Moving to Cairo in the midst of the 2011 Arab Spring, Peter Hessler witnessed and recorded the revolution as a staff writer for The New Yorker. Drawing on Egypt’s rich ancient history and the contemporary stories from the locals he has befriended, Hessler will discuss the impact of the revolution on Egyptian culture, business, and politics at a Global Café Breakfast. He will address President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s rise to power and how he is different, but not necessarily better, than the rulers who preceded him. Hessler will also discuss the US-Egypt alliance, the struggling Egyptian economy, and the large, restless population of young people.

Hessler’s new book The Buried: An Archaeology of the Egyptian Revolution will be available for purchase at this event.

Peter Hessler is a staff writer at The New Yorker. After teaching English in Fuling, China with the Peace Corps, Hessler moved to Beijing and became The New Yorker’s first resident China correspondent since before the 1949 revolution. He also became a contributing writer to National Geographic. He completed a trilogy of nonfiction books about the decade that he lived in China. In 2011, Hessler and his family moved to Cairo, where he became The New Yorker’s Egypt correspondent. He covered the events of the Arab Spring while studying Egyptian Arabic and pursuing an interest in ancient Egypt. In 2013, Hessler published Strange Stones, a collection of essays.

Sewell Chan joined the Los Angeles Times in September 2018. As the deputy managing editor for news, he oversees the news desk (previously known as the digital hub), the multiplatform copy desks, audience engagement, newsletters and the Data Desk. He previously worked for 14 years at the New York Times, where he was a metro reporter, Washington correspondent, deputy Op-Ed editor and international news editor. He was part of a team of journalists awarded the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news coverage of a scandal that brought down Gov. Eliot Spitzer of New York. Chan began his career in 2000 as a reporter at the Washington Post, reporting on local government, education and social services.

VENUE:

Akasha Cafe & Restaurant
9543 Culver Blvd., Culver City CA 90232

This breakfast is buffet style and serve yourself. Seating is not assigned.

Please reserve no later than 12:00 pm on Thursday, May 9. Cancellations must be made by 12:00 pm on Thursday, May 9 in order to receive a refund.

Photo credit: Tarek