Florida Humanities Council partners with the Village Square, Leadership Florida and Florida State University
Pulitzer-winning biographer Jon Meacham to speak: “Lessons from the American Presidency”
(January 19, 2016) As the 2016 election season approaches, the Florida Humanities Council is bringing prominent presidential historian Jon Meacham to the state to help Floridians explore the role of the presidency and how it has evolved through our history.
Meacham’s two talks—Jan. 26 in Miami and Feb. 18 in Tallahassee—are part of the Pulitzer Prizes Centennial Campfires Initiative, a joint venture of the Pulitzer Board and the Federation of State Humanities Councils, in celebration of the 2016 centennial of the Pulitzer Prizes.
Meacham’s Jan. 26 speech—7 p.m. at the University of Miami’s Maurice Gusman Concert Hall, 1314 Miller Drive, in Coral Gables—is presented in partnership with the UM Center for the Humanities. His Feb. 18 talk—7:30 p.m. at Florida State University’s Turnbull Center, 555 W Pensacola St—is presented in partnership with The Village Square, Inc., Leadership Florida, and FSU.
His subject at both venues is “The Art of Leadership: Lessons from the American Presidency.” Question-and-answer sessions will follow his talks, which will focus on what 21st-century leaders can learn from the greatest moments of our common past, with examples from American presidencies and insights into how history can help inform our decisions today.
These programs are free and open to the public. Seats are limited, so registration is advised. For information and to register, go to: http://bit.ly/1OKqS1a on the FloridaHumanities.org website.
Meacham won the Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for his biography of Andrew Jackson and has recently published a bestseller about President George H. W. Bush. “American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House” details the style and times of “the man who rose from nothing to create the modern presidency.” His recently released “Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush,” was written with access to the former president’s personal diaries and chronicles a journey “from the cockpits of World War II to the Oval Office and the end of the Cold War.” His 2012 book, “Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power,” explores how this complex founding father developed such adroit political skills.
The Pulitzer Campfires Initiative seeks to illuminate the impact of journalism and the humanities on American life today, to imagine their future, and to inspire new generations to consider the values represented by the body of Pulitzer Prize-winning work. It is generously supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Pulitzer Prizes Board, and Columbia University.
(See photos from the event here.)
MEDIA CONTACTS:
For the Miami event:
Deserae del Campo, University of Miami College of Arts & Sciences,
deserae@miami.edu 305-284-2485
For the Tallahassee event:
Liz Joyner, The Village Square, Inc.,
liz@tothevillagesquare.org 850-264-8785
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