By Heidi Simmons
The third annual Rancho Mirage Writers Festival opens Thursday, January 21, and runs through Saturday, January 23.
This is an exciting and intimate festival that celebrates writers and readers. Since its inception, the event has gained momentum attracting more “A” list authors and dynamic moderators.
Events are held throughout the day at the Rancho Mirage Library and the Helen Galen Auditorium at the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences in the evenings.
The festival line-up has more nonfiction than fiction this year, and for the first time includes poetry. Like other popular CV festivals, multiple venues run each hour. Work out a plan to see you favorite authors because seating is not guaranteed so be sure to queue up early. If you missed out on getting your ticket this year, sales for the 2017 festival will go on sale in the spring.
The Rancho Mirage Writers Festival is a wonderful way to make new friends, share ideas and celebrate the written word.
For more information: www.rmwritersfest.org
THE SCHEDULE:
Thursday, January 21 — The Helene Galen Auditorium at the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences
6:00 – 7:00 Andrew Roberts The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War
7:00 – 8:00 A. Scott Berg Lindbergh
8:00 Opening Night Party
Friday, January 22 — Rancho Mirage Library
9:00 – 9:50
Steinbeck Room: Jessica Fellows Downton Abbey: Behind the Green Baize Door
London Room: Geoffrey Cowan Let the People Rule
Didion Room: “Short Talks” with Beth Macy Truevine: The Strange and Troubling Tale of Two Brothers in Jim Crow America and Jason Matthews Palace of Treason
10:00 – 10:50
Steinbeck Room: “Politics Go Viral” with Masha Gessen, Bret Stephens, Marvin Kalb and Lord Michael Dobbs
London Room: Jessica Fellows Downton Abbey: At Home with the Family
Didion Room: “Short Talks” with Victoria Kastner Hearts Ranch: Family, Land and Legacy and Beth Macy Factory Man
11:00 – 11:50
Steinbeck Room: Andrew Roberts Napoleon: A Life
London Room: Dinaw Mengestu All Our Names
Didion Room: “Short Talks” with Scott McEwen American Sniper and Molly Guptill Manning When Books Went to War
Lunch
12:40 – 1:30
Steinbeck Room: “Books Become Movies” with Lee Child, David Ebershoff, Scott McEwen, Hampton Sides and Héctor Tobar, moderated by Peter Bart
London Room: Jodi Kantor Amazon and Starbucks
Didion Room: “Short Talks” with Peter Heller The dog Stars and William D. Cohan The Price of Silence
1:40 – 2:30
Steinbeck Room:“The Modern Swastika: The Rise of Terrorism and anti-Semitism in Europe” with Bret Stephens, Andrew Roberts and Ari Shavit, moderated by Hal Gershowitz
London Room: Bob Mankoff How About Never. Is Never Good For You?
Didion Room: “Short Talks” with Hampton Sides In the Kingdom of Ice and Sally Denton Passion and Principle
2:40 – 3:30
Steinbeck Room: The War That Forged a Nation: Why the Civil War Matters with H. W. Brand and Robert Hicks, moderated by David Bryant
London Room: Barbara Isenberg The Year of Frank Gehry
Didion Room: “Short Talks” with Dana Gioia Pity the Beautiful and David Ebershoff The 19th Wife
The Helene Galen Auditorium at the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences
6:00 – 7:00 Lord Michael Dobbs House of Cards
7:00 – 8:00 “What Dose Vladimir Putin Want?” Bret Stephens, Masha Gessen, Jason Matthews and Marvin Kalb, moderated by Cinny Kennard
Saturday, January 23 — Rancho Mirage Library
9:00 – 9:50
Steinbeck Room: Ari Shavit My Promised Land
London Room: “Adventure Stories with Peter Heller, Hampton Sides and Jonathan Gottschall, moderated by Angela Ledgerwood
Didion Room: “Short Talks” with Phil Klay Redeployment and Robert Hicks Widow of the South
10:00 – 10:50
Steinbeck Room: “A Conversation with Lee Child and Phil Klay” interviewed by Major Josh Silver
London Room: H. W. Brand Reagan, The Life
Didion Room: “Short Talks” with Celeste Ng Everything I Never Told You and Ron Lieber The Opposite of Spoiled
11:00 – 11:50
Steinbeck Room: “Elite Soldiers” Scott McEwen, Phil Klay and Hampton Sides, moderated by Major Josh Silver
London Room: “Philistines and Philanthropists” with Dana Gioia and Lord Michael Dobbs, moderated by David Bryant
Didion Room: “Short Talks” with Héctor Tobar Deep Down Dark and T. Geronimo Johnson Welcome to Braggsville
Lunch
12:40 – 1:30
Steinbeck Room: Bret Stephens America in Retreat
London Room: “The biography: Lives Lived” with Sally Denton, Stacy Schiff and Jodi Kantor, moderated by Barbara Isenberg
Didion Room: “Short Talks” with Matt Bai All the Truth is Out and Beverly Johnson The Face That Changed it All
1:40 – 2:30
Steinbeck Room: “Funny Money” Dave Barry and Ron Lieber, moderated by Bruce Fessier
London Room: “Place and Identity in fiction” with Celeste Ng and Dinaw Mengestu, moderated by Angela Ledgerwood
Didion Room: Short Talks” with William D. Cohan Working on Wall Street: Relentless and Rewarding and Marvin Kalb Imperial Gamble: Putin, Ukraine and the New Cold War
2:40 – 3:30
Steinbeck Room: “What Makes a President Great?” with Gray Davis, Marvin Kalb, Matt Bai, H.W. Brand and Jodi Kantor, moderated by Patt Morrison
London Room: Jonathan Gottschall The Professor in the Cage
Didion Room: “Short Talks” with Sally Denton The Profiteers: Bechtel & the Men Who Built the World and Stacy Schiff The Witches
The Helene Galen Auditorium at the Annenberg Center for Health Sciences
6:00 – 7:00 Lee Child Make Me
7:00 – 8:00 Dave Barry Live Right and Find Happiness
(Please be aware the schedule may change)
THE AUTHORS
Matt Bai All the Truth is Out
Dave Barry Live Right and Find Happiness
Scott Berg Lindbergh
H.W. Brand Reagan
Lee Childs Make Me (fiction)
William Cohan The Price of Silence
Geoffrey Cowen Let the People Rule
Sally Denton Passion and Principle
Lord Michael Dobbs House of Cards
David Ebershoff The Danish Girl
Jessica Fellowes The World of Downton Abbey
Masha Gessen The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely rise of Vladimir Putin
Dana Gioia Pity the Beautiful (poetry)
Jonathan Gottschall The Professor in the Cage
Chad Harbach The Art of Fielding (fiction)
Peter Heller The Dog Star
Robert Hicks The Window of the South
Barbara Isenberg Frank Gehry
Beverly Johnson The Face That Changed It All
Geronimo Johnson Welcome to Bragsville (fiction)
Marvin Kalb Imperial Gamble
Jodi Kantor The Obamas
Victoria Kastner Hearst Ranch
Phil Klay Redeployment
Ron Lieber The Opposite of Spoiled
Beth Macy Factory Man
Bob Mankoff How About Never, Is Never Good For You?
About Never Is Never Good For You?
Molly Guptill Manning When Books Went to War
Jason Matthews Palace of Treason (fiction)
Scott McEwen American Sniper
Dinaw Mengestu All Our Names (fiction)
Celeste Ng Everything I Never Told You (fiction)
Andrew Roberts Napoleon
Stacy Schiff Witches
Ari Shavit My Promised Land
Hampton Sides In the Kingdom of Ice
Bret Stephens America in Retreat
Héctor Tobar Deep Down Dark
