Stephanie Danler is a writer based in Brooklyn, New York. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the New School. Sweetbitter is her debut novel. We are excited to host her as part of the Live Talks Los Angeles Newer Voices Series. Jay McInerney says, “Stephanie Danler arrives on the literary scene with a fully-fledged, original voice that’s wry, watchful and wise beyond its years—acutely attuned to the pleasures of the senses and to the desperate stratagems of self-invention among young urban seekers. Sweetbitter is a stunning debut novel, one that seems destined to help define a generation.” 

Sebastian Junger’s new book is Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging. He has spent decades of his life reporting from conflict zones worldwide. He is the New York Times bestselling author of War, The Perfect Storm and A Death in Belmont. Together with Tim Hetherington, he directed the documentary Restrepo based on his embed in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley. It won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and an Academy Award nomination. 

Mark Kurlansky is the New York Times best-selling author of twenty-eight books and a former foreign correspondent for The International Herald Tribune, The Chicago Tribune, The Miami Herald, and The Philadelphia Inquirer.  In his new book, Paper: Paging Through History, the best-selling author of Cod and Salt, offers a definitive history of paper and the astonishing ways it has shaped today’s world.  Paper is one of the simplest and most essential pieces of human technology. For the past two millennia, the ability to produce it in ever more efficient ways has supported the proliferation of literacy, media, religion, education, commerce, and art; it has formed the foundation of civilizations, promoting revolutions and restoring stability.

Why do some people succeed and others fail? Sharing new insights from her landmark research on grit, MacArthur “genius” Angela Duckworth explains why talent is hardly a guarantor of success. Rather, other factors can be even more crucial such as identifying our passions and following through on our commitments.  “Grit is a persuasive and fascinating response to the cult of IQ fundamentalism. Duckworth reminds us that it is character and perseverance that set the successful apart.”
—Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers

Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter for The New York Times and the author of The Power of Habit about the science of habit formation. In The Power of Habit, Duhigg explained why we do what we do. In Smarter Faster Better, he applies the same relentless curiosity, deep reporting, and rich storytelling to explain how we can improve at the things we do. It’s a groundbreaking exploration of the science of productivity, one that can help anyone learn to succeed with less stress and struggle, and to get more done without sacrificing what we care about most—to become smarter, faster, and better at everything we do. 

Since taking over TED in the early 2000s, Chris Anderson has shown how carefully crafted short talks can be the key to unlocking empathy, stirring excitement, spreading knowledge, and promoting a shared dream. Done right, a talk can electrify a room and transform an audience’s worldview. Done right, a talk is more powerful than anything in written form.

Faith Salie is an Emmy-winning contributor to CBS News Sunday Morning and a panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! She also hosts the PBS show, Science Goes To The Movies. Approval Junkie: Adventures in Caring Too Much is a collection of daring, funny essays chronicling her adventures during her lifelong quest for approval.

Marie “KonMari” Kondo is the New York Times best-selling author of The Life- Changing Magic of Tidying Up which has sold more than three million copies worldwide. One of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2015, she and her method have been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Fast Company, Good Housekeeping,The TODAY Show, and more.

In 2012, Felicia Day launched a YouTube channel called Geek & Sundry which has garnered more than 1.3 million subscribers to date and more than 200 million views. She is an actress who has appeared in numerous mainstream television shows and films, including a two-season arc on the SyFy series Eureka and The CW show Supernatural. She is best known for her work in the web video world, behind and in front of the camera. She co-starred — along with Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion — in Joss Whedon’s Emmy Award-winning Internet musical, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. She also created and starred in the hit web series The Guild, which ran for six seasons.

Colm Tóibín wrote the introduction to upcoming Everyman’s Library edition of James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room, marking the 70th anniversary of it’s publication.  Tóibín is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning author. His novels include The Master, Brooklyn,  The South, The Heather Blazing, The Story of the Night, and The Blackwater Lightship, which was shortlisted for the 1999 Booker Prize.