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Since I live in a college town, I've gotten to see a number of writers and thinkers speak.
On the more political side of things, I've seen the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Gloria Steinem, as well as Barbara Ehrenreich (Nickel and Dimed).
Spiritually speaking, I've had the chance to see Marcus Borg speak several times, and have seen Karen Anderson speak about what Christians can learn from Buddhism.
As far as authors of fiction go, readings and so on can be really hit or miss. We have a series of lectures on campus called the Craft of Writing. I was really excited to see one of our adjunct professors present (literary criticism as applied to Radiohead lyrics), but was horribly disappointed by his actual talk. However, the best author I've seen read had to be Michael Cunningham, the author of "The Hours." His reading and Q/A session was fantastic. I also had the opportunity to go to a Jewish Women's Writers night in Portland with a professor of mine, Marjorie Sandor. She read from her book "Portrait of My Mother, Who Posed Nude in Wartime".
I was disappointed that I missed the chance this last year to see both Naomi Wolf and Dr. Marion Nestle. But I'll be here through 2008, and given that it's an election year, we're bound to have all kinds of speakers come through town.
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If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau
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