Best-selling author and award-winning journalist Eric Weiner will deliver this year’s International Education Week keynote speech at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, in the Baker University Center Ballroom.

Ohio University will welcome best-selling author and award-winning journalist Eric Weiner to campus on Thursday, Nov. 16, for the keynote speech for International Education Week.

“The Geography of Genius: How Place Shapes Us and Defines Us” will be the focus of the keynote speech, which will begin at 7 p.m. in the Baker University Center Ballroom. The event is free, and all students, faculty, staff and area residents are encouraged to attend.

In this day of instant messaging and tele-conferencing, one might conclude that geography is dead, and that place no longer matters. Not so, Weiner says; place still matters, and, in fact, it matters more than ever. It shapes everyone in many important and unexpected ways. It affects our happiness, as well as our creative and spiritual lives.

Weiner has traveled the world in search of the happiest places and what they can teach us about contentment. In his talk, he will explore seven “genius clusters,” from ancient Athens to Silicon Valley, and ask, “What was in the water there, and can we bottle it?” Everyone is welcome to attend the talk, which is sure to inform and inspire to lead happier, more creative lives. 

The author of The New York Times bestseller, “The Geography of Bliss,” and two other popular books, “The Geography of Genius” and “Man Seeks God,” Weiner is a dynamic speaker who offers keen insights that will benefit audience members from all across the campus and community. A longtime foreign correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR), Weiner reported from more than 30 nations, covering some of the major international events of recent times. 

He currently writes a regular column for BBC Travel, and his work also appears in The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post and other publications. He is the recipient of several journalism awards, including the Angel Award for coverage of Islamic affairs in Asia.

The keynote speech will be one of several events that will be held at Ohio University during International Education Week, which will be celebrated on campus Nov. 13-17. For additional information on the keynote speech or on the wide range of events scheduled for the week, please visit www.ohio.edu/iew. 

For those who cannot attend the speech in person, a livestream of the event will be available at this link. 

This article was provided by the Office of Global Affairs and International Studies.