Susan Stamberg Speaker Biography
Renowned Broadcast Journalist and
NPR Special Correspondent
Nationally renowned broadcast journalist Susan Stamberg is Special Correspondent for NPR. She is the first woman to anchor a national nightly news program, has won every major award in broadcasting, and has been inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame and the Radio Hall of Fame.
National Public Radio (NPR)
Beginning in 1972, Stamberg spent 14 years as co-host of NPR’s award-winning newsmagazine All Things Considered. Then, she hosted Weekend Edition/Sunday for three years. She now serves as guest host of NPR’s All Things Considered, Morning Edition and Weekend Edition/Saturday, and reports on cultural issues for various NPR programs.
Broadcast Journalist
One of the most popular broadcasters in public radio, broadcast journalist keynote speaker Stamberg is well-known for her conversational style, intelligence, and knack for finding an interesting story. Her interviewing has been called “fresh,” “friendly, down-to-earth,” and (by novelist E.L. Doctorow) “the closest thing to an enlightened humanist on the radio.” Her thousands of interviews include conversations with Laura Bush, Rosa Parks, Luciano Pavarotti, Stephen Sondheim, and Billy Joel.
Books
Stamberg is the author of two books, TALK: NPR’s Susan Stamberg Considers All Things and Every Night at Five.
Awards
In addition to her Hall of Fame inductions, other recognition includes the Armstrong and Dupont Awards, the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Distinguished Broadcaster Award from the American Women in Radio and Television.
Honors
Stamberg has earned numerous honorary degrees including a Doctor of Humane Letters from Dartmouth College. A Fellow of Silliman College, Yale University, she has served on the boards of the PEN/Faulkner Fiction Award Foundation, Columbia University’s National Arts Journalism Program, and was a Public Director on the Board of the American Institute of Architecture.
Television and Film
Stamberg has hosted several series on PBS, moderated three Fred Rogers TV specials for adults, been commentator, guest or co-host on various commercial TV programs, appeared as a narrator in performance with the St. Louis and National Symphony Orchestras. Her voice appeared on Broadway in Wendy Wasserstein’s play “An American Daughter,” and in the film The Siege.
Her late husband Louis Stamberg had his career with the State Department’s agency for international development. Her son, Josh Stamberg, an actor, appears in various television series, films, and plays.
Susan Stamberg Speaking Topics
INSPIRING WOMEN
This keynote presentation is a portrait of women of our time who have inspired, broken ground, led, had the courage to survive -- all profiled by Stamberg in her reporting career. Georgia O'Keeffe -- the most famous woman artist of the century and how she changed the way we look at objects and found the poetry in things. Miep Gies -- who found, then saved the diary of Anne Frank, and helped the Frank family throughout World War Two. Betsy Wilson -- not famous, but the courageous founder of Let's Face It, a self-help organization for those with facial disfigurements. Nancy Reagan -- how a former First Lady kept me out in the cold.
WOMEN IN JOURNALISM
Do women make a difference in the news room? Are the stories we lobby to tell different from those men think are important? Does the fact that we put emphasis on relationships, listening, asking questions, affect the reporting we do, and the answers we get? How can daily newspapers and news broadcasts change, when women make the editorial decisions?
MAKING COMMUNITY
What are the things that make community -- as a TOWN, a corner coffee shop, an architectural structure, a set of rules that turn a library into a gathering place. How is community defined, challenged, changed. Examples range from towns to architecture to important paintings created over the ages (the loneliness of 20th century American Edward Hopper's canvases, compared to the radiant companionship of Renoir .. the 19th century French painter Gustave Caillebotte -- who painted the apprehensions of seemingly sweet Parisians, and their lovely city became "modern."
WHY MUSEUMS MATTER / WHY THE ARTS ARE IMPORTANT
Beyond preserving great art, and showcasing creations from times gone by, museums serve as places for contemplation, education, and solace in times of crisis and confusion. After 11 September, museums throughout the country had larger numbers of visitors than ever. Why? Because of the power of great art to reach our psyches as nothing else can. Just as music can lift our spirits and elevate us to new heights, so too the visual arts can take us beyond our dailiness, bathe the mind, and clear it so we can go back to the difficult challenges we face. In addition to this therapeutic role, paintings and sculptures can teach us lessons in community, in how to look at change, and modernity. The speech focuses on the work of 20th century American painter Edward Hopper and 19th century French painter Gustave Caillebotte -- both putting on canvas their responses to the encroachments of modern life, at very different periods.
JEWISH MOTHERS
In this keynote speech, Stamberg discusses how the image of the Jewish mother has changed over the years, from stereotypical immigrant Yiddishe Mama, to J.D. Salinger's Mrs. Glass, to Philip Roth's Mrs. Portnoy, to linguist Deborah Tannen's contemporary Mother. The speech incorporates examples from literature – ranging from hilarious, to sad, to moving, and back again.
SURVIVING BREAST CANCER
This talk is based on personal reflections, 15 years after her own diagnosis. Highlights include: coping with the worst news you can receive, notes on support groups, actions that help, thinking that is positive, how to deal with family and friends, how to take charge of your health information and questions, developing mental attitudes that help get you through this difficult period. It's a high-energy, non-medical speech that is supportive and uplifting for audiences.
Susan Stamberg Books
TALK: NPR’s Susan Stamberg Considers All Things
Purchase BookSusan Stamberg Videos
Susan Stamberg Speaker Testimonials
I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Susan. Her stories were perfect for our audience. Her delivery was perfection. ...and she hit the nail on the head with her opening that referenced the work of our organization. She hit a home run and I cannot be happier. I’ve also already heard from board members and other guests who thought she was amazing.
- Kirk Englehardt, VP of Marketing and Communications | Community Foundation of Broward
Yakima was delighted to host Susan Stamberg for two days. We started with a dinner at a local art patron's home (which is a collector's museum in itself). Susan enjoyed a lovely meal amongst specially made chocolate radios and truffles and then spent a few minutes answering questions from our board. The next morning, I listened to most of the press conference which she handled adeptly. Throughout her time here we were impressed with her friendliness, intelligence, warm sense of humor, and integrity. We all enjoyed her presentation on artists who have changed our time and the clips she had selected were key to her program. Ms. Stamberg is curious about the life swirling around her today, making her an avid listener and intelligent communicator. This cannot be said of all nationally-known speakers.
- | Yakima Town Hall
