The Arts Keynote Speakers: Creativity and Storytelling

James Ellroy

Acclaimed author of The Black Dahlia, L.A. Confidential, American Tabloid, Perfidia, and This Storm

Through crime fiction, we can see the bright truth in our dark secrets.

Spike Lee

Oscar-Winning Director of BlacKkKlansman, Do the Right Thing, and When the Levees Broke

Film plays a central role in illuminating modern issues of race and representation.

Katy Hessel

Instant New York Times Bestselling Author of The Story of Art Without Men | 2021 Forbes 30 under 30 Europe | Guardian Columnist | Art Historian and Curator

The story of art has always excluded women. But we can write a new, more equitable story for the future of art, and beyond.

Nathan Pyle

#1 New York Times bestselling author of Strange Planet | Executive Producer of Strange Planet

The road to creativity is right beneath our feet—we just need to learn how to walk it.

Sir Salman Rushdie

One of the most celebrated writers of our time

What one writer can make in the solitude of one room is something no power can easily destroy.

Margaret Atwood

Two-time Booker Prize-Winning Author of over 50 Books, Including The Handmaid’s Tale and its Recordbreaking Sequel,The Testaments

Literature can show us our future—if we look.

Patti Smith

Punk rock legend in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame | Author of Just Kids and Year of the Monkey | Winner of the National Book Award

The idea of redemption is always good news, even if it means sacrifice or some difficult times.

John Kaag

Chair of Philosophy, University of Massachusetts, Lowell | Award-winning author of Sick Souls, Healthy Minds

It takes conscious, consistent, and creative effort to make a life worth living.

Stephen Marche

Author of the First AI-Generated Novella, Death of an Author | Writer on AI for The New Yorker, The Atlantic

ChatGPT is blurring the line between human and machine—which means uniquely human creativity is more important now than ever before.

Jer Thorp

Author of Living in Data | Former Library of Congress Innovator in Residence | Former NYT Data Artist-in-Residence

The future of data is about to be written—and it’s up to us to imagine a more just data democracy.

Chuck Klosterman

Renowned Cultural Critic | Author of Ten Books, Including Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs

The goal of being alive is to figure out what it means to be alive.

Wanuri Kahiu

Acclaimed Writer & Director of Rafiki | Co-Founder of AFROBUBBLEGUM

Embracing joy is an act of resistance, power, and creativity.

Edward Burtynsky

World-renowned photographer | Winner of the TED Prize

Photographs are the reflecting pools of our time.

Candy Chang

Urban space artist behind the "Before I Die" walls

With powerful public art, we can engage communities in real conversations.

Mira Nair

Director of Queen of Katwe, Salaam Bombay!, The Namesake, and The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Every film is a political act; it’s how you see the world.

Titus Kaphar

2018 MacArthur Fellow | Author of Redaction | Award-Winning Painter and Sculptor

Art has the power to reframe our history—revealing the past we've lost and the future we're working towards.

Vijay Gupta

Founder of Street Symphony | 2018 MacArthur Genius | TED Senior Fellow

Music speaks to people—touches people—in ways words alone cannot.

Gabby Rivera

Author of Juliet Takes a Breath and the Marvel comic series America

Living a revolutionary life starts with joy.

LaToya Ruby Frazier

Award-winning photographer | Associate professor of photography at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago | MacArthur Genius

Art is a weapon. Photos can change society—our view of ourselves and our communities.

Isabel Allende

Most Widely Read Spanish-Language Author Ever | Author of The House of the Spirits and The Wind Knows My Name | Winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Write what should not be forgotten.

Teju Cole

Professor of Creative Writing at Harvard | Author of Open City and Tremor | Former Photography Critic for NYT Magazine

This is a time for protest and activism, but it is also a time for subtlety, ambiguity and complexity.

Laurel Braitman

Bestselling Author Of Animal Madness and What Looks Like Bravery | Director Of Writing and Storytelling At The Stanford School of Medicine

Telling our own stories has the power to combat burnout and bring us together in community.

Cas Holman

Award-Winning Toy Designer of the World-Renowned Rigamajig | Founder and Principal Designer at Toy Company Heroes Will Rise

Play encourages curiosity, collaboration, and creativity—for kids and adults alike.

Molly Crabapple

Award-winning artist and journalist | Author of Brothers of the Gun

Beauty is survival, not distraction—a way of fighting, a reason to fight.

The Arts

What’s new, right now, changes every minute. We keep track of the movers and shakers of the here-and-now and wrangle together the pop culture and arts speakers with the most persuasive, interesting things to say.