Elizabeth Gilbert - Dubbed a “Rock Star Author” by Oprah Winfrey, her novel Eat, Pray, Love spent over 155 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List and has been published in more than 30 languages, selling over six million copies worldwide. Her latest book, Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage, is also a New York Times Best Seller.

Frank Abagnale - After hearing his lecture,Tom Hanks said, “Abagnale’s lecture may be the best one man show you will ever see.” Thirty years ago he was known as one of the world’s most famous confidence men. He is now the subject of the major motion picture Catch Me If You Can, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks.

Peggy Noonan - Time described her first book as “a love letter to the American political process.” A regular columnist for the Wall Street Journal and author of 7 books on American politics, history and culture, her essays appear in the New York Times and Washington Post. She served in the Reagan White House and as chief speechwriter during George H.W. Bush’s campaign for the presidency.

F.W. de Klerk - As the last apartheid-era president of South Africa, he ended apartheid, leading his country’s peaceful transition to black majority rule. In 1993, he and Nelson Mandela received the Nobel Peace Prize for their role in the democratization of South Africa. In 1999, he established the F.W. de Klerk Foundation, dedicated to the promotion of peace in multi-communal societies.

Mark Shields - Having worked in Washington through 9 administrations, he is a nationally syndicated columnist, political analyst, and a weekly contributor to The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer. Shields has been described by the Washington Post as “a walking almanac of American politics” and by the Wall Street Journal as “the wittiest political journalist around.”

Karl Rove vs. Howard Dean - Two powerhouses of the American political system faceoff in an evening featuring individual commentary followed by a response to each other’s talk and audience Q&A. Rove is former Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to President G.W. Bush. Former Governor of Vermont and DNC Chairman, Dean ran for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination.