Authors@Wharton

Intellectual Engagement By Way of Bestselling Authors

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The Authors@Wharton Speaker Series seeks to enrich intellectual engagement and encourage dialogue between students, faculty, staff, and alumni outside of the classroom. Launched in 2012 by Professor Adam Grant, our events are open to all members of the Penn community at no cost.

Our world-renowned speakers have written on a variety of topics, ranging from more traditional business and management best-sellers to novels, memoirs, and current affairs. Events are typically held on Mondays or Wednesdays in the evening throughout the Fall and Spring Semesters, and a limited number of each speaker’s books are distributed on a first-come basis.

Upcoming Events

March 13, 2024 | 5 pm – Penn Museum
Kara Swisher, award-winning tech journalist and author of Burn Book
Register Here

For prior Authors@Wharton events and recordings, please visit our A@W channel on YouTube.

Questions or suggestions please contact Eden Sabala, Associate Director of Events.

Previous Speakers

2023-present

Rainn Wilson, Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution

Adam Grant, Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things

2022-23

Annie Duke, Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away
Carris Harris,
Lead to Win: How To Be A Powerful, Impactful, Influential Leader In Any Environment
Reggie Fils-Aimé, Disrupting the Game: From the Bronx to the Top of Nintendo
Danny Meyer, Setting the Table
John Mackey, Conscious Leadership
Ginni Rometty, Good Power: Leading Positive Change in Our Lives, Work, and World

2018-19

Stanley A. McChrystal, Leaders: Myths and Reality

Ingrid Fetell Lee, Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness
Doug Pederson, Fearless: How an Underdog Becomes a Champion

Valerie Jarrett, Finding my Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward

Melinda Gates, The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World

2017-18

Sir Richard Branson, Finding My Virginity

Walter Isaacson, Leonardo da Vinci
Esther Perel, The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity

Scott Kelly, Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery

Satya Nadella, Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft’s Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone

Dan Pink, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing

2016-17

Adam Alter, Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked  
Kelsey CroweThere Is No Good Card for This: What To Say and Do When Life Is Scary, Awful, and Unfair to People You Love
Angela Duckworth, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Tiffany Dufu, Drop the Ball
Sarah Hurwitz (speechwriter)
Michael Lewis, The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds
Emily Esfahani Smith, The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life that Matters
Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant, Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy
Scott Sonenshein, Stretch: Unlock the Power of Less -and Achieve More Than You Ever Imagined
Tim UrbanWait But Why (blog)
Abby Wambach, Forward: A Memoir

2015-16

Mitch Albom, The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto: A Novel
Roberto CanessaI Had to Survive: How a Plane Crash in the Andes Inspired My Calling to Save Lives
Claire McCaskill, Plenty Ladylike: A Memoir
Mark Cuban, How to Win at the Sport of Business: If I Can Do It, You Can Do It
Amy CuddyPresence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges
Adam GrantOriginals: How Non-Conformists Move the World 
Garry Kasparov, Winter Is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped
Dana PerinoAnd the Good News Is…: Lessons and Advice from the Bright Side 
Alec RossThe Industries of the Future
Martine Rothblatt, Virtually Human: The Promise and the Perilof Digital Immortality
Maurice Schweitzer, Friend & Foe: When to Cooperate, When to Compete, and How to Succeed at Both
Anne-Marie SlaughterUnfinished Business: Women Men Work Family 
Phil Tetlock, Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction

2014-15

Laszlo Bock, Work Rules!: Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead
Stephen Dubner, Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain your Brain
Malcolm GladwellDavid and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
Jessica Jackley, Clay, Water, Brick: Finding Inspiration from Entrepreneurs Who Do the Most with the Least
Katty Kay, The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance
Nicholas KristofA Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity
Kelly Leonard & Tom Yorton, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses “No, But” Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration–Lessons from the Second City 
Brian LittleMe, Myself, and Us: The Science of Personality and the Art of Well-Being 
Reggie Love, Power Forward: My Presidential Education
David Pottruck, Stacking the Deck: How to Lead Breakthrough Change Against Any Odds
Gretchen RubinBetter than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives 
Eric Schmidt & Jonathan RosenbergHow Google Works
Peter Thiel,  Zero to One: Notes on Startups or How to Build the Future
Jack & Suzy Welch, The Real-Life MBA: Your No-BS Guide to Winning the Game, Building a Team, and Growing your Career

2013-14

Dan ArielyThe Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone–Especially Ourselves
Keith FerrazziNever Eat Alone, Expanded and Updated: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time
Stew FriedmanLeading the Life You Want: Skills for Integrating Work and Life
Malcolm GladwellDavid and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants
Arianna HuffingtonThrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder
AJ JacobsMy Life as an Experiment: One Man’s Humble Quest to Improve Himself by Living as a Woman, Becoming George Washington, Telling No Lies, and Other Radical Tests
Pete McGrawThe Humor Code: A Global Search for What Makes Things Funny 
Richard ShellSpringboard: Launching Your Personal Search for Success

2012-13

Jonah BergerContagious:Why Things Catch On
Lisa BodellKill the Company: End the Status Quo, Start an Innovation Revolution
Adam BryantThe Corner Office: Indispensable and Unexpected Lessons from CEOs on How to Lead and Succeed
Adam Grant, Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success
Jonathan HaidtThe Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion
Dan PinkTo Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others
Gretchen RubinThe Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun
Barry SchwartzThe Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, Revised Edition
Anne-Marie SlaughterWhy Women Still Can’t Have It All (The Atlantic article)

Have a question about the Series?

Please contact Eden Sabala