The Arik Korman Show

Leighton Meester is an actress and singer/songwriter. She starred as Blair Waldorf on The CW series Gossip Girl and appeared in films such as Country Strong, The Roommate, Monte Carlo, The Oranges and That's My Boy. Leighton recently co-starred in Life Partners and stars Like Sunday, Like Rain coming out March 6. She went into Broadway in 2014, starring as Curley's wife alongside James Franco and Chris O'Dowd in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. Last October, Leighton released her first album, “Heartstrings,” and performs tonight at the Showbox in Seattle.

Cirque du Soleil is a major Québec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. The company has close to 4,000 employees, including 1,300 artists from more than 50 different countries. Cirque du Soleil has entertained nearly 150 million spectators in more than 300 cities in over forty countries on six continents. Amelie Robitaille is the publicist and "Black" is an amazing Yo-Yo master in the new show Kurios, now at Redmond’s Marymoor Park through March 22nd. Info and tickets at kurios.com

Arwen Elys Dayton began her career as a teenage staff writer at a foundation that produced Peabody Award–winning educational shows for PBS. She now spends months doing research for her stories, which has taken her around the world. Arwen’s new book is “Seeker,” the first novel in a trilogy, which has been optioned for film by Columbia Pictures. Arwen lives with her husband and their three children in the rainy Pacific Northwest. Visit her at arwendayton.com and follow her @arwenelysdayton

Mindi Abair is a two-time Grammy-nominated saxophonist, vocalist, author, and President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the organization that puts on The Grammys. Mindi has toured and/or recorded with Aerosmith, Gregg Allman, Trombone Shorty, Joe Perry, Booker T. Jones, Max Weinberg, the Backstreet Boys, Duran Duran, Mandy Moore, Josh Groban, Adam Sandler and many more. In addition to her acclaimed solo work, she was the featured saxophonist on the 2011 and 2012 seasons of American Idol. Her latest album “Wild Heart” debuted #1 on the Billboard Jazz chart and was nominated for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album at this year’s Grammy Awards.
Mindi is in Seattle to perform at Jazz Alley through the weekend.

David J. Linden is a professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of “The Accidental Mind: How Brain Evolution Has Given Us Love, Memory, Dreams, and God.” His second book was “The Compass of Pleasure: How Our Brains Make Fatty Foods, Orgasm, Exercise, Marijuana, Generosity, Vodka, Learning, and Gambling Feel So Good.” And now Dr. Linden has released “Touch: The Science of Heart, Hand and Mind.” He was in the Northwest to speak at Town Hall Seattle, presented by Town Hall and University Book Store, as part of The Seattle Science Lectures.

Nazila Fathi is a journalist, translator and commentator on Iran who reported from Iran for nearly two decades... until 2009, when threats from the Iranian government forced her into exile. From 2001 until 2009, Nazila was based in Tehran as the only full-time New York Times correspondent in Iran, writing over 2000 articles. Before that, she wrote for TIME magazine. Nazila’s new book is "The Lonely War: One Woman’s Account of the Struggle for Modern Iran." Nazila Fathi was in the Northwest to speak at Town Hall Seattle, presented by Town Hall and Elliott Bay Book Company, as part of the Civics series.

Stephen Palumbi is Professor of Biology and Director of the Hopkins Marine Station at Stanford University. His film projects include the BBC series “The Future Is Wild” and the History Channel’s “Life After People.” Dr. Palumbi is author of “The Death and Life of Monterey Bay” and “The Evolution Explosion.” Anthony Palumbi, Stephen’s son, is a science writer and novelist whose work has appeared in The Atlantic and other publications. Together, they have written “The Extreme Life of the Sea.” Stephen and Anthony were in the Northwest to speak at Town Hall Seattle, presented by: Town Hall, Sustainable Path, Pacific Science Center, and University Book Store, as part of The Seattle Science Lectures.

Wes Moore is an American author, businessman, and U.S. Army veteran. His first book, "The Other Wes Moore," became an instant New York Times bestseller. Currently he is the host of "Beyond Belief" on the Oprah Winfrey Network. His new book is "The Work: My Search for a Meaningful Life." Wes was in the Northwest to speak at Town Hall Seattle, presented by Town Hall, the Elliott Bay Book Company, and the Northwest African American Museum as part of the Civics series.

Israeli-American violinist Itzhak Perlman is beloved for his charm as well as his talent. Mr. Perlman is treasured by audiences throughout the world who respond not only to his remarkable artistry, but also his irrepressible joy of making music. He is a Seattle favorite... and was in town last week to perform with... and conduct... the Seattle Symphony.

David Domke is professor and chair for the Department of Communication at the University of Washington and author of "God Willing? Political Fundamentalism in the White House, the War on Terror, and the Echoing Press," as well as the award-winning book "The God Strategy: How Religion Became a Political Weapon in America." Prior to academia, Professor Domke worked as a journalist for the Orange County Register and Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He is presenting a five-part lecture series on "Marching to Selma: How MLK, LBJ & the Civil Rights Movement Changed the World," presented by the UW Department of Communication and the University Bookstore. Catch the second part Monday, January 19th at UW’s Kane Hall.