September 14 -
Anita Brikman
co-anchors WUSA 9 News at
5:00 and 11:00 pm, as well
as covering in-depth news
segments on health issues.
She began her career as a
medical reporter and shortly
thereafter assumed various
news anchor duties, most
recently at an ABC affiliate
in Philadelphia. Not only
does Anita manage a
demanding career as
co-anchor, she is also
passionate about covering
medical issues and is
actively involved in many
philanthropic organizations
including the Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society, the
National Kidney Foundation,
the National Heart
Association and Susan G.
Komen For The Cure. Between
Anita's career, volunteer
work, and her family, (a
doting husband and three
children), she is also an
avid runner. You will be
energized, motivated and
entertained by our first
speaker of the season!
September 21 -
Co-authors
Carol Kranowitz(author of best-selling
The Out-of-Sync Child),
and
Joyce Newman
provide a fresh and timely
approach to understanding
the profound impact of motor
development on children of
all ages and stages. Their
new book, Growing an
In-Sync Child, is
based on the authors' more
than seventy combined years
of professional success
working with children of all
abilities. The book provides
parents, teachers, and other
professionals with the tools
to give every child a head
start and a leg up. Because
early motor development is
one of the most important
factors in a child's
physical, emotional,
academic and overall
success, the In-Sync Program
provides easy and fun
activities that will enhance
your child's development in
just minutes a day.
Learn more
here.
Book signing following
lecture.
September 28 -
"Why treat your children
with drugs when you can cure
them with food?" Nutrition
Detective
Kelly Dorfman
works collaboratively with
other medical professionals
around the country to help
people with complex ailments
and symptoms. After
twenty-nine years of
listening to clients
describe their situations,
she knows how to identify
core issues quickly. She
then carefully employs tried
and true strategies ground
in research to attain the
best results over time. She
has lectured extensively
throughout the US and has
been featured on numerous
television programs
including CNN's American
Morning and Fox News.
Marguerite Kelly describes
Dorfman's book, What's
Eating Your Child? The
Hidden Connections Between
Food and Childhood Ailments,
as "full of fascinating and
potentially life-changing
advice; her insights are
excellent and her advice is
just what you need."
Visit Kelly Dorfman's
website.
Book signing following
lecture.
October 5
- There was a moment not
long ago when she became
sure that her blossoming
playwriting career would
be lost among sippy
cups, baby dolls and
field trip forms.
Can
you have it all?
Playwright
Karen Zacarias
certainly seems
to have found the
secret. With three young
children at home and a
blinking computer
awaiting, she finished
five plays the year her
youngest was born, and
the ideas just keep on
coming. Her plays have
been produced throughout
the United States,
Canada, Europe and the
Caribbean. Recent
productions include
The Book Club Play
and How the Garcia
Girls Lost Their Accents
at Roundhouse Theatre
and Legacy of Light
at Arena Stage. Her play
The Sins of Sor Juana
was the winner of the
Charles MacArthur Award
for Outstanding New Play
at the 2000 Helen Hayes
Awards and the 1998
National Hispanic
Playwrights' Project at
South Coast Repertory
(Costa Mesa, Calif.).
She is also winner of
the 1998 D.C. Mayor's
Award for Outstanding
Emerging Artist and a
finalist at the Eugene
O'Neill National
Playwrights' Conference
and the Jane Chambers
National Women's
Playwrights'
Competition. Karen is
the founder and artistic
director of Young
Playwrights' Theater, a
non-profit organization
dedicated to fostering
literacy, dialogue and
conflict resolution
through playwriting in
inner-city schools. She
earned a master's in
playwriting from Boston
University studying with
Nobel laureates Derek
Walcott and Elie Wiesel.
Born in Mexico, she
currently lives with her
husband, Rett, in
Washington, D.C., and
Oaxaca, Mexico.Click
here to read
more about the Young
Playwright's Theater.
October 12
-
John
Kevin Boggs,
local actor and
storyteller, was last
seen in
Camille by
the Washington
Shakespeare Company and
before that
in
All That I Will Ever Be at
Studio’s 2nd Stage. John
Kevin was also in the
cast of SpeakeasyDC’s The
Sin Show,
the top-selling show in
the 2009 Capital Fringe
Festival. Fittingly, he
was born and bred in the
epicenter of the
storytelling revival –
Jonesborough, Tennessee
– home of the National
Storytelling Festival
and the International
Storytelling Center.
October 19
-
Joanna Weiss
was reared on Mr. Rogers'
Neighborhood and came of
age with Different
Strokes and Mr.
Belvedere. She started
her career covering politics
and metro news for the
Boston Globe and the
New Orleans Times-Picayune,
but her TV-junkie status got
the best of her: she found
herself squeezing stories
about Survivor into
the news pages. Now, she
devotes herself full-time to
weighty matters of
television and pop culture
while still keeping an eye
on how politicians carry
themselves on TV as an op-ed
columnist for the Globe.
She JUST finished her first
novel, Milkshake,
which includes the battle
over breast- vs.
bottle-feeding and features
twists and turns. Yet the
novel always remains true to
its characters, who change
and grow with the story.
Even Weiss' antagonists are
likeable and are not the
stereotypes found in some
novels! Read more
about Joanna Weiss at her
website.
Book signing following
lecture.
October 26
-
In 2008, nearly 116,000
women were in state or
federal prison: that’s more
than 7% of the total US
prison population. Most
women were incarcerated for
non-violent crimes. Once
women are released, there
are few programs to help
them make a successful
transition back to their
families and society. To
address that, Our Place DC
was established more than 10
years ago to provide
support, education, job
training and guidance that
is specifically designed for
women and the re-entry
issues they face. Executive
Director
Ashley McSwain
and one of the clients
served will describe their
approach and how their
programs make a difference.
Visit the
Our Place DC website
to learn more about this
organization.
November 2
-
How up-to-speed are you
regarding the impact income
tax law has on your
security, contributions to
college funds and other
daunting aspects of
financial planning?
Certified Public Accountant
Judi Herishen
offers practical advice to
minimize tax liabilities and
strategies for the
future. She was associated
with the firm of Regardie,
Brooks & Lewis prior to
'hanging out her own
shingle' over 15 years
ago. Judi has participated
in the stringent Peer Review
Program and has consistently
received top honors.
Time to get our heads out of
the clouds and get our
financial house in order!
November 9
-
You may know Barbara Kowalcyk
from the 2009 Academy
Award-nominated documentary
Food, Inc. that
looked at the
industrialization of the
American food
supply. Barbara's son Kevin
died in 2001 at the age of
two after eating tainted
hamburger, and her attempts
to trace the source of her
son's illness and death,
advocacy for stronger
food safety laws,
and her frustration with the
current
food safety system
and lack of
oversight/accountability are
all highlighted in the film.
What you may not know is
that Barbara earned her PhD
from the
University of Cincinnati
this year, is an
international expert on food
safety and is the CEO of the
Center for Foodborne Illness
Research and Prevention.
November 16
-
Danny Harris
founded People's District, a
website devoted to telling
people's stories, because he
wanted to understand DC's
neighborhoods and the people
who live there. He
began a quest to document
the District, one resident
at a time, by publishing
daily interviews that give
voice to the very people and
problems that he once
ignored. He doesn't inject
any of himself into the
stories of the people he
meets, but rather, allows
their voices and experiences
to draw out the city's rich,
and often overlooked
texture.
Peoplesdistrict.com
is now home to more than 400
stories about waitresses,
bike messengers, musicians,
artists, bus drivers,
gardeners, religious
leaders, business owners,
nonprofit administrators,
ex-convicts, sex workers,
homeless people, teenagers,
seniors, old-timers,
newcomers, kings of the
street corner and
neighborhood know-it-alls.
November 23
-
Ever wonder where that line
is between being a collector
and hoarder? Want some tips
to organize yourself or help
an elderly relative clean
out the closets? Jean Marie King
helps people downsize and
relocate, and sometimes
she’s called in to assist
hoarders facing eviction.
Jean Marie has over 25 years
of experience in the design
field, with expertise in
lighting, bath and kitchen
designing, and as an
interior designer. She goes
places you probably don’t
want to go....hear what
stories and tips she has to
share!
November 30
-
In search of more inner
peace among the
holiday-season chaos? Then
come and be in the moment
with
Joy Rains,
a meditation teacher and
founder of Key Seminars, who
will offer techniques for
releasing anxiety and
physical tension, as well as
living a more peaceful life.
Her programs, which include
classes on meditation,
mind-body awareness and
labyrinths, offer varied
tools and clear instruction
on how to unlock the door to
the quiet within. Her goal
is for everyone to leave her
classes (including this WMG
mini-workshop) with a clear
understanding of ways to
quiet the mind, reduce
stress and enhance wellness.
"Our true home is in the
present moment." Visit the
Key Seminars website
to learn more.
December
7 -
Donna Britt,
former syndicated columnist
for the Washington Post,
shares with us her first
book, Brothers (and me).
Britt's memoir -- which Kirkus Reviews calls "a
probing exploration that
delves into rarely tapped
depths" -- explores women's
penchant for giving fully of
their time and talents to
others, and how a
decades-ago slaying
exacerbated Britt's own
giving. The product of a
tight-knit, achievement-focused
home in Gary, Indiana, Britt
was a graduate student at
the University of Michigan
when police shot to death
her favorite brother
Darrell. The
still-unexplained slaying of
this sensitive man with no
criminal record and no
alcohol or drugs in his
system was perpetrated by
white officers who claimed
Darrell had inexplicably
charged at them--officers
who years later
were kicked off the force on
charges of burglary and child molestation. Her
brother's killing devastated
Britt, deepening her
tendency to sometimes give
too much -- especially to the
men in her life. It's a
habit, Britt insists in her
memoir, that she
shares with countless women
of every color, income and
background. Indeed,
Library Journal says of her
book: Brothers (and me) "is
more personal, but no less
significant" than Condoleeza
Rice's memoir." The
author, who has
been featured on Oprah,
C-Span and NPR. The book
officially debuts tomorrow;
we're getting copies early.
Book signing following
lecture.
December 14 -
What do our words say about
us? In his recently released
book The Secret Life of
Pronouns, Psychology
Department Chair of the
University of Texas at
Austin
Dr. James W. Pennebakersummarizes years of
research that explores how
the words we use in everyday
life reveal our personality,
social connections, and
physical health. A pioneer
of writing therapy
and author of Opening Up:
The Healing Power of
Confiding in Others, he
has researched the link
between language and
recovering from trauma and
has been recognized by the
American Psychological
Association
as one of the top
researchers on trauma,
disclosure, and health. In
particular, he finds a
person's use of "low-level
words," such as pronouns and
articles, predictive of
recovery as well as
indicative of sex, age, and
telling the truth. His
recent research on
computerized text analysis
has been used to understand
terrorists, political
leaders, and young couples
who have just begun dating.
See
www.secretlifeofpronouns.com
for more information.
Book signing following
lecture.
December 21 -
Charlie Dharapak
has served as a
distinguished Associated
Press photographer for the
past 15 years. He first
began as a staff
photographer in Southeast
Asia covering civil and
communal wars, pro-democracy
movements, various religious
conflicts and the rise of
Muslim extremism. From there
he moved on to photographing
the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, where he was
recognized by the AP
Managing Editors for his
work. Charlie is one of the
few photographers who flies
on Air Force One following
White House news and
covering national politics.
Credits include the Bush
Administration, the 2004 and
2008 presidential campaigns
and the Obama White House.
He has received awards for
his Washington political
coverage from the National
Press Photographers
Association and the White
House News Photographers
Association.
January
4 -
Steve Luxenberg,
an associate editor at The
Washington Post and
author of the award-winning Annie’s
Ghosts: A Journey Into a
Family Secret, which
tells his personal history
from immigrant parents and
the family's attempts to
hide the shame and stigma of
having a mentally-ill aunt. Luxenberg
served as deputy editor of
the newspaper’s
investigative/special
projects staff, then headed
by assistant managing editor
Bob Woodward. He later
succeeded Woodward in the
position and went on to
become editor of the
SundayOutlook
section. Look
carefully and you will see
him as an extra in the fifth
and final season of HBO's
The Wire.
Read more about Steve
Luxenberg by visiting his
website.
Book signing following
lecture.
January 11 -
Craig Wilson
is a columnist for USA
Today
faithfully writing his
The Final Word column
each Wednesday. Asked in a
recent interview: "How
do you choose your topics?
Magic?" He responded
with: "Yes, magic! Actually,
I don’t have a clue. I’ve
been writing the column for
20 years and I have to admit
I surprise myself every
week. I’m looking for column
ideas 24 hours a day. My
mother has come in handy on
more than a few
occasions....."
He is also the author of
It's the Little Things: An
Appreciation of Life's
Simple Pleasures and a
combined effort with
National Geographic entitled
Mothers and Children.
Book signing following
lecture.
January 18 -
An orchid grower since his
childhood,
Tom
Mirenda is a very
enthusiastic promoter of the
Orchid Lifestyle, i.e., lots
of plants, old worn-out
clothes and furniture and a
diet with no protein. Even
though he studied Marine
Biology in college on the
west coast, he always
returned to horticulture as
a hobby and eventually made
it a career. He has worked
at some of the East Coast's
most cherished botanic
gardens and private estates.
He is now the Museum
Specialist for the
Smithsonian Institution's
8,000-plus Orchid
Collection. The Smithsonian
collection is an extremely
diverse assemblage of
species and hybrids from all
over the world, collected
for their educational,
conservation and ornamental
value. He is also
responsible for supplying
blooming plants year-round
for the many horticultural
displays of the Smithsonian,
including its annual Orchid
Exhibition.
January 25-
She's a bestselling author
who's been featured on
Good Morning America, Oprah
and NPR, a professor at The
American University and a
journalist who's interviewed
Yoko Ono, Elie Wiesel, Billy
Graham, Ted Kennedy and
Queen Noor of Jordan----and
she's the WMG mascot!
Iris Krasnow has
spoken to us (FIVE times!)
on having it all and
parental guilt; balancing
work, family and personal
growth; making your
relationship last forever by
surrendering to marriage;
discovering the passion of
your soul and creating a
career that you love; why
women need girlfriends to
survive and thrive; finding
AND loving yourself; turning
mother-daughter wars into
lasting peace; and from
mothering children to
mothering aging parents.
Her newest tome, The
Secret Lives of Wives: Women
Share What It Really Takes
to Stay Married, will be
released right before she
speaks to us!
Book signing following
lecture.
