September 12, 2006

The University of Louisville Kentucky Author Forum is proud to announce the opening event of its 11th season with the philanthropist, financier and philosopher, George Soros. Soros is chairman of Soros Fund Management and chairman of the Open Society Institute (OSI). His network of philanthropic foundations is active in more than 50 countries, and currently spends approximately $400 million annually to support projects in education, public health, civil society development and economic reform.

Soros is the author of numerous books, including George Soros on Globalization and The Bubble of American Supremacy. He refers to himself as "a stateless statesman", whose goal is "to make the world a better place". His articles and essays on politics, society and economics regularly appear in major newspapers and magazines around the world.

In The Age of Fallibility he addresses current threats of nuclear proliferation, global warming, terrorism and the breakdown of international cooperation. A "stateless statesman," Soros is uninhibited by the need to temper his message to suit partisan politics. He looks at the flaws in the American view of the world and describes how he feels the U.S. has lost direction as a beacon of good governance. He fears that Americans are believing our own rhetoric and myth making in defiance of the facts that will shape our future.

Born in Budapest, Hungary on August 12, 1930, Soros survived the Nazi occupation of Budapest and left communist Hungary in 1947 for England, where he graduated from the London School of Economics (LSE). In 1956, Soros moved to the United States, where he began to accumulate a large fortune through an international investment fund he founded and managed.

The billions he made anticipating seismic changes in the financial markets are now his base in trying to change the world. He became active as a philanthropist in 1979 when he began providing funds to help black students attend Capetown University in apartheid South Africa. During the 1980s he funded Eastern European dissidents and organizations including Solidarity in Poland and Charter 77 in what was then Czechoslovakia. These efforts and those of new foundations that he has created are dedicated to building and maintaining the infrastructure and institutions of an open society.

Now at 75, Soros continues to address the major themes and our time and the threats to our civilization.

Soros will be interviewed by John D. Podesta, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, at the evening forum. Podesta has held a number of positions on Capitol Hill, and served as Chief of Staff to President Clinton from October 1998 to January 2001. He also served in the President's Cabinet and as a Principal on the National Security Council. Along with his work at the Center for American Progress, he is currently a visiting professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center. Podesta is considered one of Washington's leading experts in technology policy.

Event & Ticket Information

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

University of Louisville: George Soros will meet with a master class of students and family.

The Kentucky Center
501 West Main Street
Downtown Louisville

5:00 p.m. Wine and Cheese offered by Brown-Forman, along with Carmichael's book sale in the lobby of The Kentucky Center

6:00 p.m. Interview with George Soros and John Podesta., Bomhard Theatre, set and design by Bittners' (Designing for the Way You Live)

Live taping with Louisville's NPR News Station: WFPL-89.3, KET: The Kentucky Network, and "The Spoken Word," which will carry the audio version of the event to 39 public radio stations throughout the southeast and 1.1 million listeners.

Master of Ceremonies is Forum Editor Keith Runyon of The Courier-Journal

7:00 p.m. Q & A with audience. Carmichael's Bookstore will have copies of Soros' book, The Age of Fallibility, personally signed by Mr. Soros, available for sale at this event.

A $17 ticket includes the above three events. A limited number of discounted tickets of $5 each are available for U of L students, faculty and staff at the KCA box office --U of L photo ID is required.

8:15 p.m. Dinner with George Soros and John Podesta, hosted by the University of Louisville. A $100 package ticket includes all evening events, including dinner (Proceeds go to the nonprofit Kentucky Author Forum; $35 is tax-deductible.)

Tickets for this event are now on sale at The Kentucky Center. They may also be purchased by calling 502-584-7777 or 800-775-7777 or online at www.kentuckycenter.org

NOTE TO TV STATIONS AND PRINT MEDIA: Access to a live Kentucky Author Forum TV feed during the evening interview is always available through KET by contacting Duncan Hart at 859-258-7296.

Those who cannot attend the Kentucky Author Forum evening interview will be able to enjoy an unedited version free-of-charge at these Library locations:

• St. Matthews September 15, 2 PM
• Bon Air September 18, 2 PM
• Iroquois September 19, 2 PM
• Crescent Hill September 20, 7 PM
• Highlands September 21, 7 PM

For additional information on the Library showings, call 574-1635. There is no fee involved, but those interested must sign up in advance due to limited seating.

WFPL 89.3 FM and Kentucky Educational Television (KET) will record the event for future broadcast, which will be distributed nationally to PBS affiliates nationwide, under the title: "Conversation with George Soros."

Tapes of past Kentucky Author Forums interviews are available through KET by calling 800-945-9167.

The Kentucky Author Forum series is produced by Mary Moss Greenebaum, with Associate Producer Melissa Bernstrom, and is sponsored by the University of Louisville, Brown-Forman, and The Humana Foundation, in cooperation with Carmichael's Bookstore, The Courier-Journal, Bittners, KET, Office Furniture USA, The Kentucky Center, WFPL-89.3, and "The Spoken Word".

Questions should be directed to the Kentucky Author Forum office at 502-589-2884.

624 West Main, Second Floor
Louisville, Kentucky 40202
Phone 502.589.2884
Fax 502.589.4334
email KYFORUM@aol.com