story opens in 1830 in Barbados where Wash-ington Black, a slave on a sugar plantation named “Faith,” narrates his own story of fear, cruelty and death as the days of slavery come to end under British rule. Edugyan, a Canadian born to Ghanaian immigrants, will share how she determined Washington Black’s future would not be dictated by history and that the novel instead gave him permission to soar above his circumstances and to live a life shaped by his imagination, his intelligence and his rich sensibility.

Author Book SigningMatthew Walker, Esi Edugyan and Jose Antonio Vargas are

scheduled to sign books purchased in the festival bookstore.

Lunch Join us for a casual boxed picnic lunch at the west end of the

Lodge property. For a map, refer to the inside back cover of the

festival program guide. Please note that there are no restrooms

located near the lunch.

PALM TREE ROOM

11 : 15 — 12:15

SATURDAY

13

BREAKOUT S ESS ION TWO

MAIN TENT

1 :30 — 2:30

SONOMA BALLROOM

1 :30 — 2:30

John Burnham Schwartz

Join the discussion with acclaimed author John Burnham Schwartz as he delves into the story behind his latest book The Red Daughter (2019), which chronicles the story of Svetlana Alliluyeva, the only daughter of the infamous Soviet despot Joseph Stalin. Svetlana abruptly abandons her life in Moscow in 1969 and arrives in New York to throngs of reporters and a nation hungry to hear her story. By her side is Peter Horvath, a young lawyer sent by the CIA to smuggle Svetlana into America. The young lawyer assigned this task was, in fact, Schwartz’s father. By drawing on private papers and years of extensive research, Schwartz recreates the story of an extraordinary, troubled woman’s search for a new life.

Steven Johnson

Steven Johnson is a thought leader in innovation and a bestselling author of 11 books. He dedicated eight years organizing ideas for his compelling new book, Farsighted: How to Make the Decisions That Matter Most (2018). Hailed as “one of the most persuasive advocates for the role of collaboration in innovation,” Johnson’s premise is that all truly complex decisions are, by definition, unique, and that is part of what makes them so difficult. Yet, through collaboration and recognition of our own inherent biases, we can find clarity. Many of the strategies Johnson will discuss are not so much ready-made prescriptions as they are tools for getting you to see the decisions you face with as much clarity as possible.

SATURDAY

14


BLUE OAK ROOM

1 :30 — 2:30

PALM TREE ROOM

1 :30 — 2:30

Matthew Walker

Matthew Walker is a cutting-edge scientist and a pro-fessor of neuroscience and psychology at UC Berkeley. He is also the founder and director of the Center for Human Sleep Science, and the author of over 100 scien-tific papers, with appearances on 60 Minutes, Nova, BBC News and NPR Science Friday. Join him as he discusses his life-changing research and insights into the importance of sleep from his widely acclaimed book, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams (2017). What is the connection to sleep and warding off dementia? Recover-ing from cancer therapy? How important is the central-ity of sleep to the proper development of young minds? Walker presents sleep as a panacea for an array of condi-tions that would otherwise cause the slow deterioration of body and mind.

Esi Edugyan in conversation

with Jeffrey Brown

Esi Edugyan in conversation with Jeffrey Brown from PBS, will discuss her life as an author, the writing of her acclaimed novel, Washington Black (2018) and how she formed her ideas and vision for the young protagonist, Washington Black. Eduygan was determined that Washington Black, born a slave on a sugar plantation in Barbados, would not have his future be dictated by history. Come learn more about this incredible story and character, described by Collin Tobin in his book review as “a born artist and a lost soul who moves through the novel as though in search of some distant, sorrowful notion of home.” Come to this conversation curious and leave inspired by this incredibly talented author.

SATURDAY

15

BREAKOUT S ESS ION THREE

MAIN TENT

2:45 — 3:45

SONOMA BALLROOM

2:45 — 3:45

Francis Fukuyama, Ph.D., with James Strock

Join Francis Fukuyama, Ph.D., a political scientist, politi-cal economist and author, as he discusses his current book, Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment (2018). In this talk, he will explore the complex nature of identity politics both within the U.S. and abroad, explicat-ing his belief that the foundation of liberal democracy has been increasingly challenged by varying resentments based on nation, religion, sect, race, ethnicity or gender. Prepare to interrogate some key questions related to this idea, such as: What is the historical basis for these divisions and resent-ments? Can a society survive the narrow definitions being used to segment and divide it? Can the struggle for recog-nition be transcended in ways to support rather undermine democracy? What has history taught us about all of this? While the questions Fukuyama poses are dense, he discusses them in a way that is both illuminating and relatable.

James & Deborah Fallows

Join keynote speakers James and Deborah Fallows in this break-out session where they will describe more of their incredible journey and some of their most impactful lessons. They will describe what they found to be the 11 signs of successful cities and what makes cities thrive or decline. They’ll discuss the relevance of a town’s origin story, the importance of embracing local businesses and the initiative of many towns to keep improving. The Fallows will pose probing questions like: What is the difference between national versus local concerns? When do those differences collide? How do we measure the importance of research universities, community colleges and experimental K-12 schools? What does a formal education system add to a town? What does it complicate? What is the spirit or feeling of a town? Does it have an open mind, big heart, embrace new ideas and new people? What does the ever-popular craft brewery have to do with it? See if you can guess the surprising answers to some of these intriguing questions.

SATURDAY

16


John McReynolds in conversation

with Jill Hunting

Chef John McReynolds is the culinary director at Stone Edge Farms Estate Vineyards and Winery in Sonoma and a devoted forager. Join him as he discusses his newly released cookbook, Stone Edge Farm Kitchen Larder Cookbook (2019) with his editor and friend, Jill Hunting. Coming off his successful and widely acclaimed Stone Edge Farm Cookbook (2013), McReynolds refocuses his attention on ten classic ingredients: Lemons and citrus, herbs, garlic, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, figs, quince, olives and olive oil, and grapes. The recipes show readers how to prepare pantry staples, such as preserves, infused oil, and conserves and then how to use the same products and ingredients in fully composed seasonal cocktails, dishes and desserts for family meals and entertaining. Listen, learn and eat well!

Jamie Bernstein in conversation

with Jeffrey Brown

Jamie Bernstein, writer, broadcaster, concert narrator and filmmaker is the daughter of famed composer Leonard Bernstein. Join her with Jeffrey Brown from PBS as she discusses her book, Famous Father Girl (2018), about her life growing up with a father who was chief conductor for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, a television star and known as the life of every party. He was an enormous celebrity during one of the headiest periods of American cultural life, as well as the most protean musician in the 20th century. Yet to his eldest daughter, Jamie, he was simply the man in the scratchy brown bathrobe who smelled of cigarettes; the jokester and compulsive teacher who enthused about the Beatles and Beethoven and the insomniac with 4 a.m. composing breaks.

BLUE OAK ROOM

2:45 — 3:45

PALM TREEROOM

2:45 — 3:45

SATURDAY

17

KEYNOTE S ESS ION THREE

STONE BUILDING

3:45 — 4:15

STONE BUILDING

5:25 — 5:45

Author Book SigningJamie Bernstein, Francis Fukuyama, Steven Johnson, John

McReynolds and John Burnham Schwartz are scheduled to

sign books purchased in the festival bookstore.

MAIN TENT

4:15 — 5:15

MAIN TENT

5:15 — 5:25

Anthony Ray Hinton

Anthony Ray Hinton will discuss his memoir, The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row (2018), in which he describes his wrongful arrest and conviction for a double-murder. Stunned, confused and only 29 years old, Hinton knew that it was a case of mis-taken identity and believed that he would be quickly exonerated. He was not. Hinton spent the first three years of his sentence on death row at Holman State Prison in agonizing silence—too full of anger and despair to even speak. Eventually, he resolved to find a way to live on death row. Over the next 27 years he transformed into a beacon of hope—renewing not only his spirit but also those of his fellow inmates, 54 of whom were executed mere feet from his cell. Injustice and racism robbed him of 30 years of his life, yet he emerged a free man who transcended all of it.

Closing Remarks

Closing remarks and information from Festival Founders David & Ginny Freeman.

Author Book SigningAnthony Ray Hinton is scheduled to sign books purchased in

the festival bookstore.

SATURDAY

18

AUTHORS ON THE P LAZA

SONOMA CITY PLAZA

5:00 — 7:30

Authors on The Plaza

Continue your festival experience and join us for the first-ever Authors on the Plaza at the historic Sonoma City Plaza. Free to the community, this event will feature two of our festival speakers, Billy Collins and Roger McNamee. Opening the evening will be renowned musicians and recording artists Philip Claypool and Carlos Reyes. Seating is first-come, first served.

Special thanks to Cathy & Chuck Williamson for sponsoring this special occasion.

SATURDAY

19

Good Morning!

Start your day with fresh coffee, tea, pastries and fruit in the Stone Building.


Browse the festival bookstore and purchase books while supplies last. Book Passage will be happy to store your purchases while you attend festival sessions.

Welcome

Don’t miss opening remarks about the day’s events by Ginny and David Freeman.

Billy Collins

Billy Collins, an award-winning, two-time Poet Laureate, creator of the Poetry 180 website and “America’s favorite poet,” will read from his bestselling poetry collection The Rain in Portugal (2016), as well as some of his most beloved poems. Collins is known for capturing the profound essence of our humanity—with a wry twist—and making audiences laugh before he brings them to their knees.

Be sure to stay in the Main Tent after Billy Collins’ presentation for a debut screening of a video highlighting Students Day 2019!

MORNING


STONE BUILDING 7:30

MAIN TENT

8:30 — 9:30

MAIN TENT

8:15 — 8:30


SUNDAY

20

STONE BUILDING

10:45 — 11 :15

MAIN TENT

9:45 — 10:45


Philip K. Howard

Philip K. Howard, a lawyer, author and political consultant, will discuss his latest book, Try Common Sense: Replacing the Failed Ideologies of the Right and Left (2019), which challenges the stagnant ideologies of both political parties and proposes a radical simplification of government. Join Howard as he explains his belief that Americans are practical people and therefore desire a practical government. Are you frustrated by government bureaucracy that prevents Americans from doing what’s sensible? Then join Howard to discuss how neither conservative bluster nor liberal hand wringing can fix this problem. Howard will explore how America can push the reset button and focus on public goals where government officials are accountable for getting the job done.

Author Book SigningBilly Collins and Philip K. Howard are scheduled to sign books

purchased in the festival bookstore.

SUNDAY

21

BREAKOUT SESS ION ONE

MAIN TENT

11 : 15 — 12:15

SONOMA BALLROOM

11 : 15 — 12:15

Michael McFaul

Join the prolific author and Stanford professor, Michael McFaul, a leading expert on International Relations, Russian politics, American foreign policy and democratic development, to discuss his vigorously argued political memoir, From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin’s Russia (2018). In this, his latest book, McFaul explicates his belief that “there is a new ideological struggle…between Russia and the West, not between communism and capitalism but between democracy and autocracy.” This premise is based on his appointment as Ambassador to Russia by President Obama and his first-hand experiences with Putin, the KGB and Russian society. This talk is certain to leave you with a greater, more nuanced understanding of America’s relationship with Russia from one of the nation’s top political minds.

Dr. Gary Small

Join Dr. Gary Small, the doctor who invented the first brain scan that allows doctors to see physical evidence of brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease in living people. Currently a professor at the UCLA School of Aging where he is director of the UCLA Longevity Center, he will discuss his incredibly useful book written with Gigi Vorgan: Two Weeks to a Younger Brain (2015). Small and Vorgan translate the latest brain science into practical strategies and exercises that yield quick and long-lasting benefits to keep your brain young and optimal. In his talk, he will share how to improve your memory and how to strengthen your physical health. After three decades of helping thousands of patients improve their memory and mental acuity, Dr. Small and Vorgan are convinced that our daily lifestyle and habits are directly linked to our brain health, and therefore we have the power to improve it.

SUNDAY

22


BLUE OAK ROOM

11 : 15 — 12:15

PALM TREEROOM

11 : 15 — 12:15

Justin Wangler and Tucker Taylor

On Sunday, join author-chef Justin Wangler and his partner, Tucker Taylor, a world-renowned expert in sustainable culinary gardening, to discuss the explosion of the “farm-to-table lifestyle.” The discussion will review the history of the farm-to-table movement, beginning at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, The Herbfarm in Washington and The Kitchen in Boulder. What began as a quest for fresh ingredients by restaurants has become a social movement that includes schools, cafeterias and meals prepared at home and is reflected in the stunning cookbook, Season: A Year of Wine Country Food, Farming, Family, and Friends (2018). Enjoy learning the answers to these important questions: How does the home chef access and include farm-to-table products in their cooking? What resources are available to find the best and freshest purveyors of farm-to-table products? Bring additional questions to Chef Wangler and Farmer Taylor to learn more about this fast-growing sector of the food industry.

Pedro Irazoqui

Pedro Irazoqui, Ph.D., is the director of Purdue’s Center for Implantable Devices. Join him as he updates the audience on the progress made behind the incredible science of bioelectric devices implanted in the body. These innovative devices use electrical signaling to control the body’s biological responses and treat disease and can be used as an alternative to drug-based interventions. In his talk, we will imagine a future in which these tiny wireless devices could suppress epileptic seizures, alleviate PTSD, monitor cardiac arrhythmias, treat depression and change the lives of amputees with bionic limbs.

SUNDAY

23


Author Book SigningMichael McFaul, Dr. Gary Small, Justin Wangler and Tucker

Taylor are scheduled to sign books purchased in the festival

bookstore.

Lunch Join us for a casual boxed picnic lunch at the west end

of the Lodge property. For a map, refer to the inside back cover

of the festival program guide. Please note that there are no

restrooms located near the lunch.


LODGE PROPERTY WEST

12:15 — 1:30

MAIN TENT

1 :30 — 2:30Caitlin O’Connell-Rodwell

Caitlin O’Connell-Rodwell, Ph.D., is an award-winning science writer, photographer and author. She will share her research journey from studying insect communication to being asked to stay in Namibia to study how elephants bond, behave and communicate. Five years later, after living in the beautiful and mysterious outback of Namibia, O’Connell-Rodwell is now a world-renowned expert on elephant communication and vibrotactile sensitivity. Join her as she discusses how her work in the detection of vibrations plays an important role in communication, leading to exciting scientific breakthroughs for the hearing impaired. This is a talk you won’t want to miss! Also, Buena Vista Winery has generously provided space to exhibit Caitlin’s stunning life-sized photos, on display from May 3 – 6. Buena Vista Winery is located at 18000 Old Winery Road in Sonoma, just minutes from The Lodge.

SUNDAY

24


SONOMA BALLROOM

1 :30 — 2:30

BLUE OAKROOM

1 :30 — 2:30

Mack McCarter

“Civilizations do not die of murder but of suicide,” proclaims the great historian Arnold J. Toynbee. That proclamation was never truer than when Mack McCarter arrived back in his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana in 1991. Devastated by crime and brimming with child neglect, domestic abuse, gun violence, high unemployment and racial intolerance, McCarter vowed he would break the deadly cycle of collapse. He formed Community Renewal International, an organization that connects neighbors and returns communities to places of friendship and support—a model that was so successful, it has been replicated in other cities as well. Join the discussion to learn more about how caring together can heal our world, one city at a time.

Alex Filippenko in conversation

with James Strock

Alex Filippenko, Ph.D. will take you on a journey to discuss the formation and evolution of galaxies and their central, supermassive black holes. He will discuss the first ever recently photographed supermassive black hole at the heart of our own galaxy and how this exciting discovery and subsequent studies will aim to understand: (1) how gravity works near a supermassive black hole (new tests of Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity); and (2) what role black holes play in the formation and evolution of galaxies, which are the basic building blocks of the universe. Be prepared to be amazed as supernovae, active galaxies, gamma-ray bursts and the expansion of the universe will be discussed. You will leave this talk feeling more connected to and in awe of our universe than ever before.

SUNDAY

25

David Crane

David Crane, a lecturer in Public Policy at Stanford University and president of Govern for California, will discuss the powerful role of the California Legislature, the limited authority of governors to affect change, the key — and often missing—ingredient for effective governance, and what the legislature and governor must do to help schools overcome their pension challenge. Crane will also discuss his controversial removal from the board of the California State Teachers Retirement System for his insistence on pension reform for K-12 educators.



PALM TREE ROOM

1 :30 — 2:30

MAIN TENT

2:45 — 3:45

Michael Shellenberger

Michael Shellenberger is a TIME magazine “Hero of the Environment,” Green Book Award winner and the founder of Environmental Progress. As one of the world’s leading pro-nuclear environmentalists, Shellen-berger has helped save nuclear reactors around the world from Illinois and New York to South Korea and Taiwan. Join Shellenberger as he shares his journey from being an anti-nuclear activist to the realization, based on his research, that nuclear energy can be used safely and reduce CO

2 in the atmosphere. Shellenberger’s research

provides an insightful foundation for an environmental paradigm shift.

SUNDAY

26


BLUE OAKROOM

2:45 — 3:45

SUNDAY

SONOMA BALLROOM

2:45 — 3:45

Gordon Lithgow

Gordon Lithgow will discuss the one theme that continues to emerge from his work: “that aging and disease stem from common mechanisms. Delaying disease by delaying the aging process is a real proposition.” Lithgow will discuss the breakthrough science the Buck Institute for Research on Aging is producing and recent advances made in the biology of the aging process. Come learn about how his research indicates that aging can be a hopeful process, not one to fear.

James Strock

Join the bestselling author of four books, James Strock, as he discusses his latest book, Serve to Lead, 2.0: 21st Century Leaders Manual (2018). Extensive interviews, business case studies, psychological research, biography, history and literature inform this award-winning leadership manual. Strock will discuss how his book equips you with the tools to hone your leadership skills, whether you’re a CEO or just starting out. In his discussion, he will explore a new world of opportunity for modern leadership where, more than ever before, everybody can lead—because everybody can serve. Join the discussion to better understand the tools you need to make your unique contribution as a leader.

27

STONEBUILDING 3:45 — 4:15


SUNDAY

PALM TREEROOM

2:45 — 3:45

Anne Snyder

Join author Anne Snyder as she discusses an age-old question that has preoccupied parents, teachers, clergy and leaders since time immemorial: “What is character, and how do you shape it?” Drawing from her recent book, The Fabric of Character: A Wise Giver’s Guide to Renewing our Social and Moral Landscape (2019), she explores how the complexity and autonomy of life in the 21st century calls for character more than ever. Additionally, she posits that the conditions under which character is forged are in trouble. How do we replenish the store of moral capital in such a diverse, individualistic, consumerist and stressed society? How do we encourage a shared pursuit of the good? Snyder’s book aims to break open a new path for finding a character revival. Through inspirational stories of exemplary organizations, Snyder will equip the audience to aid in shaping existing initiatives that attempt to transform lives and to build new ones.

Author Book SigningCaitlin O’Connell-Rodwell, Michael Shellenberger, James Strock

and Anne Snyder are scheduled to sign books purchased in the

festival bookstore.

28

MAIN TENT 4:15 — 5:15


STONEBUILDING

5:25 — 5:45

MAIN TENT

5:15 — 5:25

SUNDAY

Roger McNamee

Join legendary Silicon Valley businessman and bestselling author Roger McNamee. As a successful investor for 35 years, co-founding funds in venture, crossover and private equity, he has made some incredible investments. In this talk, he will discuss his latest book, Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe (2019), and one of his most rewarding investments, or so he thought, in Facebook. This discussion will showcase McNamee’s intimate reckoning with the inability of the leaders of Facebook to own up to any of their wrongdoing, leading McNamee to become an outspoken critic of his former mentee, Mark Zuckerberg.

Closing Remarks

Festival Founders Ginny & David Freeman close out the 2019 Sonoma Valley Authors Festival with remarks and acknowledgements.

Author Book SigningRoger McNamee is scheduled to sign books purchased in the

festival bookstore.

A U T H O R & S P E A K E R B I O G R A P H I E S

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JAMIE BERNSTEIN

Jamie Bernstein is a writer, broadcaster, concert narrator and filmmaker who transformed a lifetime of loving music into a career. In her book Famous Father Girl (2018), she shares an intimate meditation on her father, Leonard Bernstein, a complex and troubled man, the family he raised and the music he composed that became the soundtrack to their entwined lives. In her book, Bernstein mines the emotional depths of her childhood and adroitly invites us into her family’s private world.

TOM BROKAW

Tom Brokaw, one of America’s most respected journalists, served as anchor of NBC Nightly News for 22 years. During this time, his calm, authoritative voice echoed through millions of homes as he provided in-depth analyses to historic events from the fall of the Berlin Wall to 9/11. His trustworthy reporting has earned him an abundance of awards, including the Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award. An avid outdoorsman since his childhood in South Dakota, Brokaw has authored five books, including The Greatest Generation (1998) and his latest: A Lucky Life Interrupted: A Memoir of Hope (2015), about his battle with cancer, now in remission, and how his life changed after his diagnosis.

JEFFREY BROWN

In a broadcast career spanning more than 20 years on the nightly PBS NewsHour, Jeffrey Brown interviewed numerous leading American and international newsmakers and moderated hundreds of studio discussions. As an arts correspondent, he profiled many of the world’s leading writers, musicians and artists and became creator and host of “Art Beat,” the NewsHour’s popular online arts and culture blog. In Brown’s book, The News (2015), he explores the fascinating intersections between politics and poetry.

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CHARINA CHOU, Ph.D.

Charina Chou, Ph.D. leads Google’s global public policy strategy for emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing. In 2013 she served as a White House Fellow, appointed by President Obama to the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Her exciting and outstanding scholarship has been published in several peer-reviewed journals, and she has won awards from the National Science Foundation and the Materials Research Society.

BILLY COLLINS

Billy Collins, dubbed “the most popular poet in America,” is also a former two-term U.S. Poet Laureate and author of several books, including: The Trouble with Poetry (2007), Horoscopes for the Dead (2011) and Aimless Love (2013). Recently retired from his near 50-year university teaching career, Collins was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2016, the same year he published his most recent collection, The Rain in Portugal. Known for his humor and poignance, Collins has become an American legend who captures the profound essence of our humanity—with a wry twist.

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DAVID CRANE

David Crane is a lecturer in Public Policy at Stanford University and president of Govern for California. From 2004-2010, Crane – a Democrat – served as a special advisor to Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and from 1979-2003 he was a partner at Babcock & Brown, a financial services company. Crane also serves on the board of the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley and formerly served on the UC Berkeley Board of Regents and many other California boards dedicated to improving our great state.

WADE DAVIS

A National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, the intrepid anthropologist and author Wade Davis has been described as “a rare combination of scientist, scholar, poet and passionate defender of all of life’s diversity.” His writing career began in 1985 when he penned the international bestseller The Serpent and the Rainbow, and went on to write 14 more books including: One River (1996), The Wayfinders (2006), and Into the Silence (2011). His most recent work highlights traditional uses and beliefs of psychoactive plants. Davis has made an impressive career traveling the globe to live alongside indigenous people and document their cultural practices in books, photographs and films. As a speaker, he captivates his audience with evocative stories and stunning photographs to parlay his passionate concern for the rate at which entire cultures and languages are disappearing.


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ESI EDUGYAN

A Canadian novelist born to Ghanaian immigrants, Esi Edugyan is the author of two Scotiabank Giller Prize-winning books, Washington Black (2018) and Half-Blood Blues (2011). Washington Black received enormous praise, being hailed as “enthralling,” by the Boston Globe and “a rip-roaring tale,” by the Washington Post. The novel went on to win Edugyan numerous awards, including the 2019 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. A gifted storyteller, her richly imagined and impeccably researched stories highlight the complexities of race and belonging.

JAMES & DEBORAH FALLOWS

The intrepid husband-and-wife team, James & Deborah Fallows, document their incredible, life-changing five-year journey flying their single-engine propeller plane throughout the United States in their book, Our Towns: A 100,000 Mile Journey into the Heart of America (2018). During their travels, they collected the stories of Americans from every corner of the country and were struck by the warmth and resilience of the American people. James Fallows is the author of 11 books, including Postcards from Tomorrow Square (2009), Blind into Baghdad (2006), National Defense (1983), winner of the National Book Award. Deborah Fallows wrote Dreaming in Chinese: Mandarin Lessons in Life, Love, and Language (2010). Together they offer a refreshing and unique perspective of an America that is scrappy, optimistic and more united than the current discourse may lead us to believe.


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DR. ALEX FILIPPENKO

World-renowned astrophysicist and professor of astronomy at UC Berkeley, Alex Filippenko, Ph.D. is the only person to have been a member of both scientific teams that revealed the accelerating expansion of the universe propelled by a mysterious “dark energy.” This discovery was deemed the “Top Breakthrough of 1998” by the editors of Science magazine and that initial discovery led the leaders of these teams to receive a 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics. Filippenko’s area of expertise includes supernovae, active galaxies, black holes, gamma-ray bursts and the expansion of the universe. If that wasn’t impressive enough, Filippenko has also been voted “Best Professor” at Berkeley nine times. He is the author of several books about the universe, including his most recent: The Cosmos: Astronomy in the New Millennium (5th ed.) (2019).

FRANCIS FUKUYAMA, Ph.D.

Francis Fukuyama, Ph.D. is an eminent political scientist and Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Stanford University and perhaps best known for his bestseller, The End of History and the Last Man (1992). In this and his subsequent work, Fukuyama’s writings on the state of international order and politics have been repeatedly referred to as

“prescient” by elite academics and political pundits alike. In his most recent book, Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment (2018), his compelling analyses of democratization and the social consequences of technological change echo important themes he explored in 1992.


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ANTHONY RAY HINTON

On April 3, 2015, Anthony Ray Hinton walked out of an Alabama jail a free man after 30 years on death row for a double-murder that he did not commit. Surviving on hope and faith, he was one of the longest serving death row prisoners in Alabama to be freed thanks to the dedication of Bryan Stevenson of the Equal Justice Initiative. The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row (2018) chronicles Hinton’s journey from his wrongful arrest and conviction to the decades he lost behind bars and finally his long overdue freedom. His extraordinary tale is a heart-wrenching look into the life-altering errors and prejudices of our justice system and the overwhelming the power of hope.

PHILIP K . HOWARD

Philip K. Howard is a lawyer, author and noted commentator on the effects of modern law and bureaucracy on human behavior and society. His latest book, Try Common Sense: Replacing the Failed Ideologies of the Right and Left (2019), challenges the stagnant ideologies of both political parties and proposes a radical simplification of government to re-empower Americans. Howard is also the author of The Death of Common Sense (1995), a bestseller which chronicles how overly-detailed law negatively impacts central planning; The Collapse of the Common Good (2002), Life Without Lawyers (2009), and The Rule of Nobody (2014). Howard has consulted and advised distinguished government leaders from both sides of the aisle, including: Vice President Al Gore, Democrats Lawton Chiles of Florida and Zell Miller of Georgia and Republicans Jeb Bush of Florida, Mitch Daniels of Indiana, and Bruce Rauner in Illinois. He is the founder of Common Good, an organization that aims to “simplify government, put humans back in charge, and cut mindless red tape.” He is a graduate of Yale College and the University of Virginia Law School and is currently vice-chair of the law firm of Covington & Burling, LLP.


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PEDRO IRAZOQUI, Ph.D.

Pedro Irazoqui, Ph.D. serves as the director of Purdue’s Center for Implantable Devices at the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. A true humanitarian, Irazoqui develops wireless implantable devices for various potential applications, including monitoring and suppression of epileptic seizures, prosthesis control for injured military personnel, modulation of cardiac arrhythmias, treatment of depression, and the monitoring and therapeutic modulation for glaucoma. His groundbreaking work even earned him a round of funding from a Purdue investment fund. Irazoqui has co-authored dozens of scientific and medical peer-reviewed journal articles, has been recognized for his contributions to implantable electronic devices and has been elected to the College of Fellows.

JILL HUNTING

Jill Hunting is the author of Finding Peter: Rediscovering the Brother I Lost in Vietnam (2009). Before taking up the central story of her young life, Jill was a senior editor of two food and wine magazines and wrote about chefs, restaurants, winemakers and the subterranean delicacy of truffles. She was on a writing retreat in Umbria when the tranquility and beauty of the Italian countryside moved her to turn from writing a book about truffles to solving the mystery of her brothers’ death as a humanitarian working in wartime Vietnam. The resulting book was Finding Peter. The Ken Burns and Lynn Novick series for PBS “The Vietnam War,” features Jill’s brother in Episode 2. Jill is the editor of the Stone Edge Farm Kitchen Larder Cookbook and of John McReynolds’ Stone Edge Farm Cookbook. In March 2014, it was Named Book of the Year and Best First Book/The Julia Child Award by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Her education in the liberal arts includes a major in American studies at Wheaton College, in Massachusetts, and a master’s degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary.


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GORDON LITHGOW, Ph.D.

Gordon Lithgow, Ph.D. is a pioneer in research on aging, or “Geroscience.” Lithgow established his own independent laboratory at the University of Manchester, England to investigate the relationship between stress and aging. That initial research was expanded when he moved his lab to the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Northern California where he studies aging at the molecular level. His research has culminated in earning him the Glenn Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging, a senior scholarship from the Ellison Medical Foundationand the prestigious Tenovus-Scotland Medal awarded for biomedical research. Of his research, Lithgow states, “One theme continues to emerge from our work—that aging and disease stem from common mechanisms. Delaying disease by delaying the aging process is a real proposition.”

STEVEN JOHNSON

Steven Johnson has been hailed as “one of the most persuasive advocates for the role of collaboration in innovation,” by the Wall Street Journal. His writings have influenced everything from the way political campaigns use the Internet, to cutting edge ideas in urban planning, to the battle against 21st century terrorism. Johnson is the bestselling author of 11 books, and his latest book, Farsighted: How We Make the Decisions that Matter Most (2018), features stories drawn from critical decisions in urban planning interwoven with stories of hard choices from military history. He is the host of the PBS series How We Got to Now and the podcast American Innovations.


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MACK McCARTER

Mack McCarter is the founder and coordinator of the nonprofit organization Community Renewal International, born out of finding his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana brimming with crime, child neglect, domestic abuse, gun violence, high unemployment and racial intolerance. In 1991, he resolved to improve his community by starting his organization to connect neighbors and return communities to places of friendship and support. Since then, Community Renewal has grown to become a national and international program, and the results are dramatic. So dramatic that McCarter received the 2018 award for Citizen of the Year at the National Conference on Citizenship in Washington, D.C.

MICHAEL McFAUL

Michael McFaul is a prolific author, leading expert on International Relations, Russian politics, American foreign policy and democratic development. From January 2012 to February 2014, he served as the U.S. ambassador to the Russian Federation, was Obama’s top White House advisor on Russian policy and is currently a professor at Stanford University. McFaul’s latest book, From Cold War to Hot Peace (2018), is a revelatory account of U.S.-Russia relations from 1989 to the present, revealing intricate details of how Putin conducts foreign relations. It is a broad, thoughtful analysis of world politics and has been called “a fascinating and timely account of the current crisis in the relationship between Russia and the United States,” by the New York Times.


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JOHN McREYNOLDS

An early interest in food led John McReynolds to the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco where he received a scholarship sponsored by Julia and Paul Child. After graduating, McReynolds’ love and talent for cooking carried him across the globe, and he has cooked in such far-flung locations as a dude ranch in Colorado to remote hotels on a Norwegian fjord. His acclaimed recipes have peppered numerous magazines, newspapers and cookbooks. He was the co-founder and chef at Cafe La Haye, located just off of Sonoma Plaza, for more than ten years. His time at La Haye allowed McReynolds to celebrate his passion for slow food and build a steadfast community. Currently, McReynolds is the Executive Chef and Culinary Director of Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards and Winery, and his exciting new cookbook, The Stone Edge Farm Kitchen Larder Cookbook was released in April 2019.

ROGER McNAMEE

Bestselling author Roger McNamee has been a Silicon Valley businessman and investor for 35 years, co-founding successful funds in venture, crossover and private equity, including Silver Lake Partners and Elevation Partners. One of his most rewarding investments, or so he thought, was in Facebook. His latest book, Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe (2019) is McNamee’s intimate reckoning with the inability of the leaders of Facebook to own up to any of their wrongdoing as the social media site is plagued by manipulation from some very bad actors. Once Mark Zuckerberg’s mentor, McNamee is now one of Facebook’s most outspoken critics.


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ALANA NICHOLS

Even from a young age, Alana Nichols had a passion for sports and adventure. In a devastating turn of events, in 2002, Nichols landed back-first on a rock while snowboarding, causing permanent paralysis from the waist down. Just two years later, Nichols began playing wheelchair basketball and her determination and drive led her to become the first American female to win gold medals at both Summer (wheelchair basketball) and Winter (Alpine ski racing) Olympic/Paralympic Games. In May 2014, Nichols was inducted into the inaugural Superman Hall of Heroes celebrating real-life heroes.

CAITLIN O’CONNELL-RODWELL , Ph.D.

Caitlin O’Connell-Rodwell, Ph.D. is an award-winning science writer, photographer and author who focuses on the fascinating world of elephants and vibrotactile sensitivity. In The Elephant’s Secret Sense (2007), she describes her discovery of a new form of elephant communication, while also personalizing the elephants’ plight in Africa. Her exciting and tension-filled debut novel, Ivory Ghosts (2015) was nominated for the International Thriller Writer’s Thriller Award for Best e-book Original Novel, and the sequel, White Gold (2017), is a pulse-pounding follow up. O’Connell-Rodwell is the co-founder and CEO of the nonprofit organization Utopia Scientific, dedicated to research and science education. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Stanford University’s School of Medicine and a non-clinical researcher at Harvard University’s Eaton Peabody Lab.


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MICHAEL SHELLENBERGER

Michael Shellenberger is an author, environmental policy writer and a longtime advocate of clean energy innovation. He has been a passionate environmental and social justice activist for over 25 years and is the co-founder of the Breakthrough Institute. He is also the founder and president of Environmental Progress, a research and policy organization focused on resolving environmental issues. Shellenberger is interested in reimagining modern environmentalism with a focus on prosperity, cheap energy and nuclear power as keys to environmental success. He’s the co-author of Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility (2007), and in 2008 he was named a TIME magazine “Hero of the Environment.” He is also a co-author of the

“Ecomodernist Manifesto,” an environmental philosophy that argues for uniting technology, humanity and nature.

JOHN BURNHAM SCHWARTZ

With vivid prose, John Burnham Schwartz is perhaps best known for mining the psyches of his exceedingly flawed characters. Schwartz is the author of five acclaimed novels, and his most recent, The Red Daughter (2019), is a sweeping historical novel inspired by the true story of Joseph Stalin’s daughter, Svetlana Alliluyeva. Schwartz has also done extensive screen and television writing for major Hollywood studios, including HBO Films, where he co-wrote the screenplay for Wizard of Lies (2017), based on the Bernie Madoff scandal. Wizard was nominated for four Emmys and Schwartz was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Writing (2018) for the screenplay.

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DR. GARY SMALL

Dr. Gary Small is celebrated as the doctor who invented the first brain scan that allows doctors to see physical evidence of brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease in living people. At the UCLA Semel Institute, Small’s team of neuroscientists are currently demonstrating how exposure to computer technology causes rapid and profound changes in brain neural circuitry. Small has published over 500 scientific publications and has written six books, including the New York Times bestseller The Memory Bible (2002). His latest book with Gigi Vorgan: Two Weeks to a Younger Brain (2015) which translates the latest brain science into practical strategies and exercises to yield quick and long-lasting benefits to keeping the brain young.

ANNE SNYDER

Anne Snyder is determined to make the world a better place through the lost art of building character, and she encourages us to join her mission. Snyder is the director of the Character Initiative at the Philanthropy Roundtable, a pilot program that helps foundations advance “character formation” through their giving. She is also a Fellow at the Center for Opportunity Urbanism, a Houston-based think-tank that explores how cities can drive opportunity and social mobility for the bulk of their citizens. Snyder has an impressive writing history, publishing in numerous periodicals including but not limited to: The Washington Post, The Atlantic Monthly and Philanthropy magazine. Her first book, The Fabric of Character: A Wise Giver’s Guide to Renewing our Social and Moral Landscape was just released in March 2019.


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JAMES STROCK

James Strock is the former founding secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency, and a former member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is a bestselling author of four books on service, politics and leadership and tours the country speaking on these topics. Beyond being a dynamic writer and speaker, he is an entrepreneur and reformer in business and government. Strock’s latest book, Serve to Lead 2.0: 21st Century Leaders Manual (2018), implores organizations and individuals to achieve their greatest potential—and explains exactly how they can.

CLAIRE SPAFFORD

Claire Spafford is a Science Educator who manages the Learning Center at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. There she helps design science activities and curriculum materials for K-12 graders. She is a motivated and gifted educator who revels in watching students enjoy and understand science. Spafford will participate in Students Day by leading a high-energy, interactive, hands-on workshop exploring a variety of science topics.

TUCKER TAYLOR

Tucker Taylor is an expert in certified organic farming, specialty produce, and sustainability. Taylor strongly believes in soil cultivation—with a healthy dose of compost—as the key to a good harvest. He is now the first Director of Culinary Gardens for Jackson Family Wines, where he spearheads the cultivation of all the company’s gardens globally. Prior to joining the Kendall Jackson family, Tucker oversaw landscaping at every property of the world-renowned chef Thomas Keller’s restaurant (French Laundry, Per Se, Bouchon, Ad Hoc), setting the standard for today’s farm-to-table fine dining. Cultures are defined by food, food that begins in a garden. They enrich our culture by challenging us to try new foods.


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TRUDI TRUEIT

Trudi Trueit imagined a career as a novelist since writing her first play in the fourth grade and has published more than 100 fiction and nonfiction books with diverse topics for every young reader. Trueit’s most recent book, Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret (2018), is part of her series for National Geographic that targets young adult readers. It’s filled with adventure, danger and an exciting global mission for the 12-year-old protagonist, Cruz Coronado. We are also excited to announce that Bank of Marin has generously donated 1,000 copies of this book to give away on Students Day!

JOSE ANTONIO VARGAS

Jose Antonio Vargas is considered by many to be “the most famous undocumented immigrant in America.” He is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and immigration rights activist who has published in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post and The New Yorker. Vargas’ debut memoir, Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen (2018), takes us on his journey as a child from the Philippines to the United States. In his memoir, he tackles what he calls an overwhelming sense of “homelessness” that undocumented immigrants often feel: the unsettled, unmoored psychological state of not having a country to call home. In 2011 Vargas founded the nonprofit Define American, which is dedicated to creating a new discourse around immigration in America, specifically targeting anti-immigration rhetoric.


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JUSTIN WANGLER

Avid proponents of the farm-to-table movement, co-authors and chefs Justin Wangler and Tracey Shepos Cemani have partnered with farmer Tucker Taylor, an expert in sustainable culinary gardening, to celebrate the simple good taste of the farm-to-table lifestyle with a stunning cookbook, Season: A Year of Wine Country Food, Farming, Family, and Friends (2018). This cookbook highlights gorgeous seasonal selections and matches recipes with ideal wine pairings, making for one brilliant culinary experience after another with each turn of the page. Wangler is the executive chef of Jackson Family Wines where Shepos Cemani is chef de cuisine

MATTHEW WALKER

Matthew Walker, Ph.D., is dead serious about the dangers of sleep deprivation and has published over 100 scientific studies on the topic. Appearing on 60 Minutes, Nova, BBC News and NPR’s Science Friday, Walker urges us to understand how sleep impacts our wellness and longevity. He is currently a professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at UC Berkeley and the director of its Sleep and Neuroimaging Lab. In his book Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams (2017), he persuasively argues that we are in the midst of a debilitating sleep-loss epidemic that poses the greatest public health challenge of the 21st century.


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SIMON WINCHESTER

Simon Winchester is a British-American writer, broadcaster and journalist awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his contributions to literature and journalism. Winchester is a prolific author, publishing more than two dozen books, including: The Surgeon of Crowthorne (1998), The Map That Changed the World (2001), and he is perhaps best known for his award-winning book The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary (1998). Winchester’s latest book, The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World (2018), celebrates the unsung engineers who have designed creative and intricate machines. In this book, Winchester takes us on a journey through the evolution of “precision,” making this text a superb homage to our engineering history and an explicit warning for our future.

ANDREW ZALDIVAR, Ph.D.

Andrew Zaldivar, Ph.D. is a developer advocate for Google artificial intelligence (AI) where his exciting job is to bring the benefits of AI to the world. Zaldivar’s primary objectives are to develop, evaluate and promote tools and techniques that can help communities build responsible AI systems. When he’s not developing future technologies, he writes posts for the Google Developers blog, addressing the risks that AI can pose across cultures and societies. Zaldivar also passionately speaks at a variety of conferences on the topic of AI and technological responsibility.

second annual may 4 – 6| may 3 – 5, 2019, …...simon winchester, a prolific british-american...

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