The personal is political for Liza, and she believes the struggle for human rights can be traced to the individual’s struggle for expression of self.  Liza’s work exposes cultural stereotypes in all forms, not just in women’s rights, and she works with international cartoonists, curating exhibits and is editor of World Ink, a site dedicated to political cartoons from around the world.

Program Descriptions

Finding Voice

In her interactive, multimedia lecture, Liza draws on her three decades as a cartoonist for The New Yorker, Liza speaks about the (sometimes joyful) struggle of finding one’s voice as an artist, framing it in terms of the need for creative space, “a room of one’s own,” free from cultural pressures.  Using slides of her own work, Liza delivers a talk that is at once humorous and serious, discussing issues of sexism and the stereotypes women face as they search inside themselves for their own expression and for the freedom to be what they want to be and not what our culture expects.

Having taught Women’s Studies at Vassar College, Liza’s understanding of the issues is deep, and, combined with her personal story, her lecture provides a rich experience wherein the seriousness of the difficulties women face is delivered with humor. Liza is forever trying to dispel the notion that women do not have a sense of humor, and that through laughter, difficult issues can not only be addressed, but changed for the better.

International Cartoons

As a world traveler passionate about political cartoons, Liza is uniquely positioned to lends her skills as a cartoonist, editor and writer to help audiences understand the power cartoons wield in to making sense of world events.

In her lecture/slide program, Liza speaks to the way this art form can communicate across borders with amazing power. Cartoons can visually distill global events in an instant, and particularly when drawn by women, they often enlighten in ways not heard of before. A member of Cartooning for Peace, and editor and creator of World Ink, a website devoted to international cartoons, Liza works with cartoonists from around the world.  Given the role of women as tradition holders in each society, they have unique perspectives to bring to the table of political cartoons.

New Yorker Cartoons

Everyone loves New Yorker cartoons.  As a contributor to The New Yorker for thirty years, Liza has a personal understanding of the art of the magazine, as well as friendships with many of the artists and editors. Author of “Funny Ladies: The New Yorker’s Greatest Women Cartoonists and Their Cartoons” (Prometheus), which required years of research at The New Yorker and The New Yorker Archives, Liza has a deep understanding of the cartoons and cartoonists  of the magazine, both as pieces of art but also in context of their time.  An overview of the art form can reflect cultural trends, political events and social norms in a way that is unique. Liza speaks to the impact of cartoons on us as individuals, and of the manner in which they reflect on us as a society. With slides, she contrasts current cartoons with past ones, analyzing the changes in mores, styles and humor.

Bio:

Author of numerous books, including Funny Ladies: The New Yorker’s Greatest Women Cartoonists and Their Cartoons, Sex and Sensibility: Ten Women Examine the Lunacy of Modern Love…in 200 Cartoons, among others, Liza’s written work has also appeared in The Daily Beast, CNN.com, The New Yorker and elsewhere.  Liza has spoken at TED, has been profiled on CBS Sunday morning, and has appeared on numerous radio shows . Liza recently curated a show of global political cartoons for TED, and online for CNN.com, and has taught “The Cultural History of Cartoons”, “Women and Humor” and Women’s Studies at Vassar College.

Tom works with organizations that want to stimulate action and involvement. His high-intrigue, high-energy programs catalyze creativity and challenge constituents to open up their thinking. Let Tom Clynes give your audience something substantial to talk about—and move them forward with an enduring sense of expanded possibilities.

Program Descriptions

Can One Person Really Change the World?

Tom’s provocative and visually stunning presentation answers this question with dramatic and inspiring stories of real people who shaped once-ordinary lives into world-changing adventures. Discover how they did it, why they did it, and why the world needs us to pursue the goals we really care about. By artfully weaving the stories of your own “heroes” with the achievements of world-changing heroes, this program is designed to boost energy, involvement and enthusiasm.

The Art of Audacity

Audacity is the missing ingredient in far too many worthy endeavors. But some people seem to have it in abundance: The explorer whose jungle expedition led to the biggest African conservation victory in three decades…the “elephant whisperer” who rescued the animals in the Baghdad Zoo…the virus hunter whose ambitious plan to stop epidemics before they start is shifting the way the world confronts infectious diseases. Via astonishing stories and photos, this program challenges audiences to believe in their boldest dreams—and energizes your meeting with an anything-is-possible spirit.

The Seven Habits of World-Changers

People who succeed in changing the world are not born—they’re self-made. In this enlightening—and surprising—presentation, you’ll discover the intriguing life lessons behind the success of people who dared to challenge and change the status quo. Expect to be entertained, provoked, and wowed by these spectacular images and stories.

Ends of the Earth

Expect to question your own personal and cultural truths during this rollicking tour of the Earth’s natural and cultural extremes. From Thailand’s Vegetarian Banquet for Monkeys, to the man who risked his life to rescue the animals in the Baghdad Zoo, to the world’s roughest sport, Tom is your guide to the world at its most thrilling, open, colorful, and alive. Audiences will be entertained, provoked, and wowed by these spectacular images and stories.

Bio

For the past decade, Tom Clynes has been a contributing editor and photographer at National Geographic Adventure, covering environmental issues, science, and adventure travel. He also contributes to Popular Science, Men’s Journal, The New York Times, GQ, and other publications, and is the author of the book “Wild Planet.” Tom’s magazine stories often appear in Houghton-Mifflin’s “Best American” series of magazine-writing anthologies.

Garry began her professional career as part of the management team that launched MTV in 1981 and it is that experience that shaped her view that the media profoundly influence the attitudes and opinions of people on nearly every issue.  With her 1997 appointment as executive director of GLAAD, a position she held for eight years, Joan realized she had connected her professional experience with her powerful voice.

Whether it was debating Jerry Falwell and Bill O’Reilly, or taking on The New York Times and persuading the Times to change its policy to include gay and lesbian couples on its wedding pages, Garry has been at the forefront of issues that mean something to her family and to countless other families across America.  This was never more evident than during the transformational election of 2008, when Garry was the Co-chair of the National LGBT Finance Committee for Obama for America, leading a committee of 75 fundraisers nationwide to engage and mobilize the LGBT community to champion the candidacy of President-elect Obama.

Currently a featured blogger at The Huffington Post, Garry is working to help Americans connect the front page to the world in their own back yards. She offers commentary on issues of relevance to the gay community as a columnist with The Washington Blade, and her personal essays have been published in The Newark Star Ledger, The New York Times and elsewhere.

Program Descriptions

The Civil Rights Issue of Our Time:  LGBT Equality

As one of America’s most prominent gay rights leaders, Garry offers thoughts on the current state of the movement,  examines it in terms of historical context and considers its trajectory over the next 5-10 years.  She addresses the opportunities and challenges facing the next generation of leadership, and proposes (and answers) difficult questions about the most effective ways to achieve success.

Goal-Oriented, Team-Driven Leadership

After a decade at the helm of one of the most visible gay rights organizations in America, Garry’s perspectives on leadership are authentic and unique.  From debating Jerry Falwell to persuading the New York Times to include gay and lesbian couples on its wedding pages, Garry has demonstrated leadership attributes that are forceful, effective and at the same time empathetic and respectful.  In her lecture, she shares the lessons gleaned from both her tenure as the Executive Director of GLAAD, and during the preceding fourteen years as a cable television executive with positions in strategic planning and new business development.

Media and its Impact on Changing Hearts and Minds

Historically, civil rights movements have focused on government, politics and the law to effect change.  The gay civil rights movement may have been the first to recognize and understand the power of the media to shape attitudes and opinions.   Garry shares the history and successes of this media activism, offering valuable lessons on the power of media advocacy to bring an issue to light and in so doing, change hearts and minds.

Activism: A How-To Guide

As a prominent civil rights leader with demonstrated success in effecting change, Garry speaks about what it means to be an activist, the forms activism can take and the strategies and tactics that can be employed to move people to action.

Making a Difference in Non-Profit America:
Can You Really Making A Living Doing Something You Care About?

Garry tells her own story – diving into a non-profit leadership role after a successful career as a media executive – and offers insight into non-profit work – the skills and expertise she brought with her from corporate America and the new ones she unearthed.

Bio

Garry plays a critical role as a visible media spokesperson and critic.  In 1999, Entertainment Weekly featured her on its list of the “100 Most Influential People In Entertainment.”  Garry’s articulate advocacy has been featured across all national news networks, with notable media appearances including NBC’s “Today;” ABC’s “World News Tonight;” PBS’ “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer;” CNN’s “NewsNight with Aaron Brown;” CNBC’s “Dennis Miller Live;” numerous appearances on CNN, CSPAN, MSNBC (including “Hardball” with Chris Matthews) and Fox News Channel (including “The O’Reilly Factor” and “Hannity & Colmes”).

Her comments are frequently sought by leading newspapers, magazines and news services, including The New York Times, the Associated Press, Reuters, the Washington Post, USA Today, Time Magazine, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Advertising Age and PR Week, among others; and her thought-provoking op-ed essays have appeared in outlets such as The New York Times and USA Today.

During her eight-year tenure at GLAAD, Garry led the organization through a series of high-profile campaigns, most notably GLAAD’s highly successful public education initiative to combat and expose the defamatory rhetoric of “Dr. Laura” Schlessinger.

Garry lives in New Jersey with her partner of 27 years and their three children. Her landmark 1993 court challenge to New Jersey’s second-parent adoption law made Garry the first lesbian in the state to adopt her partner’s biological children.  She also blogs with and about her kids at www.whosthegrownup.com, and on her own at www.joangarry.com.  In the spirit of using her voice to advocate for change, Garry is the first and only female singing member of the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus.

John Bowe, award-winning journalist and author of Pulitzer Prize nominee Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy, examines how outsourcing, subcontracting, immigration fraud, and the relentless pursuit of “everyday low prices” have created a frightening new market for modern slavery.

Program Description

Bowe’s eye-opening presentation describes a journey from shock and concern for abused immigrants to deeper worries about the health of American democracy. Given the prevalence of slavery throughout human history, Bowe explains, slavery and labor abuse simply aren’t ‘weird’ or unusual at all. What’s ‘weird,’ is that freedom and democracy have come as far as they have.

Using thorough and often dangerous research, exclusive interviews, eyewitness accounts, and rigorous economic analysis, Bowe examines three illegal workplaces, where employees are literally or virtually enslaved. From rural Florida to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to the US Commonwealth of Saipan in the Western Pacific, he documents coercive and forced labor situations that benefit us all, as consumers and stockholders, fattening the profits of dozens of American food and clothing chains, including Wal-Mart, Kroger’s, Macdonald’s, Burger King, PepsiCo, Del Monte, the Gap, Target, JC Penney, J. Crew, Ralph Lauren/Polo, and others.

In this revealing lecture, set against the everyday American landscape of shopping malls, outlet stores, and Happy Meals — Bowe reveals how humankind’s darker urges remain alive and well, lingering in the background of every transaction — and what we can do to overcome them.

USA Today describes Nobodies as “…a masterwork and mixing pot of ideas…investigative, immersion reporting at its best.” Dennis Miller calls it “a great book…heartbreaking and important.” The Village Voice has named it “One of the Twenty Best Books of 2007.”

Bio

Bowe has appeared on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” and has contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, GQ, NPR and other outlets. He is the co-editor of Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs, named one of Harvard Business School’s Ten Best Books of the Year, and co-screenwriter of the film “Basquiat”. In 2004, Bowe received the J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award, and the Sydney Hillman Award for journalists, writers, and public figures who pursue social justice and public policy for the common good.

Program Description

In his interactive lecture, Gustavo presents an engaging and informative discussion of ethnic stereotypes and immigration, addressing the role stereotypes play in American society, and how satire can be used to deflate them. Gustavo examines immigration (legal and illegal) and the impact of Latinos, and other ethnic groups, on this country at every level: economically, socially, culturally, politically and beyond.

Gustavo truthfully answers audiences’ questions about Mexicans and Latinos/Hispanics, and uses those answers as a jumping-off point for a broader conversation about issues affecting all immigrant groups, their role in the economy, and the political power of these groups once they are organized properly. Gustavo also works with companies, schools and associations to help them better connect with Latinos — focusing on the value that diversity brings to the workplace, to the classroom, and to society.

As he does in his “¡Ask a Mexican!” column, and in his most recent book, Orange County: A Personal History, Gustavo looks at America through the lens of his own multi-generational family’s experience emigrating to Southern California, and that of his own childhood as he struggled with the hyphenated identity that he was handed. Finally, Gustavo also examines the unique happenstance that created the Orange County that we know today; a community that, against all odds, is truly a microcosm of our society as a whole – for better and worse.

Bio

Author of the bestselling book ¡Ask a Mexican! and the column of the same name, with a circulation of two million, and Orange County: A Personal History, Gustavo is a contributing editor to the op-ed page of the Los Angeles Times, and has appeared on “Today,” “Nightline,” NPR’s “Talk of the Nation,” and “The Colbert Report” and elsewhere.

Gustavo received the President’s Award from the Los Angeles Press Club, an Impact Award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition, and a 2008 Latino Spirit Award from the California State legislature for his “exceptional vision, creativity, and work ethic.” A frequent guest on liberal and conservative talk shows, where he discusses local and national issues, Gustavo was also a finalist for the 2005 PEN USA Literary Awards for Journalism for his profile on a disabled Latino veteran of the Iraq War.  He’s currently working on a socio-cultural history of Mexican food in the US,  tentatively titled, Taco USA.