Isabel Allende is the First Spanish-Language Writer to Receive an Honorary National Book Award
The House of the Spirits author Isabel Allende received the National Book Award’s lifetime achievement medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, joining previous winners Toni Morrison, John Updike and Joan Didion. “Allende’s work is proof that stories about women written with women... Continue Reading →
What Does Nicholas Thompson Have in Common with Billionaires and World Leaders? They’re On the LinkedIn Top Voices List.
Social media is noisy. On LinkedIn alone, there are over 2 million posts, videos and articles clicked into the universe every day. There are a few voices though, that can be heard over the racket, and more importantly voices you should be listening to, according to LinkedIn’s Top Voices of 2018.... Continue Reading →
Reducing Prejudice Requires Meaningful Conversation—but the Results Speak for Themselves, Says Dave Fleischer
Prejudice divides us, and to Lavin speaker Dave Fleischer, Director of the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Leadership LAB, dismantling it is nothing less than a science. “Deep canvassing”—a method refined by Fleischer and his team—means knocking on doors to engage people in fact-based, personal... Continue Reading →
Jordin Tootoo, the First Inuk NHL Player is Now a Lavin Speaker
The first Inuk player in history to be drafted by the NHL, Jordin Tootoo is a trailblazer in every sense of the word. In high energy talks he initiates moving, timely discussions on how Indigenous life across the nation can be improved through meaningful stewardship. As an Indigenous athlete,... Continue Reading →
Black History Month: The Struggles of Our Past Teach Us About Our Present
February is Black History Month—a time in which we celebrate the important contributions and achievements of African Americans throughout history. Lavin speakers Titus Kaphar, Heather McGhee and Margot Lee Shetterly engage with this crucial history through a variety of lenses: art, policy, STEM.... Continue Reading →
Amidst Increasing Polarization, Robb Willer Teaches “Moral Reframing”—a Method for Making Your Message Heard
Leading into the 2018 midterms, we’re in the most polarized political climate since the Civil War says Robb Willer, Stanford social psychologist and new Lavin speaker. In timely keynotes and brilliant workshops, Willer explains and teaches a technique called “moral reframing”—a rigorously tested... Continue Reading →
Looking to History (Without Repeating It): New Speech Topic on Innovation from Consumer Behavior Expert David Sax
Everyone wants to get their hands on that shiny new idea, the one that solves a problem or moves a million units. The problem, says David Sax, is that if you’re chasing the last bright shiny thing, you’re likely going to miss the solution you really need. In his latest vibrant and... Continue Reading →
It’s Easy to Empathize with One Person. Stanford’s Jamil Zaki Helps Us Scale Up.
“For decades, social scientists have documented a troubling quirk in human empathy: People tend to care more about the suffering of individuals, and less about the pain of many people.” In the wake of what seems like an increase in natural disasters around the world, empathy expert Jamil Zaki... Continue Reading →