New York State Writers Institute

[5] 1980s Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist William Kennedy founded the NYS Writers Institute in 1983 with part of a fellowship awarded him from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

[6] Later that year, NY Governor Mario Cuomo signed into law the legislation creating the New York State Writers Institute, giving it goals to conduct a broad range of cultural and educational literary activities.

Among the speakers were Maureen Dowd, James Fallows, Timothy Ferris, Frances FitzGerald, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Mary Gordon, Stephen Jay Gould, Patricia Limerick, J. Anthony Lukas, Norman Mailer, David McCullough, Richard Rhodes, Gay Talese, Calvin Trillin, Juan Williams and Garry Wills.

In conjunction with the American Place Theatre, the institute presented in 2011 a one-person theatrical adaptation of Junot Díaz's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.

Past speakers include: 2019 Dan Rather – broadcast journalist and author Terry Crews – actor, athlete, activist 2018 Aly Raisman – Olympic medal gymnast and author Tyler Oakley – pop culture phenomenon 2017 Captain Scott Kelly – engineer, U.S. navy captain & retired astronaut Octavia Spencer – Academy Award-winning actress Sonia Sotomayor – U.S. Supreme Court Justice 2016 Brandon Stanton – photographer and creator of Humans of New York Daymond John – celebrity entrepreneur, FUBU founder, 'Shark Tank' investor Venus Williams – tennis legend 2015 Bill Nye the Science Guy – need we say more?

Common – king of conscious hip hop 2013 David Axelrod, David Plouffe & Jon Favreau – Obama campaign advisors 2011 President Bill Clinton – 42nd president of the United States Magic Johnson – basketball legend, entrepreneur & philanthropist 2010 Barbara Walters – broadcast journalist, author, television personality Howard Dean & Karl Rove – political icons 2009 General Colin Powell – former U.S. Secretary of State