Masterful storyteller and internationally acclaimed literary powerhouse with two dozen books and 79 million copies in print.

New York Times bestselling author and former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins has been called “America’s favorite poet,” and for more than four decades, he has delighted readers and audiences with his insight, wit, and clear poetic voice. His critically acclaimed new collection, Dog Show, ponders the complexities of dog behavior and what dogs teach us about ourselves.

National Geographic Explorer in Residence, Ethnographer, Writer, Photographer and Filmmaker

Alex Filippenko is an award-winning UC Berkeley astrophysicist and electrifying speaker, known for groundbreaking research on supernovae and dark energy, whose infectious enthusiasm and humor turn cosmic mysteries into mind-opening, unforgettable experiences for audiences of all backgrounds.

Dr. Robert Michael Franklin, Jr. is the author of three books: Crisis in the Village: Restoring Hope in African American Communities (2007); Another Day’s Journey: Black Churches Confronting the American Crisis (1997); and Liberating Visions: Human Fulfillment and Social Justice in African American Thought (1990).

Author, Social Commentator who spent 30 years on Alabama’s death row for a murder he did not commit

Adam Hochschild’s latest release, Rebel Cinderella: From Rags to Riches to Radical, tells the astonishing but forgotten story of an immigrant sweatshop worker who married an heir to a great American fortune and became one of the most charismatic radical leaders of her time.

Hawk Koch‘s Magic Time: My Life in Hollywood, is his personal, entertaining, retelling of his long and important career making and celebrating motion pictures.

Acclaimed Author, Finalist National Book Award in Fiction and Professor at Princeton University

H.R. McMaster retired with thirty-four years of experience as an officer in the U.S. Army commanding troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, and during Desert Storm, followed by a position as National Security Advisor in the White House, and professorships at Stanford University and the Hoover Institution, H.R. McMaster brings us his well-qualified viewpoint of the geopolitical landscape and decades of first-hand knowledge of the global stage today.

John “Mac” McQuown is a self-described anarchist, a legend in the finance industry, an environmentalist, entrepreneur, philanthropist and creator of the Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards and Winery in Sonoma.

Naomi Shihab Nye is the author and/or editor of more than 30 volumes.

Colin O’Brady‘s New York Times bestseller The Impossible First: From Fire to Ice – Crossing Antarctica Alone is his story of how he solo-walked 932 miles across Antarctica pulling a sled filled with food that started out weighing 375 pounds.

Acclaimed Author and Physician, “Out of the Fields: My Journey from Farmworker Boy to Pediatrician” has for over 35 years taken care of children like himself as a child

Jeffrey Rosen is among the most influential legal scholars and public intellectuals in America. His important new book, The Pursuit of Liberty, sheds fresh light on how the contrasting constitutional visions of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton shaped our nation for 250 years and continue to influence contemporary debates regarding governmental power.

Daniel M. Russell‘s book, The Joy of Search: A Google Insider’s Guide to Going Beyond the Basics, explains how to frame search queries so they will yield information and describes the best ways to use such resources as Google Earth, Google Scholar, Wikipedia, and Wikimedia. It was published by MIT Press in September 2019.

Julia Flynn Siler is a bestselling author and acclaimed journalist known for her impactful works such as “The White Devil’s Daughters” and “Lost Kingdom: Hawaii’s Last Queen.”

Strock writes the ‘Next Nationalism’ on Substack and hosts the ‘Serve to Lead’ podcast.

Robert Theleen was one of the first foreign directors of a major Chinese State-owned industry, the prestigious Beijing Enterprises.

Andy Weinberger is the author of the Amos Parisman mysteries – An Old Man’s Game and the forthcoming Reason to Kill – and a long time bookseller who owns and runs Readers’ Books in Sonoma, California. Reader’s celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2019 and is “an anchor of the community.”

Damon West‘s memoir The Change Agent: How a Former College QB Sentenced to Life in Prison Transformed His World tells the harrowing story of his sentence to 65 years in a Texas prison after being convicted of drug-related crimes after a lifetime of addiction, and the heartwarming story of his recovery.