Andrew Ross The Celebration Chronicles—Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Property Value in Disney’s New Town (illustrated) Wednesday, October 13 / 4 p.m. / UCSB Corwin Pavilion / Free Outspoken cultural critic and director of the American Studies Program at NYU, Andrew Ross has written and edited numerous books about sweatshops, youth music and technoculture. His recent book on the Disney-planned community of Celebration, Florida takes us inside the life of the town and comments insightfully on corporate involvement in urban planning.

Loung Ung Wars End, Landmines Don’t (illustrated) Monday, October 18 / 8 p.m. / UCSB Corwin Pavilion / Free Every 22 minutes, someone is killed or maimed by a landmine. A survivor of Cambodia’s bloody civil war, Loung Ung is the national spokesperson for the International Campaign for a Landmine Free World, a program of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation. She is the author of a forthcoming book First They Killed My Father: A Cambodian Daughter Remembers.

Charles Kernaghan The Current State of the Campaign to End Sweatshops and Child Labor (illustrated) Monday, October 25 / 8 p.m. / UCSB Corwin Pavilion / Free Executive director of the National Labor Committee, Charles Kernaghan has led the campaign to put the issue of sweatshop abuse and child labor before the American people and place it squarely on the national agenda. He’ll report on the latest work of the NLC to stop labor abuse around the world and provide an update on American companies’ progress in this area.

The Herman P. and Sophia Taubman Foundation Symposia in Jewish Studies Thomas L. Friedman The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization Thursday, October 28 / 8 p.m. / UCSB Campbell Hall The two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist and author of the National Book Award-winning From Beirut to Jerusalem, Thomas L. Friedman will discuss economic globalization as presented in his best-selling, highly readable recent book The Lexus and the Olive Tree. Students: $6. General: $8. Tickets in advance at the A&L Ticket Office and at the door, beginning at 7 p.m. Sponsored by the News-Press.

Tobias Wolff An Afternoon with the Author Thursday, November 4 / 4 p.m. / UCSB Hatlen Theatre / Free Fiction writer Tobias Wolff received numerous awards and high praise when his riveting book This Boy’s Life: A Memoir was published in 1990 and was later made into the critically acclaimed film starring Robert DeNiro. His other books include The Barracks Thief, The Night in Question: Stories, In Pharoah’s Army and Back in the World.

Bailey White An Afternoon with the Author and NPR Commentator Sunday, November 7 / 3 p.m. / UCSB Campbell Hall / Free A commentator on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered, Bailey White confers Southern wisdom and eccentricity upon a fast-paced, high-tech world. Her best-selling books Mama Makes Up Her Mind and Sleeping at the Starlite Motel, and her sweet-natured novel Quite a Year for Plums offer humorous, touching stories.

Featured touring author of the 6th Annual Banff Mountain Book Festival Göran Kropp Ultimate High: My Mount Everest Odyssey From Sea Level to the Summit (illustrated) Monday, November 15 / 8 p.m. / UCSB Campbell Hall Swedish adventurer/cyclist/climber Göran Kropp will show slides of his trek to the top of Mount Everest. He bicycled 8,000 miles from Stockholm to Kathmandu, reached the summit without supplemental oxygen and then pedaled home again. Students: $6. General: $8. Tickets in advance at the A&L Ticket Office and at the door, beginning at 7 p.m.

Jaron Lanier Technology and the Future of the Human Soul Wednesday, November 17 / 8 p.m. / UCSB Campbell Hall Jaron Lanier coined the term “virtual reality” and was a principal pioneer in the scientific, engineering and commercial aspects of the field. He is currently the lead scientist of the National Tele-Immersion Initiative, a coalition of research universities studying advanced applications for Internet 2. A composer, musician, visual artist and author of the forthcoming book Information is Alienated Experience, he is a dynamic speaker and commentator on the human impact of technological progress. Students: $6. General: $8. Tickets in advance at the A&L Ticket Office and at the door, beginning at 7 p.m.

The Herman P. and Sophia Taubman Foundation Symposia in Jewish Studies Amos Oz An Afternoon with the Author Sunday, November 21 / 3 p.m. / UCSB Hatlen Theater / Free The international award-winning Israeli novelist and author of essays on literary, ideological and political issues, particularly the Israeli/Arab conflict, Amos Oz is a leading figure in Peace Now. His books include Black Box; Under This Blazing Light; Touch the Water, Touch the Wind; Panther in the Basement and most recently The Same Sea. He won the Israel Prize in Literature in 1998. He’ll read from and discuss his work.

Frans Lanting Pulse of the Planet Tuesday, November 23 / 8 p.m. / UCSB Campbell Hall One of the world’s premier nature and wildlife photographers, Frans Lanting’s year-long photographic odyssey to assess global biodiversity was published in National Geographic in February 1999, the longest story by a single photographer in the magazine’s 110-year history. His books include Okavango: Africa’s Last Eden; Eye to Eye: Intimate Encounters with the Animal World; and Madagascar: A World Out of Time. He’ll discuss and show slides of his work. Students: $6. General: $8. Tickets in advance at the A&L Ticket Office and at the door, beginning at 7 p.m. Sponsored by Nikon and Fuji.

The UCSB Bookstore will have copies of the authors’ books for purchase and signing at these events.

Fall lectures and special events are presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures; UCSB Interdisciplinary Humanities Center; Departments of Film Studies, Religious Studies and Sociology; Environmental Studies Program; Global and International Studies Program; Global Peace and Security Program; Hillel; Campaign for a Landmine Free World; Herman P. and Sophia Taubman Foundation Symposia in Jewish Studies; Brooks Institute of Photography.