College + University Speakers

Engaging today with the world-changers of tomorrow, our college author speakers inspire students and faculty to foster dialogue on topics as diverse as the campuses they visit.

Jennifer Egan

Author of Manhattan Beach and the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A Visit from the Goon Squad

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi

National Book Award-winning historian and author of How to Be an Antiracist

Colson Whitehead

Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author of The Underground Railroad

Zachary R. Wood

Former President of Uncomfortable Learning at Williams College, author of Uncensored, and free speech advocate

More College + University Speakers

Omar El Akkad

Award-winning journalist and author of the debut novel American War

Will Allen

Founder of Growing Power, MacArthur 'Genius' Award winner, and author of The Good Food Revolution

Moustafa Bayoumi

Journalist and author of How Does it Feel to Be a Problem? Being Young and Arab in America

Brit Bennett

Debut novelist of New York Times-bestselling The Mothers, National Book Foundation 2016 5 Under 35 Honoree

Peter Buffett

Emmy Award-winning musician, author, and philanthropist

Bill Burnett

Executive Director of the Design Program at Stanford and co-author of the #1 New York Times-bestselling book Designing Your Life

Francisco Cantú

Former US Border Patrol Agent and author of The Line Becomes a River

Rachel Cargle

Activist, speaker, and author of I Don't Want Your Love and Light

John Carreyrou

Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist and author of the New York Times bestseller Bad Blood

Casey Cep

Author of Furious Hours and New Yorker staff writer

Ta-Nehisi Coates

#1 New York Times-bestselling author of Between the World and Me and We Were Eight Years in Power

Ron Currie, Jr.

Author of Flimsy Little Plastic Miracles, Everything Matters! and God is Dead

Edwidge Danticat

MacArthur Fellow and acclaimed Haitian writer, author of Brother, I'm Dying and Claire of the Sea Light

David Ewing Duncan

Award-winning science and technology journalist and bestselling author of Talking to Robots

Dave Evans

Co-founder of Electronic Arts and co-author of the #1 New York Times-bestselling book Designing Your Life

Dr. Sheri Fink

Pulitzer Prize-winning medical journalist and author of Five Days at Memorial, M.D. and Ph.D. from Stanford

Franklin Foer

National correspondent for The Atlantic, New America Foundation fellow, and former editor of The New Republic

Jamie Ford

New York Times-bestselling author and book club favorite

Allen Gannett

Big data entrepreneur and author of The Creative Curve

Anand Giridharadas

Editor-at-large for TIME and author of Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World

Paul Greenberg

James Beard Award-winning author of the New York Times bestseller Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food and American Catch: The Fight for Our Local Seafood

Lauren Groff

National Book Award finalist and bestselling author of Fates and Furies and Florida

Yaa Gyasi

Debut novelist of Homegoing and recipient of the National Book Foundation's 'Under 35' award

Doc Hendley

Founder and president of Wine to Water, CNN Hero, and author of Wine to Water

Kristen Iversen

Award-winning author of Full Body Burden and public health speaker

Daisy Khan

Women's advocate, media commentator, and Executive Director of the Women's Islamic Initiative

Phil Klay

U.S. Marine Corps veteran and author of Redeployment, winner of 2014 National Book Award for Fiction

Mark Kurlansky

New York Times bestselling-author of Cod, Salt, and The Food of a Younger Land

Jean Kwok

Award-winning author of Girl in Translation

Steve Lopez

Author of The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music

Amanda Lucidon

Obama White House photographer, award-winning filmmaker, and New York Times-bestselling author

Drew Magary

Author of The Postmortal, The Hike, and Someone Could Get Hurt

Sarah McBride

LGBTQ activist and National Press Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign

Dinaw Mengestu

Named one of The New Yorker '20 Under 40' writers to watch and author of The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears and How to Read the Air

Celeste Ng

Author of the New York Times bestseller Everything I Never Told You

Jenny Nordberg

Award-winning investigative reporter, foreign correspondent, and author of The Underground Girls of Kabul

Sigrid Nunez

Author of the 2018 National Book Award winner and New York Times bestseller, The Friend

Kwame Onwuachi

James Beard Award-winning Chef and author of Notes from a Young Black Chef

Ruth Ozeki

Filmmaker, novelist, and Zen Buddhist priest

Ahmed Rashid

Journalist and author of Descent into Chaos and Pakistan on the Brink

Robert B. Reich

Former Secretary of Labor, economist, and New York Times-bestselling author

Kiley Reid

Debut novelist of instant New York Times-bestselling Such a Fun Age

Jerry Saltz

Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic for New York magazine

Shaka Senghor

Author of Writing My Wrongs and leading voice on criminal justice reform

Dani Shapiro

Bestselling author of Hourglass and Inheritance, host of the Family Secrets podcast.

Neil Shubin

Evolutionary biologist and discoverer of the "Missing Link," and author of Your Inner Fish and The Universe Within

Bren Smith

Restorative ocean farmer and co-founder of GreenWave

Nic Stone

New York Times-bestselling author of Dear Martin and Odd One Out

J. Ryan Stradal

New York Times-bestselling author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest

Darin Strauss

Bestselling novelist and author of the acclaimed memoir Half a Life, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography

Cheryl Strayed

Author of the #1 New York Times-bestselling memoir Wild and "Dear Sugar" columnist

Mark Sundeen

Award-winning author of The Man Who Quit Money and The Unsettlers

David Treuer

Author of The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee and Rez Life

Bina Venkataraman

Author of The Optimist's Telescope and Editorial Page Editor at The Boston Globe

Dr. Vint Virga

Distinguished veterinary practitioner and animal behaviorist, and author of The Soul of All Living Creatures

Ocean Vuong

Poet and author of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

Isabel Wilkerson

Pulitzer Prize winner and author of the critically acclaimed bestseller The Warmth of Other Suns

John Wood

Founder and board co-chairman of Room to Read and author of Creating Room to Read: A Story of Hope in the Battle for Global Literacy

Charles Yu

Screenwriter and author of Interior Chinatown