Two tastemakers from The New York Times coming to Quick Center | Press Releases

Alessandra Stanley, chief television critic, and Frank Bruni, Op-Ed columnist make exclusive Open VISIONS Forum appearance at 8 p.m., October 9, 2014

Image: Bruni and Stanley Two of today's cultural tastemakers, The New York Times ' Alessandra Stanley, chief television critic, and Frank Bruni, Op-Ed columnist, share an evening of conversation at the Regina A. Quick Center at 8 p.m., Thursday, October 9, 2014 . This special event, "Reflections on Media & Culture in America Today," is presented by Fairfield University's signature lecture series, Open VISIONS Forum. Moffly Media is the exclusive magazine sponsor for this season's OVF series. Support for this event also comes from TV Eyes and Delamar Southport. Single tickets are $45.

Whether it's covering the new season or deconstructing the latest shows, Alessandra Stanley has a by-line synonymous with television reviewing, although she has held writing posts all over the world. Before her role as chief television critic for The New York Times , she was a foreign correspondent based in Moscow and Rome. She has also covered culture, national politics, and city news for the newspaper. Ms. Stanley began her career at Time Magazine . Born in Boston, she grew up in Washington, D.C. and Europe, and majored in comparative literature at Harvard. She speaks French, Italian and Russian and lives in New York City.

Frank Bruni, an Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times since June 2011, joined the newspaper in 1995. Over his years at The Times he has worn a wide variety of hats, including chief restaurant critic and Rome bureau chief. He has also written two New York Times best sellers: a memoir, "Born Round," (Penguin Press, 2009), and "Ambling Into History," a chronicle of George W. Bush's campaign for the presidency, (HarperCollins, 2002). Mr. Bruni received a B.A. degree (Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead scholar, in 1986. He received an M.S. degree in journalism, with highest honors, from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1988, graduating second in his class and winning a Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship.

A sampling of possible topics to be discussed include: Breaking Good . How has the seismic explosion of media choices and new viewing habits reshaped content and forced television to seek new forms of creativity? House of Shards . Has the abundance of choices and venues broadened horizons, or has modern technology made life more tribal, allowing viewers to make narrow selections that perpetuate hermetic cocoons? The Walking Dread. Is television feeding our cynicism about politics or vice versa? Is there room for idealism on screen? What's the upside of dystopian television? Game of Drones. Is television still the dominant political arena? How have Google and other search engines that offer precision advertising changed politics and candidates' media strategies?

Following Ms. Stanley's and Mr. Bruni's presentation, there will be an informal conversation and discussion with David Gudelunas, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Communication, Michael Serazio, Ph.D., deputy director of Open VISIONS Forum and assistant professor of communication, and Philip Eliasoph, Ph.D. , founder/moderator of Open VISIONS Forum and professor of art history.

"Alessandra Stanley and Frank Bruni are truly two great storytellers of our time," said David Gudelunas, Ph.D. " Like all great storytellers, they take complex issues of politics, culture, and modern existence generally and don't just chronicle them, but they create a context and, more importantly, they create a conversation. At a technological moment when anyone can report the news or write a review, we are hungry for the sort of deeper understandings that both Stanley and Bruni bring to their work."

Tickets are available through the Quick Center Box Office: (203) 254-4010, or toll-free 1-877-ARTS-396 (1-877-278-7396). Tickets can also be purchased online at www.quickcenter.com .

The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts is located on the campus of Fairfield University at 1073 North Benson Road in Fairfield, Connecticut. Entrance to the Quick Center is through the Barlow Road gate at 200 Barlow Road. Free, secure parking is available. Access for people with disabilities is available throughout the Quick Center for audience members and performers. Hearing amplification devices are available upon request at the Box Office. Fairfield University is located off exit 22 of Interstate-95. For further information and directions, call (203) 254-4010 or 1-877-278-7396, or visit www.quickcenter.com .