Book Talk

book(talk)

your guide to today’s most popular authors & literary programming

A Global Speaker, Celebrity & Entertainment Agency apbspeakers.com

book(talk) Welcome In business for over 50 years, American Program Bureau (APB) has become one of the world’s leading agencies, boasting the largest roster of literary talent and representing some of the most profound and influential literary speakers of the 21st century. Their unique perspectives, ranging from the immigrant experience to family dynamics to violence and addiction, can prove invaluable for your event.

With offices around the world, relationships with top literary agencies, and a staff dedicated to literary and author events, APB has the resources to match the ideal speaker to your next convention, on-campus presentation, community One Book event, or public lecture series. We look forward to working with you.

> Popular Community Reads The Other Wes Moore | Wes Moore The power of choice is the underlying message in The Other Wes Moore. Exploring the parallel lives of two young men with the same name and similar upbringings, Moore asks: How is it that one became a Rhodes Scholar, veteran, and White House fellow, while the other went on to serve a life sentence for murder? He contrasts his personal story with that of “the other Wes Moore” in a program that is both inspiring and thought provoking.

Townie | Andre Dubus III In his newest book, Townie: A Memoir, Dubus shares the powerful story of how he abandoned his path of violence and chose to dedicate himself to the arts. His warm, accessible presentations share the richness and fulfillment he found in choosing the creative life, and the importance of surrendering to the writing process and abandoning the fear of failure.

He is also the author of the New York Times best-selling The House of Sand and Fog.

Half the Sky | Nicholas Kristof Two-time Pulitzer Award winner Kristof co-authored, along with wife Sheryl WuDunn, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, which addresses worldwide mistreatment, marginalization, and brutality toward women. This powerful book is supplemented by his amazing keynote addresses, in which he shares not only the severity of what he has seen on his global travels, but also offers actionable takeaways so that American audiences feel empowered to help.

All Souls | Michael Patrick MacDonald MacDonald is the author of All Souls, a memoir about growing up poor in South Boston, and Easter Rising, the account of how he escaped it all. In his books as well as in his powerful keynotes and workshops, he explores the tangled relationship of race, class, and poverty, as well as the horrors that accompany it—including drug abuse, suicide, and violence.

2

apbspeakers.com . 800.225.4575

book(talk) Andre Dubus III > Although a rich literary legacy dotted his family tree, Dubus long chose to ignore writing, instead turning to competitive boxing as an outlet for his rough and sometimes violent upbringing. That all changed one day when he felt the strong, inexplicable urge to write. From there, he abandoned his path of violence and chose to dedicate himself to the arts. He has written The House of Sand and Fog, which was adapted into a feature film, and Townie: A Memoir.

Corban Addison > Addison spent years searching for a story that would satisfy his passion for both storytelling and human rights. In 2008, the story found him; his novel, A Walk Across the Sun, an Oprah Book Club selection, is about the global trade in human beings.

Elizabeth Berg > A former nurse, Berg made her mark as a writer with such books as Durable Goods, Dream When You’re Feeling Blue, and Home Safe. She writes with humor and sympathy about the small earthquakes that upend women’s lives.

Peter Bogdanovich > Bogdanovich is the Oscar-nominated director of such classics as The Last Picture Show and Paper Moon. Also the best-selling author of Who the Devil Made It?, he shares with audiences his love for the art of filmmaking.

Rick Bragg

PULITZER WINNER

> A Pulitzer Prize winner, best-selling author, and former national correspondent for The New York Times, Bragg wrote The Most They Ever Had, Ava’s Man, and All Over but the Shoutin’, a memoir of how he overcame an impoverished upbringing. apbspeakers.com . 800.225.4575

3

book(talk) Jessica Fellowes > Fellowes is the #1 best-selling author of The World of Downton Abbey— which features new insights into the story and characters, social historical context, sketches, on-set photos, and research from the production team—and its follow-up, The Chronicles of Downton Abbey—an evocative combination of story, history, and behind-thescenes drama. Fellowes’ engaging presentations draw on the social history of the time as well as focusing on the characters, sets, and production of the beloved series itself.

Geraldine Brooks

PULITZER WINNER

> Pulitzer Prize winner Brooks has written such bestsellers as Caleb’s Crossing, March, and Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women. Her fascinating, meticulously researched works of fiction and nonfiction effortlessly bring her subjects to life.

Sandra Brown > Brown is a best-selling author of romantic and thriller suspense novels. She has written over 50 New York Times bestsellers and was named Thriller Master in 2008, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer’s Association.

Bill Bryson > Best-selling author Bryson writes on everything from travel to the English language to science. Drawing comparisons to Geoffrey Chaucer and Dave Berry, his travelogues and insights into the intricacies of language have entertained readers worldwide.

Robert Olen Butler

PULITZER WINNER

> With a gift for mixing comedy and pathos in his fiction, Butler won the Pulitzer Prize in 1993 for his short story collection A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain. In 2012 he wrote his first crime thriller, The Hot Country.

4

apbspeakers.com . 800.225.4575

book(talk) Tess Gerritsen > An internationally best-selling author, Gerritsen took an unusual route to her writing career: while on maternity leave as a doctor, she began to write fiction.

Her series of novels featuring homicide detective “Jane Rizzoli” and medical examiner “Maura Isles” inspired the TNT series Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander. Her books—which include Presumed Guilty, Last to Die, John Doe, and Keeper of the Bride—have been top-three bestsellers in the US and abroad.

Andrew Carroll > The New York Times best-selling author of War Letters, Behind the Lines, and Grace Under Fire, Carroll shares personal letters from wartime, offering intimate accounts from the frontlines as a testament to the power of the written word as historical narrative.

Pearl Cleage > Cleage probes issues of race, sex, and love in her works, revealing poignant truths about brave women. She has written Seen It All and Done the Rest and Just Wanna Testify, and is co-founder of the literary magazine Catalyst.

Kelly Corrigan > After discovering a cancerous lump in her breast while simultaneously learning of her father’s late-stage cancer, Corrigan recounted her experience in the acclaimed book The Middle Place. Her newest book is Lift, the story of a young family in crisis.

E.L. Doctorow > Doctorow is a literary icon, regarded as one of the great masters of the historical novel. His latest book, Homer & Langley, follows the Collyer brothers—New York’s legendary hermits—as they navigate life post-World War II. apbspeakers.com . 800.225.4575

5

book(talk) Michael Patrick MacDonald > MacDonald is the author of All Souls, a memoir about growing up poor in South Boston, and Easter Rising, the account of how he escaped it all. In his books, he explores the tangled relationship of race, class, and poverty, as well as the horrors that accompany it—including drug abuse, suicide, and violence. He is the recipient of several awards, including the American Book Award and the New England Literary Lights Award, and recently completed the screenplay for All Souls.

Sharon Draper > A five-time Coretta Scott King Award winner and former Teacher of the Year, Draper wrote Copper Sun, Forged by Fire, and Out of My Mind, the story of a girl whose genius is overlooked because she is unable to write or speak.

Tananarive Due > Due is an American Book Award winner whose books have ranged from supernatural thrillers to science fiction novels to civil rights memoirs. She is a versatile voice in literature, credited for her ability to couple imaginative plots with alluring prose.

Eric Etheridge > Etheridge is the author, journalist, and photographer behind Breach of Peace: Portraits of the 1961 Mississippi Freedom Riders, an acclaimed “then-and-now” memoir that gives face to the amazing Freedom Riders who changed America.

Vince Flynn > Flynn draws on his insider knowledge of military and intelligence agencies to craft the resonant, page-turning “Mitch Rapp” series. His latest thriller is The Last Man, which has “Rapp” on the hunt for a missing CIA agent in Afghanistan.

6

apbspeakers.com . 800.225.4575

book(talk) Terry McMillan > Since McMillan’s breakout novel, Waiting to Exhale, surged onto The New York Times Bestseller List, critics and readers alike have been captivated by her often-hilarious take on the issues faced by contemporary African American women. Several of her bestsellers have been made into hit movies, including Waiting to Exhale and How Stella Got Her Groove Back. Her most recent novel is Getting to Happy, in which she revisits the four heroines of Waiting to Exhale.

Nikki Giovanni > A commanding literary voice during the Civil Rights Movement, Giovanni is a social commentator whose admirers span generations. Her signature work is Racism 101, a compelling look at America’s racial viewpoints; her most recent work is Bicycles: Love Poems.

Steve Hamilton > Hamilton won the Edgar Award for his first novel, A Cold Day in Paradise, and has since enthralled readers with one gripping mystery after the next. His writing has been praised by The New York Times as “too good for words.”

Valerie Hemingway > Ernest Hemingway’s secretary turned daughter-in-law, Hemingway wrote Running with the Bulls, which recounts her experiences with one of literature’s most intriguing families, including her tumultuous marriage to Gregory, Ernest and Mary’s troubled son.

Tony Horwitz > A former Wall Street Journal foreign correspondent, Horwitz wrote the bestselling Baghdad Without a Map, about his adventures in the Middle East. His latest book is Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid That Sparked the Civil War. apbspeakers.com . 800.225.4575

7

book(talk) Brad Meltzer > A New York Times best-selling author, Meltzer writes extensively researched, fast-paced legal thrillers. Packed with insight, his fiction sets one foot in reality and one foot in the thrill of possibility. Most recently, he wrote The Fifth Assassin as well as the inspirational Heroes for My Son and Heroes for My Daughter. He is also the host of the History Channel’s Brad Meltzer’s Decoded, which investigates the secret history of the symbols and codes that surround us every day.

A.J. Jacobs > Called “the human guinea pig,” Jacobs has outsourced his life to India, read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica, lived modern life as the ultimate biblical man, and chronicled it all in his New York Times bestsellers. His newest book is Drop Dead Healthy.

Mira Kamdar > Kamdar is a renowned expert on India and the award-winning author of Planet India: The Turbulent Rise of the World’s Largest Democracy and the Future of Our World as well as the critically acclaimed memoir Motiba’s Tattoos.

Michael Kimmelman > A Pulitzer Prize finalist, Kimmelman is the award-winning author of Portraits: Talking with Artists at the Met, the Modern, the Louvre and Elsewhere, which was named a New York Times Notable Book. He also wrote The Accidental Masterpiece.

Nicholas Kristof

PULITZER WINNER

> Kristof is a Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist who has risked his life chronicling issues facing the developing world. Along with wife Sheryl WuDunn, he wrote Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.

8

apbspeakers.com . 800.225.4575

book(talk) Wes Moore > In his acclaimed memoir, The Other Wes Moore, Moore shares the true stories of two men with the same name and similar upbringings but starkly different fates. Imparting the importance of personal and social responsibility in shaping one’s future, he probes the questions and consequences of choices in life, posing the question, “How is it one man became a Rhodes Scholar while the other landed a lifetime prison sentence?” His impactful keynotes emphasize the power of choice in defining one’s destiny.

Wally Lamb > Known for his bestseller She’s Come Undone and for having twice earned a spot in Oprah’s Book Club, Lamb crafts captivating, genre-crossing prose. He also wrote The Hour I First Believed, a docudrama of the Columbine massacre.

Dennis Lehane > Lehane is the best-selling author of Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone, and Shutter Island, all of which have been made into feature films. His latest, Live by Night, follows the son of a cop’s rise to criminal power in the Prohibition era.

Toni Morrison

PULITZER WINNER

> Considered one of the world’s most prominent authors, known for her richly detailed characters and vivid dialogue, Morrison is a Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winner. She has written such celebrated books as The Bluest Eye, Beloved, Song of Solomon, and Home.

Audrey Niffenegger > Niffenegger wrote the beautifully imaginative The Time Traveler’s Wife, an inspired bestselling novel that was adapted into a film starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. She shares an inside look at the creative process and the relationship between art and writing. apbspeakers.com . 800.225.4575

9

book(talk) Sara Paretsky > One of today’s most influential female crime writers, Paretsky is an award-winning author who changed the world of detective fiction with her groundbreaking female sleuth, “V.I. Warshawski,” the heroine of over a dozen novels. Proving that women can be more than helpless victims or vamps, “Warshawski,” a tough-minded, intelligent detective, first appeared in Indemnity Only. Also an activist, Paretsky explores the political and literary dissent that informed her life and work in Writing in an Age of Silence.

Mark Oppenheimer > A leading writer on contemporary religion, Oppenheimer has authored two cuttingedge studies of religion and popular culture: Knocking on Heaven’s Door and Thirteen and a Day. His newest book is Wisenheimer: A Childhood Subject to Debate.

Susan Orlean > Orlean is the author of The Orchid Thief, which inspired the Oscar-winning film Adaptation, and Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend, a fascinating look at the history of the German shepherd in America, including the breed’s role on the WWI battlefield.

James Patterson > Known for creating “Alex Cross,” the most popular detective series of the past decade, Patterson is a New York Times best-selling author. A longtime supporter of reading, his newest book, written for kids, is I Funny: A Middle School Story.

Matthew Pearl > Pearl is the New York Times best-selling author of The Dante Club, The Poe Shadow, and The Last Dickens, in which he artfully blends history, literature, and mystery.

His books are known for their intricate plots and cultured characters.

10

apbspeakers.com . 800.225.4575

Christina Baker Kline

book(talk)

> Kline uncovers a fascinating and forgotten piece of American history in her recent New York Times bestseller Orphan Train. The novel sheds light on the orphan experience at the turn of the century by following a young girl about to “age out” of the foster care system. A writerin-residence at Fordham University and an on-staff editor and writing coach at the social networking site SheWrites, Kline draw on this incredible time in history as well as on themes surrounding feminism in her thought-provoking presentations.

Jodi Picoult > Picoult is the best-selling author of such popular titles as My Sister’s Keeper, which was made into a film starring Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin. Her thoughtprovoking prose explores relationships and impactful life situations.

Alice Randall > Randall wrote The Wind Done Gone, a parody of Gone with the Wind that won a Free Spirit Award and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award, and Ada’s Rules. Her work is characterized by themes of motherhood, the African American experience, and race and identity.

Mary Robinson > As the first female President of Ireland, Robinson has dedicated her life to humanitarianism and promoting an ethical future for the world’s citizens. She shares her story in the new memoir Everybody Matters: My Life Giving Voice.

Patrick Rothfuss > Rothfuss spent nine years as a nomadic college student before finding his true calling as a fantasy writer. He is the author of the international bestseller The Name of the Wind; his newest book is The Wise Man’s Fear. apbspeakers.com . 800.225.4575

11

book(talk) Lisa See > In her beloved New York Times bestsellers—Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love, and Shanghai Girls—as well as in her most recent novel, Dreams of Joy, See brilliantly illuminates the potent bonds of mother love, romantic love, and love of country. Intrigued by stories that have been lost, forgotten, or deliberately covered up, she crafts highly praised works resplendent with fluid language, engrossing characters, and rich universal themes.

Sonia Sanchez > Sanchez is a prolific and fiercely original poet whose writing explores women’s lives, racial struggles and triumphs, and global and humanist themes. A 2001 Robert Frost Medalist, she has written several books including Shake Loose My Skin, Morning Haiku, and Homegirls and Handgrenades.

Gary Shteyngart > Russian immigrant Shteyngart is the best-selling author of The Russian Debutante’s Handbook, Absurdistan, and Super Sad True Love Story. His satirical, entertaining prose offers sharp insights into the absurdity of life, balancing humor with tragedy.

Daniel Silva > Silva is the best-selling author of such spy thrillers as The Defector, The Kill Artist, and Potrait of a Spy. He provides insights into the covert world of Israeli intelligence and the past, present, and future of the Middle East through his protagonist, “Gabriel Allon.”

Calvin Trillin > Considered one of America’s best reporters throughout his 40-year journalism career, Trillin has enjoyed success in diverse fields of writing, from the 2012 presidential campaign (Dogfight: The 2012 President Campaign in Verse) to love, life, and marriage (About Alice).

12

apbspeakers.com . 800.225.4575

book(talk) Scott Turow > Known for their alluring plotlines and brilliant twists, attorney Turow’s law-inspired best-selling thrillers have sold more than 20 million copies. A master of legal mystery, his popular works include Presumed Innocent, Ordinary Heroes, and Pleading Guilty. His latest book is Innocent, a taut and explosive thriller that follows the two lawyers from Presumed Innocent as they find themselves locked in a psychological battle 20 years later. The made-for-television movie of Innocent, starring Bill Pullman, aired on TBS in 2011.

Juan Williams > Considered one of America’s leading journalists, Williams is known for his honest, nonpartisan view toward current events. Currently a Fox News contributor, he previously was a senior correspondent for NPR and wrote Muzzled: The Attack on Honest Debate.

Saul Williams > Williams redefined poetry as an accessible, living art form with such works as The Dead Emcee Scrolls and Said the Shotgun to the Head. The independent film Slam, which he wrote and acted in, won at the Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals in 1998.

Larry Wilmore > As the “senior black correspondent” for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Wilmore promotes honest conversation about race and diversity in America. In I’d Rather We Got Casinos, he shares his humorous reflections on media, race, and politics.

Michael York > York’s versatility as an actor is evident in his impressive body of work on screen, stage, and television. The author of several books, he offers compelling presentations on Shakespeare, the poetry of Rudyard Kipling, and the history and art of acting. apbspeakers.com . 800.225.4575

13

book(talk) Diane Ackerman

Sue Grafton

> Ackerman is a best-selling author known for incorporating natural and scientific theory in her work. Her newest book is Dawn Light.

> One of the most read mystery writers today, Grafton has been called a “master of suspense” by Entertainment Weekly.

Michael Beschloss

Gish Jen

> Deemed “the nation’s leading presidential historian” by Newsweek, Beschloss wrote Presidential Courage.

> Known for her perspective on ethnic identity in America, Jen wrote The Love Wife, Typical American, Who’s Irish, and World and Town.

Marc Brown

Mark Kurlansky

> Brown is the creator of “Arthur,” one of literature’s most endearing children’s characters.

He has written and illustrated hundreds of books.

Augusten Burroughs > Burroughs is known for the intense emotional honesty he brings to his writing, from his childhood (Running with Scissors) to alcoholism (Dry).

Frank Deford > A member of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame, Deford is the author of Over Time: My Life as a Sportswriter.

14

> Kurlansky is the award-winning writer behind Salt, 1968, The Last Fish Tale, The Food of a Younger Land, and Battle Fatigue.

Azadeh Moaveni > An Iranian American journalist, Moaveni wrote Lipstick Jihad, a look at the culture and youth of Iran, and Honeymoon in Tehran, a memoir.

John Burnham Schwartz > Schwartz turned down a career on Wall Street after writing his first novel, Bicycle Days. His other titles include Reservation Road and The Commoner.

Eric Jerome Dickey

Rory Stewart

> Dickey blends African American love, humor, and redemption in his the best-selling books, Naughty or Nice and Waking with Enemies.

> Stewart wrote The Places in Between, which The Times called a “flat-out masterpiece,” and The Prince of the Marshes.

Leif Enger

Manil Suri

> Enger’s debut novel, Peace Like a River, shared the story of small-town Minnesota. His newest book is So Brave, Young and Handsome, a gritty western.

> Suri is the author of The City of Devi, The Death of Vishnu, and The Age of Shiva, which follows a woman in post-independence India.

Rob Gifford

Sheila Weller

> In his bestseller, China Road, NPR correspondent Gifford shares his compelling adventure along the Chinese Route 66.

> An author and journalist, Weller penned Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon—and the Journey of a Generation.

apbspeakers.com . 800.225.4575

book(talk) Ackerman, Diane.................................14 Addison, Corban.....................................3 Berg, Elizabeth.........................................3 Beschloss, Michael..............................14 Bogdanovich, Peter...............................3 Bragg, Rick.................................................3 Brooks, Geraldine...................................4 Brown, Marc...........................................14 Brown, Sandra..........................................4 Bryson, Bill...................................................4 Burroughs, Augusten........................14 Butler, Robert Olen...............................4 Carroll, Andrew........................................5 Cleage, Pearl..............................................5 Corrigan, Kelly..........................................5 Deford, Frank..........................................14 Dickey, Eric Jerome............................14 Doctorow, E.L...........................................5 Draper, Sharon.........................................6 Dubus III, Andre.......................................3 Due, Tananarive.......................................6 Enger, Leif.................................................14 Etheridge, Eric..........................................6 Fellowes, Jessica.....................................4

Flynn, Vince................................................6 Gerritsen, Tess...........................................5 Gifford, Rob.............................................14 Giovanni, Nikki.........................................7 Grafton, Sue............................................14 Hamilton, Steve.......................................7 Hemingway, Valerie..............................7 Horwitz, Tony............................................7 Jacobs, A.J...................................................8 Jen, Gish....................................................14 Kamdar, Mira.............................................8 Kimmelman, Michael..........................8 Kline, Christina Baker........................11 Kristof, Nicholas......................................8 Kurlansky, Mark....................................14 Lamb, Wally...............................................9 Lehane, Dennis.......................................9 MacDonald, Michael Patrick...........6 McMillan, Terry.........................................7 Meltzer, Brad.............................................8 Moaveni, Azadeh................................14 Moore, Wes................................................9 Morrison, Toni...........................................9 Niffenegger, Audrey.............................9

Oppenheimer, Mark..........................10 Orlean, Susan.........................................10 Paretsky, Sara..........................................10 Patterson, James..................................10 Pearl, Matthew......................................10 Picoult, Jodi............................................11 Randall, Alice..........................................11 Robinson, Mary.....................................11 Rothfuss, Patrick...................................11 Sanchez, Sonia......................................12 Schwartz, John Burnham..............14 See, Lisa.....................................................12 Shteyngart, Gary..................................12 Silva, Daniel.............................................12 Stewart, Rory..........................................14 Suri, Manil................................................14 Trillin, Calvin............................................12 Turow, Scott............................................13 Weller, Sheila..........................................14 Williams, Juan........................................13 Williams, Saul.........................................13 Wilmore, Larry........................................13 York, Michael.........................................13

> With a 50-year history of trendspotting, innovation, and creativity, APB is the speakers bureau of choice for event planners nationwide. We are proud to represent some of the top, most requested names in the industry from literary speakers and authors to activists, business experts, global leaders, and celebrities.

At APB, we not only value the spoken word as it pertains to powerful, creative programming, we also recognize the importance of ongoing dialogue among our colleagues, clients, and speakers. We encourage you to join the conversation through our social networking channels, which offer a place to connect with fellow event planners, get the latest news from APB, view interesting speaker videos, and sound off on issues that matter to you most.

Join the conversation!

apbspeakers.com . 800.225.4575

15

313 Washington Street, Suite 225 Newton, MA 02458 800.225.4575 . apbspeakers.com