Tracy K. Smith is a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, memoirist, editor, translator and librettist. She served as the 22nd Poet Laureate of the United States from 2017-19, during which time she spearheaded American Conversations: Celebrating Poetry in Rural Communities with the Library of Congress, created the American Public Media podcast The Slowdown, and edited the anthology American Journal: Fifty Poems for Our Time.
Kara Swisher is the host of “Sway,” the twice-weekly interview podcast about power by New York Times Opinion. She has been a contributing Opinion writer since 2018 and writes a weekly newsletter. Over her career, Ms. Swisher has hosted hundreds of news making interviews, going head-to-head with prominent figures including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Rupert Murdoch, Stacey Abrams, Kim Kardashian and President Barack Obama. Her early and no-holds-barred coverage of the technology industry earned her a reputation as "Silicon Valley’s most feared and well-liked journalist."Ms.
John Dickerson is a 60 Minutes correspondent. Prior to that, he was a co-host of CBS This Morning, the anchor of Face the Nation, and CBS News’s chief Washington correspondent. Dickerson is also a contributing writer to The Atlantic, co-host of Slate‘s Political Gabfest podcast, and host of the Whistlestop podcast. Dickerson won the Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency as Slate‘s chief political correspondent. Dickerson covered the White House for Time during his twelve years at the magazine.
James Carville is a Democratic strategist who serves as a political contributor for CNN, appearing frequently on CNN's The Situation Room as well as other programs on all CNN networks. Carville remains active in Democratic politics and is a party fundraiser.
Leslie Iwerks is an Academy Award® and Emmy®-nominated director and producer. She has been a leader in creating award-winning films that celebrate the genius, risks, and rewards of creative and innovative visionaries. Her political, environmental, and social issue driven films have garnered critical acclaim while generating meaningful philanthropic change.
Amy Gajda, Tulane Law School’s Class of 1937 Professor of Law, is a journalist turned lawyer
recognized internationally for her expertise in privacy and media law.
Viking published Gajda’s Seek and Hide: The Tangled History of the Right to Privacy in 2022 to
significant critical acclaim. The New York Times called it “wry and fascinating” and named it a top non-fiction book of the season; the courts of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit chose it as the Circuit’s inaugural “One Court. One Book.” summer reading.
Kevin Belton, a self-trained chef began cooking under the watchful eye of his mother and grandmother in the uptown New Orleans home. In addition to the almost 7,000 lessons he has led, Belton has also offered classes and cooking demonstrations throughout the U.S. and Canada. He has been a featured chef and guest on numerous food programs including Emeril Live; Ready Set Cook; Life, Love and Lunch; Food Fighters; and Taste of America. In 1999, he was co-host and chef on the BBC series Big Kevin, Little Kevin, which also featured British celebrity chef Kevin Woodford.
