Telling the Truth 2025: "Rethinking American Politics" and "Standing on Principles"

Join us for two panel conversations, Rethinking American Politics, about finding common ground in an age of polarization, and Standing on Principles, about reviving the foundational principles of American society, both moral and legal.

Panelists will include:
Ayad Akhtar: A novelist and playwright whose work frequently explores Muslim American experience. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and a two-time Tony Award nominee, he served as New York State Author under the auspices of the NYS Writers Institute from 2021 to 2023. He also served as President of PEN America, an eminent writers’ organization that champions freedom of expression and First Amendment rights.

Chris Gibson, who served as Republican congressman in New York’s 19th and 20th districts from 2011 to 2017, is the author of the new book, The Spirit of Philadelphia: A Call to Recover the Founding Principles (2025), “a clarion call to all Americans -- regardless of party or ideology — to participate in a much-needed reset of our struggling experiment in self-governance” (Major General Louis G. Irwin, Duquesne University).

Lydia Polgreen is an Opinion columnist for the New York Times who writes about American and international culture and politics, with an emphasis on human rights, migration, queer lives and democracy. She reported for the Albany Times Union early in her career, and previously served as editor in chief of HuffPost, editorial director of NY Times Global, and New York Times correspondent in West Africa, South Africa and South Asia.

Zephyr Teachout is an American attorney, author, political candidate, and professor of law specializing in democracy and antitrust at Fordham University. In 2014, Teachout ran for the Democratic Party nomination for governor of New York and lost to incumbent governor Andrew Cuomo, receiving 33% of the primary vote. In 2018, Teachout was a candidate for New York State attorney general in the 2018 elections but lost the Democratic nomination to Letitia James. Her candidacy was endorsed by The New York Times.

5:30 p.m. Friday, November 14
Page Hall - University at Albany Downtown Campus
135 Western Avenue, Albany NY 12203

Free and open to the public.
Major support and funding provided by the Professor Ben-Ami Lipetz NYSWI Fund.

Presented by the NYS Writers Institute.

You may also like the following events from New York State Writers Institute:

• Next Monday, 17th November, 04:30 pm, Conversation: H.H. Richardson - “The Greatest Architect of the 19th Century” in Albany
• Next Tuesday, 18th November, 04:30 pm, Ledia Xhoga, author of the novel Misinterpretation (2024) in Albany

Also check out other Arts events in Albany, Literary Art events in Albany, Entertainment events in Albany.