Smokey Robinson is a "Black American."

Saturday night, during the question and answer period, Smokey Robinson riffed a small portion of a poem that he wrote a while back for the Def Poetry Jam called "A Black American." The Forum audience really semed to appreciate it.

To see Smokey deliver the full poem click here. Warning: Some might find the language objectionable.

Watch it. Then come back here and comment!

Condoleezza Rice To Be Among Speakers At The Richmond Forum Next Season.

Last night, before a sold-out theater at the Smokey Robinson program, we announced the five speakers who will address The Richmond Forum next season.

The new season will kick off on November 14, 2009 with Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson. Called the "Carl Sagan of the 21st century," Tyson, an astrophysicist, will take The Forum audience on an enthusiastic journey out of this world. Dr. Tyson is the director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, host of PBS's NOVA ScienceNow series, author of Death by Black Hole and The Pluto Files, and explainer of all things cosmic. He's a big brain with a big personality and we can't wait to welcome him to Richmond.

On January 9, 2010, The Richmond Forum will welcome Greg Mortenson, subject of the best-selling book Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School At A Time. Following a failed attempt to climb the highest peak in Pakistan in 1993, an exhausted Mortenson was taken in by the residents of a small village. To repay their kindness, Mortenson promised to return to build a school for the village's children. He then returned to the United States to sleep in his car! What follows is the story of how one unlikely individual really can change the world. Today, he has built over 60 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, at great risk to his own personal safety. Mortenson was popularly requested by our subscribers and his appearance at The Richmond Forum will coincide with the release of his highly anticipated follow-up to Three Cups of Tea, scheduled for release in December.

On February 6, 2010, David Plouffe will address The Forum's audience. As campaign manager for Barack Obama, Plouffe is credited with building the most innovative presidential campaign in U.S. history, setting new records for fundraising and grassroots mobilization through the bold use of new technology. One year into the Obama administration, Plouffe will examine whether the energy of the 13 million Americans mobilized by the campaign has been successfully redirected to play a key role in influencing and promoting public policy initiatives, and how the changing face of American demographics is reshaping our economic and political landscape.

No matter what the state of the economy next spring, Steve Forbes will have timely insights to share at The Richmond Forum's fourth program on March 6, 2010. As Chairman and CEO of Forbes Inc. and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Magazine, Steve Forbes is front and center on matters of the economy, business, and politics. Through his frequent appearances on CNN, MSNBC, and FOX News, and his recent report, How Capitalism Will Save Us, Forbes has become a voice of calm in these turbulent times. Forbes is a two-time presidential candidate and longtime proponent of the flat tax.

On April 10, 2010, The Richmond Forum will close its season with an evening with former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice. Rice will provide a sweeping look at global affairs during her tenure as secretary of state and national security advisor in the Bush administration. By sharing compelling stories of her experiences, she will illuminate the interrelationship of global events and leaders during a time of unprecedented and tumultuous world affairs and controversial U.S. policies. Rice will be the fifth former secretary of state to address The Richmond Forum (Kissinger, Baker, Albright, and Powell were the others).

The 2009-2010 season is built entirely on the suggestions of our subscribers and we thank you for your very passionate involvement in the process. We think next season will provide a great mix of both big personalities and deep substance.

Current subscribers will be receiving their renewal packets in the mail this week. Any available subscriptions will then go on sale to the public starting May 1st. If you're not a subscriber, but would like to be, please make sure that you're on our mailing list!

2009-2010 Season To Be Announced Saturday Night

One of the highlights of each Richmond Forum season is the announcement of the speakers who will appear on our stage next season. All year, subscribers submit their speaker suggestions. (In our online subscriber survey after the Tony Blair program alone we received over 700 suggestions!) These suggestions are tallied, sorted, and researched by the Forum staff, along with the help of our board's Program Committee. Months of negotiations with speakers and their agents ensue, until finally the next season of The Richmond Forum is born.

After intermission this Saturday, at the Smokey Robinson program, I will be announcing the complete line-up for the 2009-2010 season. It's a great line-up, offering both big personalities and deep substance, and I can't wait to hear the reaction from our subscribers.

Subscription renewal packets will go in the mail next week, and renewals are due back by March 31st. Then starting May 1st, any available subscriptions will go on sale to the folks on our mailing list. If you're not a subscriber, and would like to be, please call Heidi to be added to our mailing list! You will not want to miss next season!

(Meanwhile, there are a few good seats available to see the Smokey Robinson program on Saturday night. Definitely give Heidi a call at 330-3993 if you would like to attend!)

Addictive Ink or Micro-Charges

Former Richmond Forum speaker Walter Isaacson explored options for ways to save newspapers with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show earlier this week, click here to check out their ideas, or read Isaacson's cover story from the February 5 issue of Time magazine, How to Save Your Newspaper.

Isaacson, the former managing editor of Time magazine, former chairman of CNN and currently the President and CEO of the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan educational and policy studies institute, spoke at The Forum in January 2005 with historian Michael Beschloss. In his Forum presentation, he shared stories from his then recently released biography of Benjamin Franklin, one of America's first newspapermen.

Limited Tickets for Smokey Robinson at The Richmond Forum on Sale Now!

Between writing, producing and performing, Smokey Robinson's musical vision and talent had a huge influence on the development of the Motown sound, and on the music and reputation of his own group, the Miracles, as well as artists such as Mary Wells, The Temptations and Marvin Gaye.

If you don't already have your tickets to see Smokey Robinson at The Richmond Forum and hear his stories from the early days of Motown, limited tickets are on sale now!

Motown Legend Smokey Robinson
Saturday, February 21, 2009
8pm at the Landmark Theater
Call (804) 330-3993 for tickets, $27 to $55

Daphne Maxwell Reid, known for her role as Aunt Viv on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and as co-founder of New Millennium Studios in Petersburg, will guide the discussion, covering Smokey's life and his influence on pivotal years in music history.

The dynamic vocals of Bak N Da Day will have you dancing in the aisles before the program and at intermission as they play a variety of Motown and R&B hits.

For tickets and additional program information, call The Richmond Forum at (804) 330-3993.