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.
The Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump:Don't Miss This Urgent Conversation
Our next meeting features Julian E. Zelizer, one of the nation’s leading historians and political analysts. Zelizer is a Princeton University history professor, a columnist for Foreign Policy, former CNN contributor, and author/editor of 27 books and has written more than 1,500 op-eds. His most recent book, In Defense of Partisanship, challenges the conventional wisdom that intense political partisanship is the source of American democracy's problems.
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
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.
Her Worst Day, Best Day, and Weed Bearing Her Name: A Very Connie Story
By Mel Laytner
Perhaps the worst day of Connie Chung’s life was being fired from her dream job, sitting in “half of Walter Cronkite’s seat,” co-anchoring the CBS Evening News. With karmic irony, two days later was one of her best: Chung and husband Maury Povich learned that their long-pursued adoption had come through.
And The Awards Go To...
Silurians 2025 Excellence in Journalism Awards Honor Local Reporting in 16 Categories
The 80th annual Excellence in Journalism Awards was celebrated with a festive dinner on June 18 at the historic National Arts Club in New York City, honoring outstanding work across 16 categories spanning print, broadcast, and online journalism. The event showcased the enduring strength and diversity of New York-area journalism.
The Silurian Archives
Silurians YouTube channel — 120+ videos of speakers and events.
