Youngstown State University is announcing upcoming speakers for the Thomas Colloquium on Free Enterprise, Centofanti Symposium and Skeggs Lecture Series. Lectures are free and open to the public.
On Tuesday, Sept. 9, the Thomas Colloquium will present FUBU CEO and “Shark Tank” cast member Daymond John. “Building Bold: Risk, Resilience, and the Future of Free Enterprise” occurs 6 p.m. at Stambaugh Auditorium in Youngstown. Tickets will be available starting Monday, Aug. 11 on the Stambaugh Auditorium website and DeYor Performing Arts Center Box Office.
John is the founder and CEO of global lifestyle brand FUBU (For Us, By Us). The award-winning entrepreneur’s marketing strategies and ability to build successful brands have made him a sought-after consultant and motivational speaker. His most-recent book is “Powershift: Transform Any Situation, Close Any Deal and Achieve Any Outcome.”
On Thursday, Sept. 25, the Centofanti Symposium welcomes acclaimed biographer, Pulitzer finalist and award-winning author and reporter Wil Haygood. The lecture occurs 6 p.m. at YSU’s Beeghly Center. Tickets are not required, but parking on campus is $5.
Haygood of Columbus has carved a reputation as one of the preeminent chroniclers of American history. Acclaimed books include major biographies of Sammy Davis Jr., U.S. Rep. Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and professional boxer Sugar Ray Robinson.
In addition, Haygood spent 30 years as a national and foreign correspondent for The Washington Post and Boston Globe.
In 2022, he received the Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award by the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. The award “recognizes Haygood’s work in promoting peace and understanding through literature, particularly his focus on often-overlooked stories from American history, especially those related to the Black experience.”
The Skeggs Lecture Series will present award-winning author Amy Tan on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at Stambaugh Auditorium. “An Evening with Amy Tan” begins at 6:30 p.m. and will be followed by a book signing. Tickets will be available starting Monday, Sept. 8 on Stambaugh Auditorium’s website and DeYor Performing Arts Center Box Office.
Tan was born in the United States to Chinese immigrant parents. She rejected her mother’s expectations that she become a doctor and instead chose to write fiction.
The New York Times bestselling author’s books include “The Joy Luck Club,” “The Kitchen God’s Wife” and “The Hundred Secret Senses.” Other works include a memoir (“The Opposite of Fate”) and two children’s books (“The Moon Lady” and “Sagwa, The Chinese Siamese Cat”).
Tan served as co-producer and co-screenwriter for the film adaptation of “The Joy Luck Club,” which received Writers Guild of America (WGA) and British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) nominations.
Tan’s essays and stories are found in hundreds of anthologies and textbooks and are required reading at many schools. A PBS documentary about her life and career was featured in “Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir.”
For more information, call 330-941-2136 or email jm********@*su.edu….
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