John Dickerson, Emily Bazelon, and David Plotz are heading to the Paramount Theater on April 12 for a night of crackling political commentary
Friday, April 12 at 6:30pm | The Paramount Theater
General Admission (6:00pm): $35 Floor | $20 Balcony
VIP Cocktail Hour (5:00pm): $120
Post-event Book Signing to Celebrate Emily Bazelon’s Upcoming Release
How do you like your political news? If you prefer it whip-smart, brutally honest, and highly entertaining, you’re in luck: The Slate Political Gabfest—among America’s most popular and respected current events podcasts—will headline this year’s Festival on Friday, April 12 at 6:30pm. Gabfest hosts John Dickerson of CBS This Morning (a UVA alum!), Emily Bazelon of the New York Times Magazine, and David Plotz of Atlas Obscura will appear live at the Paramount Theater to discuss the week in politics and current events. What could make the night better? New York Times Opinion Columnist Jamelle Bouie joining the panel as a special guest (it’s happening!).
Following what will surely be a thrilling conversation, Tom Tom will host a book-signing event with Bazelon in celebration of her brand-new book, Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration, which will be published by Random House on April 9, 2019.
VIP Ticket holders are also invited to a pre-show cocktail hour with the hosts from 5–6 p.m. Those who purchase the ticket package will receive one complimentary drink with the hosts beforehand and select seating at the show. Admission to the cocktail hour and live show is included with a Tom Tom Patron badge.
TICKETS
Featured Speakers
Emily Bazelon, Gabfest Co-host
Emily Bazelon wrote the national bestseller Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy. She is a staff writer at the New York Times Magazine and the Truman Capote Fellow for Creative Writing and Law at Yale Law School. She is also a frequent guest on the Colbert Report.
Before joining the Times Magazine, Bazelon was a writer and editor for nine years at Slate, where she co-founded the women’s section DoubleX. She continues to co-host the Slate Political Gabfest, a weekly podcast. Bazelon has previously been a Soros media fellow and has worked as an editor and writer at Legal Affairs magazine and as a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit. She has appeared on the PBS NewsHour, Morning Joe, Fresh Air, Morning Edition, and All Things Considered. Her writing has appeared in the Atlantic, This American Life, O Magazine, the Washington Post, and Mother Jones, among other publications. Bazelon is a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School.
Bazelon was a finalist for the 2011 Michael Kelly Award, given by the Atlantic Media Company for journalism in “the fearless pursuit and expression of truth.” She was also a finalist for the 2011 Online Journalism Award from the Gannett Foundation for innovative investigative journalism.
John Dickerson, Gabfest Co-host
John Dickerson is co-host of CBS This Morning. Dickerson joined CBS This Morning in January 2018. Prior to that, he was anchor of Face The Nation and CBS News’ Chief Washington Correspondent. Dickerson is also a contributing editor to the Atlantic and co-host of the Slate Political Gabfest podcast and host of the Whistlestop podcast.
Dickerson joined CBS News in April 2009, as an analyst and contributor. For six years he was the network’s Political Director and during the 2016 presidential campaign he moderated CBS News’ two presidential debates.
Dickerson was a reporter in Washington since 1995, covering the White House, Congress and economics. For ten years he was Slate Magazine’s Chief Political correspondent winning the Ford Prize for Distinguished Reporting on the Presidency for a 2010 long-form series on risk profiled current Secretary of Defense James Mattis. Before Slate, Dickerson covered politics for 12 years for Time magazine. During his last four years, he was the magazine’s White House correspondent, covering the presidency of George W. Bush. He has covered the six presidential campaigns and has also won the David Broder award from the University of New Hampshire Law School.
A native Washingtonian, Dickerson graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor’s degree in English and a specialty in American Studies. His mother, Nancy Dickerson, was CBS News’ first female correspondent. Dickerson is the author of On Her Trail (Simon and Schuster), a book about his mother. He is also the author of the New York Times best-seller Whistlestop: My Favorite Stories from Presidential Campaign History (Twelve Books). Known for his active use of social media, Dickerson has more than 2 million Twitter followers at @jdickerson.
David Plotz, Gabfest Co-host
David Plotz is CEO of Atlas Obscura, a user-driven digital media and technology company devoted to discovery through collecting and writing about the world’s most wonderful places. He was editor in chief of Slate from 2008 to 2014. During Plotz’s time as editor, Slate tripled its traffic, achieved profitability for the first time, and built acclaimed podcasting and video franchises. He is the author of The Genius Factory: The Curious History of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank and Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible.
Jamelle Bouie, New York Times Opinion Columnist
Jamelle Bouie is a columnist for the New York Times. Prior to that, he was chief political correspondent for Slate Magazine. He covers politics and national affairs and is based in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Before Slate, Jamelle was a staff writer at The Daily Beast and held fellowships at The American Prospect and The Nation magazine. He attended the University of Virginia, where he graduated with degrees in government and religious studies.
Jamelle is also a photographer, documenting his surroundings on film. To see his photos, visit his blog or follow him on Instagram.
Learn More
The live Gabfest will be a culmination of the Tom Tom Summit as well as a kickoff to a weekend’s worth of cultural programming. The 2019 Tom Tom Summit is a series of six conferences revolving around the theme of “Building Better Hometowns.” The Gabfest general admission ticket is included in Tom Tom’s All Access Badge. The VIP Cocktail is included in Tom Tom’s Patron Badge.