BY KAREN BOSSICK
Tara Westover, whose memoir “Educated” is the darling of NPR and other talk shows, will be among those who will take part in the annual Conversations with Exceptional Women conference in late September.
Westover will be joined by Jody Williams, who became the third American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her work to ban landmines, and O. Henry Prize-winning author Emily Ruskovich, whose debut novel “Idaho” gets to the heart of love and forgiveness as a wife attempts to piece together the truth of what happened to her husband’s first wife and daughters.
Also, Carole Geithner, the wife of former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and author of “If Only,” for children dealing with death.
Others include Joanne B. Freeman, whose book “The Field of Blood” is a hair-raising history charting violence in Congress at the time of the Civil War; Gina M. Bennett, who wrote “National Security Mom;” Caroline Heldman, author of “Protest Politics in the Marketplace;” Idaho Gubernatorial Candidate Paulette Jordan and Idaho Sen. Michelle Stennett, minority leader in the Idaho Senate.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Shortly after this article was published, Tara Westover had to withdraw due to a major conflict but said she hopes to take part in the conference next year.)
The Conversations with Exceptional Women conference will be held Thursday and Friday, Sept. 27-28, in the newly expanded Lecture Hall at Ketchum’s Community Library.
Founder David Adler called this year’s lineup of speakers “a remarkable group of women from a variety of backgrounds, ranging from authors of novels to women working in the world of national security.”
“This year’s theme is ‘Finding Her Voice,’ a theme that plumbs the very depths of writing and experience,” he said. “Our authors will share with members of the audience how they came to find their voices, whether sudden or gradual. And they’ll offer suggestions, ideas and ways that others might find their voices.”
“The theme is one that resonates across America, in the wake of the Me Too Movement, and the rising number of women seeking public office,” he added. “And it’s a theme that will persist for years to come.”
The conference is hosted by the Alturas Institute, a non-partisan, education organization dedicated to advancing civic education and civil dialogue.
Tickets are $110, available by contacting https://www.alturasinstitute.com. Admission includes coffee and pastries and lunch. Scholarships can be arranged by contacting David Adler at david.adler@alturasinstitute.com.
Students will be admitted free but must reserve a spot.