A Conversation with Frank Bruni

Frank Bruni
he/him

Frank Bruni is a prominent journalist and bestselling author who served as a staff writer at the New York Times for over 25 years. During that time, he worked as a White House correspondent, the Rome bureau chief, the paper’s chief restaurant critic, and op-ed columnist—a role he maintained for 10 years that brought him national renown. Still affiliated with the paper, he is now a contributing opinion writer and maintains a weekly newsletter offering reflections on the mess (and magic) of politics and life.

Bruni is the author of four New York Times bestsellers including Where you Go is Not Who You’ll Be, an indispensable manifesto that examines Americans’ increasing obsession with admission to the schools with the lowest acceptance rates, and explodes the myth that exclusivity equals success. His most recent book, The Age of Grievance, on the ways in which grievance dominates America’s political and cultural discourse, was published in April 2024.

The first openly gay op-ed columnist at the Times, Bruni is a recipient of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association’s Randy Shilts Award for his career-long contributions to the LGBTQ community and the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Newspaper Columnist. Prior to joining the New York Times, Bruni worked at New York Post and Detroit Free Press, where he was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in feature writing. He appears frequently as a television commentator on CNN, Real Time with Bill Maher, MSBNC, and more.

‍Frank Bruni is the Eugene C. Patterson Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. His courses teach journalism and media with emphasis on ethics and morality.

Treasure Brooks
she/they
Harvard University ‘22

Treasure Brooks is a multidisciplinary artist, cultural critic and strategist. She is co-founder and former Multimedia Editor of The Meteor, a media company launched under the direction of former editor-in-chief Glamour and Self, Cindi Leive. Treasure has directed, edited and been featured in pieces for publications such as Teen Vogue, Audible, TED, Harper’s Bazaar, The Hollywood Reporter, Essence, among others. As a strategist, she has overseen internal research and international marketing campaigns for Meta, Spotify, Turner, and PBS. 

As a student activist, Treasure led a nationwide initiative to decolonize curricula in higher education and expand resources and protections for low-income and first-generation college students. Before forging her path in media, Treasure was a law clerk for the Baltimore City Public Defender’s office and a legal intern with the Shepard Higher Education Consortium on Poverty. 

In 2022 Treasure graduated with highest honors from Harvard University with a degree in Art, Film and Visual Studies. In 2023 @Instagram featured Treasure as one of their six inaugural “Futuremakers” for her work as an avant-garde artist; her practice including dance, writing, sculpture, film and social experimentation. She is a frequent speaker and writer on topics of race, class, gender, environmentalism, and spirituality. In May, she will be 26 years old.