Special Events
Emma Thompson, August 9, 11:30 am Sara Gruen, October 12, 7:30 pm Steven Johnson, October 19, 7:00 pm
 
Emma ThompsonMonday, August 9
11:30 a.m., Horchow AuditoriumThis event is FREE but reservations are required. Order tickets online or call 214-922-1818 to reserve your spot.
Recommended for ages 6 and older Bring the whole family to hear Academy Award-winning actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson as she discusses her new film Nanny McPhee Returns, in theaters August 20 (Universal Pictures). With her ability to combine humor and poignant despair—often within the same character—Emma Thompson rose from the London stage to become known internationally for her illustrious film and television work. She made an initial impression in popular British period dramas such as Howard's End, for which she earned an Oscar® for Best Actress, and Sense and Sensibility, where her screenplay adaptation earned her a second statue. The actress was soon tapped for American productions, where she brought her talent and sophistication to acclaimed dramas like Primary Colors and HBO's Angels in America and Wit, which she also adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning stage play. In 2005 she took on the role of Nanny McPhee, a snaggle-toothed nanny with magical powers based on Christianna Brand’s Nurse Matilda book series. Thompson worked on the project for nine years, both writing the screenplay and starring in the film. For Nanny McPhee Returns, Thompson reprises the role of the magical nanny in the next chapter of the hilarious and heartwarming fable that has enchanted children around the world. In the latest installment, Nanny McPhee appears at the door of a harried young mother, Mrs. Isabel Green (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who is trying to run the family farm while her husband is away at war. Once she’s arrived, Nanny McPhee discovers that Mrs. Green’s children are fighting a war of their own against two spoiled city cousins who have just moved in and refuse to leave. Nanny McPhee uses her magic to teach her charges five new lessons.
 
Sara GruenTuesday, October 12, 7:30 p.m.Sara Gruen was literally a day away from writing another novel when she opened the newspaper and saw a vintage circus photograph. Her interest piqued, she began to immerse herself in the world of Depression-era circuses and the result was the arresting novel Water for Elephants. A sleeper hit that gained its success through word-of-mouth, Water for Elephants muscled its way to #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list and remained on the list for over a year. The novel tells the story of Jacob Jankowski, both as a young man in 1931—when, in an act of desperation brought on by tragic circumstances, he hops a circus train car with the Benzini Brother’s Most Spectacular Show on Earth—and in the present day, when, in his nineties, he is weak in body but strong in memories. Gruen's careful research into the history and lore of train circuses adds rich color to the story of Jacob and his love for Marlena, an equestrian star married to August, the circus's violent animal trainer. The Chicago Tribune calls the novel "so compelling, so detailed and vivid, that I couldn't bear to be torn away from it for a single minute." The novel won the 2007 Booksense Book of the Year award. Gruen will discuss her much-anticipated forthcoming novel, Ape House (September 2010). Like Water for Elephants, Ape House features characters you root for and some you don’t; envelops the reader in a unique world; and is based on in-depth research done which brings authenticity to the book. The story focuses on a family of bonobo apes who are cast in a reality tv show and get caught up in a media storm. The novel opens up the animal world to us in ways few novels have done before and allows us to see ourselves in a way we haven’t before. “Instead of thinking about writing, just write. You can edit darned near anything into shape, but you can’t edit a blank page.”—Sara GruenBefore the Event: 6:30 p.m. Join DMA Curator Dr. Roslyn Walker for a tour of the exhibition African Masks: The Art of Disguise. Full Price $37 Reduced Price $32 Student Price $15
 
Steven JohnsonTuesday, October 19, 7:00 p.m.—NEW EVENT!
Known especially for the multi-disciplinary perspective he brings to his works, Steven Johnson has been hailed by Newsweek as one of the “50 people who matter most on the internet” and his 2009 Time cover story on Twitter was instrumental in explaining the significance of the trend to millions of Americans. He is the best-selling author of Everything Bad Is Good for You, The Invention of Air, and Ghost Map. While in Dallas, he will discuss his latest book, Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation.
The result of five years of dedicated work, Where Good Ideas Come From springs from an idea nearly a decade old. Johnson explains, “It’s a book that tries to grapple with the question of why certain environments seem to be disproportionately skilled at generating and sharing good ideas. It’s a book, in other words, about the space of creativity.” Where Good Ideas Come From pulls together fields as diverse as neurobiology, urban studies, and internet culture to provide the exciting story of how we generate the ideas that push our culture forward. Steven Johnson is an expert on technology and culture and has become a heavily sought-after speaker around the globe. His books have always received brilliant reviews; his last four were national bestsellers, and the last two were named New York Times Notable Books. Where Good Ideas Come From is Johnson’s most accessible book to date, and will appeal to everyone from science buffs to new media people, marketing managers, advertisers, artists, writers, educators, software developers, and creative people of all types. Full Price $25 Reduced Price $20 Student Price $10
Arts & Letters Live is supported by the Kay Cattarulla Endowment for the Literary and Performing Arts, TACA, The George and Fay Young Foundation, The Hoglund Foundation, The Eugene McDermott Foundation, and Annual Series Supporters. Additional support provided by Friends of the Dallas Public Library.
Air transportation provided in part by American Airlines. Hotel accommodations provided in part by The Adolphus. Promotional partners include The Dallas Morning News, Einstein Printing,  , and  .
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