An Evening with Doris Kearns Goodwin

Doris Kearns Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, public speaker, #1 New York Times bestselling author, and presidential scholar whose work has shaped public understanding of American leadership and democracy for more than five decades. 

She is frequently called upon by major news outlets, late-night television hosts, Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations for her insights on presidential leadership, democracy, and political history to provide historical perspective and insight on leadership in times of change and uncertainty. Her work continues to resonate today as America confronts challenges to democratic institutions, international conflict, and political polarization.

Her eighth book, An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s, published in Spring 2024, was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller. Blending biography, memoir, and history, the book chronicles the emotional journey Doris and her late husband, presidential speechwriter Richard (Dick) Goodwin, undertook as they explored more than 300 boxes of letters, diaries, documents, and memorabilia spanning one of the most transformative decades in American history. Through deeply personal encounters with figures including John and Jacqueline Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Robert Kennedy, Eugene McCarthy, and Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson, the book captures the idealism, turbulence, and unfinished aspirations of the 1960s. It is currently being adapted into a feature film by Sony Pictures, with producers Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman of Playtone, Barbara Broccoli of Eon Productions, and Pastimes Productions, the company Goodwin co-founded with Beth Laski. Oscar-nominated screenwriter David Hemingson (The Holdovers) is writing the screenplay. In Fall 2024, Goodwin published her first book for young readers, The Leadership Journey: How Four Kids Became President. Adapted by Ruby Shamir from Goodwin’s Leadership in Turbulent Times, the book introduces middle-grade readers to the formative years of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson, offering timeless lessons in resilience, character, and leadership. Read her full biography here.