Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau

📣 Disability Pride Month Speaker Spotlight: Emily Ladau   🎤 Emily Ladau is an internationally celebrated disability rights activist and author of DEMYSTIFYING DISABILITY. Emily engages with organizations of all sizes and across all industries about how they can help make the world more accessible and inclusive. She both coaches and empowers audiences to practice informed and thoughtful allyship, recognize ableism, speak respectfully, and break patterns of discrimination toward disabled people, offering actionable guidance with her signature passion and approachability.    📩 Contact us for more information about booking Emily Ladau for your next event at https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/dVQ9JhVh.

Echoing our colleague from Penguin Random House Education to say that Common Reads are a highlight for our speakers and our team!   We love seeing the adoptions of Percival Everett’s JAMES by Duke University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison highlighted. Both universities also brought Percival on campus to speak to their staff, faculty, students, alumni, and community. Wonderful, lasting community building moments! 📚 ❤️

📣 New Speaker Announcement 📣 📚 Kathleen DuVal is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. An expert in early American and Native American history, DuVal is the author of INDEPENDENCE LOST Lost and the Pulitzer Prize-winning NATIVE NATIONS. 🎤 In her informative and educational lectures, DuVal recounts the untold stories of early America’s marginalized voices and centers Indigenous nations in our retelling of North American History. 🗓️ Programming topic >>The American Revolution: For organizations planning programming around the 250th anniversary of the start of the war, DuVal's talks offer a significant new global perspective on the Revolutionary War with the story of the conflict as seen through the eyes of the outsiders of colonial society. 💡 Noteworthy: Kathleen DuVal is one of dozens of scholars who appear in the six-part series "The American Revolution," directed by PRHSB speaker Ken Burns and airing on PBS in November 2025. #prhspeakers #keynotespeaker #americanhistory

📚 Exciting Book News! 📚 Ocean Vuong's latest novel (and instant New York Times bestseller), "The Emperor of Gladness," has been selected as Oprah's 114th Book Club pick. Oprah Winfrey describes the novel as "a heartfelt and powerful examination of those living on the fringes of society, and the unique challenges they face to survive and thrive". In an interview, Ocean shared that growing up, he watched Oprah’s Book Club selections inspire the women in his mother's nail salon to engage with literature, making this recognition deeply personal for him. For those interested in a deeper dive, Oprah's interview with Ocean Vuong provides insightful perspectives on the novel's themes and the author's inspirations: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/dhcuHmM4 Find out more about Ocean’s work and speaking here: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/dm3ZaYQ

It’s #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth and many organizations are launching initiatives to promote employee well-being. As organizations focus on WHAT they can offer teams and employees as part of their mental health programs, some lose sense of the WHY behind these efforts. We asked Prentis Hemphill (they/them), the author of "What It Takes To Heal," about the (new) skills they think leaders should add to their toolbox as they work to support employee well-being and engagement, and strengthen organizational culture, including: 🌐 Move beyond individual well-being and look at the whole organization 🤝 Focus on trust and integrity 🫥 Emotions are not unprofessional, make room for them 🎤 Reimagine leadership and focus on care instead of power ↗️ Focus on a vision and learn to accept turbulence Read our full conversation with Prentis in the current edition of our newsletter Speaking Of….

🎉 Congratulations to authors and PRHSB speakers Percival Everett and Mosab Abu Toha on winning 2025 Pulitzer Prizes in the Fiction and Commentary categories! 🎉 Percival Everett won in the Fiction category for his novel JAMES, a reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn told from the perspective of Jim. The novel was praised by the Pulitzer Prize Jury for its ability to “illustrate the absurdity of racial supremacy and provide a new take on the search for family and freedom.” Mosab Abu Toha won in the Commentary category for his contributions to The New Yorker. An Award-winning Palestinian poet, Abu Toha’s essays on Gaza were recognized by the Pulitzer Prize Jury for “deep reporting with the intimacy of memoir to convey the Palestinian experience of more than a year and a half of war with Israel.” And congratulations to PRHSB speaker Vinson Cunningham on being a finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in the Criticism category! #prhspeakers #pulitzerprize

🐦 Christian Cooper is an expert birder, Emmy Award-winning host, and New York Times-bestselling author. 📖 In his memoir, "Better Living Through Birding: Notes From a Black Man in the Natural World", Christian recounts his journey through the wonderful world of birds and what they can teach us about life, if only we would look and listen. 🎤 In fascinating talks, Christian shares his story of learning to claim and defend space for himself and others like him, offering a powerful message of inclusion, progress, and the importance of protecting both the environment and each other. Talk to us about bringing Christian in to speak at your next event! And find out more about his work and speaking topics here: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/dtbGTiYy

May is #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth. A great opportunity to host workshops, share resources, and encourage conversations. Meet some of the speakers who touch on personal experience and scientific research to talk about the multifaceted nature of mental health today. 🎤 Thomas Insel MD, a neuroscientist, psychiatrist and national leader in mental health, talks about the path from mental illness to mental health, and innovation in mental health. 🎤 Melissa Urban, CEO of the Whole30 program and author, talks about improving employee engagement by modelling boundaries. 🎤 Prentis Hemphill, a political organizer and embodiment practitioner, talks about the risk of suppressing emotions, creating community and collective resilience, and “what it takes to heal.” 🎤 Tiffany Jenkins, the bestselling author of “High Achiever” and the upcoming memoir “A Clean Mess” (June 2025), talks about mental health, motherhood, and sobriety. 🎤 Uché Blackstock, MD, an ER physician, author, and health equity advocate, talks about how systemic racism affects health and healthcare. #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #WellbeingAtWork #prhspeakers

🌟 Spotlight on Speaker Chanel Miller 🌟 Meet Chanel Miller, a remarkable artist, author, activist, and keynote speaker whose powerful voice and creative talents have inspired audiences across the country. Chanel first captured the world's attention with her memoir, "Know My Name," where she courageously shared her story of trauma and transcendence. This New York Times bestseller not only challenged societal norms around sexual assault but gave Chanel a platform to advocate for justice and change. Through her visual art (she is also the author of the delightful children’s book "Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All”) and public speaking, Chanel continues to inspire resilience, empower survivors, and challenge systems with grace and wisdom. We celebrate Chanel not just for her words and art, but for her unwavering authenticity. Her work is a testament to the healing power of storytelling. Chanel's speaker profile:➡️ https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/dmWStAj3 #prhspeakers #keynotespeaker

Leading through technological disruption? Gain insights from one of the leading minds in the industry. ⬇️ Dr. Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar and former president of Walt Disney Animation Studios, has successfully navigated the complex interplay between technology and human creativity. His talks offer corporate leaders, creative professionals, and innovation-driven organizations unique insights into the intersection of AI and creativity: 🎬 AI in Entertainment – How emerging technologies are influencing animation, media, and creative industries. Discover how AI is shaping the future of storytelling and human expression. 💡 The Power of Innovation – Lessons from Pixar’s revolutionary journey and what it takes to lead companies through transformative change Contact us for booking information ➡️ https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/dRaTUM7T and find out more about Ed’s work and speaking topics ➡️ https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/eTSxKDJj. #AI #Creativity #EdCatmull #KeynoteSpeaker #phrspeakers