2021 Event Author Line-Up
Peter Baker and Susan Glasser Peter Baker and Susan Glasser are longtime Washington journalists who have written for years about the intersection of politics and the world. They are co-authors of Kremlin Rising, and most recently New York Times bestseller and award-winning book The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III. Baker is the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times and an MSNBC political analyst. He has covered the last five presidents for The Times and The Washington Post and is the author or co-author of six books. Glasser is a staff writer for The New Yorker and author of the weekly “Letter from Biden’s Washington” as well as a global affairs analyst for CNN. She previously was the editor of POLITICO, founder of POLITICO Magazine, and editor-in- chief of Foreign Policy magazine following a long stint at The Post. Baker and Glasser live in Washington with their son and are currently at work on a book on the Trump presidency.
George W. Bush George W. Bush served as the forty-third President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. He had previously served as Governor of Texas. He and his wife, Laura, live in Dallas, where they founded the George W. Bush Presidential Center at Southern Methodist University. President Bush is the author of three #1 bestsellers: Decision Points, his presidential memoir; 41, a biography of his father, President George H. W. Bush; and Portraits of Courage, a collection of oil paintings and stories honoring the sacrifice of America’s military veterans. His latest book, entitled Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants, to be released on April 20, 2021, brings to the forefront forty- three stories of those who exemplify the promise of America and our proud history as a nation of immigrants.
Elin Hilderbrand Elin Hilderbrand is a #1 New York Times bestselling novelist. Called “the queen of beach reads” by New York Magazine, she has written 26 books, including the Winter Series and, most recently, the Paradise Series. Her upcoming book, Golden Girl, set to release in June, is about an author who is killed in a hit-and-run car accident who ascends to the Beyond and is allowed an opportunity to view what happens below for one last summer and use three “nudges” to change the outcomes of the events on Earth. Hilderbrand lives in Nantucket and is a proud mother of three and a grateful seven-year breast cancer survivor. Matthew McConaughey Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey is a married man, a father of three children, and a loyal son and brother. He considers himself a storyteller by occupation, believes it’s okay to have a beer on the way to the temple, feels better with a day’s sweat on him, and is an aspiring orchestral conductor. In 2009, Matthew and his wife, Camila, founded the just keep livin Foundation, which helps at-risk high school students make healthier mind, body, and spirit choices. In 2019, McConaughey became a professor of practice at the University of Texas at Austin, as well as Minister of Culture/M.O.C. for the University of Texas and the City of Austin. McConaughey is also brand ambassador for Lincoln Motor Company, an owner of the Major League Soccer club Austin FC, and co-creator of his favorite bourbon on the planet, Wild Turkey Longbranch.
Mark Sullivan Mark Sullivan is the acclaimed speaker and author of eighteen novels, including #1 bestseller Beneath a Scarlett Sky. He is also the author of more than a dozen thrillers and co-author of the #1 New York Times and international bestselling Private series, which he writes with James Patterson. Mark’s upcoming book, The Last Green Valley, is set to release on May 4, 2021 and is based on a real-life story about the Martels, a Ukrainian family who fled Europe during Stalin and Hitler’s terrorizing reigns and began a long, arduous migration to freedom in Montana. Mark’s novels have been optioned for film, translated into dozens of languages, and graced international bestseller lists. He has received numerous awards for his exceptional writing. Mark lives in Bozeman, Montana with his wife, Betsy.
A Celebration of Reading 2021 Thursday, April 29 For more information, visit: www.BushHoustonLiteracy.org/Celebration 346-212-2310 or [email protected]
Title Sponsor Benefiting 2021 Event Entertainers Line-Up
Desz Washington Desiree “Desz” Washington is a R&B artist from Houston. Desz attended Prairie View A&M University, where she majored in vocal performance. Since then, she has performed in various local venues and with various local companies such as the Houston Symphony, the Ebony opera Giled, Bace Productions Motown Revue, and Dancing in the Streets at the Miller Outdoor Theatre. Desz has toured internationally with Kanye West and his Sunday Service Collective Choir as well as perform on NBC's The Voice Season 19 finishing as a finalist. Her newest single, “Fading,” was released at the end of January. Find her on social media @deszmusicofficial and follow along on her journey.
John Holiday John Holiday has been the recipient of numerous major competitions and award programs such as a finalist on NBC’s The Voice Season 19. An acclaimed concert singer, Holiday has performed at world-renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, London’s Barbican Center, and the Philharmonie de Paris. Outside of classical repertoire, Holiday excels in jazz and gospel music. John Holiday received a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance from Southern Methodist University, a Master of Music in vocal performance from the University of Cincinnati College – Conservatory of Music and the Artist Diploma in Opera Studies from The Juilliard School in New York City. Holiday grew up in Rosenberg, Texas, located near Houston, and attended the town’s public schools.
A Celebration of Reading 2021 Thursday, April 29 For more information, visit: www.BushHoustonLiteracy.org/Celebration 346-212-2310 or [email protected] Benefiting