Highlights

Women Who Make Headlines

The Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau is proud to represent female journalists, artists, performers, and activists who are making serious changes on the national stage. By sharing their stories and experiences in both remote and in-person speaking engagements, these speakers use their platforms to capture the spirit of progress, and give audiences a behind-the-scenes look at the positives and negatives of their industries.

Jane

Jane Fonda

Award-winning actress, bestselling author, and activist

Acclaimed actress and bestselling author Jane Fonda is one of the most recognizable women of our time. She is a frequent speaker on youth development, women’s issues, social activism, and embracing the longevity revolution. Most recently, her protests, and subsequent arrests, around the issue of climate change have garnered national attention. She currently stars alongside Lily Tomlin in Netflix’s longest-running original series, the Emmy-award-winning Grace and Frankie.

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Sarah McBride

Delaware State Senator, LGBTQ activist, and National Press Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign

Sarah McBride is the National Press Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign and one of America’s leading public voices in the fight for LGBTQ equality. McBride made history as the first openly trans woman to intern in the Obama White House and, in 2016, became the first openly transgender person to address a major party convention. McBride helped lead the successful effort to pass gender identity nondiscrimination protections in Delaware and has worked consistently in her career to move the country toward equality.

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Celeste Ng

Author of the New York Times bestseller Everything I Never Told You and Little Fires Everywhere

Celeste Ng is the author of the instant New York Times bestsellers Little Fires Everywhere. The celebrated novel will premiere later this month as a miniseries on Hulu, starring Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon. Ng’s novels are beloved by audiences of all backgrounds, and she is an in-demand speaker for communities who seek to ignite meaningful conversations on privilege, diversity, and what it means to be a family. In her talks, she deftly explores issues of cultural identity and gender relations and talks about her path to becoming a writer.

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Dr. Mona Hanna

Physician, scientist and activist who exposed the Flint water crisis

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha is the crusading pediatrician who first researched and revealed the lead in the blood of Flint, Michigan’s children. A passionate activist and public health advocate, Dr. Hanna-Attisha created the Pediatric Public Health Initiative, a model program to mitigate the impact of the Flint water crisis. As founder and director of this organization, she combines community and clinical programs, childhood health policy and advocacy, and robust evaluation to give Flint children a better chance at future success.

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Sister Helen Prejean

Leading advocate for the abolition of the death penalty

Sister Helen Prejean’s tireless activism against the death penalty is known to millions worldwide. After witnessing the execution of a condemned man, she wrote the bestselling book Dead Man Walking, which sparked a national dialogue on capital punishment and inspired a major motion picture. Sister Prejean strives to bring citizens closer to the hard realities of government killings, and she travels worldwide, giving informative talks in her continued campaign to educate the public about the death penalty.

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Alisyn Camerota

Author, journalist, and anchor of the CNN morning news program New Day.

Alisyn Camerota is a writer, broadcast journalist, and co-anchor of the CNN morning show New Day. As one of only a handful of journalists to have worked at both CNN and FOX News, she can speak to the consequences and causes of America’s vast media divide. Camerota gives audiences a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the highs and lows of working in a newsroom. As a prominent voice of the #MeToo movement, Camerota has reported extensively on sexual harassment and assault and has anchored two primetime specials on the subject. In her work with the group Press Forward, she addresses how the press can create more inclusive work environments and build equitable cultures that put the facts first.

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Private: Alex Wagner

Journalist, host of Alex Wagner Tonight, and author of Futureface

Reporter Alex Wagner has brought her indispensable perspective on the news to CBS News and Showtime’s The Circus. Wagner examines the American landscape and tackles the ways in which conversations around race, immigration, and politics have shaped our national identity. Along with journalists Jeffrey Goldberg and Matt Thompson, she hosts the podcast Radio Atlantic, where she holds revealing conversations with newsmakers from all walks of life, breaking down the crucial issues in a saturated news landscape.

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Amanda Lucidon

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

Amanda Lucidon made history in her role as official White House photographer for Michelle Obama, documenting one of our era’s most influential and inspirational women. In talks that expand upon her candid photographs of the former First Lady, Lucidon provides insights into a historic presidency, speaks candidly about her experiences in a male-dominated industry, and encourages women to support each other in their ambitions as they climb the career ladder.

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Sarah Burns

Filmmaker and author of The Central Park Five

Sarah Burns‘s writing and documentary filmmaking about the widely-publicized trial of the Central Park Five has recently re-entered the public conversation on the heels of the astounding success of Ava DuVernay’s Netflix miniseries, When They See Us. In her narration of one of New York’s most legendary crimes and its aftermath, Burns proves the stark injustice of the false convictions, and places the case within the larger context of the American justice system and civil rights law. Burns’s work grows increasingly resonant as new perspectives on this case renew debates about bias and police brutality.

Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau