TIMESTALKS FESTIVAL HOSTS WOMEN OF THE SENATE, GRACE JONES & MORE

*Senators Amy Klobuchar, Judi Ernst, Susan Collins, Heidi Heitkamp. Photo by Griffin Lipson/BFA, courtesy of TimesTalks.*

From April 13th to 15th, the New York Times TimesTalks Festival paired an extraordinary selection of public figures with Times journalists for panel discussions on pertinent subjects including gender equality, addiction and activism.

On the 15th, an all-female group of United States senators gathered to discuss on women in politics, public policy and the special relationships cultivated among women of the upper chamber. The panel, titled “Women of the Senate,” featured Susan Collins (R-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), and Heidi Heitkamp (D-North Dakota), and was moderated by former New York Times Congressional reporter and live journalism editor Jennifer Steinhauer.

*Women of the Senate. Photo by Griffin Lipson/BFA, courtesy of TimesTalks.*

Topics discussed by the four senators included the #MeToo movement and new bills, including one that mandates the reporting of sexual assault allegations in amateur sports to police, and a new resolution that will allow newborn babies on the Senate floor (a decision following the pregnancy of Tammy Duckworth, the first woman to give birth while serving a Senator term). Other talking points included changing outdated terminology of “women’s issues” to less gender-specific “family issues” and the role of gender in the era of Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton’s defeat.

Another notable participant, Grace Jones, put on a surprise performance and spoke about her upcoming book, “I’ll Never Write My Memoirs.” Dr. Andrew Kolodny spoke in conversation with photographer Nan Goldin about the opioid epidemic, Denzel Washington spoke about his upcoming Broadway play, “The Iceman Cometh,” and Margaret Atwood discussed art as political activism and censorship. If you weren’t able to attend, you can stream each talk HERE.