Rick Atkinson

Beloved author, journalist, and Pulitzer-Prize-winning humor columnist Dave Barry is a household name across America, having written dozens of bestselling books. His latest, Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass, is garnering enthusiastic praise for its humor and heart.

PBS NewsHour senior correspondent Jeffrey Brown will return to the SVAF stage in 2026 as a lead moderator. During his long and illustrious career, Brown has reported on a wide range of national and international issues. His book of prose and poetry, The News, explores the intersections between politics and poetry.

Bryan Burrough is a bestselling author and award-winning journalist known for gripping accounts of American history and finance, including Barbarians at the Gate and Public Enemies. His latest book, The Gunfighters, explores how Texas shaped the mythos of the Wild West, showcasing his talent for vivid storytelling and deep research.

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.

Former Vietnam War Army nurse Diane Carlson Evans was one of the real-life inspirations behind bestselling author Kristin Hannah’s blockbuster novel The Women. She also successfully fought for decades to establish the Vietnam Women’s Memorial—the first and only national monument honoring the women who served.

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.

Jeanne Walker Harvey is an award-winning children’s book author of picture book biographies. Her newest is The Glass Pyramid: The Louvre Museum and Architect I.M Pei. Harvey has also written the iconic San Francisco Bay-inspired picture book Boats on the Bay. She is the featured author of SVAF’s Young Readers Program.

Known for her dynamic presence and insightful sports reporting, longtime Miami Herald columnist Michelle Kaufman has covered 14 Olympics, six World Cups, Wimbledon, US Open, Super Bowls, as well as countless NCAA and NBA games.

Renowned for his multi-volume biography of Joseph Stalin, there is perhaps no greater expert on Soviet and Russian history than Stephen Kotkin. He has taught at Princeton for 33 years, mentoring a new generation of historians and greatly influencing modern Russian history scholarship.

Soyoung Lee is a renowned art historian and curator, recognized for her visionary leadership and deep expertise in Korean and East Asian art. Formerly a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and chief curator at Harvard Art Museums, she now serves as CEO of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.

Irish literary giant Colum McCann’s new novel, Twist, is set against the backdrop of undersea fiber-optic breaks off the coast of Africa. McCann’s bestsellers include Apeirogon and TransAtlantic, and he won a National Book Award for Let the Great World Spin.

Bestselling novelist and accomplished television screenwriter Maria Semple’s novel, Where’d You Go Bernadette?, spent over a year on the New York Times bestseller list. She is the author of three acclaimed novels and is widely praised for her witty, insightful, and darkly comedic writing style.

New York Times financial columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin is one of the most prominent voices in finance and business journalism, and his new book, 1929, has been hailed by The Wall Street Journal as “one of the best narrative histories [we’ve] read.” His previous blockbuster bestseller, Too Big To Fail, was adapted as a movie for HBO.

Retired four-star U.S. Navy Admiral and the 16th Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, Admiral James G. Stavridis is renowned for his strategic military expertise and global diplomacy. His new book, 2084, envisions a near-future global conflict ignited by climate collapse.