Carol J. Williams — Dispatches from Moscow: Spies and Lies (The Iron Curtain Chronicles) - with Marie Yovanovitch

Liz Lerman — Shape and Momentum: An Insomniac's Guide for a World in Constant Motion - with Diana Ayton-Shenker

A choreographic manifesto for life in motion, offering new ways to navigate change and thrive amidst instability A sequel to Hiking the Horizontal, Liz Lerman's Shape and Momentum: An Insomniac's Guide for a World in Constant Motion [https://politics-prose.com/book/9780819501684] is a choreographic manifesto for living in motion--part memoir, part creative toolkit, part philosophical inquiry. Written in a series of essays, from single-paragraph meditations to expansive chapters, the book weaves together personal anecdotes, creative theory, and movement-based wisdom. Lerman draws on Heisenberg's uncertainty principle to frame a central question: how do we hold both shape and momentum--form and change--at once? With insight and generosity, she explores creativity as a life practice, rooted in embodied knowledge and accessible to all. Witches from her decade-long project Wicked Bodies appear throughout as fierce, funny guides, helping readers stay curious and grounded. Essays are grouped in thematic sections--lived experience, kinship, rejection, reflection, and radical imagination--culminating in an "Atlas of Creative Tools(R)," a practical and poetic resource. Bridging dance, education, politics, and spiritual practice, Shape and Momentum offers tools for navigating instability and making a more relational world. Liz Lerman is a choreographer, writer, educator, and the recipient of numerous honors, including a 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship, the 2017 Jacob’s Pillow Award, and the 2002 MacArthur “Genius Grant” Award. Liz founded and led the Dance Exchange from 1976 until 2011, where she cultivated the company’s unique multi-generational ensemble. Current projects include building the Atlas of Creative Tools®, an online resource and archive, and Legacy Unboxed™ that involves a series of site-specific research performance events called My Body is a Library™. Lerman’s upcoming book is a collection of personal essays set to be published by Wesleyan University Press in 2025. Liz continues to evolve the Critical Response Process® through the annual certification program and an upcoming fundamentals course. Liz is the author of Teaching Dance to Senior Adults (1984), Hiking the Horizontal (2014), and co-author of Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process (2003) and Critique Is Creative (2022) with John Borstel. She is currently an Institute Professor at Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts and a Fellow at the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy. Lerman will be in conversation with Diana Ayton-Shenker, CEO, Leonardo/ISAST (International Society of Arts, Science, Technology); Executive Director, Leonardo-ASU; Professor of Practice, ASU, and Senior Global Futures Scientist at Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Lab. PURCHASE: https://politics-prose.com/book/9780819501684?ic_referral=xP4NVtiPhmoUeFM6t5czwp_1H7-xcrLyCgm6LGO8aOwwM7APonZH38UX8oIuDp4iJ0OlWgJsatlNT4VRPh25-cZfYzTmg3sxmj7mQZYf6lIx_BkveiOr9j8KcG85tqNQFcBCqNM

Carol J. Williams — Dispatches from Moscow: Spies and Lies (The Iron Curtain Chronicles) - with Marie Yovanovitch

A sweeping Cold War love story set against the crumbling Soviet empire Moscow, 1986. Natalie Chester has finally achieved her dream: a posting as an American news correspondent in the USSR at the very moment history pivots. But within days of her arrival, the Chernobyl disaster erupts, her fiancé abandons her, and her bureau chief wages a relentless campaign to destroy her career. Then she meets Anatoly Kuznetsov—a rising Soviet diplomat whose Nordic looks and reformist ideals set him apart from the gray functionaries of the Kremlin. Their attraction is immediate and dangerous. As they navigate secret meetings, KGB surveillance, and the disapproval of both governments, Natalie and Tolya become allies in a larger mission: to help end the Cold War before it ends humanity. From the radioactive aftermath of Chernobyl to clandestine trips through the Estonian countryside, from war-torn Afghanistan to a cherry blossom proposal in Tokyo, their love affair unfolds against the decade's most dramatic events—the Reykjavik summit, Gorbachev's glasnost reforms, and the brutal suppression of Baltic independence movements. But as the Soviet empire begins its death throes, the couple discovers that the hardliners willing to kill for the old order will stop at nothing to preserve their power. Inspired by the author's own experiences as a Moscow correspondent during perestroika, Dispatches from Moscow [https://politics-prose.com/book/9781965766590] is a meticulously researched thriller that captures the intoxicating danger of journalism in an authoritarian state and the impossible choices faced by those who dare to imagine a better world. It's a story of professional ambition and personal sacrifice, of idealism tested by reality, and of a love that burns brightest in the shadow of the Iron Curtain's final days. Carol J. Williams is a retired foreign correspondent who covered the historic upheaval that ended the Cold War in an award-winning 35-year career with Associated Press and Los Angeles Times. She lived through the USSR's brief era of hope for reform and the tragic consequences of its failure. She followed Eastern Europe's euphoric rebellions that toppled Communist tyrants from Berlin to Bucharest. In Yugoslavia, she documented the rise of ethnic and religious nationalism fanned by corrupt leaders who pushed their peoples into devastating wars. Her dispatches from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Ukraine traced those conflicts to unresolved ideological disputes from their days of imperial oppression. Williams is a graduate of the University of Washington and holds a journalist law certificate from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. She lives with her husband Ken Olsen, a retired editor, in Silverdale, WA. Williams is in conversation with Marie Yovanovitch, the author of the New York Times best-selling memoir, Lessons from the Edge. During her thirty-three-year diplomatic career, Ambassador Yovanovitch served as the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine (2016-2019), the Republic of Armenia (2008-2011) and the Kyrgyz Republic (2005-2008).  She worked in a number of senior State Department positions, as well as at U.S. Embassies in Moscow, London, Ottawa, and Mogadishu. Ambassador Yovanovitch has earned multiple awards, including the Presidential Distinguished Service Award twice. She is currecntly a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a non-Resident Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Georgetown University, and a Distinguished Fellow at the Institute of Global Politics, Columbia University.   PURCHASE: https://politics-prose.com/book/9781965766590?ic_referral=qzdovIxL0NQ5jnoPIQRcdSNJ4LxLJCAtHTAkkvuWpQwwM1xoX9jobDpXH98wjTzkSuR7CdzOsvrVbvnrkgWmtIO-FTlU6G7UZgA60XLAYYiiUGhTw7zE4BohESEG5_iskudq34U

Donna Butts — Grandfamilies: Stories of Children and the Loving Relatives Who Raise Them - with Michelle Singletary

A powerful firsthand look into the lives of grandparents and other relatives stepping in to raise children—and the people and policies that help them thrive.  Today in the US, more than 2.4 million children whose parents are unable to care for them live in grandfamilies, where they are raised by grandparents or other loved ones. Until recently, their experiences have been all but invisible. These relative caregivers do time in waiting rooms and court hearings, put themselves at financial risk, and sacrifice their own health, all with the dream of making a better life for the kids they love.  In Grandfamilies [https://politics-prose.com/book/9798896363286], Donna M. Butts, former longtime executive director of Generations United, sheds light on the ongoing fight for the recognition and resources these families deserve. Through heartfelt personal accounts, grandfamily members of all ages and backgrounds share their experiences, giving voice to the millions across this nation who have come together in the spirit of hope and resilience to imagine a better future for their loved ones. All book sale proceeds will go to Generations United to support their work with grandfamilies. Donna M. Butts is an award-winning nonprofit executive, author, and trusted voice frequently quoted in the national media. As Executive Director of Generations United, a role she served in for more than twenty-seven years, she was invited to testify before Congress, address the United Nations, and present in more than a dozen countries. As a fierce advocate for intergenerational solutions that benefit children, youth, older adults and families, she has helped pave the way for crucial legislation and support for grandfamilies. She lives in the Washington, DC, area. Butts is in conversation with Michelle Singletary, who writes the nationally syndicated personal finance column “The Color of Money,” which appears in The Washington Post on Wednesdays and Sundays. Her award-winning column is syndicated by The Washington Post News Service and Syndicate and is carried in dozens of newspapers nationwide. In 2021, she won the Gerald Loeb award for commentary. She has written four personal finance books, including, “What to Do With Your Money When Crisis Hits: A Survival Guide” and “The 21-Day Finan PURCHASE: https://politics-prose.com/book/9798896363286?ic_referral=dwu3G6D-uw_xS84lsgjp87gKm_2qo1yYzJdAF3K8FWAwMyJyXDnjovW1tbQyuan1vukrJTu1alpXHlsKkutS_VEK_0O4DxsKBxe9-v1DsKTtVcuL_8ObOYOABIXAIXJm-9Vyfns

Julia Angwin & Ami Fields-Meyer — On Courage: How to Be a Dissident in an Age of Fear - with Miles Taylor

From a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist and a former White House senior advisor, a deeply reported manual about how anyone can defy an authoritarian – based on original interviews with more than 100 dissidents, activists, and theorists across the world. The United States is only the latest country to face a leader who wields fear as a weapon, punishes political enemies, disappears people off the street, and undermines free and fair elections. Today nearly three out of four people on earth live under authoritarianism, the highest rate since the late 1970s. But even under repressive conditions, each of us holds the power to help defeat autocrats. Based on their acclaimed The New Yorker essay “So You Want to Be a Dissident?,” veteran reporter Julia Angwin and political strategist Ami Fields-Meyer give us a captivating – and profoundly hopeful – guide to courage in an age of fear. Meet a student from Hong Kong who risked everything for democracy. A mom in a working-class neighborhood of Caracas who broke with the political movement that raised her. Cairo twentysomethings who staged a gutsy stunt to help bring down a dictator. A mild-mannered immigrant fighting to save a landmark U.S. civil rights law. People throughout the United States and across five continents who faced serious risks for dissenting in their workplace, their community, or their country. On Courage is the story of how they did it anyway – and how you can do it, too. Blending rich, previously untold narratives with history, spirituality, and movement research, Angwin and Fields-Meyer deliver a highly accessible book full of practical lessons – an inspiring resource for anyone, anywhere, who feel the walls of history closing in on them. On Courage [https://politics-prose.com/book/9780063491946?ic_referral=cHBqMPECEL8Zp82ir66NVL9FGfhH1MdoxY_WO9vRT0UwMyhIMz2zlgpwlelBTTVzQlODQFHcrchisDuuC1bMBJ5d9f96XopnnIYJ_YFkieJTxiAnXWv8GABqgVTMcwFjFRt7RIY] is a roadmap to political courage and a powerful case for how taking personal risks can help save the free world. Julia Angwin is a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative journalist, New York Times bestselling author, and monthly contributing writer for New York Times Opinion. In 2018, she founded The Markup, an award-winning nonprofit newsroom that produces meaningful data-centered journalism about technology and the people affected by it. Before founding The Markup, she led investigative teams at ProPublica and The Wall Street Journal that pioneered the coverage of privacy and algorithmic accountability. She is a winner and two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in journalism. Ami Fields-Meyer is a political strategist, speechwriter, and former White House senior policy advisor to Vice President Kamala Harris. He is a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, and has served as a top advisor to political candidates, leaders of major civil rights groups, and high-profile public officials from Los Angeles City Hall to the West Wing. Angwin and Fields-Meyer will be in conversation with Miles Taylor. What does it cost to tell the truth — and is it worth it? Miles Taylor answered that question the hard way. As Chief of Staff of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, he became one of the most prominent officials in American history to blow the whistle on a sitting president, publishing an anonymous New York Times essay that triggered a national reckoning. When he revealed his identity, he lost everything. He'd do it again. Miles has spent his career inside the haunted halls of power — the White House, the Pentagon, Capitol Hill, major U.S. tech companies, and beyond — and emerged with an uncommon vantage point on the threats to free society. As a national security expert, technologist, and one of the most recognized voices on democratic backsliding,. PURCHASE: https://politics-prose.com/book/9780063491946?ic_referral=vRZPVcle-th0Kwf9lBJp9FBJ9kJonOezXmf-0qfpx6EwM2VyC6RBxmwRN9pUAIeJ3UqhNhQHTvC769E0_cFrGLq7R-fJrUVoppdYXPP1Bct6y2vxJbpoCrMruhJ6sU5O9vCY9t4

Atima Omara — The Instigators: How Black Women Have Been Essential to American Democracy (And What We Can Learn from Them) - with Kimberly Atkins-Stohr

A top Democratic Party strategist and media contributor offers a bold and urgent reminder that young Black women hold the key to saving our democracy and building a truly multi-racial future that benefits all Americans. Agitator. Troublemaker. Motivator. Initiator. Instigator. “How can we build a truly inclusive multi-racial democracy?” For Atima Omara, the answer is The Instigators—a name she has given to a demographic of Black women between the ages of 18 and 45. These women are uniquely equipped to save American democracy. They didn’t ask for this ability, she argues. It was forced on them because racism and sexism have made them the most marginalized group in American politics. We can all benefit from their strategic know-how as we rebuild our society. Black women have always been the most relentless instigators for change—building a democracy for all. Omara draws on her political knowledge and expertise, as well as history, to examine how they have responded to failed strategic decisions by movement leaders and the modern Democratic Party in previous elections as a context for the present. She also provides actionable recommendations to organizers, donors, candidates, strategists, political party leaders, that everyday people can use in their communities to build an inclusive democracy that endures beyond one election cycle. The Instigators [https://politics-prose.com/book/9780063424876] is at once an urgent political guide, historical exploration, and a poignant memoir that pulls from Omara’s two decades of work in Democratic politics and the progressive movement as an elected Democratic Party leader, movement organizer, former candidate, gubernatorial aide, campaign staff to candidates at the national, state, and local level; and now political strategist. Powerful, insightful, and practical, it is imperative reading for everyone eager to protect and rebuild our democracy and create a better tomorrow for all. Atima Omara is a nationally recognized award-winning political strategist, leader, writer, speaker, and advocate. She holds a BA in American Studies from the University of Virginia, and is a commentator on national politics, candidates, policy, race, gender and culture having been quoted in national outlets including The New York Times, Boston Globe, and The Atlantic. She’s appeared on CNN, PBS, Fox News, BBC, CBC, NPR, and MSNBC including Joy Reid’s The ReidOut. She was named one of one hundred notable Black Americans by EBONY Magazine. Atima’s writing was published in Wake Up America: Black Women on the Future of Democracy edited by Kesha Blain. She’s also written for Washington Post, the American Prospect, The Root, Teen Vogue, and other national outlets. Omara is in conversation with Kimberly Atkins-Stohr, a senior opinion writer and columnist with more than 20 years of experience covering politics, policy and law. She is an on-air political analyst for MSNBC, a frequent panelist on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” and co-host of the popular Politicon legal news podcast #SistersInLaw. Based in Washington, Kimberly focuses primarily on national political and legal analysis. PURCHASE: https://politics-prose.com/book/9780063424876?ic_referral=MWzJB00LENQPb7KI876Bu1ygqVcbXpp-o2T42RCbzSgwM9Iqhr6qpiHuJpAoMzy5UmQfdwDxvcKTTkNG-UUv5Fs3En6u2_9YIB0fRJIm0MjXx5ovc81w8RjE6cJD6oT52qfRP18