ABOUT writers center stage
The William N. Skirball Writers Center Stage Series is the Cuyahoga County Public Library Foundation's signature fundraising event. Since the 2014 — 2015 season, Writers Center Stage has been brought to you by the Cuyahoga County Public Library Foundation and its academic partner Case Western Reserve University. The funds raised by the series helps support critical programs for children and adults. Thank you for supporting reading and sharing in the joy of books.
Since its inception, Writers Center Stage has brought the literary world's best authors, journalists and storytellers to Cleveland for evenings of fascinating insight and discussion.
PAST SPEAKERS
2004
SEAMUS HEANEY
2004 — 2005
CALVIN TRILLIN
SUZAN-LORI PARKS
FRANCES MAYES
E.L. DOCTOROW
2005 — 2006
PAT CONROY
ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH
JANE SMILEY
ANNA QUINDLEN
2006 — 2007
FRANK MCCOURT
AMY TAN
JIM LEHRER
TONY KUSHNER & GEORGE C. WOLFE
2007 — 2008
IRA GLASS & DAVID
RAKOFF
RUSSELL BANKS &
RICHARD RUSSO
JOYCE CAROL OATES
AZAR NAFISI
2008 — 2009
DAVID MCCULLOUGH
JANE & MICHAEL STERN
MYLA GOLDBERG, JONATHAN LETHEM & COLSON WHITEHEAD WITH NANCY PEARL
JOAN DIDION
2009 — 2010
GARRY TRUDEAU
CHRISTOPHER BUCKLEY
MARY OLIVER
JHUMPA LAHIRI
2010 — 2011
DR. NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON
JEANNETTE WALLS
DAVE EGGERS
PETE HAMILL
2011 — 2012
ELIZABETH STROUT
MICHAEL POLLAN
BILLY COLLINS
DR. ABRAHAM VERGHESE
ANNE LAMOTT
COLM TÓIBÍN
2012 — 2013
EMMA DONOGHUE
TRACY KIDDER
GERALDINE BROOKS & TONY HORWITZ
ANN PATCHETT
RITA DOVE
ERIK LARSON
2013 — 2014
MICHAEL CHABON & AYELET WALDMAN
STEPHEN L. CARTER
CHERYL STRAYED
ANDREW SOLOMON
ROBERT PINSKY
KATHERINE BOO
2014 — 2015
ZADIE SMITH
DENNIS LEHANE
ELIZABETH GILBERT
KHALED HOSSEINI
CHANG-RAE LEE
MARY ROACH
2015 — 2016
SARAH KOENIG & JULIE SNYDER
NEIL GAIMAN
GILLIAN FLYNN
EDWIDGE DANTICAT
ROZ CHAST
RICK BRAGG
2016 — 2017
DON DELILLO
LAWRENCE WRIGHT
ROXANE GAY
COLUM MCCANN & EDNA O’BRIEN
ALISON BECHDEL
JOHN GREEN
2017 — 2018
COLSON WHITEHEAD
PATTI SMITH
MARGARET ATWOOD
MARIA SEMPLE
DAVID GRANN
JOHN IRVING
2018 — 2019
JUDY BLUME WITH DANIEL HANDLER (A.K.A. LEMONY SNICKET)
JOHN GRISHAM
JESMYN WARD WITH AYANA MATHIS
TIMOTHY EGAN
LYNDA BARRY & MATT GROENING
JENNIFER EGAN
2019 — 2020
JANE MAYER & FRANK RICH
RACHEL KUSHNER & PIPER KERMAN
MICHAEL ONDAATJE
ANDREW SEAN GREER
LUÍS ALBERTO URREA & JULIA ALVAREZ
CARL HIASSEN & DAVE BARRY
2020 — 2021
MADELINE MILLER
JOSH MALERMAN
SUSAN CHOI
YOTAM OTTOLENGHI
BRIT BENNETT
TARA WESTOVER & TERRY TEMPEST WILLIAMS