Authors & Ideas is a major component of Festival of the Arts BOCA, and for 16 years it has brought to Boca some of the most influential thinkers and writers of our time.
Speakers have ranged from well-known nonfiction authors like Thomas Friedman or Doris Kearns Goodwin, to thoughtful interpreters of our times, like Salman Rushdie, to those who impact our daily lives, like T. Bone Burnett.
Authors & Ideas extends the reach of its programs by connecting speakers with area students. Authors Jennifer Egan, Richard Ford, and Hannah Tinti all gave talks to FAU MFA students. Ann Patchett visited Dreyfoos School of the Arts and West Boca High School, Dr. Brian Greene went to West Boca, and Dr. Robert Sapolsky met with students from Suncoast High School. This is one of the most important aspects of Festival Boca's outreach mission, to make students see that those who influence our times, people whom they have studied, are real and accessible.