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Lesley Stahl Author of Becoming Grandma: The Joys and Science of the New Grandparenting

Thank you for such a lovely, spirited, informative and above all fun time.

H.W. Brands Author of Founding Partisans: Hamilton, Madison, Jefferson, Adams and the Brawling Birth of American Politics

Congratulations on another great festival, Jamie. It was better than ever. It’s a high point of our winter. We’re already looking forward to next year.

John Avlon Author of Lincoln and the Fight for Peace

We are still buzzing from the consummate joy that is the Rancho Mirage Writers Festival. What an extraordinary event you have built over the past decade! To have Billy Collins, Admiral McRaven, Jon Meacham and Doris [Kearns Goodwin] in the same event space along with so many other good and wise people, with an equally esteemed and interesting audience.

Hal Gershowitz Author of Cry Eden

Quite remarkable. That’s what I kept thinking during this year’s Writers Festival. The festival has grown into an iconic phenomenon within the literary world. The festival has always been a wonderful event, but this year I felt an additional vibe. The festival has morphed into a happening like a literary Davos. For the literary world, for those who consume and love contemporary literature, simply the place to be.

Bret Stephens Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and author of Fight for Liberty: Defending Democracy in the Age of Trump

I’ve been going to this now for a number of years. It gets better every year, and it was fantastic to start with. As a writer, there are not many—in fact, there are very few—gatherings like this, and not one is as good. And it’s not just the quality of the authors that you are attracting, I mean the quality is astounding, but it’s actually the quality of the audience you are attracting and what it means to us as writers to have the opportunity to encounter our real audience. Our real audience aren’t the people who are commenting on my columns, who clearly have too much time on their hands, but real readers who are deeply engaged with the life of ideas and the life of imagination, without which free societies can’t survive. And all of this is on account of the enterprise and imagination and initiative of Jamie and a very small number of people who are by his side as philanthropists or on your incredible staff that made us all feel incredibly welcome. 

Alan Dershowitz Author of Taking the Stand: My Life in Law

Thank you so much for inviting me. This has been an incredible conference. I think there have never been so many great writers united in one place since Thomas Jefferson sat alone in his study.

Teddy Abrams Music Director of the Louisville Orchestra and Music Director and Conductor of the Britt Festival Orchestra

It was an absolute honor to be a part of the Festival—I was completely blown away by the incredible program you’ve created. The talent of the speakers and the curiosity and warmth of the attendees was world-class and deeply inspiring. I was thrilled to join this year and I would LOVE to come back—anytime, I’ll be there! Thank you again and congratulations on producing such a successful year of the Festival!

Nigel Hamilton author of FDR at War trilogy

Thank you for a wonderful winter-writer tonic: your RMWF!! … The time at the festival was, from the point of view of a writer – this writer—the best ever: after years of Covid, a chance to catch up with old colleagues, and better still: meet new ones.

Susan Glasser co-author with Peter Baker of The Divider

Wow, you sure do put on a great festival! Peter [Baker] and I were honored to participate and had a wonderful time. We were particularly impressed not only with the great lineup of speakers, but with how very well run the whole thing was and what a good team you’ve assembled. Many thanks for including us in what was by far the best thing of its kind we’ve done.

Douglas Brinkley Author of Silent Spring Revolution

What a fantastic conference!!!! I have been to many… but this was the best.

Rikki Klieman Criminal defense lawyer and legal analyst for CBS News

Both Bill [William Bratton] and I send our heartfelt thanks for the extraordinary opportunity to participate in the RMWF. Every session that we attended was worthwhile, educational, entertaining and often provocative. Your staff is superb and attentive to detail which made us feel so well handled. We made many new friends and enjoyed seeing old friends too. It was a privilege to be there to make a contribution of knowledge and experience and learn from these remarkable writers.

Congressman Joseph Kennedy III U.S. Representative for Massachusetts 4th congressional district from 2013–2021

Thank you for including me in a spectacular week. That was an incredible collection of people you pulled together, and I was so humbled and excited to play a small part in it.

Max Boot
Author of The Corrosion of Conservatism: Why I Left the Right

Thank you so much for inviting me! It was as wonderful as everyone says. The best run book festival I’ve ever attended and the most fun. What an outstanding group of authors you assembled! It was a privilege to be part of it. You can be very proud of all your staff and volunteers for doing such a wonderful job.

Dr. Dale Bredesen
Author of The End of Alzheimer’s

Thank you once again for the invitation to the Rancho Mirage Writers Festival—what a remarkable team you have assembled, and what a wonderful event you hosted! My wife, daughter, and I all enjoyed the talks, discussions, dinners, and the entire event, and I was happy to learn that the book sold out on Thursday morning.

Wade Davis
Author of Los guardianes de la sabiduria ancestral

I have rarely attended a writers’ festival with such a compelling line up of presentations and authors.

Deborah And James Fallows
Authors of Our Towns

Our sincere congratulations and thanks on this year’s installment of the RMWF. From our experience with other large-scale events—those the Atlantic has produced, and others we’ve been to on the book-fair circuit—we have some idea of the complexity and care that go into a successful event. I’m sure we haven’t begun to think through everything you had to deal with, but based on what we do know, we’re really impressed. Congratulations!

Tim Harford
Author of Fifty Inventions That Shaped the Modern Economy

What an amazing community you’ve built! Thank you so much for the invitation to the festival. First class. Great venue, superbly professional team, wonderful audiences. I felt so fortunate to be invited. Please pass on my sincere thanks to the entire team.

Katherine Nouri Hughes
Author of The Mapmaker’s Daughter

I have been thinking for the last week about the Festival and words just aren’t up to describing its wonderfulness. What I can express is my admiration—for you and what you have created—a gathering that is important, illuminating and a ton of fun.

Dr. Joshua Mezrich, MD
Author of When Death Becomes Life

I had such an incredible time, and have even managed to stay in touch with some of the writers (and Dr. Khoi) that I met there. I traveled part of the way back with Wade Davis, who is possibly the most interesting person I have ever met, and really is a modern day version of Indiana Jones! I have watched a few of the talks on the website, and look forward to watching more.

Adam Nagourney
Los Angeles Bureau Chief for The New York Times

Thank you again for letting me be part of the Festival. You’ve put together a hell of a show and I was honored to be included. I loved the crowd and its intense interest in books—and newspapers and politics. It’s reassuring.

Norman Pearlstine
Executive editor of The Los Angeles Times

Thanks for including us at this year’s Rancho Mirage Writers Festival. Jane and I had a great time. I do hope our paths will cross before too long. In the meantime, congratulations on such a successful event.

Rick Atkinson
Author of The Guns at Last Light

The Rancho Mirage Writers Festival is a marvelous conclave of writers and readers, with presentations and conversations as varied as the human experience. For an author, it’s a treat to mingle with other authors, but the greatest gratification is to spend time with such thoughtful, committed readers.