RMWF MMXVI SCHEDULE
Revised 01/05/16
Rancho Mirage Public Library
Tuesday and Wednesday, January 19 and 20, 2016
9:00 – 5:00 pm CHECK-IN
THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2016
The Annenberg Center for Health Sciences
2:30 – 6:00 pm CHECK-IN
6:00 – 7:00 pm The Helene Galen Auditorium
ANDREW ROBERTS
The Storm of War: A New History of the Second
World War
Hailed by The Economist as “Britain’s finest military historian,”
Andrew Roberts offers an important new history of World War
II and the Axis strategy that led the Germans and the Japanese to
their eventual defeat.
7:00 – 8:00 pm The Helene Galen Auditorium
8:00 pm Lobby
A. SCOTT BERG
Berg on Lindbergh
Pulitzer Prize-winning author A. Scott Berg will speak about
aviator and hero Charles Lindbergh who is an enduring yet
controversial icon in American history. This is the third year Scott
Berg will open the Rancho Mirage Writers Festival.
CELEBRATE OPENING NIGHT PARTY
Following the presentation, join authors, angels and
all pass-holders for cocktails and a light supper.
Schedule is subject to change. For updates please visit www.rmwritersfest.org.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016
Rancho Mirage Public Library
9:00 – 9:50 am Steinbeck Room JESSICA FELLOWES
Downton Abbey: Behind the Green Baize Door
Jessica Fellowes, niece of Downton Abbey creator and writer Julian
Fellowes, brings to the RMWF audience unique insight into the reallife inspirations for the television series. She draws on family legends
and will give socio-historical context to the era—all in costume!
9:00 – 9:50 am London Room
GEOFFREY COWAN
Let the People Rule
According to the glowing review in Kirkus Reviews, Geoffrey Cowan
“brings to life the wheeler-dealer, back-alley shenanigans and political
intrigue embedded within the legislative saga” in Theodore Roosevelt
and the Birth of the Presidential Primary.
9:00 – 9:50 am
Didion Room
SHORT TALKS
BETH MACY
TRUEVINE: The Strange and Troubling Tale of Two
Brothers in Jim Crow America
Beth Macy will discuss her second book, about two AfricanAmerican brothers who were sold to the circus at the turn of the
20th Century and subjugated for more than a dozen years. Combing
archives far and wide, from museum holdings to century-old legal
briefs to family records, Beth assembled hundreds of sources and
combined them with on-the-ground reporting—to emerge with a
surprising story about race, greed and the human condition.
JASON MATTHEWS
Palace of Treason
Jason Matthews’ latest spy novel continues the trail of Russian
agent Dominika Egorova and the CIA’s Nate Nash who are
enmeshed in a star-crossed cat-and-mouse game played out in
Putin-era Soviet Union.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016
Rancho Mirage Public Library
10:00 – 10:50 am
Steinbeck Room
POLITICS GO VIRAL
MASHA GESSEN, BRET STEPHENS,
MARVIN KALB, AND LORD MICHAEL DOBBS
Moderated by Van Gordon Sauter
Facebook, Twitter, and cell phone videos are revolutionizing
journalism and politics. Join Lord Dobbs and journalists Masha
Gessen, Bret Stephens and Marvin Kalb as they discuss the
complex relationship between social media and politics and
debate what the future may look like.
10:00 – 10:50 pm London Room
JESSICA FELLOWES
Downton Abbey: At Home with the Family
In this presentation, Jessica Fellowes looks at how the family’s
Edwardian confidence wavered as the world changed around
them. Jessica will also talk about the changing lives of women and
the impact of technology on their day-to-day routines.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016
Rancho Mirage Public Library
10:00 – 10:50 am Didion Room
SHORT TALKS
VICTORIA KASTNER
Hearst Ranch: Family, Land, and Legacy
For 30 years, Victoria Kastner has been the Hearst Ranch’s official
historian. She will discuss the acquisition, development and future
of this famed ranch on the California Coast. Victoria will share
never-before-seen photographs and stories of the Hearst family, and
a fresh look at the place they called home.
BETH MACY
Factory Man
Beth Macy’s riveting story of the Bassett Furniture Company—
once the world’s biggest—is an American inspiration and should
be required reading for anyone engaged in business today. Beth will
tell how the Chinese competition underestimated John Bassett III
and his will to keep his company, his employees and his town alive.
11:00 – 11:50 am Steinbeck Room
ANDREW ROBERTS
Napoleon: A Life
In 2015, the Los Angeles Times Book Festival awarded Napoleon
the prize for best biography. Andrew Roberts has written the first
book to take advantage of Napoleon’s 33,000 letters. Napoleon is
a tour-de-force that should be on every history lover’s bookshelf.
11:00 – 11:50 am London Room
DINAW MENGESTU
All Our Names
All Our Names is a transfixing exploration of the relationships that
define us. Dinaw Mengestu writes of the conflicted emotions of
someone who has survived the loss of family, country and identity.
Dinaw, a MacArthur Fellow, is one of the most important new
voices on the global stage.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016
Rancho Mirage Public Library
11:00 – 11:50 am
Didion Room
SHORT TALKS
SCOTT MCEWEN
American Sniper
Scott McEwen’s interest in military history and his intense patriotism
merged with his experience with long-range hunting rifles. He was
then compelled to accurately record the battlefield experiences of
Chris Kyle, the most lethal sniper in United States military history.
The blockbuster movie is based on this exciting book.
MOLLY GUPTILL MANNING
When Books Went to War
Molly Guptill Manning tells the tale of how the War Department
and publishing industry worked together to deliver 120 million
pocket-sized paperbacks to enlisted men in WWII, providing soldiers
their only entertainment.
12:00 – 12:40 pm Outside
LUNCH
12:40 – 1:30 pm Steinbeck Room
BOOKS BECOME MOVIES
LEE CHILD, DAVID EBERSHOFF,
SCOTT MCEWEN, HAMPTON SIDES, AND
HÉCTOR TOBAR
Moderated by Peter Bart
What happens when your book has been optioned for a major
motion picture with a box office star? For some authors, seeing their
book turned into an extravagantly funded film is the fulfillment of
a dream. But is having your book adapted for film always a good
experience? Let’s find out from Lee Child, David Ebershoff, Scott
McEwen, Hampton Sides, and Héctor Tobar. This lively panel is
sure to be full of true Hollywood stories.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016
Rancho Mirage Public Library
12:40 – 1:30 pm London Room
JODI KANTOR
Amazon and Starbucks
Jodi Kantor will discuss the controversial work conditions of the two
companies that she exposed in front-page articles for The New York
Times. Jodi’s investigative reporting has spawned a vigorous debate in
the media as Amazon and Starbucks publicly defend their reputations.
12:40 – 1:30 pm Didion Room
SHORT TALKS
PETER HELLER
The Dog Stars
The award-winning adventure writer Peter Heller sets his original story
in a post-apocalyptic America. Hig and his copilot, Jasper (his dog),
use all their skills to survive myriad threats. Their interdependence and
mutual affection give readers one of the most touching relationships
between a man and his loyal dog in modern fiction.
WILLIAM D. COHAN
The Price of Silence
William D. Cohan addresses some of the larger issues facing
America’s elite educational institutions in his account of the 2006
Duke University lacrosse team scandal: sexual misconduct, underage
drinking and bad-boy behavior. He recounts what happens when the
combustible forces of American culture, the justice system and the
media collide on a powerful university campus.
1:40 – 2:30 pm London Room
BOB MANKOFF
How About Never. Is Never Good For You?
The legendary cartoon editor of The New Yorker discusses cartoon
selection and delves into the rigors of creating a cartoon for this highly
regarded publication. Bob Mankoff will share some of his favorite
cartoons and the stories behind their inspiration.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016
Rancho Mirage Public Library
1:40 – 2:30 pm Steinbeck Room
THE MODERN SWASTIKA: THE RISE OF TERRORISM AND ANTI-SEMITISM
IN EUROPE
BRET STEPHENS, ANDREW ROBERTS,
AND ARI SHAVIT
Moderated by Hal Gershowitz
Join our esteemed panelists Bret Stephens of the Wall Street
Journal, historian Andrew Roberts, and Israeli columnist Ari
Shavit as they discuss the revival of anti-Semitism across Europe,
how it can be combated, and who the heroes are on the frontlines
of the struggle against it.
1:40 – 2:30 pm Didion Room
SHORT TALKS
HAMPTON SIDES
In the Kingdom of Ice
Hampton Sides tells a spellbinding tale of heroism and
determination in the most unforgiving territory on earth—the
Arctic. In the late 19th century, people were obsessed with the
North Pole, as if it were its own world. In The Kingdom of Ice tells
the tale of George Washington De Long and his team who sailed
in 1879 to discover the truth.
SALLY DENTON
Passion and Principle
Sally Denton has written a fascinating double biography of John
C. Fremont and his wife Jessie Benton, daughter of the powerful
pre-Civil War senator Thomas Hart Benton. The original power
couple, Jessie and John contributed to the shaping of 19th century
America. This is a story of ambition, betrayal and intrigue that
makes the current state of our politics look almost tame.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016
Rancho Mirage Public Library
2:40 – 3:30 pm
Steinbeck Room
THE WAR THAT FORGED A NATION: WHY THE CIVIL WAR MATTERS
H.W. BRANDS AND ROBERT HICKS
Moderated by David Bryant
We celebrate the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War
with two of America’s most eminent historians, H.W. Brands
and Robert Hicks, who will discuss the causes of the war, its
major events and aftermath. If the American Revolution created
the American state, the Civil War was yet another revolution.
2:40 – 3:30 pm London Room
BARBARA ISENBERG
The Year of Frank Gehry
Barbara Isenberg will share an unprecedented look into the life and
work of a brilliantly creative, amusing, and articulate man: one of
the most influential architects of our time. Barbara discusses Gehry’s
early influences, work process and inspirations, and will show the
architect’s sketches and models to illustrate how his thoughts unfold.
2:40 – 3:30 pm Didion Room
SHORT TALKS
DANA GIOIA
Pity the Beautiful
Dana Gioia’s first new poetry book in over a decade offers emotional
revelations and careful construction. The new poems show Dana’s
craftsmanship at its finest. Dana Gioia is the California Poet Laureate.
DAVID EBERSHOFF
The 19th Wife
A compelling story of the estranged wife of Mormon founder
Brigham Young. David Ebershoff’s remarkable book has sold over
400,000 copies.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016
The Annenberg Center for Health Sciences
6:00 – 7:00 pm
The Helene Galen
Auditorium LORD MICHAEL DOBBS
7:00 – 8:00 pm
The Helene Galen Auditorium
WHAT DOES VLADIMIR PUTIN WANT?
House of Cards Lord Dobbs’ House of Cards became the most successful
television series ever produced by the BBC. Following that success,
20 years later Netflix produced the American series, which has
garnered numerous awards and devoted fans. Lord Dobbs will
tell us how he created this dark tale of greed, corruption and
unquenchable ambition.
BRET STEPHENS, MASHA GESSEN,
JASON MATTHEWS, AND MARVIN KALB
Moderated by Cinny Kennard
This distinguished panel of journalists and influential voices will
bring their knowledge and experience to the subject of Vladimir
Putin, emerging as one of the most powerful and hated men
in the West. Our panel includes Bret Stephens, foreign-affairs
columnist for the Wall Street Journal; Masha Gessen, RussianAmerican author, journalist and activist; Jason Matthews, an
ex-CIA officer and author of two novels set in the Kremlin; and
famed journalist Marvin Kalb, whose recent book is about Putin.
The panel will offer much insight on the power of Putin, his place
in our foreign policy and his threat to the U.S. Moderator Cinny
Kennard, managing director of The Annenberg Foundation, is a
former Moscow bureau chief for CBS.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2016
Rancho Mirage Public Library
9:00 – 9:50 am Steinbeck Room
ARI SHAVIT
My Promised Land
Ari Shavit offers us an authoritative and deeply moving narrative
history of the State of Israel. He will share his passionate views on the
Middle East developed from interviews, historical documents, private
diaries and letters as well as from his own family’s personal story.
9:00 – 9:50 am London Room
ADVENTURE STORIES
PETER HELLER, HAMPTON SIDES,
AND JONATHAN GOTTSCHALL
Moderated by Angela Ledgerwood
A grand adventure or reckless machismo derring-do? Join Peter
Heller, Hampton Sides and Jonathan Gottschall as they ponder
why men seek life on the edge in pursuit of exploration, conquest,
extreme physical challenge or just plain thrills. In their books, these
authors all seem to agree that ultimately it’s about what happens
when the human spirit is put to the test.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2016
Rancho Mirage Public Library
9:00 – 9:50 am
Didion Room
SHORT TALKS
PHIL KLAY
Redeployment
U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Phil Klay takes us to the front lines of
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Phil asks us to understand what
happened there and what happens when soldiers return to their
civilian lives. This book sets in devastating clarity the two worlds a
soldier inhabits: one of fighting for victory and one of loss.
ROBERT HICKS
Widow of the South
Carnton Plantation, 1894: Carrie McGavock is an old woman who
tends the graves of nearly 1,500 Civil War soldiers buried there. As
she walks among the dead, an elderly man appears—a former soldier
she met long ago. He asks if the cemetery has room for one more.
Based on an extraordinary true story, Robert Hick’s novel flashes
back to 1864 and one memorable afternoon.
10:00 – 10:50 am Steinbeck Room
A CONVERSATION WITH LEE CHILD
AND PHIL KLAY
LEE CHILD AND PHIL KLAY
Interviewed by Major Josh Silver
Lee Child sits down with the 2014 National Book Award winner
Phil Klay in a free form conversation that will be memorable.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2016
Rancho Mirage Public Library
10:00 – 10:50 am London Room
H.W. BRANDS
Reagan, The Life
Professor H.W. Brands writes that Reagan, along with FDR, was
the most consequential president of the 20th century. H.W. had
access to never-before-available archival material and was granted
dozens of interviews with members of the Reagan administration.
The result is an exciting narrative and fresh understanding of an
important president and his legacy.
10:00 – 10:50 am Didion Room
SHORT TALKS
CELESTE NG
Everything I Never Told You
Lydia is dead. But they don’t know it yet…So begins the story of
a Chinese-American family living in 1970s small town Ohio.
Celeste Ng crafts a moving story of family, history and the
meaning of place, exploring the divisions between cultures and
the complexity of family dynamics.
RON LIEBER
The Opposite of Spoiled
Ron Lieber will deliver a taboo-shattering manifesto that explains
how talking openly to children about money can help parents raise
modest, patient and grounded young adults who are financially
wise beyond their years. Ron will leave us with lots of practical
advice on how to deal with one of parenting’s thorniest issues.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2016
Rancho Mirage Public Library
11:00 – 11:50 am Steinbeck Room
ELITE SOLDIERS
SCOTT MCEWEN, PHIL KLAY, AND
HAMPTON SIDES
Moderated by Major Josh Silver
Today’s elite soldiers are handpicked for physical, mental and
emotional superiority, and trained to perform dangerous, often life
threatening, special operations. Scott McEwen, Phil Klay and
Hampton Sides will talk about this revered, yet mysterious, group
of soldiers from their unique and knowledgeable perspectives.
11:00 – 11:50 am London Room
PHILISTINES AND PHILANTHROPISTS
DANA GIOIA AND LORD MICHAEL DOBBS
Moderated by David Bryant
Dana Gioia, California Poet Laureate and former chair of the
National Endowment for the Arts, and Lord Dobbs, author of
House of Cards, will discuss the dumbing down of the English
Speaking Union. The discussion will include the relevance of the
cultures of elite universities and why Government remains a point
of discussion for conservatives and liberals.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2016
Rancho Mirage Public Library
11:00 – 11:50 am Didion Room
SHORT TALKS
HÉCTOR TOBAR
Deep Down Dark
Crisis of faith is one of the themes of Héctor Tobar’s story of 33
men buried for 69 days in a collapsed Chilean mine in 2010. With
exclusive access to the survivors, Héctor graphically recounts the
quandaries that beset the men, their families, government officials
and rescue workers as a worldwide audience watched and waited.
T. GERONIMO JOHNSON
Welcome to Braggsville
PEN/Faulkner Award finalist T. Geronimo Johnson will speak
about his socially provocative Southern-fried comedy about four
Berkeley students who stage a dramatic protest during a Civil War
reenactment. “Organic, plucky, smart, Welcome to Braggsville is the
funniest sendup of identity politics, the academy and white racial
anxiety to hit the scene in years.” (The New York Times)
12:00 – 12:40 pm Outside
LUNCH
SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2016
Rancho Mirage Public Library
12:40 – 1:30 pm Steinbeck Room
BRET STEPHENS
America in Retreat
Bret Stephens will discuss his view that we live in a world that
needs American leadership. Many Americans seek to withdraw
from the world to focus on domestic problems. Terrorists and
our enemies see this as an opportunity. Bret identifies Vladimir
Putin, Chinese military expansion, and the civil war in Syria as
threats to our security.
12:40 – 1:30 pm London Room
THE BIOGRAPHY: LIVES LIVED
SALLY DENTON, STACY SCHIFF, AND
JODI KANTOR
Moderated by Barbara Isenberg
Since Plutarch, biography has been one of the most important and
compelling literary forms. Panelists Sally Denton, Stacy Schiff
and Jodi Kantor will share their experiences delving deeply into
larger-than-life subjects and explain the process for writing pageturning books.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2016
Rancho Mirage Public Library
12:40 – 1:30 pm Didion Room
SHORT TALKS
MATT BAI
All the Truth is Out
Matt Bai brilliantly revisits the Gary Hart affair and looks at how
it permanently changed the intersection of American media and
politics. Matt makes the compelling case that Hart’s fall from grace
(and overlooked political legacy) was the moment when the paradigm
shifted: private lives became public, news became entertainment, and
politics became the stuff of Page Six.
BEVERLY JOHNSON
The Face that Changed it All
A revelatory and redemptive memoir from Beverly Johnson, the
first black supermodel to grace the cover of Vogue and who, after 500
magazine covers, remains one of the most successful glamour girls and
businesswomen.
1:40 – 2:30 pm Steinbeck Room
FUNNY MONEY
DAVE BARRY AND RON LIEBER
Moderated by Bruce Fessier
Join Dave Barry and Ron Lieber as they chat about kids and
money. Ron will offer practical advice on how to navigate the
tricky issues and questions posed by children while Dave, the
father of a teenage daughter, will contribute his own perspective
that will keep you laughing.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2016
Rancho Mirage Public Library
1:40 – 2:30 pm London Room
PLACE AND IDENTITY IN FICTION
CELESTE NG AND DINAW MENGESTU
Moderated by Angela Ledgerwood
Novelists Celeste Ng and Dinaw Mengestu will share insights
on how place shapes identity. This is one of the main subplots
in their acclaimed novels where issues of home, family and loss
define identity.
1:40 – 2:30 pm Didion Room
SHORT TALKS
WILLIAM D. COHAN
Working on Wall Street: Relentless and
Rewarding
In the Fall of 2015 William D. Cohan wrote a disturbing article
in The New York Times about the apparent suicide of a 29-year-old
investment banker. Family members believe his death was directly
related to the stress he was under as a junior banker at Goldman
Sachs. William’s think piece is a tragic commentary on our society’s
relationship with the relentless pursuit of financial gain.
MARVIN KALB
Imperial Gamble: Putin, Ukraine, and the New
Cold War
Marvin Kalb examines how Putin’s invasion of Crimea led to
the deterioration of East-West relations. He takes a critical look
at the recent political history of post-Soviet Russia and Ukraine.
Marvin journeys deep into Russian history to explain the roots
of that country’s nationalism and why its people support Putin’s
dangerous and controversial actions in Ukraine.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2016
Rancho Mirage Public Library
2:40 – 3:30 pm Steinbeck Room
WHAT MAKES A PRESIDENT GREAT?
GRAY DAVIS, MARVIN KALB, MATT BAI,
H.W. BRANDS, AND JODI KANTOR
Moderated by Patt Morrison
As we head into the New Hampshire primary, let’s hear from our
experts and nationally respected commentators on what attributes
and circumstances make a President great. Join The Honorable
Gray Davis, Marvin Kalb, Matt Bai, H.W. Brands, and Jodi
Kantor in what promises to be an informative and lively debate.
2:40 – 3:30 pm London Room
JONATHAN GOTTSCHALL
The Professor in the Cage
Professor Jonathan Gottschall’s unlikely journey from the
classroom to the cage drives an important new investigation into
the science and history of violence. In the last decade mixed martial
arts has evolved from a fringe spectacle to one of the fastest growing
spectator sports in America. Jonathan’s captivating retelling of
his personal journey crystallizes his epiphany, that taming male
violence through ritualized combat is the key to the success of the
human race.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2016
Rancho Mirage Public Library
2:40 – 3:30 pm Didion Room
SHORT TALKS
SALLY DENTON
The Profiteers: Bechtel & the Men who Built
the World
Sally Denton will give us the inside story of the Bechtel family
and the empire they’ve controlled since the construction of the
Hoover Dam. The tale of this family dynasty is a classic American
business story and presents a complex and riveting narrative.
STACY SCHIFF
The Witches
It began in 1692, over an exceptionally raw Massachusetts winter,
when a minister’s daughter began to scream and convulse. It ended
less than a year later, but not before 19 men and women had been
hanged as witches. As psychologically thrilling as it is historically
seminal, The Witches by acclaimed historian Stacy Schiff unveils
the collective movement that led to this violent, fear-driven and
enduring American mystery.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2016
The Annenberg Center for Health Sciences
6:00 – 7:00 pm The Helene Galen
Auditorium
LEE CHILD
7:00 – 8:00 pm The Helene Galen
Auditorium
DAVE BARRY
Lee Child will share his personal story—one that
goes from his being a successful television producer to being fired
as “redundant.” Lee then bought $6 worth of paper and pencils and
sat down and wrote Killing Floor, the first of his Jack Reacher series.
A film, based on Lee’s ninth novel, One Shot, starred Tom Cruise,
Robert Duvall and Rosamund Pike. Make Me is Lee’s latest novel,
currently on the best-seller list.
The Festival closes with Dave Barry, America’s funniest
writer, sharing his unique perspective on life and happiness. A
sense of humor, according to Dave is “a measurement of the extent
to which we realize that we are trapped in a world almost totally
devoid of reason. Laughter is how we express the anxiety we feel
at this knowledge.” An audience favorite in 2015, Dave returns
through the generous support of Jan Salta.
THE END....UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
JANUARY 19-21, 2017