AUTHOR:

Doug Abrams, Idea Architects

In addition to being a celebrated author, editor and literary agent, Doug Abrams is the founder and president of the creative book and media agency Idea Architects, where he works with true visionaries to create a wiser, healthier, and more just world. He is also the co-founder with Pam Omidyar and Bishop Desmond Tutu of HumanJourney.com, a public benefit company working to share life-changing and world-changing ideas. Doug has worked with Desmond Tutu as his co-writer and editor for over a decade, and before founding his own literary agency, he was a senior editor at HarperCollins and also served for nine years as the religion editor at the University of California Press.

He has had the privilege of working on books for Nobel Peace Laureates Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, and Jody Williams. His books have been credited with convincing then-President Bill Clinton to stop genocide and for launching the modern anti-slavery movement.

He is also interested in the power of the Internet and multimedia to change culture and was on the founding team of JustGive.org, a philanthropy website that has pioneered new forms of giving and channeled over $300 million to charity.

Dialogue is key to Doug’s work, and he believes that genius is a collaborative process. His goal is to bring people together in a cultural conversation through books and media. Throughout all of his wide-ranging projects, Doug aspires to help build a prism through which life-changing conversations and experiences can be created and nourished.
 

MODERATOR:

Pedro Silva: YOUnify Director of Engagement

Pedro brings a wealth of cross-sector experience. A veteran of the United States Air Force, who served as both a Satellite Communications Technician and a Mandarin Chinese Language/Intelligence Analyst, he has cultivated the capacity to think missionally and practically--strategically and tactically--on a wide variety of concerns. In his post military career, Pedro worked as a corporate recruiter for 8 years serving dozens of for profit, not for profit, and B Corporations in the areas of technology, biotech, and more. In 2009, he entered Andover Newton Theological Seminary and for 10 years served as a pastor in the socially active, United Church of Christ.  In this role, Pedro built on his passion for civic engagement. For 3 years he served as the State Representative for the Boulder Caucus of Together Colorado, an organization of the Faith In Action Network, where he worked on a variety of issues at the local to state levels from affordable housing, gun violence, and voting to living wage legislation and the Family Leave Act. He also served on several committees with the local NAACP chapter and worked with the Boulder Community Foundation as an advisor in the wake of the tragic shooting in Boulder. In addition to these efforts, Pedro hosted numerous in person and online conversations on race in Boulder County, has been an advocate for the homeless community, and has made a mark on the bridging movement through his volunteer work with Living Room Conversations and now as a Director of Engagement with YOUnify.

Boulder Public Library and the Boulder Library Foundation are proud to host One Book One Boulder: Read, Engage, Grow. This program aims to bring Boulder together through the shared experience of reading and discussing the same book. Participate in a variety of events, including book discussion groups, workshops, performances and storytimes. Generously sponsored by the Boulder Library Foundation.