TIMESTALKS Festival Adds Two Saturday Events to Weekend Lineup

TimesTalks is pleased to announce two additional Saturday events to the inaugural TimesTalks Festival, which coincides with the 20th anniversary of the prominent TimesTalks series:

• Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya will join the Times' David Gelles for a live version of "Corner Office," where the two will discuss leading by example, what defines success, and a commitment to giving back.

• "The Americans" stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys and co-show runner Joel Fields about bringing the critically acclaimed Peabody Award-winning and Emmy Award-nominated drama series to an end. Fields, Russell and Rhys will unpack the final season and its renewed relevance to current events in the Trump administration in a discussion moderated by the Times' Mark Mazzetti.

The festival will take place Friday, April 13 through Sunday, April 15 at TheTimesCenter, which is located in the Renzo Piano-designed New York Times Building.

If you are interested in attending, please contact Ali Rigo (ali@culturalcounsel.com) to discuss coverage opportunities.

TimesTalks is the signature New York Times live conversation and performance series, which pairs Times journalists with today's most creative and influential voices in the fields of art, film, television, theater, music, literature, fashion, and politics. Amplifying the series' conversational format, the festival will also include live versions of popular New York Times columns, a pre-release screening of Season 2 of The Handmaid's Tale, and curated hospitality offerings. Each event will be livestreamed and will be available on the TimesTalks YouTube channel.

"For 20 years now, TimesTalks has been a platform for spirited discourse between some of the most iconic figures of our time," said Michelle Grey, Creative and Programming Director of TimesTalks. "With TimesTalks Festival, we're looking to create an even bigger stage to bring these essential conversations to life."

Participants include Margaret Atwood, Susan Collins, Katie Couric, Joni Ernst, Joel Fields, Nan Goldin, Heidi Heitkamp, Glenda Jackson, Grace Jones, Amy Klobuchar, Dr. Andrew Kolodny, Laurie Metcalf, Elisabeth Moss, Pentatonix, Matthew Rhys, Keri Russell, Hamdi Ulukaya, Denzel Washington, and George C. Wolfe.

The New York Times contributors include Michael Barbaro, Katie Benner, Frank Bruni, Sopan Deb, Philip Galanes, David Gelles, Maggie Haberman, Tina Jordan, Mark Mazzetti, Melena Ryzik, Ben Sisario, Jennifer Steinhauer, and Megan Twohey.

FULL PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, APRIL 13

7:00PM - A discussion by musician and artist Grace Jones, followed by a private dinner in her honor. The talk, moderated by the Times' Melena Ryzik, celebrates Jones's upcoming documentary about her life, Bloodlight and Bami, which shows all sides of this once-in-a-lifetime performer: mother, lover, daughter, sister, and even grandmother.

SATURDAY, APRIL 14

11:00AM - News anchor Katie Couric on her upcoming National Geographic series, America Inside Out, where she travels to dozens of cities across North America to get an inside look at pressing social issues, moderated by Times contributor Megan Twohey.

1:00PM - The Daily's Michael Barbaro in conversation with special guest Maggie Haberman, who has been on the front lines covering the Trump administration for the Times, moderated by long-time Times Op-Ed columnist Frank Bruni.

3:00PM - A discussion with artist and photographer Nan Goldin and Dr. Andrew Kolodny on the escalating opioid crisis in America, moderated by the Times' Katie Benner. Goldin was the subject of a recent Times article on her struggle with addiction.

NEW 5:00PM - A live version of "The Corner Office" with special guest Hamdi Ulukaya, the Founder and CEO of Chobani, and David Gelles, a business reporter for The New York Times and author of the book "Mindful Work." From Kurdish shepherd to renowned entrepreneur, CEO and humanitarian Ulukaya defied the odds and created a model for 21st-century leadership. The two will discuss leading by example, what defines success, and a commitment to giving back.

NEW 7:00PM - "The Americans" stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys and co-show runner Joel Fields about bringing the critically acclaimed, Peabody Award-winning and Emmy Award-nominated drama series to an end. Set during the Reagan era, "The Americans" is a period drama about the complex marriage of two K.G.B. spies posing as Americans in suburban Washington, D.C. Fields, Russell and Rhys will unpack the final season and its renewed relevance to current events in the Trump administration, in a discussion moderated by Mark Mazzetti, The New York Times Washington investigative correspondent who coordinated last year's coverage of Russian interference with the 2016 election.

SUNDAY, APRIL 15

10:00AM - A discussion with Pentatonix, the three-time Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum-selling a cappella group, moderated by Ben Sisario, in celebration of their upcoming album PTX Presents: Top Pop, Vol. I, released on April 13th.

12:00PM - "Women of the Senate" - an extraordinary group of United States senators, rarely together outside of Washington, will discuss women in politics, public policy and the special relationships cultivated among the women of the upper chamber. The panel will feature Susan Collins (R-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), and Heidi Heitkamp (D-North Dakota), and will be moderated by former New York Times Congressional reporter and live journalism editor Jennifer Steinhauer.

2:00PM - Actor Denzel Washington and American playwright George C. Wolfe in conversation about their upcoming Broadway play, The Iceman Cometh.

4:30PM - Pre-release screening of the first episode of the second season of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, which was nominated for thirteen Emmys and three Golden Globes. The screening will be followed by a conversation with Margaret Atwood, whose book was adapted for the series, and series star and producer Elisabeth Moss, moderated by the Times' Tina Jordan.

7:00PM - A live version of the popular Styles column "Table for Three," with host Philip Galanes in conversation with Glenda Jackson and Laurie Metcalf, star of the upcoming Broadway play Three Tall Women. The two will join Galanes for a meal and conversation.

CURATED HOSPITALITY OFFERINGS

In addition to the TimesTalks events, the weekend-long festival will include screenings, live activations, performances, a food hall, and more. Festival attendees will be encouraged to enjoy the Smorgasburg Food Hall, Bluestone Lane Coffee Cart, the Design Within Reach Lounge, and the Strand Bookstore Pop-Up, which will include a curated selection of books that feature TimesTalks talent, moderators, and reporters, as well as a collection of art, design, and fashion publications. Absolut Art will debut new artist commissions on the occasion of the TimesTalk Festival. The Absolut Art and TimesTalks 20th Anniversary Collection will be on view during the festival and available online at AbsolutArt.com.

ABOUT TIMESTALKS
TimesTalks, The New York Times live conversation and performance series, pairs The New York Times journalists with the most creative and influential figures in the fields of film and theater, art, music, literature, innovation and fashion. In 2018, TimesTalks celebrates its 20th anniversary. For the past two decades, TimesTalks has provided a platform for engaging and spirited discourse among the most iconic and culturally relevant creative voices of our time, paying particular attention to those using the cultural arts as a lens for change.

More information about TimesTalks can be found here. Previous installments can be viewed on Youtube, including videos of Greta Gerwig and Saoirse Ronan, Jane Goodall, Annie Leibovitz, Ai Weiwei, Anthony Bourdain, Danny Bowien, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Judi Dench, "Moonlight": A Night of Music and Conversation, Tom Ford, Jim Jarmusch, Iggy Pop, Meryl Streep, and many more.