The PRH Speakers Bureau is proud to represent speakers who keep us connected and make powerful progress toward change. As we continue to have conversations about challenging the status quo, actively fighting for justice in BIPOC communities, and grappling with COVID-19, we’ve compiled these recent articles, media, and essays from our speakers about the changing personal, political, and cultural landscapes.

We are also happy to include a roundup for you here of virtual events that are open to the public from our speakers for the upcoming week.

Virtual Events with Our Speakers

une in to these virtual Penguin Random House speakers’ book events, author Q&A’s and more that are happening this week.

Monday, October 12

• Carlos Andrés Gomez joins Greenlight Bookstore for the Greenlight Poetry Salon (7:00PM EST)
• Karen Russell discusses her new book at McNally Jackson (7:00PM EST)

Tuesday, October 13

• Namwali Serpell speaks at Brookline Booksmith (7:00PM EST)
• Casey Cep joins the Museums on the Green for a virtual talk (7:00PM EST)

Wednesday, October 14

• Oliver Jeffers celebrates WHAT WE’LL BUILD at An Unlikely Story Bookstore & Cafe (4:00PM EST)
• Phil Klay reads from MISSIONARIES at Skylight Books (6:30PM EST)
• Emily Bernard speaks at the Neilly Author Series at University of Rochester River Campus Libraries (7:00PM EST)
• David Allen Sibley sips and draws at Georgia Audubon (7:00PM EST)
• Cristina Henríquez discusses THE BOOK OF UNKNOWN AMERICANS at King County Library (9:30PM EST)

Thursday, October 15

• Brit Bennett will be appearing on the Shondaland series on Instagram (2:00PM EST)
• Tommy Orange joins UCLA American Indian Studies Center to for a dicussion (6:00PM EST)
• Casey Cep will be at Six Bridges Book Festival (8:00PM EST)

Friday, October 16

• Megha Majumdar talks about the consequences of a decision at the Brattleboro Literary Festival (7:00PM EST)

Saturday, October 17

• Robin Coste Lewis and Tommy Orange will be at City Lights Books (8:00PM EST)
• Tommy Orange joins Seattle Public Library to discuss Seattle Reads selection THERE THERE (10:00PM EST)

Check out #BooksConnectUsLive for more live virtual events.

News and Media from PRHSB Speakers

COVID-19 
These articles from our speakers highlight practical advice and news about the current pandemic.

• In Reversal, White House Approves Stricter Guidelines for Vaccine Makers | The New York Times: Carl Zimmer reports on the new guidelines for the coronavirus vaccine.
• How Does a Pandemic End? Here’s What We Can Learn From the 1918 Flu | Time: Howard Markel draws a parallel between the current pandemic with the 1981 flu.
• ‘Don’t Be Afraid of Covid’? Not Buying It, Unless Businesses Do Their Job Right | Kaiser Health News: Elisabeth Rosenthal encourages shoppers to buy at businesses that do the right things to prevent the spread of COVID and boycott those that don’t.
• New York’s Commercial Rents Are ‘Too Damn High’ | The New York Times: Tim Wu explains how rent is making it harder for the city to recover from the pandemic and offers solutions.
• When you need to give tough feedback, forget Zoom and pick up the phone | Fast Company: Therese Huston gives advice on how to provide tough feedback when everyone’s working from home.

Black Lives Matter Movement
Below are some recent dialogues from our speakers on systemic racism and the Black Lives Matter movement.

• Isabel Wilkerson says her new book Caste is ‘an X-ray of our country,’ exposing what divides us | Star Tribune: Isabel Wilkerson says her book reveals the “bones” underlying our nation’s divisions.
• Yaa Gyasi Worked with a Neuroscientist for Her New Book, Transcendent Kingdom | Late Night with Seth Myers: Yaa Gyasi talks about shadowing her neuroscientist friend for her new book, how her Ghanaian heritage influenced her writing, and the new readership of her first novel.
• 5 Journaling Prompts To Guide Your Anti-Racism Inquiry, From Ibram X. Kendi | mindbodygreen: Dr. Ibram X. Kendi provides five thought-provoking journal prompts to help you check in on your relationship with race, racism, and active allyship.
• Black mother sees implicit bias through son’s eyes | Matter of Fact: Dr. Jennifer L. Eberhardt talks about the relationship of race and privilege, the impact of bias in the images and language in daily news and information, and the creation of stereotypes and how they influence the way we think.

Politics
Our speakers provide clarity and shrewd analysis of today’s issues to help make sense of our current and future political landscape.

• Donald Trump has called his supporters ‘disgusting.’ Do they care? | The New York Times: Mark Leibovich reports on the changing feelings within Trump’s supporter base.
• What to Do About Economic Inequality? | Bloomberg: Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich and other top experts discuss the current economic crisis.
• Anand Giridharadas: ‘Trump Is The Head Of The Snake But Our Whole Culture Needs A Reckoning’ | MSNBC: Anand Giridharadas puts into perspective how Trump’s contraction of coronavirus will affect the country in the coming weeks.
• Stephen Miller, explained | Vox: Jean Guerrero takes a deep dive into the background of Stephen Miller, a senior adviser to President Donald Trump, and how he has become the driving force behind Trumpism.
• Op-Ed: Facebook drove QAnon’s mad growth and enhanced its power to poison elections | Los Angeles Times: Roger McNamee warns that the network has moved aggressively into the mainstream with candidates for office promoting the conspiracy theory.

Books Connect Us
With their imaginative, impactful pieces of literature, our speakers provide incredibly valuable perspectives to be read by all.

• National Book Awards Finalists Announced | The New York Times: Charles Yu is a finalist for the Nation Book Award for fiction.
• Trio of Black female authors among 21 MacArthur Foundation ‘genius grant’ winners | CNN: Jacqueline Woodson is among 21 MacArthur Foundation ‘genius grant’ winners.
• 3 novels, 2 short story collections shortlisted for $100K Scotiabank Giller Prize | CBC: Emily St. John Mandel’s THE GLASS HOTEL is on the shortlist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize.
• In Missionaries, Phil Klay Explores How ‘Wars Bleed Into Each Other’ | WNYC: National Book Award winner Phil Klay’s new novel takes readers around the world, from the chaos in Iraq and Afghanistan to turmoil in rural Colombia.
• So long, Jack Reacher. Why Lee Child is handing over the series to his brother | The Times: Lee Child is hanging up his pen as his younger brother takes over the bestselling series.