Esteemed Presidential Historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning Author Doris Kearns Goodwin will be the featured speaker at the Annual Brendan Gill Lecture on Friday, March 21, at 8 pm at Sarah Lawrence’s Reisinger Auditorium. Goodwin, known for her extensive works on American presidents and influential historical figures, will share her insights in a talk titled “Leadership in Turbulent Times: Advice for Today from Our Best Presidents.”
This free lecture is open to the public and presented each year by The Bronxville Historical Conservancy as a gift to the community. A reception with the speaker will follow the presentation. Please join the waitlist below.
Goodwin joins an illustrious roster of previous Gill speakers, including Ken Burns, Jill Lepore, Douglas Brinkley, David Rubenstein, Cokie Roberts, Jon Meacham, and Michael Beschloss, among others.
Goodwin’s works have been honored with numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize in History for her book No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II. She has authored nine critically acclaimed books, including the New York Times bestsellers Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln and The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism. Her latest book, An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s, became an instant #1 New York Times bestseller upon its publication in Spring 2024 and is being developed for a feature film.
In addition to her written works, Goodwin has been the executive producer for several documentary miniseries, including “Washington,” “Abraham Lincoln,” “Theodore Roosevelt,” and “Franklin Roosevelt” for the History Channel. Her independent production company, Pastimes Productions Inc., is currently working on an eight-part docuseries, “Kevin Costner’s The West,” set for release in May 2025.
Goodwin has received numerous accolades for her contributions to historical scholarship and storytelling. She was the first historian to receive the Lincoln Leadership Prize from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation and has been honored with the Gold Medal for biography from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Goodwin’s career was inspired when, as a 24-year-old graduate student at Harvard, she was selected to join the White House Fellows program, where she worked closely with President Lyndon B. Johnson. Her first book, Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream, became a national bestseller and achieved critical acclaim. It was re-released in 2019, highlighting LBJ’s accomplishments in domestic affairs.
Goodwin’s work continues to inspire and educate people about the complexities and accomplishments of American history. Her dedication to preserving and sharing the stories of the past makes her a fitting and exciting choice for this year’s Brendan Gill Lecture.
