The Distinguished Personalities of the Sacramento Speakers Series

BIO	LILLY TOMLIN WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2008 COMPLETED One of America's foremost comediennes, she has ventured across an ever-widening range of media, starring in television, theater, motion pictures, animation, and video. Throughout her extraordinary entertainment career, which has spanned over 40 years, Tomlin has received numerous awards for her body of work including several Tony and Emmy Awards as well as a Grammy Award and two Peabody Awards. In 2003 she was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
BIO	AMY TAN WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2008 8:00 PM An American writer of Chinese descent whose works explore mother-daughter relationships as well as relationships between Chinese American women and their immigrant parents. Her novels include The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, and Saving Fish from Drowning, all New York Times bestsellers and the recipient of various awards. Her work has been translated into 35 languages, from Spanish, French, and Finnish to Chinese, Arabic, and Hebrew.
BIO BIO	BOB WOODWARD & CARL BERNSTEIN WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2009 8:00 PM Washington Post reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, achieved legendary journalistic status when they broke the Watergate scandal during the Nixon administration. The uncovering of the scandal led to U.S. President’s Richard Nixon’s resignation. Their work earned the Washington Post a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 1973. Their book about the scandal, All the President’s Men, became a #1 best-seller and was later turned into a movie. The 1976 film starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman transformed the reporters into celebrities and inspired a wave of interest in investigative journalism. Thirty-five years later, both journalists have written many national-best-selling non-fiction books both together and apart. Their best selling titles include Wired, The Final Days, The Secret Man, and His Holiness. Together Woodward and Bernstein will discuss the historic Watergate scandal, their revelations from the infamous Deep Throat—former FBI operative Mark Felt, the series of events that led to the unraveling of a presidency, and current unique perspectives inside the offices of the presidency, Congress, the Pentagon, and the CIA.
BIO	DR. DEAN EDELL WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2009 8:00 PM In 1978 Dr. Dean Edell began his broadcasting career, speaking about health on San Francisco’s KGO radio. 30 years later, and with nearly six million listeners tuning in weekly, Dr. Dean Edell is America’s most “listened to” source for health information. Author, surgeon, professor, television reporter, and columnist, he is the most widely trusted medical “media star” today. He has won media awards for his work including the C. Everett Koop Media Award, the Edward R. Murrow Award, and the American Heart Association Award.
BIO	COKIE ROBERTS TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2009 8:00 PM Long-time ABC Congressional Correspondent and leading political pundit, Cokie Roberts emits insight and wisdom born of personal and professional relationships honed in the halls of Congress over four decades. With unmatched authority she brings a practiced political eye and keen perspective to issues currently facing lawmakers in Washington, DC. She has been inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame, and was cited by the American Women in Radio and Television as one of the fifty greatest women in the history of broadcasting.
BIO	DAVE BARRY MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2009 8:00 PM Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary, Dave Barry has written several best-selling books. His witty, critically acclaimed weekly column was a staple in several hundred newspapers nationwide for over 15 years. In the style that is his trademark, Barry speaks about the absurdities of our everyday lives. His droll commentary about politics and trivial idiosyncrasies make his syndicated column one of the most read in America. Clever and hilarious, this longtime writer delivers laugh after laugh.
BIO	REZA ASLAN THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2009 8:00 PM Iranian-born internationally acclaimed scholar of religions and author of No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, he will explain the intricate interplay between faith and politics of Islam and the Muslim world and the current cataclysmic internal battle for reform and modernization. He has served as a legislative assistant for the Friends' Committee on National Legislation in Washington D.C., and served as president of Harvard's Chapter of the World Conference on Religion and Peace, an organization committed to solving religious conflicts throughout the world.