The Best and the Brightest

If you want to speak at the Conference on World Affairs, which takes place on the CU Boulder campus today through Friday, it's a good idea to write a well-regarded book, or to report on a controversial war, or to have a brilliant idea that influences popular culture, business, technology...

By Laura Bond

April 5, 2012

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If you want to speak at the Conference on World Affairs, which takes place on the CU Boulder campus today through Friday, it's a good idea to write a well-regarded book, or to report on a controversial war, or to have a brilliant idea that influences popular culture, business, technology -- or all three. Those traits typically unite the global intelligentsia that has shown up to share since the conference started in 1948.

This year, more than 100 journalists, political activists, entrepreneurs, storytellers, musicians, human-rights champions, physicists, veterans and other idea celebs will share wisdom and dialogue about current events (and everything else) over four thought-filled days. Now in its 64th year, the CWA is still the best intellectual spectator sport in the country.

"This year, we were reminiscing about how Roger Ebert has referred to the CWA as the 'conference on everything conceivable' -- and it just hit us that Roger's phrase should be a permanent tagline for us," says Maura Clare, director of public affairs for the CWA. "It hits the nail on the head: We are the 'Conference on Everything Conceivable.'"

The CWA is free and open to the public, though seats go fast. Visit www.colorado.edu/cwa for a complete list of events and presenters.
April 9-13, 9 a.m., 2012

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