Conversations in the Arts is an annual speaker series that brings notable figures in the arts and culture to Columbia’s campus. This fall, the series begins a multiyear cycle that will focus on subjects related to each of the college’s three schools—Media Arts, Fine and Performing Arts, and Liberal Arts and Sciences—over the next three years.

The 2009/10 season, Media Arts in the 21st Century, features speakers who will address major trends and issues in the realm of media, including social media, print and broadcast journalism, and the moving image. Each speaker in the series will spend a day on campus meeting with students in the afternoon, providing them the opportunity to pose questions to the leaders in their fields. The evening lectures are open to the public, and each will be followed by a reception for members of the President’s Club.

The first speaker to join us this fall will be Biz Stone, cofounder of Twitter, the real-time, one-to-many social network that is changing the way people communicate around the world. Prior to launching this 140-character sensation, Stone helped build other popular social-media services, including Xanga, Blogger, and Odeo. Stone will speak at Columbia on October 6.

On January 27, Arianna Huffington, cofounder and editor in chief of The Huffington Post, will come to campus. Huffington, a nationally syndicated columnist, author, and cohost of NPR’s popular Left, Right, and Center political roundtable, launched The Huffington Post in 2005. The news and blog site quickly became among the most widely read media presences on the Internet.

Film Director Mira Nair (Salaam Bombay! and The Namesake) will speak on April 28, 2010. She is one of the most formidable directors working today. Her company, Mirabai films, recently established Maisha, in support of screenwriters and directors in East Africa and South Asia. She is currently filming Amelia, starring Hilary Swank, about Amelia Earhart, and is in pre-production for the film Shantaram, to star Johnny Depp.

Tickets for Conversations in the Arts can be reserved at no charge on a first-come, first-served basis. All lectures begin at 7:00 p.m. at Film Row Cinema, 1104 South Wabash Avenue.