ALBANY, NY (08/16/2017) (readMedia)-- Albany, NY - The New York State Writers Institute at the University at Albany announces its Fall 2017 schedule of visiting writer appearances, film series screenings, and a multi-event symposium. Events take place on the UAlbany uptown and downtown campuses and are free and open to the public (unless otherwise noted).

The Fall 2017 series of events is an ambitious schedule including appearances by a wide range of award-winning authors, readings by members of the local community, screenings of award-winning films, and a multi-day conference that will explore some of the most pressing issues of our time. "The goal of the fall schedule is to offer diverse voices in multiple genres and subject matter that will appeal to the widest possible range of interests and literary tastes," said the Institute's new director Paul Grondahl.

The highlight of the fall schedule is a multi-day forum Telling the Truth in a Post-Truth World, which will explore timely topics critical to an open democratic society including the rise of "fake news" and "alternative facts;" pressures on the First Amendment and a free press; media literacy; information overload; hacking and cybersecurity; and issues of race and class, among others. Featured appearances will include Kurt Andersen, journalist, editor, radio host, and author of the new book Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History; Bob Schieffer, former anchor of CBS Evening News and Face the Nation; Floyd Abrams, the nation's preeminent First Amendment lawyer; Lydia Polgreen, editor-in-chief of HUFFPOST (The Huffington Post); Harry Rosenfeld, Albany Times Union editor-at-large and former news editor at The Washington Post in charge of the daily coverage of the Watergate exposé; and more than two dozen prominent journalists, editors, historians, and authors. Telling the Truth in a Post-Truth World is a reprise of a three-day event hosted by the Writers Institute in 1991-Telling the Truth: A Symposium on the Craft of Nonfiction-which featured panel discussions on the practical, professional, and ethical problems of writing nonfiction.

The Visiting Writers Series boasts two UAlbany alums: rap artist and actress Awkwafina (AKA Nora Lum), who will appear in the upcoming films CRAZY RICH ASIANS and OCEAN'S EIGHT; and Ryan Smithson, author of the highly-praised memoir Ghosts of War: The True Story of a 19-Year-Old GI, about his experiences in the war with Iraq. In addition to holding an informal seminar, Smithson will provide commentary following the Griffin Theatre Company's performance of the one-man play that is based on his book.

UAlbany students and members of the community will have the opportunity to read their work on stage in conjunction with appearances by James Hart, author of the powerful new memoir Lucky Jim (2017) and Tyehimba Jess, winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in poetry for his collection Olio. The Chinese Diaspora will be explored through a dual reading by fiction writers Madeleine Thien, winner of Canada's Governor General's Award for Do Not Say We Have Nothing (2016), and Peter Ho Davies, whose book The Fortunes (2016) received the Anisfield-Wolf Award. Lois Lowry, author of more than 30 books for children, including Newbery Medal winners The Giver (1993), and Number the Stars (1989) will discuss her creative inspiration, craft, and career with WAMC radio host Joe Donahue as part of "The Creative Life: A Conversation Series at UAlbany."

Additional guests for the Visiting Writers Series include bestselling novelist Claire Messud, author of the new novel The Burning Girl; Doug Wright, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright; The New Yorker cartoonists Roz Chast and Robert "Bob" Mankoff; Russell Shorto, historian and author of a new book on the American Revolution, Revolution Song: A Story of American Freedom (2017); Hisham Matar, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the memoir The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land In Between (2016); and two first-time novelists, John Freeman Gill, an architectural historian and author of The Gargoyle Hunters, and Nic Stone, author of the young adult novel Dear Martin (2107).

The Classic Film Series includes screenings of BACKPACK FULL OF CASH (2017), a documentary on the growing privatization of America's public schools, with commentary by the filmmakers Sarah Mondale and Vera Aronow; A BRIDGE TOO FAR (1977), the true story of Operation Market Garden, the Allies' attempt during WWII to drive the German Army out of Holland and its impact on Albany's "sister city" Nijmegen; BRINGING OUT THE DEAD (1999), about a burned-out ambulance paramedic, with commentary by Joe Connelly, on whose novel the film is based, and members of UAlbany's Five Quad Volunteer Ambulance Service; and a discussion on "The Art of Still Photography on the Movie Set," with Phillip Caruso, one of the most sought-after still photographers in the motion picture industry.

The complete listing of the Visiting Writers Series, Classic Film Series, and Telling the Truth in a Post-Truth World schedules follows.

VISITING WRITERS SERIES

AUGUST

August 31 (Thursday): Awkwafina, rap artist and actress

Conversation - 4:15 p.m., Main Theatre, Performing Arts Center, UAlbany Uptown Campus

Awkwafina (AKA Nora Lum) is a multi-talented rap artist, comedian, actress, and author who graduated from UAlbany with a B.A. in Journalism in 2011. She will appear in the upcoming films CRAZY RICH ASIANS, and OCEAN'S EIGHT. Steve Barnes, one of Awkwafina's former professors at UAlbany, and senior writer for the Times Union will conduct an on-stage interview with her.

Cosponsored by UAlbany's Student Association

SEPTEMBER

Telling Your Story: The Art of Memoir

September 7 (Thursday): James Hart, writer, poet, and activist

Seminar - 4:15 p.m., Standish Room, Science Library, UAlbany Uptown Campus

Reading - 7:00 p.m. [note early start time], Huxley Theatre, NYS Museum, Cultural Education Center, Albany

James Hart is the author of a powerful new memoir, Lucky Jim (2017), an account of his violent childhood, marriage to pop singer superstar Carly Simon, and his drug and alcohol addiction and subsequent recovery. Hart will be joined by several community writers and UAlbany students, who will read short passages of autobiography to further explore the art of memoir. The evening will be hosted by celebrated memoir coach, Marion Roach Smith, author of The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life (2011).

Cosponsored by the New York State Office of Cultural Education and the Friends of the New York State Library

Spoken Word Poetry Celebration

September 14 (Thursday): Tyehimba Jess, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet

Seminar - 4:15 p.m., Recital Hall, Performing Arts Center, UAlbany Uptown Campus

Reading - 7:00 p.m. [note early start time], Main Theatre, Performing Arts Center, UAlbany Uptown Campus

Tyehimba Jess, a major contemporary poet whose work serves as a bridge between "slam poetry" and other American verse traditions, received the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for his collection Olio. UAlbany students will join Jess on stage in the evening to perform their own spoken word poetry.

Cosponsored by UAlbany's Student Association, Division of Student Life, and The Writing Center of the English Department

OCTOBER

October 3 (Tuesday): Madeleine Thien and Peter Ho Davies, award-winning novelists

Seminar - 4:15 p.m., Standish Room, Science Library, UAlbany Uptown Campus

Reading - 8:00 p.m., Huxley Theatre, NYS Museum, Cultural Education Center, Albany

Madeleine Thien explores the surprising histories of people living in the Chinese Diaspora. Her newest novel, Do Not Say We Have Nothing (2016), received Canada's highest literary honor, the Governor General's Award.

Peter Ho Davies' new novel, The Fortunes (2016), examines the diverse experiences of four Chinese-Americans over the course of the previous century. The book received the Anisfield-Wolf Award and was named a Best Book of 2016 by NPR, Publishers Weekly, Indie Next, and The New York Times.

Cosponsored by the New York State Office of Cultural Education and the Friends of the New York State Library

October 6 (Friday): Matteo Farinella, neuroscientist, illustrator, and author

Seminar - 3:00 p.m., Life Sciences Building, D'Ambra Auditorium, LSRB 2095, UAlbany Uptown Campus

Matteo Farinella, scientist and visual artist, is the illustrator of Neurocomic (2013), an accessible "neuroscience comic book." Farinella is currently a Presidential Scholar in Society and Neuroscience at Columbia University.

Sponsored by UAlbany's Department of Biology

October 17 (Tuesday): Claire Messud, novelist

Seminar - 4:15 p.m., Assembly Hall, Campus Center, UAlbany Uptown Campus

Reading - 8:00 p.m., Assembly Hall, Campus Center, UAlbany Uptown Campus

Claire Messud, major contemporary fiction writer, is the author of the new novel, The Burning Girl (2017), the story of two girlhood best friends as they navigate adolescence, divergent lives, and painful adult realities. Messud's previous novels include The Woman Upstairs (2013), an international bestseller, and The Emperor's Children (2006), a New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Washington Post "Best Book of the Year."

October 26 (Thursday): Ryan Smithson, Iraq war veteran and memoirist

Reading/Discussion - 4:15 p.m., Recital Hall, Performing Arts Center, UAlbany Uptown Campus

Ryan Smithson, UAlbany graduate (M.A., English, 2015), is an Iraq war veteran whose highly-praised memoir, Ghosts of War: The True Story of a 19-Year-Old GI (2009), is a widely-assigned text at high schools and colleges across the country. His adaptation of Ghosts of War as a one-man stage performance will be presented by UAlbany's Performing Arts Center on November 1 [see listing]

Cosponsored by UAlbany's Performing Arts Center and English Department

Funding support provided by University Auxiliary Service, The University at Albany Foundation, and the Hampton Inn

October 30 (Monday): Doug Wright, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright

Seminar - 4:15 p.m., Recital Hall, Performing Arts Center, UAlbany Uptown Campus

Reading - 8:00 p.m., Recital Hall, Performing Arts Center, UAlbany Uptown Campus

Doug Wright wrote the book for the hit 2017 Broadway musical, War Paint, the recipient of four Tony Award nominations. Wright received the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play for his 2003 one-person play, I Am My Own Wife. He also wrote the book for the Broadway musical Grey Gardens (2006), nominated for ten Tony Awards.

Cosponsored by UAlbany's Theatre Program

NOVEMBER

November 1 (Wednesday): Griffin Theatre Company performance of Ghosts of War

Performance - 7:30 p.m., Main Theatre, Performing Arts Center, UAlbany Uptown Campus

Advance tickets: $15 general public / $10 students, seniors & UAlbany faculty-staff

Day of show tickets: $20 general public / $15 students, seniors & UAlbany faculty-staff

Chicago's Griffin Theatre Company performs Capital Region native and UAlbany alumnus Ryan Smithson's stage adaptation of his book of the same name, which explores his experiences serving in the Army during the war with Iraq.

Post-show discussion with author Ryan Smithson

Presented in collaboration with UAlbany's Performing Arts Center and English Department. Funding support provided by University Auxiliary Services, The University at Albany Foundation, and the Hampton Inn.

A CELEBRATION OF THE NEW YORKER CARTOONS

November 9 (Thursday): Roz Chast, The New Yorker cartoonist, and Robert "Bob" Mankoff, The New Yorker cartoon editor

Seminar - 4:15 p.m., Standish Room, Science Library, UAlbany Uptown Campus

Reading - 8:00 p.m., Huxley Theatre, NYS Museum, Cultural Education Center, Albany

Roz Chast has published more than a thousand cartoons in The New Yorker since 1978. Her 2014 memoir in cartoons about caring for her aging parents, Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?, spent more than 100 weeks at #1 on The New York Times Bestseller List. Her new book of cartoons is Going Into Town: A Love Letter to New York (2017).

Robert "Bob" Mankoff, cartoonist and influential cartoon editor for The New Yorker, submitted more than 500 of his own cartoons to that publication before getting his first acceptance in 1977. He currently serves as the Humor and Cartoon Editor at Esquire. He is the author of the memoir, How About Never-Is Never Good for You?: My Life in Cartoons (2014).

Cosponsored by the New York State Office of Cultural Education and the Friends of the New York State Library

The Creative Life: A Conversation Series at UAlbany

Created and produced by the New York State Writers Institute, University Art Museum, and UAlbany

Performing Arts Center in collaboration with WAMC Public Radio, this series features leading figures from

a variety of artistic disciplines in conversation with WAMC's Joe Donahue about their creative inspiration,

craft, and careers.

Funding support provided by University Auxiliary Services and The University at Albany Foundation

November 10 (Friday): Lois Lowry, award-winning children's author

Conversation - 7:00 p.m. [note early start time], Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, UAlbany Downtown Campus

Lois Lowry, leading voice of children's literature, is the author of more than 30 books. She received the

Newbery Medal for both The Giver (1993), and Number the Stars (1989). A film adaptation of The Giver,

starring Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep, was released in 2014. In 2007 Lowry received the Margaret Edwards

Award from the American Library Association for her lasting contribution to young adult literature.

November 13 (Monday): Russell Shorto, author and journalist

Reading/Discussion - 7:00 p.m., Huxley Theatre, NYS Museum, Cultural Education Center, Albany

Russell Shorto is renowned for his bestselling history of life in Dutch colonial New York, The Island at the Center of the World (2004). Shorto's new book is Revolution Song: A Story of American Freedom (2017), a new narrative of the American Revolution based on recently discovered sources.

Please call 518-486-3694 to register for this free event.

Sponsored by the New York State Office of Cultural Education

November 16 (Thursday): John Freeman Gill, journalist and novelist

Reading/Discussion - 7:30 p.m., Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, UAlbany Downtown Campus

John Freeman Gill, The New York Times contributor, is the author of the debut novel The Gargoyle Hunters (2017), a Barnes & Noble "Discover Great New Writers Pick." Gill, an expert on historical architecture, writes "Edifice Complex," a monthly column in Avenue that explores the biographies of historic New York City buildings and their occupants.

John Freeman Gill's presentation is a featured public event of the University at Albany History Department's annual Researching New York Conference and is cosponsored by the New York State Writers Institute. Further information on the entire Researching New York Conference is available at www.nystatehistory.org.

November 30 (Thursday): Hisham Matar, Pulitzer Prize-winning author

Seminar - 4:15 p.m., Standish Room, Science Library, UAlbany Uptown Campus

Reading - 8:00 p.m., Assembly Hall, Campus Center, UAlbany Uptown Campus

Hisham Matar, Libyan-American novelist and nonfiction writer, received the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Autobiography for his memoir, The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land In Between, an account of the author's return to the Libya of his family's origin, and his search for his missing father. His 2007 novel, In the Country of Men, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

December 7 (Thursday): Nic Stone, young adult author

Reading - 7:00 p.m., Huxley Theatre, NYS Museum, Cultural Education Center, Albany

Nic Stone is the author of the debut young adult novel Dear Martin (2107), which is loosely inspired by a series of true events involving the shooting deaths of unarmed African-American teenagers.

Cosponsored by Albany High School, the New York State Office of Cultural Education, and the Friends of the New York State Library

CLASSIC FILM SERIES

September 8 (Friday): BACKPACK FULL OF CASH

Film screening with commentary by director/producer Sarah Mondale and producer/editor Vera Aronow - 7:00 p.m. [note early start time], Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, UAlbany Downtown Campus

Directed by Sarah Mondale (United States, 2017, 96 minutes, color)

Narrated by Matt Damon, this feature-length documentary explores the growing privatization of public schools and the resulting impact on America's most vulnerable children.

Sarah Mondale is president and co-director of Stone Lantern Films, and a former public school teacher in New York. She directed and co-produced the award-winning PBS series School: The Story of American Public Education (2001).

Vera Aronow is an accomplished producer and director. Recent works include co-directing and producing Stone Lantern Films' feature-length documentary, MEGAMALL (2010), about suburban development in the age of sprawl.

Sponsored in conjunction with UAlbany's Department of History and Documentary Studies Program, School of Education, and United University Professions

September 15 (Friday): A BRIDGE TOO FAR

Film screening - 7:00 p.m. [note early start time], Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, UAlbany Downtown Campus

Directed by Richard Attenborough (United States, 1977, 175 minutes, color and b/w)

Starring Sean Connery, Ryan O'Neal, Gene Hackman

A BRIDGE TOO FAR recounts the true story of Operation Market Garden, the Allies' attempt during WWII to drive the German Army out of occupied Belgium and Holland. The film carries particular significance for Albany, as it explains the genesis of the city's relationship to its "sister city" Nijmegen, Holland.

Cosponsored by Friendship Albany-Nijmegen and The Dutch Settlers Society of Albany

September 22 (Friday): HARVEST OF EMPIRE film screening

[see "Telling the Truth in a Post-Truth World" listing]

October 6 (Friday): ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN film screening

[see "Telling the Truth in a Post-Truth World" listing ]

October 20 (Friday): FORREST GUMP

Film screening - 7:30 p.m., Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, UAlbany Downtown Campus

Directed by Robert Zemeckis (United States, 1994, 142 minutes, color and b/w)

Starring Tom Hanks, Sally Fields, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise

Tom Hanks won a Best Actor Oscar for this title role of a man of less than average intelligence who lives an extraordinary life, managing to be involved with major events in American history from the 1950s through the 1980s. The film is being shown in conjunction with the December 1 appearance of Phillip Caruso, who was the still photographer for the film and ranks it as one of his favorites. [see December 1 Classic Film Series listing]

October 27 (Friday): QUILLS

Film screening - 7:30 p.m., Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, UAlbany Downtown Campus

Directed by Philip Kaufman (United Kingdom, Germany, USA, 2000, 124 minutes, color)

NOTE: Rated R for violence and adult content. Not suitable for children.

Starring Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix

Play and screenplay by Doug Wright [see October 30 Visiting Writers Series listing]

The Marquis de Sade, notable French philosopher, writer, and sexual deviant, engages in a battle of wills with a doctor at the asylum where he is incarcerated. Doug Wright, who visits the Writers Institute on Monday, October 30, won an Obie award for "Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting" for his 1995 play, and wrote the screenplay for this Oscar-nominated film.

November 3 (Friday): BRINGING OUT THE DEAD

Film screening with commentary by author and former paramedic Joe Connelly, on whose novel the film is based, and members of UAlbany's Five Quad Volunteer Ambulance Service - 7:00 p.m. [note early start time], Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, UAlbany Downtown Campus

Directed by Martin Scorsese (United States, 1999, 121 minutes, color)

Starring Nicolas Cage, Patricia Arquette, John Goodman

Based on the bestselling autobiographical novel of the same name by Joe Connelly, BRINGING OUT THE DEAD follows a burned-out Manhattan ambulance paramedic working the graveyard shift at the height of the crack epidemic in the early 1990s as he is haunted by the ghosts of the people he couldn't save. Student volunteers of UAlbany's award-winning Five Quad Ambulance Service will join Connelly immediately following the screening in a conversation about the rewards and perils of serving on an ambulance corps.

Cosponsored by UAlbany School of Criminal Justice's Crime, History, and Public Memory Film Series

November 17 (Friday): LOS SURES

Film screening - 7:30 p.m., Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, UAlbany Downtown Campus

Directed by Diego Echeverria (United States, 1984, 57 minutes, color)

This documentary presents the challenges of Los Sures, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, while also celebrating the vitality of this largely Puerto Rican and Dominican community.

Shown in conjunction with the annual Researching New York Conference [see November 16 Visiting Writers Series listing]

December 1 (Friday): The Art of Still Photography on the Movie Set

Discussion with photographer Phillip Caruso - 7:30 p.m., Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, UAlbany Downtown Campus

Phillip Caruso, one of the most sought-after still photographers in the motion picture industry, is known for his extensive work with Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Zemeckis, Terry Gilliam, and other leading directors. In 2017, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Society of Camera Operators.

TELLING THE TRUTH IN A POST-TRUTH WORLD
A multi-event exploration of topics crucial to an open democratic society
What is truth in an era that has been called post-truth? What does it mean that Oxford Dictionaries declared "post-truth" its international word of the year in 2016? Or that Time magazine recently asked on its cover: "Is Truth Dead?"

The New York State Writers Institute presents a series of events, culminating in a two-day conference featuring acclaimed journalists, authors, historians, and First Amendment scholars, who will share their views on issues including "fake news;" Constitutional protections for a free press; information overload; the shifting roles of social media; hacking and cybersecurity; and more.

Schedule of Events

September 22 (Friday): HARVEST OF EMPIRE

Film screening - 7:30 p.m., Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, UAlbany Downtown Campus

Directed by Peter Getzels and Eduardo López (United States, 2012, 90 minutes, color)

Featuring Junot Diaz, Luis Enrique, Juan González

Based on the nonfiction book of the same name by award-winning journalist Juan González, this powerful documentary examines how the influx of immigrants from Latin American countries to the United States has been linked to American foreign policy. González will participate on the panel "Race, Class, and the Future of Democracy" on Saturday October 14.

October 6 (Friday): ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN

Film screening and discussion with Harry Rosenfeld, Albany Times Union editor-at-large, and former Metro editor at The Washington Post in charge of the daily coverage of the Watergate exposé - 7:00 p.m. [note early start time], Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, UAlbany Downtown Campus

Directed by Alan J. Pakula (United States, 1976, 138 minutes, color)

Starring Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Jack Warden

In this classic political thriller based on true events, Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that leads to President Richard Nixon's resignation.

Cosponsored by UAlbany School of Criminal Justice's Crime, History and Public Memory Film Series

October 12 (Thursday): Kurt Andersen, award-winning author and journalist, and radio host

Conversation with WAMC's Joe Donahue - 7:00 p.m., Campus Center Ballroom, UAlbany Uptown Campus

Kurt Andersen is a writer, editor, critic, and the host of WNYC's Peabody-winning public radio program Studio 360. Andersen will discuss his new book, Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History (2017), which examines the current phenomenon of "fake news" and the blurred lines between reality and illusion in the culture and politics of 21st century America from a historical perspective.

$30 admission charge, which includes a copy of Fantasyland (UAlbany students free with valid ID). Contact The Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza (518-489-4761) for advance tickets/book, or purchase at the door. Part of the book sale proceeds will fund NYS Writers Institute programming.

Telling the Truth in a Post-Truth World Symposium
October 13 and 14, Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, UAlbany Downtown Campus

October 13 (Friday):

4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Panel

Media in the Age of New Technology: Fake News, Information Overload & Media Literacy

Moderator: Bob Schieffer, moderator of three presidential debates, former anchor of CBS Evening News and Face the Nation, and author of Overload: Finding the Truth in Today's Deluge of News (2017)

Panelists: Franklin Foer, staff writer for The Atlantic and author of World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech (2017)

David Goodman, contributor to Mother Jones magazine and co-author with his sister Amy Goodman of the book Democracy Now! Twenty Years Covering the Movements Changing America (2016)

Maria Hinojosa, trailblazing journalist and talk show host, anchor and executive producer of Latino USA and founder of the Futuro Media Group, dedicated to promoting diversity in American media

Tim Wu, professor at Columbia Law School, originator of "net neutrality" and author of Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires (2010), and The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads (2016)

8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Panel

Presidents and the Press: Trump, Nixon & More

Moderator: Bob Schieffer, moderator of three presidential debates and former anchor of CBS Evening News and Face the Nation

Panelists: Douglas Brinkley, CNN Presidential historian and biographer of Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter, and Gerald Ford

Amy Goodman, investigative reporter, host and producer of the award-winning news program, Democracy Now! that airs on over 1,400 public television and radio stations worldwide

Harry Rosenfeld, Times Union editor-at-large, and former Metro editor at The Washington Post who oversaw the paper's coverage of Watergate

Glenn Thrush, White House correspondent for The New York Times

October 14 (Saturday):

9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Panel

Dirty Deeds: Election Mischief, Cybercrimes & Civil Liberties

Moderator: Victor Asal, UAlbany faculty expert in Terrorism and Homeland Security and Chair, Department of Public Administration

Panelists: Russell Banks, bestselling novelist, past President of the International Parliament of Writers, and founder and President of Cities of Refuge North America

David Daley, former editor of Salon, and author of Ratf**ed: The True Story Behind the Secret Plans to Steal America's Democracy (2016)

James Steiner, ex-CIA official and Program Coordinator for Homeland Security, Cyber Security and Emergency Management at UAlbany's Rockefeller College

Kelley Vlahos, managing editor of The American Conservative, longtime political writer for FoxNews.com, and journalist specializing in national security, war policy, and civil liberties

11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Panel

Race, Class, and the Future of Democracy

Moderator: Gilbert King, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author of Devil in the Grove (2012)

Panelists: Carol Anderson, professor of African-American History at Emory University and author of the national bestseller, White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide (2016)

José Cruz, Director of UAlbany's Center for Latino, Latin American, and Caribbean Studies, and author of Puerto Rican Identity, Political Development, and Democracy in New York, 1960-1990 (2017)

Juan González, investigative reporter, co-host of Democracy Now! and author of Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America (2000), and Reclaiming Gotham (2017)

Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, journalist, MacArthur Fellow, and author of Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx (2003)

2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Panel

The First Amendment & Free Speech Under Attack

Moderator: Ashleigh Banfield, award-winning journalist and TV personality, host of Primetime Justice on HLN and former anchor of CNN'S Legal View

Panelists: Floyd Abrams, the nation's pre-eminent First Amendment attorney, and author of The Soul of the First Amendment (2017)

Anthony Paul Farley, James Campbell Matthews Distinguished Professor of Jurisprudence at Albany Law School

Kristina Findikyan, senior counsel at Hearst, one of the nation's largest media companies, specializing in First Amendment and libel law

Richard Honen, corporate attorney in charge of the Albany office of Phillips Lytle LLP and conservative commentator on WAMC's The Roundtable

7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Panel

The End of Newspapers?

Moderator: Rex Smith, editor of the Albany Times Union and host of "The Media Project" on WAMC/Northeast Public Radio

Panelists: Jeff Jarvis, professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, creator and director of its News Integrity Initiative, and author of What Would Google Do? (2009)

Bill Keller, former executive editor of The New York Times and director of The Marshall Project, an investigative journalism project on criminal justice issues

Pamela Newkirk, journalist and professor of journalism at NYU, and author of Within the Veil: Black Journalists, White Media (2000)

Lydia Polgreen, editor-in-chief of HUFFPOST (The Huffington Post), and former editorial director of The New York Times Global

Events and panelists subject to change. For the latest information on the schedule and participants go to www.albany.edu/writers-inst.

For additional information contact the Writers Institute at 518-442-5620 or at writers@albany.edu.

-30-

Posted Wednesday August 16, 2017 at 10:00 am by New York State Writers Institute