2012-2013 Speakers
David Brooks 9/20, Laura Bush 10/10, Blake Mycoskie 11/15, Walter Mosley 2/28, Steven Pinker 3/27, Steve Martin 4/27
David Brooks
OpEd Columnist, New York Times; Political/Social Analyst, "PBS NewsHour" and NPR's "All Things Considered"
Thursday, September 20, 2012, 8 p.m.
Center for the Arts, UB's North (Amherst) Campus
$42, $36 and $28
Tickets available through TicketMaster and UB Center for the Arts Ticket Office
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David Brooks is an OpEd columnist with The New York Times. Brooks has worked at The Weekly Standard, joining the magazine at its inception and serving as senior editor. He has been a contributing editor at Newsweek and the Atlantic Monthly. He worked at The Wall Street Journal for nine years in a range of positions, including op-ed editor. He has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Forbes, The Washington Post and many other periodicals.
Brooks is a keen observer of the American way of life and a penetrating analyst of present-day politics and foreign affairs. He is a commentator on "PBS NewsHour" and NPR's "All Things Considered." Brooks presents the spirit of our times with humor, insight and quiet passion.
Brooks is the author of two books of what he calls "comic sociology" - descriptions of how we live and "the water we swim in" —"Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There", a New York Times bestseller, and "On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (And Always Have) in the Future Tense." Brooks' most recent book, "The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character and Achievement" examines why neuroscience and sociology are so important to thinking about politics, culture and the future of America in world society.
For source or more information, please visit:
- http://www.leighbureau.com/speaker.asp?id=210
- http://topics.nytimes.com/top/opinion/editorialsandoped/oped/columnists/davidbrooks/index.html
Laura Bush
First Lady of the United States, 2001-2009; Advocate for Education, Healthcare and Human Rights
Wednesday, October 10, 2012, 8 p.m.
Alumni Arena, UB's North (Amherst) Campus
$42, $36, $32 and $16
Tickets available through Ticketmaster and the UB Alumni Arena Ticket Office
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One of the most beloved and admired American First Ladies, for decades Laura Bush has championed key issues in the fields of education, healthcare, and human rights.
Mrs. Bush was a key advocate of the President's historic education reform – the No Child Left Behind Act – and a staunch supporter of NCLB's Reading First program, which is the largest early reading initiative in American history. Early in the President's first term, she launched "Ready to Read, Ready to Learn," an education initiative that promoted best practices in early childhood education and raised awareness of innovative teacher training programs. Inspired by her success with the Texas Book Festival, Mrs. Bush founded the National Book Festival to introduce tens of thousands of Americans to their favorite authors each year.
In 2003, Mrs. Bush answered the call to take her education agenda global, as honorary ambassador for the United Nations Literacy Decade. In this role, she has worked with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to promote global literacy programs with measurable outcomes. She convened world leaders for annual summits that inspired successful practices, beginning with the first-ever White House Conference on Global Literacy in 2006. Mrs. Bush has visited schools and met with students in nations from Afghanistan to Zambia, with a particular focus on encouraging girls and women to pursue their education.
As the leader of President Bush's Helping America's Youth initiative, Mrs. Bush oversaw 10 Federal agencies in a groundbreaking partnership that realized the vision of the President's Management Agenda. Through a national conference in Washington and six regional conferences, Helping America's Youth taught more than 1,000 community members new strategies to address the needs of at-risk youth.
Since the attacks of September 11, Mrs. Bush has been an outspoken supporter of the women of Afghanistan. In November 2001, she became the first First Lady to give the President's weekly radio address, speaking out against the Taliban's oppression of women and children. She has traveled to Afghanistan three times and served as honorary chair of the U.S.-Afghan Women's Council. Mrs. Bush leads the Women's Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute, working to empower women in emerging democracies.
Mrs. Bush has been a leading advocate for the cause of human rights in Burma. She drew global attention to the ruling junta's oppression with a 2006 roundtable at the UN headquarters. After Cyclone Nargis devastated Burma in May 2008, Mrs. Bush held an unprecedented press conference in the White House Press Briefing Room and urged the regime to accept international aid. Mrs. Bush also traveled to the Thai-Burma border and met with refugees who fled the abuses of Burma's military regime.
Mrs. Bush has traveled to all 50 States and more than 75 countries. She has made five trips to Africa alone in support of President Bush's life-saving global health initiatives, including the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). In visits to 10 of the 15 countries targeted by the PMI and 12 of the 15 PEPFAR countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, she witnessed first-hand the success of these historic commitments. In 2006, she joined President Bush to co-host the first-ever White House Summit on Malaria, which helped raise awareness of malaria and support grassroots efforts to eradicate the disease.
Mrs. Bush has helped thousands of women take charge of their health by raising awareness of breast cancer and heart disease. As Ambassador for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Heart Truth campaign, Mrs. Bush traveled the country to educate women about the symptoms of heart disease, which is the number one killer of American women. In addition, Mrs. Bush helped launch the U.S.-Middle East Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research and the Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research of the Americas, which unite the resources of researchers and advocates in the United States and around the world.
Author of the bestselling memoir, "Spoken From the Heart," Mrs. Bush earned degrees in education and library science and worked for several years as an elementary school teacher and children's librarian before marrying George Walker Bush. Prior to becoming First Lady of the United States, Mrs. Bush served as the First Lady of Texas.
For source or more information, please visit:
- http://www.washingtonspeakers.com/speakers/biography.cfm?SpeakerID=6437
- http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first-ladies/laurabush
- http://www.laurabushfoundation.org/
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Blake Mycoskie
TOMS Founder and Chief Shoe Giver
Author of the 2012 UB Reads Selection - "Start Something That Matters"
Thursday, November 15, 2012, 8 p.m.
Alumni Arena, UB's North (Amherst) Campus
$28, $24, $22 and $16
Tickets available through Ticketmaster and the UB Alumni Arena Ticket Office
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Blake Mycoskie is the Founder and Chief Shoe Giver of TOMS, and the man behind the growing One for One movement. TOMS has given over two million pairs of new shoes to children in need through giving partners around the world.
It didn't take long for the world to notice this new approach to business – in 2007, only a year after its beginning, TOMS was honored with the prestigious People's Design Award from the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution. And two years after that, TOMS and Blake Mycoskie were the proud recipients of the Secretary of State's 2009 Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) presented by Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton. The award celebrates companies' commitment to corporate social responsibility, innovation, exemplary practices, and democratic values worldwide.
While running TOMS, Mycoskie is a sought-after speaker at campuses and conferences all over the country. The author of "Start Something that Matters", Mycoskie is passionate about inspiring young people to help make tomorrow better, encouraging them to include giving in everything they do, from business practices to day-to-day decisions. His hope is to see a future full of socially minded businesses, and consumers.
This unique vision for the future came into focus in 2006, when he witnessed the hardships facing children growing up barefoot in Argentina. He felt a need to help, and the One for One movement was born. He returned the following year with friends and family to hand-place 10,000 pairs of new shoes on children.
Mycoskie has always had an entrepreneurial spirit, starting five businesses before TOMS. His first was a successful national campus laundry service, which he later sold. Between business ventures, Mycoskie competed in the CBS primetime series, "The Amazing Race". With his sister, Paige, Mycoskie traveled the world and came within minutes of winning the $1 million dollar grand prize.
Mycoskie is an avid reader and traveler. He was born in 1976 and lives on a sailboat in Los Angeles. A favorite quote of his by Gandhi: "Be the change you wish to see in the world."
For source or more information, please visit:
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Walter Mosley
Novelist and Social Commentator
UB's 37th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Event
Thursday, February 28, 2013, 8 p.m.
Center for the Arts, UB's North (Amherst) Campus
$28, $24 and $22
Tickets available through Tickets.com and UB Center for the Arts Ticket Office
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Walter Mosley is one of the most powerful and prolific writers working today in any genre. He is the author of more than 37 books, ranging from the crime novel to literary fiction, nonfiction, political essay, young adult and science fiction. The New York Review of Books called him "a literary master as well as a master of mystery," and The Boston Globe hailed him as "one of the nation's finest writers."
In his fiction, Mosley has explored the black experience in America over the past seven decades, beginning with the migration of African-Americans from the Deep South to his native Los Angeles in the post-World War II era and through post-Obama election-era New York City. He has created memorable characters like Fearless Jones and Socrates Fortlow, the sort of "fully formed, complex black men who have been absent," he says, "from much of contemporary literature."
His Easy Rawlins detective series began with "Devil in a Blue Dress," which was made into a feature film starring Denzel Washington, and included The New York Times bestseller "Little Scarlet." Mosley has teamed up with producer Diane Houslin to create his own production house, Best of Brooklyn Filmhouse, to adapt his works into television programs and feature films.
Mosley is currently writing an HBO series based on the debut novel in his Leonid McGill series, "The Long Fall." His fourth book in that series, "All I Did Was Shoot My Man," was published in January 2012. Booklist called his 2010 fiction release, "The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey," "a deeply thoughtful, provocative, and often beautiful meditation on aging, memory, family, loss, and love." He published "The Gift of Fire" and "On the Head of a Pin" as one volume in May 2012. His December 18, 2012 release is titled, "The Parishioner."
His non-fiction work has appeared in publications such as The New York Times Magazine and The Nation, and includes books such as "Twelve Steps Toward Political Revelation."
Mosley is the winner of numerous awards, including an O. Henry Award, a Grammy and PEN America's Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Steven Pinker
World Renowned Cognitive Scientist
Graduate Student Choice Speaker
Wednesday, March 27, 2013, 8 p.m.
Center for the Arts, UB's North (Amherst) Campus
$42, $36 and $28
Tickets available through Tickets.com and UB Center for the Arts Ticket Office
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Known for his verve, his wit, and his profound ideas - many of them explained by referencing pop culture - Steven Pinker helps non-specialists understand the science behind human thought and action. One of the world's leading cognitive scientists, Pinker translates his groundbreaking research into articles (frequently writing for The New York Times, Time and The New Republic), and books that are accessible to the general reader. His books include "The Blank Slate" and "How The Mind Works," both bestsellers, and both finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. His acclaimed "language" series includes "The Language Instinct, Words and Rules," and "The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature." His most recent book is titled, "The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined."
A native of Montreal, Pinker is Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard and has also taught at Stanford and, for 21 years, at MIT. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is the Chair of the Usage Panel of the American Heritage Dictionary.
His research on visual cognition and the psychology of language has won prizes from the National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Institution of Great Britain, the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, and the American Psychological Association. He has also received six honorary doctorates and several teaching awards.
He has been named Humanist of the Year, and is listed in Foreign Policy and Prospect magazine's "The World's Top 100 Public Intellectuals," Time magazine's "The 100 Most Influential People in the World Today," and Newsweek's "100 Americans for the Next Century."
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Steve Martin
Stand Up: My Rise and Collapse
Actor, Comedian, Author, Playwright, Producer and Musician
Undergraduate Student Choice Speaker
Saturday, April 27, 2013, 8 p.m.
Alumni Arena, UB's North (Amherst) Campus
$54, $50, $46, and $24
Tickets available through Ticketmaster and the UB Alumni Arena Ticket Office
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Steve Martin, one of the most diversified performers in the motion picture industry today—actor, comedian, author, playwright, producer, musician – has been successful as a writer of and performer in some of the most popular movies of recent film history.
In 2012, Martin's most recent book was published -- "The Ten, Make That Nine, Habits of Very Organized People. Make That Ten.: The Tweets of Steve Martin". With over 2.2 million followers and a now famously uncanny ability to pack 140 characters with a maximum amount of humor and wit, Steve Martin has defined what it means to be a celebrity in today's world of social media. Martin's tweets have been covered by personal blogs and major news outlets, and this collection brings together his funniest, most memorable messages--and hilarious responses from followers.
Martin released his second full length bluegrass album "Rare Bird Alert" on Rounder Records in March 2011. The album features 13 new Martin-penned tracks, and guest vocal appearances by Paul McCartney and The Dixie Chicks. Martin co-wrote two of the CD's songs with the Steep Canyon Rangers.
Since becoming involved in the modern bluegrass scene, Martin has been impressed with the overall level of musicianship that exists in the world of the professional and semi-professional player. As such, in 2010, Martin established The Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, an annual award which brings recognition to an individual or group for outstanding accomplishment in the field of five-string banjo or bluegrass music. In its inaugural year, the award was presented to Noam Pikelny.
Martin published his second children's book in September 2010. Narrated with wit and charm getting to school has never been quite this difficult--or hilarious. Steve Martin and illustrator C. F. Payne teamed up to tell a story of the adventure, danger, and laughs of the journey to school. Enclosed with the book is a CD of Martin on banjo and vocals, singing the book's story with a bluegrass twist.
For his adult audience, Martin's novel "An Object of Beauty" was released in November 2010. Sharing his knowledge of the 1990's New York arts scene, Martin tells the story of Lacey Yeager, a captivating, and ambitious young woman who takes the NYC art world by storm.
Martin costarred with Owen Wilson and Jack Black in the 2011 20th Century Fox comedy "The Big Year" directed by David Frankel. The film sees Martin as a member of a group of avid bird watchers competing to spot the rarest birds in North America at an annual esteemed event.
In March of 2010, Martin, along with Alec Baldwin, co-hosted the 82nd Annual Academy Awards – his third time serving as host of the prestigious award show. He received an Emmy nomination in the category of Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special for his participation.
In January 2010, Steve Martin's banjo album, "The Crow / New Songs For The Five-String Banjo", won a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album.
Christmas 2009 saw Martin share the screen with Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin in Universal's "It's Complicated." The comedy, directed by Nancy Meyers, tells the story of a divorced couple (Streep and Baldwin) who discover that their feelings for one another might not have completely disappeared. Martin plays Adam, the soft-spoken and sweet architect who also vies for Streep's characters' affection.
In 2008, Martin had two books published: In October, Doubleday released a children's book titled "The Alphabet from A to Y with Bonus Letter Z!," co-written with The New Yorker illustrator Roz Chast. In December, Martin's autobiography, "Born Standing Up," was published by Scribner.
Additionally, in December of 2007, Martin was the recipient of the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor.
In 2005, Martin received critical praise for the Touchstone Pictures film "Shopgirl," costarring Claire Danes and Jason Schwartzman. The screenplay was written by Martin and adapted from his best-selling novella of the same name. "Shopgirl" follows the complexities of a romance between a young girl, who works at a Los Angeles Saks Fifth Avenue glove counter while nurturing dreams of being an artist, and a wealthy older man, who is still learning about the consequences that come with any romantic relationship.
Christmas 2003, Martin starred in the highest grossing film of his career, "Cheaper by the Dozen," directed by Shawn Levy for 20th Century Fox. The family comedy, co-starring Bonnie Hunt and Hillary Duff, has grossed over $135 million domestically. Christmas 2005 saw the much anticipated sequel "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" staring the original cast and adding in a rival family, headed by Eugene Levy. In February of 2003, Martin starred with Queen Latifah in the blockbuster comedy, "Bringing Down the House" for Touchstone Pictures which gross $132.7 million.
Martin hosted the 75th Annual Academy Awards in 2003, his second time handling those duties, the first being the 73rd Oscars. The 75th Annual Academy Awards was nominated for seven Emmy Awards, including a nomination for "Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program."
Born in Waco, Texas and raised in Southern California, Martin became a television writer in the late 1960's, winning an Emmy Award for his work on the hit series "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour." By the end of the decade he was performing his own material in clubs and on television.
Launched by frequent appearances on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show," Martin went on to host several shows in the innovative "Saturday Night Live" series and to star in and co-write four highly rated television specials. When performing on national concert tours, he drew standing-room-only audiences in some of the largest venues in the country. He won Grammy Awards for his two comedy albums, "Let's Get Small" and "A Wild and Crazy Guy," and had a gold record with his single "King Tut." In 2003, Martin also won a Grammy® Award for Best country instrumentalist for playing on Earl Scruggs 75th Anniversary album.
Martin's first film project, "The Absent-Minded Waiter," a short he wrote and starred in, was nominated for a 1977 Academy Award. In 1979, he moved into feature films, co-writing and starring in "The Jerk," directed by Carl Reiner. In 1981, he starred opposite Bernadette Peters in Herbert Ross' bittersweet musical comedy, "Pennies From Heaven."
The actor then co-wrote and starred in the 1982 send-up of detective thrillers, "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" and the science fiction comedy "The Man With Two Brains," both directed by Carl Reiner. In 1984, Martin received a Best Actor Award from both the New York Film Critics Association and the National Board of Review for his performance opposite Lily Tomlin in "All of Me," his forth collaboration with writer/director Carl Reiner.
In 1987, his motion picture hit, "Roxanne," a modern adaptation of the Cyrano de Bergerac legend, garnered Martin not only warm audience response, but also a Best Actor Award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and Best Screenplay Award from the Writer Guild of America. Martin was also the executive producer on the film.
In 1988, he costarred with Michael Caine in the hit comedy film "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," his second feature collaboration with director Frank Oz (the first being "Little Shop of Horrors"). In 1989, he starred with Mary Steenburgen and Diane Wiest in Ron Howard's affectionate family comedy, "Parenthood" for Universal Pictures.
In 1991, Martin wrote, starred in and co-executive produced the critically acclaimed comedy, "L.A. Story," a motion picture about a love story set in Los Angeles. That same year he made a cameo appearance in Lawrence Kasdan's critically lauded "Grand Canyon" and starred with Diane Keaton in the hit Disney film "Father Of The Bride," receiving the People's Choice Award for Favorite Actor in a Comedy Motion Picture for the latter. In 1992, he starred in the Universal comedy feature "Housesitter," opposite Goldie Hawn, winning the People's Choice Award for Favorite Actor in a Comedy, for the second year in a row.
In 1996, he starred again with Diane Keaton in the hit sequel to "Father of the Bride," and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. In 1997, he received universal critical acclaim for his riveting performance in director David Mamet's thriller, "The Spanish Prisoner."
Martin wrote and starred in the hilarious 1999 feature comedy, "Bowfinger," opposite Eddie Murphy for Director Frank Oz. The film was showcased at the Deauville International Film Festival.
Martin's other films include classic comedies like Frank Oz's "Little Shop of Horrors," in which he played a demented dentist; John Hughes' "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," co-starring John Candy and the comic Western send-up "The Three Amigos" co-starring Marin Short and Chevy Chase.
In the fall of 1993, Martin's first original play, the comedy-drama "Picasso at the Lapin Agile," was presented by Chicago's prestigious Steppenwolf Theatre. Following rave reviews and an extended run in Chicago, the play was presented successfully in Boston and Los Angeles, and then Off-Broadway in New York at the Promenade Theatre, to nationwide critical and audience acclaim. It has since been, and continues to be, mounted in productions worldwide. "WASP" a one act play that Martin wrote, was first performed at the Public Theatre in NY in 1995. "The Underpants," a dark comedy Mr. Martin adapted from the 1911 play by Carl Sterneim, premiered Off-Broadway at the Classic Stage Company in April 2002.
In 1996, Martin was honored with a retrospective of his work, by the American Film Institute's Third Decade Council at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival. He was also presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremony. In 2004 Martin was honored for his film work by the American Cinematheque.
A selection of paintings from his extensive, private, modern art collection was given a special exhibition at the Bellagio Hotel gallery in Las Vegas in 2000, with catalog notes written for the show by Martin.
After the success of his first novella "Shopgirl" Mr. Martin's second novella, "The Pleasure of My Company," published by Hyperion, once again was ranked on best seller lists around the country including the New York Times. He has written a bestselling collection of comic pieces, "Pure Drivel," and his work frequently appears in The New Yorker and the New York Times.
He lives in New York City and Los Angeles.
For source or more information, please visit:
- http://www.stevemartin.com/
- Most of the above biographical information was taken from Rounder Records Artistic Bio for Mr. Martin
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