This story has been revised. See note below.
The City of Malibu and Los Angeles County Library revealed a roster of luminaries from various fields slated to speak in Malibu this year as part of the annual speaker series.
Each month’s speaker fits into a theme chosen by organizers, and January will cover the entertainment industry with an address by former Hollywood agent and producer Harry Ufland. (See full speaker list below.) Ufland now teaches in the media department at Chapman University. He’s speaking at the Malibu Library on Wed., Jan. 21 at 7 p.m.
To RSVP for Ufland or any of the speakers, contact Management Fellow Karol Sarkisyan with the L.A. County Public Library at ksarkisyan@library.lacounty.gov or call 562.940.8559.
Full list of speakers:
Literature – February – George Mason & Salli Slaughter
Mason, Slaughter and their dog began traveling across the nation in 2011 in a quest to interview the country’s “greatest authors.” The result has been published on their popular blog, www.authorsroad.com.Â
Education – March – Diane Luby
Luby founded Get Lit, a non-profit literary and educational group that aims to encourage teen literacy through various performance programs and other educational tools. The foundation’s teen poetry troupe performs for more than “15,000 at-risk youth” annually.
Motivation – May – Scott Backovich
Backovich is a popular youth inspirational speaker and has been featured as a youth leadership expert in TV, radio and speaking engagements.
Sports – June – Johnny Strange
Strange, a Malibu native, has been scaling the world’s tallest mountains since the age of 12 when he traveled to Antarctica and climbed Vinson Massif. By age 17 he had set the record for youngest person to ever climb the “Seven Summits”: McKinley, Everest, Aconcagua, Kilimanjaro, Elbrus, Kosciusko and Puncak Jaya.Â
Science – July – Michael Backes
An expert on medical marijuana, Backes recently authored “Cannabis Pharmacy: The Practical Guide to Medical Marijuana” in which he dishes out the best ways to use medical marijuana on specific ailments and diseases.Â
Editor’s note: The original version of this story incorrectly stated Ufland would be speaking at Malibu City Hall. He will be at the Malibu Library.