Amanda Stern is a mental health advocate, speaker and is the author of thirteen books: eleven for children written under pseudonyms, a novel, and most recently the memoir LITTLE PANIC: Dispatches from an Anxious Life. She is the creator and founder of the critically acclaimed music and literary event series Happy Ending in NYC which ran from 2003-2018. She lives in Brooklyn with her daughter Busy, who just happens to be a dog.
Atsuko Okatsuka is the host & creator of the hit show Let’s Go, Atsuko! A (woke) Japanese Game Show and was named a “Comedian To Watch” in Vulture‘s 2018 list & TimeOut LA‘s 2019 list. She’s been featured on Late Night with Lilly Singh and has written for various Adult Swim shows such as The Eric Andre Show & Soft Focus with Jena Friedman and is in Season 3 of HBO’s Room 104.
Dr. Avishek Adhikari is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He studies the neural circuits that initiate and inhibit reactions induced by threats. Over-activity in these circuits are known to cause symptoms in patients with anxiety disorders. Dr. Adhikari’s research has uncovered neural circuits that inhibit and induce fear-related freezing, as well as circuits that control anxiety-induced changes in respiration rate, among other findings.
Chris Kraus is the author of four novels, three books of art and cultural criticism, most recently Social Practices (2018) and a literary biography of Kathy Acker. Her first novel, I Love Dick, was adapted for television. Kraus is a co-editor of the independent press Semiotext(e), alongside Hedi El Kholti and Sylvere Lotringer. She teaches writing at Art Center and lives in Los Angeles.
Christopher Noxon is an author, journalist and illustrator. He’s the author and illustrator of Good Trouble: Lessons from the Civil Rights Playbook as well as wrote Plus One and Rejuvenile: Kickball, Cartoons, Cupcakes and the Reinvention of the American Grown Up. As a journalist, his work has been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, and more. He splits his time between Los Angeles and New York.
Lisa Kring is an LCSW with a background in dispute resolution and family court mediation. A committed practitioner of mindfulness, she has studied with many—from Daniel Siegel to Ven Ayya Tathaaloka—and her primary teachers, Trudy Goodman and Christiane Wolf. Kring is a senior teacher for Insight LA, where she is currently involved in bringing mindfulness-based programs into non-profits and youth education. In addition to leading classes at East Hollywood, she has facilitated mindfulness groups at UCLA, Homeboy Industries, Hulu, Neue House, and more.
Rumer Willis is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in films Hostage (2005), The House Bunny (2008), Sorority Row (2009) and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). She portrayed Gia Mannetti in 90210 (2009–10) and Tory Ash in Empire (2017–18). Willis won season 20 of Dancing with the Stars. She made her Broadway debut in Chicago as Roxie Hart (2015).
This program is generously supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
As President and CEO of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles (LFLA), Stacy Lieberman is an innovative and inclusive leader whose career dwells at the intersection of arts and culture, lifelong learning, storytelling, and equitable access. Stacy guides the Foundation’s philanthropic and public-facing priorities to serve the Los Angeles Public Library, embracing the notion that libraries are beacons of democracy where everyone is welcome. She works intentionally with community leaders, donors, and internal and external strategic partners to raise awareness and resources for the Library and its life-changing initiatives.
With more than 20 years of experience as a senior executive, Stacy has left an indelible mark on iconic L.A. arts, non-profit, and educational institutions such as The Broad, the Autry Museum of the American West, and the Skirball Cultural Center. Building on an early career in book publishing, she has dedicated her professional life to sharing stories and broadening the reach of public institutions to welcome visitors and students of all ages and backgrounds to experience educational, arts, and cultural opportunities.
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