Noted Journalists Explore A Country at the Crossroads
In keeping with its long-standing tradition of providing cultural and intellectual programs to the island, the Nantucket Atheneum presents the 2008 Geschke Lecture Series. This year’s theme, A Country at the Crossroads, brings together five knowledgeable speakers who will discuss what they believe are the critical issues and events facing America today.
Mike Barnicle kicks off the series on Monday, July 7 at 8 pm in the Nantucket High School Auditorium. Barnicle is a columnist for the New York Daily News and host of a daily radio program on WTKK-FM in Boston. He is a frequent guest, and occasional guest host, on MSNBC’s 'Hardball with Chris Matthews.' Best known for his biting commentaries, Barnicle may briefly pay tribute to his good friend Tim Russert (who was originally scheduled to speak July 7), but most of the lecture will address the series’ theme.
Gov. Pete du Pont will speak on Wednesday, July 16, 8 pm, in the Atheneum’s Great Hall. Du Pont is a columnist for www.opinionjournal.com, a website of The Wall Street Journal. Entitled, “Outside the Box,” du Pont's columns discuss current public policy and political matters. He has served as a state legislator, U.S. Congressman, Governor, in Delaware and in l988 was a Republican candidate for President of the United States. In 1996, he co-founded IntellectualCapital.com, a weekly on-line public policy journal featuring the leading ideas of renowned public policy thinkers.
Mara Liasson will speak on Wednesday, July 23, 8 pm at The First Congregational Church, 62 Centre Street. Liasson is the national political correspondent for NPR. Her reports can be heard regularly on NPR's award-winning news magazines “All Things Considered” and “Morning Edition.” Liasson provides extensive coverage of politics and policy from Washington, DC, focusing on the White House and Congress, and also reports on political trends beyond the Beltway.
Robin Wright will speak on Wednesday, July 30, 8 PM, at the First Congregational Church, 62 Centre Street. Wright has reported from more than a 140 countries on six continents for The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Sunday Times of London, CBS News and The Christian Science Monitor. She now covers U.S. foreign policy for The Washington Post. She was named journalist of the year by the American Academy of Diplomacy, and won the National Press Club Award and the Weintal Prize for diplomatic reporting. Her book, Dreams & Shadows: The Future of the Middle East, published this year, captures the Middle East in the midst of a historic transition.
Gwen Ifill will speak on Saturday, August 2 at 8 pm in the Nantucket High School Auditorium. Ifill is moderator of PBS’s 'Washington Week' and senior correspondent for 'The News Hour with Jim Lehrer.' She is also frequently asked to moderate debates in national elections. Ifill joined both 'Washington Week' and the “News Hour” in 1999. Prior to her television work, Ifill wrote for The New York Times, where she covered the White House and politics.
Each lecture has a $25 admission fee and tickets to the entire series can be purchased for $100. Tickets are available online at www.nantucketatheneum.org or at the Atheneum Box Office, 1 India Street.
The Geschke Lecture Series is made possible by the Geschke Foundation, by the National Endowment for the Humanities and by generous library donors.
