William F. Buckley’s conservative revolution and the rise of Trump
Don’t miss the December 17 luncheon with former New York Times Book Review editor Sam Tanenhaus, celebrated author of the widely praised biography of William F. Buckley Jr., Buckley: The Life and Revolution That Changed America.
Learn how Buckley’s influence transformed political discourse and helped lead to the turbulent politics of today. Tanenhaus vividly captures Buckley all his facets and phases. He also has uncovered the darker trail of Bill Buckley’s many exploits...
Tanenhaus will be in conversation with
John Avlon, podcaster, former CNN anchor, Daily Beast editor, and former Democratic congressional candidate.
The rise, fall, and rediscovery of Sid Caesar
By Mel Laytner
For a comedian who could speak every language by speaking none, Sid Caesar left behind a silence that has lasted far too long.
David Margolick, Silurian and author of the eloquent biography,
When Caesar Was King, unravelled that silence to recall the uncanny comedic contributions of that brilliant, hungry, panic-driven force of live television at a packed Silurians luncheon on Nov. 19.
News Media News
Journalism and AI
Love it or fear it, Artificial Intelligence is rapidly being integrated in newsrooms around the world in a variety of ways, even as the technology upends and challenges online news business models. Here you will find links to articles, clips and videos that will be updated from time to time to help better understand this accelerating trend.
Recent Guests/Speakers
History Repeats: Julian Zelizer on Power, Presidents, and the Press
By David A. Andelman
Seventeen years ago, Richard Galant, then managing editor of CNN Opinion, called the historian of the United States Senate. He was looking for someone to comment on the unusual fact that two senators, Barack Obama and John McCain, were running against each other for President. Galant was directed to Princeton’s Julian Zelizer, “one of the leading political historians of our time.”
Now, 17 years later, Galant introduced Zelizer at October’s Silurian luncheon noting that the historian’s “ability to recall the whole of American political history, going back more than a century is extremely impressive.”
Molly Jong Fast on Mothers, Memoirs, and Mayhem
By David A. Andelman
As the great columnist and Silurian Joyce Wadler observed, when your grandfather was Howard Fast who wrote Spartacus and went to jail for refusing to name names to the HUAC, your father is novelist Jonathan Fast, and your mother is Erica Jong, whose book Fear of Flying sold over 22 million copies, you’ve got to have no small amount of chutzpah, let alone talent, to write about them—and yourself.
That's just what Molly Jong-Fast did.
Mike Kandel at 95: Unfiltered and Unforgettable
By Mel Laytner
The Silurians Press Club is no stranger to legendary journalists, but few can hold a room with the charm, wit, and sheer force of intellect that is Myron “Mike” Kandel.
The Silurian Archives
Silurians YouTube channel — 120+ videos of speakers and events.
