The Creative Process · Arts, Culture & Society: Books, Film, Music, TV, Art, Writing, Creativity, Education, Environment, Theatre, Dance, LGBTQ, Climate Change, Social Justice, Spirituality, Feminism, Tech, Sustainability

“Picasso is a symbol of the creative process.Always in metamorphosis. Always in transformation. Sometimes when you become wealthy and famous, you stop having the energy of the creative process, but if you see the whole span of his career, you have 50,000 works of art in all mediums. So the main mission of the museum is to display like a kaleidoscope, and we have always a new angle, a new direction.”Laurent Le Bon, President of Musée Picasso in Paris at the time of this interview, is now the President of the Centre Pompidou. The Musée Picasso holds over 5,000 of Spanish artist Pablo Picasso’s artworks and tens of thousands of sketches, photos, and many scripts, making the collection an impressive and holistic representation of Picasso’s career.Centre Pompidou houses the largest museum for modern art in Europe Musée National d'Art Moderne, a vast public library,  and IRCAM, a centre for music and acoustic research. His curatorial practice has included curating 50 exhibitions for Centre Pompidou, Musée d’Orsay, Musée de l’Arte Moderne Versailles and others across France.· www.museepicassoparis.fr· www.creativeprocess.info· www.centrepompidou.fr/en/

Laurent Le Bon, President of Musée Picasso in Paris at the time of interview, is now the President of the Centre Pompidou. The Musée Picasso holds over 5,000 of Spanish artist Pablo Picasso’s artworks and tens of thousands of sketches, photos, and many scripts, making the collection an impressive and holistic representation of Picasso’s career. Centre Pompidou houses the largest museum for modern art in Europe Musée National d'Art Moderne, a vast public library, and IRCAM, a centre for music and acoustic research. His curatorial practice has included curating 50 exhibitions for Centre Pompidou, Musée d’Orsay, Musée de l’Arte Moderne Versailles and others across France.· www.museepicassoparis.fr· www.creativeprocess.info

Writer and producer Rebecca Walker has contributed to the global conversation about race, gender, power, and the evolution of the human family for three decades. Author and editor of seven bestselling books on multiracial identity, Black Cool and ambivalent motherhood, she has co-founded the Third Wave Fund, which makes grants to womxn and transgender youth working for social justice. For her efforts, she has been named by Time as one of the most influential leaders of her generation. · www.rebeccawalker.com· www.creativeprocess.info

"I'm a deep believer in the values of democracy, human rights, and the system where civil society and people play a key role in the discussions about society and also assuming responsibility, whether it's through labor unions, youth organizations…I think one key solution at the level of society is more equality. More equal societies bring a lot of advantages. I think that is a critical component to building a sustainable society. We cannot pretend that the current distribution of wealth on this planet between countries and within countries is a fertile ground for longterm sustainability. It isn’t."Hans Bruyninckx is the Executive Director of the European Environment Agency. He is a political scientist and international relations scholar specializing in global environmental governance, climate change, and sustainable development. Previous to his work at EEA, he was head of the HIVA Research Institute and of the Political Science department at KU Leuven, senior member of the interdisciplinary Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies and promoter-coordinator of the Flemish Policy Research Centre on Transitions for Sustainable Development.· https://www.eea.europa.eu/about-us/governance/executive-director · https://www.eea.europa.eu/ · www.oneplanetpodcast.org This interview is the first in our new One Planet Podcast series, which is available both on The Creative Process and on its own channel from the end of March. The podcast features environmental groups and notable changemakers from around the world, including European Environment Agency, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, EarthLife Africa, One Tree Planted, Global Witness, Earth System Governance Project, Marine Stewardship Council, National Council for Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Public Leadership, Association des Amis de la Nature, Forest Stewardship Council, Polar Bears International, and many others. "Rebirth" by Juan Sánchez is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Hans Bruyninckx is the Executive Director of the European Environment Agency. He is a political scientist and international relations scholar specializing in global environmental governance, climate change, and sustainable development. Previous to his work at EEA, he was head of the HIVA Research Institute and of the Political Science department at KU Leuven, senior member of the interdisciplinary Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies and promoter-coordinator of the Flemish Policy Research Centre on Transitions for Sustainable Development.· https://www.eea.europa.eu/about-us/governance/executive-director · https://www.eea.europa.eu/ · www.oneplanetpodcast.org "Rebirth" by Juan Sánchez is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

“The history of Earth Day is pretty remarkable. The net result is 20 million people came out on the streets. It remains the largest civic day of action in human history. There’s no other country, no other world that ever had 20 million people coming out on the streets around a single issue. That was on April 22, 1970, and right after that, it became apparent with that many people that Congress and State legislators had to do something about it because, frankly, they were afraid of that many people all speaking in one voice.The philosophy of Earth Day is very much about building a big movement, making sure it’s diverse, constantly improving the ways that people access information, and have access to mechanisms for legal relief.Over the course of the next couple of decades it became year-round, it went international. This organization now works 365 days a year. At this point, we’re in 192 countries with about a billion people participating, so we take advantage of that bully pulpit to really educate people about critical issues.”Kathleen Rogers is the President of EARTHDAY.ORG. Under her leadership, it has grown into a global year-round policy and activist organization with an international staff. She has been at the vanguard of developing campaigns and programs focused on diversifying the environmental movement, highlighted by Campaign for Communities and Billion Acts of Green. Prior to her work at EARTHDAY.ORG, Kathleen held senior positions with the National Audubon Society, the Environmental Law Institute, and two U.S. Olympic Organizing Committees. She’s a graduate of the University of California at Davis School of Law, where she served as editor-in-chief of the law review and clerked in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.· www.oneplanetpodcast.org "Rebirth" by Juan Sánchez is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Kathleen Rogers is the President of EARTHDAY.ORG. Under her leadership, it has grown into a global year-round policy and activist organization with an international staff. She has been at the vanguard of developing campaigns and programs focused on diversifying the environmental movement, highlighted by Campaign for Communities and Billion Acts of Green. Prior to her work at EARTHDAY.ORG, Kathleen held senior positions with the National Audubon Society, the Environmental Law Institute, and two U.S. Olympic Organizing Committees. She’s a graduate of the University of California at Davis School of Law, where she served as editor-in-chief of the law review and clerked in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.· www.oneplanetpodcast.org This interview is the first in our new One Planet Podcast series, which is available both on The Creative Process and on its own channel from the end of March. The podcast features environmental groups and notable changemakers from around the world, including European Environment Agency, Citizens’ Climate Lobby, EarthLife Africa, One Tree Planted, Global Witness, Earth System Governance Project, Marine Stewardship Council, National Council for Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Public Leadership, Association des Amis de la Nature, Forest Stewardship Council, Polar Bears International, and many others.Episodes feature a host of ways you can take action and get involved in local or international environmental movements so that we can work together for a better tomorrow.· "Rebirth" by Juan Sánchez is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

"The idea of this convention is really unique because it is about heritage of outstanding universal value, which is to be preserved not for us, but for the generations to come. And that idea came together in 1972 when we had the first International Conference on the Human Environment. The first UN Conference on this. And it was quite interesting. It was a time when you had many NGOs. It was after the publication of a book which was called Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. And it was the idea that there are so many threats to this amazing heritage that the whole of the international community has to do something."Mechtild Rössler is the Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and has worked at the organization for almost 30 years holding different positions, including overseeing the Cultural Heritage Treaty Section, Programme Specialist for Natural Heritage and cultural landscapes, Chief of Europe and North America, and Chief of the Policy and Statutory Meeting Section. She also managed the team of the History, Memory and Dialogue Section (HMD) dealing with the Slave Route, Silk Road Platform and the UNESCO Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture. She has published and co-authored 13 books and more than 100 articles, including, together with Christina Cameron, “Many voices, one vision: the early history of the World Heritage Convention”.· https://whc.unesco.org· www.oneplanetpodcast.org· www.creativeprocess.info

Mechtild Rössler is the Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and has worked at the organization for almost 30 years holding different positions, including overseeing the Cultural Heritage Treaty Section, Programme Specialist for Natural Heritage and cultural landscapes, Chief of Europe and North America, and Chief of the Policy and Statutory Meeting Section. She also managed the team of the History, Memory and Dialogue Section (HMD) dealing with the Slave Route, Silk Road Platform and the UNESCO Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture. She has published and co-authored 13 books and more than 100 articles, including, together with Christina Cameron, “Many voices, one vision: the early history of the World Heritage Convention”.· https://whc.unesco.org· www.oneplanetpodcast.org· www.creativeprocess.info

The Creative Process' Poetry & Prose series introduced by co-host Yu Young Lee & Creative Process Founder & Host Mia Funk.

The National Museum of Contemporary Art EMST started its operation in Athens in 2000. With help from grants and funding, EMST was able to begin moving into a permanent museum space by 2015 and opened fully to the public in February 2020. This museum is the first of its kind in Greece, as much of the museums and culture are focused more on ancient history or foreign artists. Curators Daphne Vitali, Tina Pandi, and Elena Ganiti are focused on the areas of painting, sculpture, and engraving, while Stamatis Schizakis curates photography and audiovisual works.· www.emst.gr· www.creativeprocess.info

The National Museum of Contemporary Art EMST started its operation in Athens in 2000. With help from grants and funding, EMST was able to begin moving into a permanent museum space by 2015 and opened fully to the public in February 2020. This museum is the first of its kind in Greece, as much of the museums and culture are focused more on ancient history or foreign artists. Curators Daphne Vitali, Tina Pandi, and Elena Ganiti are focused on the areas of painting, sculpture, and engraving, while Stamatis Schizakis curates photography and audiovisual works.· www.emst.gr· www.creativeprocess.info

Cinematographer Jonathan Furmanski’s credits include the film Good Boys. For TV, he’s lensed the cult crime comedy Search Party, Inside Amy Schumer, and The Detour. He’s shot on massive glaciers, active volcanos, and in international combat zones. His documentary feature films include The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling, May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers, 30 for 30: Doc & Darryl, Big Men and The Family Business: Trump and Taxes. · www.jonathanfurmanski.com· www.creativeprocess.info

Cinematographer Jonathan Furmanski’s credits include the film Good Boys. For TV, he’s lensed the cult crime comedy Search Party, Inside Amy Schumer, and The Detour. He’s shot on massive glaciers, active volcanos, and in international combat zones. His documentary feature films include The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling, May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers, 30 for 30: Doc & Darryl, Big Men and The Family Business: Trump and Taxes.· www.jonathanfurmanski.com· www.creativeprocess.info

Eimear McBride trained at The Drama Centre in London. Her debut novel A Girl is a Half-formed Thing received a number of awards, including the Bailey Women’s Prize for Fiction, and the Irish Novel of the Year. She occasionally writes interviews for The Guardian, TLS, and The New Statesman. · http://eimearmcbride.com · www.creativeprocess.info

Eimear McBride trained at The Drama Centre in London. Her debut novel A Girl is a Half-formed Thing received a number of awards, including the Bailey Women’s Prize for Fiction, and the Irish Novel of the Year. She occasionally writes interviews for The Guardian, TLS, and The New Statesman. · http://eimearmcbride.com · www.creativeprocess.info

Martin Ruhe is the internationally-acclaimed German cinematographer behind the Netflix film The Midnight Sky directed by and starring George Clooney. Previously, Ruhe worked on Catch-22, also directed by Clooney, as well as the critically acclaimed Counterpart, Run All Night with Liam Neeson, and the British Independent film award winner Control. Ruhe photographed the dark spy thriller Page Eight for BBC Films, directed by David Hare. The film earned him an American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Motion Picture/Miniseries Television Award for his work on the film.Working closely with director Anton Corbijn, Ruhe photographed The American. Starring Clooney as an aging assassin on an assignment to create a specialized weapon, Ruhe’s meticulously arranged shots helped to build the tone of The American, while reviews applauded the film’s beauty. Ruhe lensed Harry Brown, a Michael Caine-starring vigilante thriller which premiered at 2009’s Toronto International Film Festival. His photography on Harry Brown received critical acclaim; Joe Leydon of Variety saying, “The moody lensing by Martin Ruhe vividly conveys the no-hope squalor of a contemporary urban wasteland.” Combining the best cultural influences from the U.S. and Europe, Ruhe is fluent in English, German and Spanish. He loves stills photography and travel. · www.ruhe.net· www.creativeprocess.info

Martin Ruhe is the internationally-acclaimed German cinematographer behind the Netflix film The Midnight Sky directed by and starring George Clooney. Previously, Ruhe worked on Catch-22, also directed by Clooney, as well as the critically acclaimed Counterpart, Run All Night with Liam Neeson, and the British Independent film award winner Control. Ruhe photographed the dark spy thriller Page Eight for BBC Films, directed by David Hare. The film earned him an American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Motion Picture/Miniseries Television Award for his work on the film.Working closely with director Anton Corbijn, Ruhe photographed The American. Starring Clooney as an aging assassin on an assignment to create a specialized weapon, Ruhe’s meticulously arranged shots helped to build the tone of The American, while reviews applauded the film’s beauty. Ruhe lensed Harry Brown, a Michael Caine-starring vigilante thriller which premiered at 2009’s Toronto International Film Festival. His photography on Harry Brown received critical acclaim; Joe Leydon of Variety saying, “The moody lensing by Martin Ruhe vividly conveys the no-hope squalor of a contemporary urban wasteland.” Combining the best cultural influences from the U.S. and Europe, Ruhe is fluent in English, German and Spanish. He loves stills photography and travel.· www.ruhe.net· www.creativeprocess.info

Political, outspoken and passionate, Chilean singer-songwriter and activist Nano Stern has created his own musical language – an otherworldly sound that blends the youthful exuberance of folk music mixed with years of classical and jazz training against the powerful force of traditional Chilean revolutionary songs. What has emerged is a brilliantly layered confluence of indigenous African, European and North and South American musical influences that reverberate with a soulfulness and originality unlike any other South American artist performing today. He appeared with Joan Baez in 2016 at her 75th birthday celebration at the Beacon Theater in New York where she praised him as the best young Chilean songwriter of his generation.· https://www.nanostern.cl· www.creativeprocess.info

Political, outspoken and passionate, Chilean singer-songwriter and activist Nano Stern has created his own musical language – an otherworldly sound that blends the youthful exuberance of folk music mixed with years of classical and jazz training against the powerful force of traditional Chilean revolutionary songs. What has emerged is a brilliantly layered confluence of indigenous African, European and North and South American musical influences that reverberate with a soulfulness and originality unlike any other South American artist performing today. He appeared with Joan Baez in 2016 at her 75th birthday celebration at the Beacon Theater in New York where she praised him as the best young Chilean songwriter of his generation.· https://www.nanostern.cl· www.creativeprocess.info

“Tim Burton had just Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. He was at some point in the making of Beetlejuice. Our agency didn’t know what to do with either of us with our off-kilter sensibility, so they introduced us, and we immediately felt a kinship and became friends. It was pretty clear from pretty early on that we wanted to work together. We threw out ideas. Among the ideas we talked about Tim mentioned to me a drawing he had made in high school of a character who had scissors instead of hands. And I said, ‘Stop right there!; First of all, this may surprise you, it was the stupidest thing I’d ever heard in my life, so I knew it was brilliant. It was so simple and so stupid and such an obvious metaphor, I knew that it had power beyond belief. I said, ‘Stop, I know exactly what to do with that!’ ”Caroline Thompson was born in Washington, D.C. She grew up in a house full of books where she fell in love with horror novels, fantasy and children’s classics. Her suburban neighborhood and favorite novel, Frankenstein, later inspired her horror novel, First Born, and first produced screenplay, Edward Scissorhands.  Thompson continued to explore horror and fantasy in screenplays for The Addams Family, City of Ember, and Welcome To Marwen, and the stop-motion animation features, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride. She adapted The Secret Garden and Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, and directed and wrote Black Beauty, Buddy and Snow White: The Fairest of Them All. In 2011, she received Austin Film Festival’s Distinguished Screenwriter Award. She lives near Santa Barbara with her husband and two dogs.· www.creativeprocess.info

Caroline Thompson was born in Washington, D.C. She grew up in a house full of books where she fell in love with horror novels, fantasy and children’s classics. Her suburban neighborhood and favorite novel, Frankenstein, later inspired her horror novel, First Born, and first produced screenplay, Edward Scissorhands. Thompson continued to explore horror and fantasy in screenplays for The Addams Family, City of Ember, and Welcome To Marwen, and the stop-motion animation features, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride. She adapted The Secret Garden and Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, and directed and wrote Black Beauty, Buddy and Snow White: The Fairest of Them All. In 2011, she received Austin Film Festival’s Distinguished Screenwriter Award. She lives near Santa Barbara with her husband and two dogs.· www.creativeprocess.info

Matthew Libatique is an Oscar-nominated cinematographer best known for his work with director Darren Aronofsky on Pi, Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan, and other films. He received his second Academy Award nomination for Bradley Cooper's directorial debut A Star Is Born, and has worked with Spike Lee, Joel Schumacher, and Jon Favreau. Known for bringing an edgy elegance and psychological tension to films, his unique visual style can also be seen in Tigerland, Phone Booth, Iron Man 1 & 2, and Venom.· www.creativeprocess.info

Matthew Libatique is an Oscar-nominated cinematographer best known for his work with director Darren Aronofsky on Pi, Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan, and other films. He received his second Academy Award nomination for Bradley Cooper's directorial debut A Star Is Born, and has worked with Spike Lee, Joel Schumacher, and Jon Favreau. Known for bringing an edgy elegance and psychological tension to films, his unique visual style can also be seen in Tigerland, Phone Booth, Iron Man 1 & 2, and Venom.· www.creativeprocess.info

Bestselling author and screenwriter Delia Ephron's most recent novel is Siracusa now being adapted into a feature film. Her other novels include The Lion Is In and Hanging Up. She has written humor books for all ages, including How to Eat Like a Child and Do I Have to Say Hello?; and nonfiction, most recently Sister Mother Husband Dog (etc.). Her films include You've Got Mail, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Hanging Up (based on her novel), and Michael. Her journalism has appeared in The New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, Vogue, and Vanity Fair. Her hit play Love, Loss, and What I Wore (co-written with Nora Ephron) ran for more than two years off-Broadway and has been performed all over the world. She lives in New York City.· www.deliaephronwriter.com · www.creativeprocess.info

Bestselling author and screenwriter Delia Ephron's most recent novel is Siracusa now being adapted into a feature film. Her other novels include The Lion Is In and Hanging Up. She has written humor books for all ages, including How to Eat Like a Child and Do I Have to Say Hello?; and nonfiction, most recently Sister Mother Husband Dog (etc.). Her films include You've Got Mail, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Hanging Up (based on her novel), and Michael. Her journalism has appeared in The New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, Vogue, and Vanity Fair. Her hit play Love, Loss, and What I Wore (co-written with Nora Ephron) ran for more than two years off-Broadway and has been performed all over the world. She lives in New York City.· www.deliaephronwriter.com · www.creativeprocess.info

Daniel Handler is the author of seven novels. As Lemony Snicket, he is responsible for numerous books for children, including Swarm of Bees, illustrated by Rilla Alexander. His books have sold more than 70 million copies, have been translated into 40 languages, and adapted for screen and stage. The first season of Netflix’s adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events, for which he served as Executive Producer and Writer, won a 2018 Peabody Award for its “lively excellence, strange silliness, and compelling storytelling,” and the teleplay won a 2019 Writers Guild Award.· www.danielhandler.com · www.creativeprocess.info

Daniel Handler is the author of seven novels. As Lemony Snicket, he is responsible for numerous books for children, including Swarm of Bees, illustrated by Rilla Alexander. His books have sold more than 70 million copies, have been translated into 40 languages, and adapted for screen and stage. The first season of Netflix’s adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events, for which he served as Executive Producer and Writer, won a 2018 Peabody Award for its “lively excellence, strange silliness, and compelling storytelling,” and the teleplay won a 2019 Writers Guild Award.· www.danielhandler.com · www.creativeprocess.info

Composer John Powell is a multiple Annie Award winner for “Best Music in an Animated Feature Production” and “Best Original Score”. Since rising to prominence with his scores to the Matt Damon Bourne trilogy, he has become known for family animated films, scoring Shrek, Chicken Run, Ice Age (2 & 3), Bolt, Rio, Happy Feet (1 & 2) and Kung Fu Panda (1 & 2) and action music for Hancock, Green Zone, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Italian Job, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Solo: A Star Wars Story, among others.Nominated for multiple Grammys, BAFTAs and other awards, his score for How to Train Your Dragon earned him his first Academy Award nomination. His concert music includes  "A Prussian Requiem", an oratorio to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of World War I which  premiered at The Royal Festival Hall.· https://johnpowellmusic.com · www.creativeprocess.info

Composer John Powell is a multiple Annie Award winner for “Best Music in an Animated Feature Production” and “Best Original Score”. Since rising to prominence with his scores to the Matt Damon Bourne trilogy, he has become known for family animated films, scoring Shrek, Chicken Run, Ice Age (2 & 3), Bolt, Rio, Happy Feet (1 & 2) and Kung Fu Panda (1 & 2) and action music for Hancock, Green Zone, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Italian Job, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Solo: A Star Wars Story, among others.Nominated for multiple Grammys, BAFTAs and other awards, his score for How to Train Your Dragon earned him his first Academy Award nomination. His concert music includes "A Prussian Requiem", an oratorio to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of World War I which premiered at The Royal Festival Hall.· https://johnpowellmusic.com · www.creativeprocess.info

Roxane Gay’s writing appears in Best American Mystery Stories 2014, Best American Short Stories 2012, Best Sex Writing 2012, A Public Space, McSweeney’s, Tin House, Oxford American, American Short Fiction, Virginia Quarterly Review, and many others. She is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. She is the author of the books Ayiti, An Untamed State, the New York Times bestselling Bad Feminist, the nationally bestselling Difficult Women and the New York Times bestselling Hunger. She is also the author of World of Wakanda for Marvel. · www.roxanegay.com· www.creativeprocess.info

Roxane Gay’s writing appears in Best American Mystery Stories 2014, Best American Short Stories 2012, Best Sex Writing 2012, A Public Space, McSweeney’s, Tin House, Oxford American, American Short Fiction, Virginia Quarterly Review, and many others. She is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. She is the author of the books Ayiti, An Untamed State, the New York Times bestselling Bad Feminist, the nationally bestselling Difficult Women and the New York Times bestselling Hunger. She is also the author of World of Wakanda for Marvel. · www.roxanegay.com· www.creativeprocess.info

“I do want to point out–many writers don’t want to admit to it or say it–it’s just words on a page until everybody else makes it come alive. You had Idris Elba and Wood Harris acting in that scene. I had Joe Chappelle shooting it. He was the director. All the craftsmen and artists that worked on that made it what it is. And that’s actually what I like about it. It’s why I continue to work in television. I like working with all these artists. I like getting together with these people and making something together. It’s not just the writing. It’s everything that everybody contributes to make it what it is.”George Pelecanos is an award-winning author, essayist, screenwriter and producer from Washington, D.C. He has written over 20 novels and four series in the crime and detective fiction genre. He is also a recipient of the Los Angeles Times Book prize, the Raymond Chandler award, the Hammett Prize, the Barry Award, the Gumshoe Award, and the Grand Prix Du Roman Noir award. Pelecanos worked as a screenwriter for HBO’s The Wire, where his writing earned him an Emmy nomination as well as an Edgar and Writers Guild of America Award. Other shows he has written and/or produced for are The Pacific, The Deuce, and Treme.· www.george-pelecanos.com · www.creativeprocess.info

George Pelecanos is an award-winning author, essayist, screenwriter and producer from Washington, D.C. He has written over 20 novels and four series in the crime and detective fiction genre. He is also a recipient of the Los Angeles Times Book prize, the Raymond Chandler award, the Hammett Prize, the Barry Award, the Gumshoe Award, and the Grand Prix Du Roman Noir award. Pelecanos worked as a screenwriter for HBO’s The Wire, where his writing earned him an Emmy nomination as well as an Edgar and Writers Guild of America Award. Other shows he has written and/or produced for are The Pacific, The Deuce, and Treme.· www.george-pelecanos.com· www.creativeprocess.info

Jordan Kerner is a widely acclaimed film and television producer. He is president and founder of The Kerner Entertainment Company, which is committed to high quality, value-oriented, provocative entertainment. Most recently, Kerner was engaged to develop and produce a film adaptation of Clifford the Big Red Dog. His previous films include The Smurfs, Charlotte’s Web, The Mighty Ducks, Fried Green Tomatoes, and When A Man Loves  A Woman. Kerner is also a dedicated custodian of his community-- he is involved with such organizations as Planned Parenthood, RiverLA, and the Starbright Foundation.· www.creativeprocess.info

Jordan Kerner is a widely acclaimed film and television producer. He is president and founder of The Kerner Entertainment Company, which is committed to high quality, value-oriented, provocative entertainment. Most recently, Kerner was engaged to develop and produce a film adaptation of Clifford the Big Red Dog. His previous films include The Smurfs, Charlotte’s Web, The Mighty Ducks, Fried Green Tomatoes, and When A Man Loves A Woman. Kerner is also a dedicated custodian of his community-- he is involved with such organizations as Planned Parenthood, RiverLA, and the Starbright Foundation.

Museum director, curator, and cultural producer at large, Chris Dercon is the President of the Réunion des musées nationaux – Grand Palais, an umbrella group of national museums in France. His career in major cultural institutions across Europe spans several decades. From 2011 to 2016, he was director of London's Tate Modern. He has been program director of MoMA PS1 in New York, and has served as director of the Witte de With Center of Contemporary Art in Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, the Haus der Kunst in Munich, and Berlin's Volksbühne theater. He is also a presenter, writer and maker of cultural documentaries.· www.grandpalais.fr· www.creativeprocess.info

Museum director, curator, and cultural producer at large, Chris Dercon is the President of the Réunion des musées nationaux – Grand Palais, an umbrella group of national museums in France. His career in major cultural institutions across Europe spans several decades. From 2011 to 2016, he was director of London's Tate Modern. He has been program director of MoMA PS1 in New York, and has served as director of the Witte de With Center of Contemporary Art in Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, the Haus der Kunst in Munich, and Berlin's Volksbühne theater. He is also a presenter, writer and maker of cultural documentaries.· www.grandpalais.fr· www.creativeprocess.infoPhoto Dazaifu89 CC BY-SA 4.0

Debra Kerr is the Executive Director of Intuit - the Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art in Chicago. She was previously at the John G. Shedd Aquarium for 17 years - she is a past board member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, past chair and instructor for its Professional Development Committee and management courses, past chair of the zoo and aquarium committee for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, and former board member of the National Veterans Art Museum. She currently serves on the board for the Merit School of Music and the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes Leaders Council.She frequently presents on issues related to museum relevance, teen empowerment and activating the public for social good. · www.art.org· www.creativeprocess.info

Debra Kerr is the Executive Director of Intuit - the Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art in Chicago. She was previously at the John G. Shedd Aquarium for 17 years - she is a past board member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, past chair and instructor for its Professional Development Committee and management courses, past chair of the zoo and aquarium committee for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, and former board member of the National Veterans Art Museum. She currently serves on the board for the Merit School of Music and the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes Leaders Council.She frequently presents on issues related to museum relevance, teen empowerment and activating the public for social good. www.art.org www.creativeprocess.info

Paul Auster is the bestselling author of Winter Journal, Sunset Park, Invisible, The Book of Illusions, and The New York Trilogy, among many other works. He has been awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature, the Prix Médicis étranger, an Independent Spirit Award, and the Premio Napoli. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is a Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He has also penned several screenplays for films such as ‘Smoke’ (1995), as well as ‘Lulu on the Bridge’ (1998) and ‘The Inner Life of Martin Frost’ (2007), which he also directed.

Paul Auster is the bestselling author of Winter Journal, Sunset Park, Invisible, The Book of Illusions, and The New York Trilogy, among many other works. He has been awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature, the Prix Médicis étranger, an Independent Spirit Award, and the Premio Napoli. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is a Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He has also penned several screenplays for films such as ‘Smoke’ (1995), as well as ‘Lulu on the Bridge’ (1998) and ‘The Inner Life of Martin Frost’ (2007), which he also directed.

Alice Notley has published over forty books of poetry, most recently For the Ride (Penguin Books) and Eurynome’s Sandals (PURH). Notley has received many awards including the Academy of American Poets’ Lenore Marshall Prize, the Poetry Society of America’s Shelley Award, the Griffin International Prize, two NEA Grants, the Los Angeles Times Book Award for Poetry, and the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, a lifetime achievement award. She is also a visual artist and collagist, and a book of her poem-drawings is forthcoming from Archway Editions. Since 1992, Notley has lived and worked in Paris, France.

Peter McLaren is Distinguished Professor in Critical Studies, the Donna Ford Attallah College of Educational Studies, Chapman University and Professor Emeritus, the University of California, Los Angeles. He is an award-winning author and editor of approximately 50 books. His writings have been translated into 25 languages. He is the recipient of numerous lifetime achievement awards and is a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association. One of the architects of critical pedagogy in North America, Professor McLaren is active politically in both North America and America Latina and is co-founder of Instituto McLaren de Pedagogia Critica in Ensenada, Mexico. His work is indebted to his mentor, Paulo Freire, and the Catholic social justice tradition of liberation theology. His latest book is He Walks Among Us: Christian Fascism Ushering in the End of Days. www.diopress.com/he-walks-among-us

Gregory Jbara is a Tony award winning stage actor with a impressive career spanning over four decades . On Broadway, Gregory has stared in renditions of Chicago, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Billy Elliot, which earned him the 2009 Tony award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. Since departing from the stage, Gregory has spent ten seasons alongside Tom Selick in the CBS drama Blue Bloods. www.gregoryjbara.com www.creativeprocess.info

Gregory Jbara is a Tony award winning stage actor with a impressive career spanning over four decades . On Broadway, Gregory has stared in renditions of Chicago, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Billy Elliot, which earned him the 2009 Tony award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. Since departing from the stage, Gregory has spent ten seasons alongside Tom Selick in the CBS drama Blue Bloods.