Jane Smiley turned fifty just in time for the new millennium. Jane moved to the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri, as an infant, and lived there through grammar school and high school . After getting her BA at Vassar College in 1971, she traveled in Europe for a year, working on an archeological dig and sight-seeing, then returned to... read full bio
Janet Langhart Cohen is an Emmy-nominated journalist, author and playwright, and president of Langhart Communications. Over her twenty-five year career, Langhart has appeared on CBS in Chicago, hosted ABC's Good Day in Boston, and made appearances on NBC and BET. Langhart was a mentee of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ad was an active proponent of the Civil... read full bio
Jasmine Roth is a renovation celebrity, designer and author who is enthusiastic about altering rooms and inspiring others via business acumen, creativity and the ability to see possibilities throughout. Roth, the winner of HGTV's Rock the Block, also hosts her own programs, Hidden Potential and Help! I Wrecked My House to save failed home renovation initiatives. She is also well-known for the... read full bio
The Loneliest Americans was written by Jay Caspian Kang, a contributor to The New York Times Magazine. He was a founding editor of Grantland and a Vice correspondent on HBO who was nominated for an Emmy. He can speak in-depth about a wide range of subjects, including city planning, the history of immigration in the United States, education policy, Affirmative... read full bio
Jayson Lusk is an American economist, researcher, writer, and speaker who is currently the Distinguished Professor and Head of the Agricultural Economics Department at Purdue University. Lusk has previously earned his B.S. in Foot Technology from Texas Tech University and went on to earn his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Kansas State University. After graduating from graduate school, Lusk began... read full bio
Across all media, New York Times bestselling author Jean Hanff Korelitz is renowned for creating enthralling stories that keep readers interested and motivated. The novels written by Korelitz include The Latecomer, You Should Have Known, which HBO adapted as The Undoing, Admission, which was made into a movie, The Sabbathday River, A Jury of Her Peers, The White Rose, The... read full bio
Jeanne Celestine Lakin is an award-winning author and founder of One Million Orphans. Lakin’s story is that of heartbreak as she was a Rwandan Genocide survivor who overcame a childhood of genocide, abuse, and orphanhood. Lakin was forced to run from her home after the Rwandan government tried to eliminate the entire Tutsi ethnic group. Over the course of about... read full bio
Jeff VanderMeer, a renowned American author, editor, and literary critic, was born on July 7, 1968. VanderMeer is well known for his contributions to the New Weird literary subgenre, but his critically acclaimed Southern Reach Trilogy catapulted him into the public eye. Annihilation, the first novel in the series, won the Shirley Jackson and Nebula Awards and was well-received by... read full bio
Jeffrey Engel is a well-known professor and historian who has made numerous valuable contributions to the study of American politics and diplomacy. He has established himself as a major expert on presidential leadership and the nuances of historical events that have molded the country as the Founding Director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University. Jeffrey Engel has... read full bio
Jeffrey Robinson is an American best-selling author and speaker from Long Beach, New York. Robinson began his career selling articles and stories to magazines before he was even 15 years old. He went on to earn his B.A. from Temple University in Philadelphia and from there, began writing for television and radio before working as a staff writer at KYW-TV3.... read full bio
Jeffrey Zaslow hasn't just co-authored books with some of the most inspiring people of our time; he has also crafted his experiences into incredibly uplifting presentations that are hugely entertaining and extremely moving. Many groups and conference organizers call Jeff ""the best speaker they've ever booked"". Jeff served as co-author with Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, retired astronaut Mark... read full bio
Jemar Tisby is a public historian who has the ability to investigate racial justice solutions and cultural debates that inspire people to take action. He is dynamic, significant and insightful. Tisby uses history to make points that are relevant to the present. His approach offers listeners in-depth analyses, unwavering moral clarity and unmistakable directions. Tisby is The Witness, Inc.'s founder. He is the... read full bio
Jen Agg is a trailblazing personality in the culinary industry who is renowned for seeing emerging food trends long before they became widely accepted. She has been praised and criticized for her relentless work ethic, business savvy, and unrepentant stand against sexism in the food sector as a tastemaker. Agg gained notoriety in 2015 by planning the wildly popular and immediately... read full bio
Jen Hatmaker, a community developer, award-winning podcaster, and New York Times bestselling author, encourages people to live authentically for themselves because she thinks it will transform the world. The New York Times bestsellers For the Love, Of Mess and Moxie, and Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire are among Jen's fourteen books. Feed These People: Slam Dunk Recipes for Your... read full bio
New York Times best-selling author Jenna Blum has been writing professionally since 1986, when her short story The Legacy of Frank Finklestein won First Prize in Seventeen Magazines national fiction contest. Jennas debut novel, Those Who Save Us, was in 2004 and jumped onto The Boston Globe and The New York Times best-seller lists. A World War II mother-daughter story... read full bio
Jenny Han is a New York Times bestselling author best known for her trilogy of “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”. Her book, To All the Boys I've Loved Before has also been made into a Netflix film that has gained a ton of popularity and has become one of the most watched Netflix original films of all time.... read full bio
Jessica Bruder is an American journalist who writes about subcultures and social issues and has taught narrative writing at Columbia Journalism School. She graduated from Amherst College and received a master’s in journalism from Columbia University. Bruder has contributed to outlets such as, WIRED, New York Magazine, The New York Times, Harper’s Magazine, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and more.... read full bio
Jessica Lahey is a best-selling author, educator, and columnist, who is best known for her books “The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed” and “The Addiction Inoculation.” Lahey was born into a family with a history of alcoholism and drug abuse. Lahey later found herself an alcoholic and didn’t find... read full bio
Jewel Allison is a poet, author, public speaker, former model, actress, and music educator who is best known for her book “Stealing Peace.” Allison was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and she began writing poetry at a young age and knew she always wanted a career in writing. Growing up, Allison often wrote in the dark as her... read full bio
New York City-based writer and editor James Ledbetter was formally editor-in-chief of Reuters.com. He joined the online publication Slate, where he was in charge of the Big Money business news website. Ledbetter formerly worked for the financial news website CNNMoney.com before joining Slate. He was a former senior editor of Time Magazine, The Industry Standard and staff writer for The Village Voice... read full bio
