James Srodes

On Dupont Circle; Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and the Progressives Who Shaped Our World, the sixth biography by author James Srodes, was published by Counterpoint Press last August. The paperback version is due to be released in May 2013. It is a multi-character story of a dozen young Progressives who had the chance to change world history not once but twice. In 2006, Franklin: The Essential Founding Father, the fifth biography by Srodes was honored by the Free Library of Philadelphia and Mayor John Street. The book was chosen for the One Book-One Philadelphia city-wide literacy promotion program for 2006. A special edition of the book was circulated in the public schools and nearly 60 public libraries in the city. The announcement came at a televised press conference at the Library. The book's selection was linked to the U.S. Tercentenary Commission's official celebration of Benjamin Franklin's 300th birthday. On November 30, Srodes served as moderator for a Franklin symposium at the Library that featured five other historians who wrote essays for the Tercentenary's official book, "In Search of a Better World," which is published by Yale University Press.Since then Srodes participated in the One Book reading promotion program with appearances and book talks at the area's schools, libraries, and colleges. At the National Constitution Center where the Franklin Tercentennial Museum show is housed, Srodes and International Spy Museum Director Peter Earnest held the first of their lectures on "Benjamin Franklin, Master Spy," to a sold out auditorium. They repeated the conversation at the Spy Museum in Washington, DC a week later. Srodes also served as host for the launch of the Tercentennary program's Autobiography Project which kicked off on the main concourse of Philadelphia's 30th Street train station. Srodes and Earnest repeated the Franklin spy lecture when the Tercentenary Museum show moved to the Missouri Museum of History in St. Louis that summer. On October 20, he returned to Philadelphia to host an all-day seminar at the Tercentennary headquarters on "Franklin as a Social Entreneur." In addition to his books, Srodes currently is the contributing editor for Industry Europe magazine in the U.K.and a regular contributor to The American Spectator magazine in the U.S. He also provides a weekly radio commentary program on business and finance for the BBC World Report. He is a regular reviewer of books for both The Washington Times newspaper and The Washington Lawyer magazine. Srodes was born in Newcastle, Pennsylvania, March 12, 1940. After earning a journalism degree from the University of Florida in 1962, he worked for daily newspapers in Florida, North Carolina, and Atlanta before joining United Press International's Washington bureau in 1967 as White House economics reporter. He later worked as a financial journalist in the Washington bureaus of Business Week, Forbes Magazine, and Financial World, serving as bureau chief for the latter two. From 1973 through 1996 he wrote a weekly column on the American financial scene for The Sunday Telegraph of London and wrote regularly for newspapers and magazines in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Srodes was an organizing member of Washington Independent Writers, the regional writers alliance, and has served as its president. He also has been a longtime member of the National Press Club and has served on a number of its professional affairs committees. In June 2010 he was elected to membership in the prestigious Cosmos Club in of scientists, academics and authors. He also serves on the advisory board of the Department of International Studies at the Virginia Military Institute. He and his wife Cecile, an attorney, live in Washington, DC. APPEARANCES During his promotion of On Dupont Circle, Srodes was invited to give author talks to a range of prestigous venues including the Library of Congess Center for the Book (a podcast), the Cosmos Club, and the National Press Club in Washington.DC. OTHER APPEARANCES July 14, 2009. Conocochegue Museum seminar on the French and Indian War, on Franklin and the Craft of Intelligence. November 1-2, 2008. Braddock Road Historical Association seminar on the French and Indian War. Book signing and talk on Franklin's writing. November 3-4, 2007. Braddock Road Historical Association seminar on the French and Indian War. Appeared with Lady Joan Reid at two day conference, spoke on Franklin's role in the war. Book signing. August 6, 2006. Missouri Museum of History, St. Louis. Lecture (with Spy Museum CEO Peter Earnest) on "Franklin the Spy Master), plus media appearances and book signing. RECENT HONORS>
January 17, 2006. Srodes was an honored guest at the dedication of Franklin's residence in London during his eighteen year stay there; the dedication by Prime Minister Tony Blair will mark Franklin's 300 birthday. Franklin House on Craven Street is the only house that he occupied that is still standing. It has been restored through a program sponsored by the Royal Society for the Arts and has been turned into an interactive science educatiosn center for students.
May 7, 2005. Washington Independent Writers Conference (at George Washington University) speaking with Tom Mann of the Library of Congress on book research techniques. Book signing.

April 8-9, 2005. Friends of Franklin seminars at the Aspen Institute ("Why Franklin?"), and the National Press Club with Tom Allen on "Franklin and Washington, Our Revlutionary Spy Masters."

February 22, 2005. The Peple Memorial Lecture at the University of Richmond's Boatwright Library on, "Franklin and his Internet."

May 2004: The C-Span "Booknotes" program interview (April 2003) with James Srodes about his book "Franklin: The Essential Founding Father" is featured as the lead article in C-Span's 25th Anniversary book on "American Character" published this month.

September 11, 2004: SMITHSONIAN ASSOCIATES. Srodes and authors Paul Dickson and Lisa Berger led an all-day symposium on non-fiction book publishing for the Smithsonian Associates members program.

September 21, 2004: INTERNATIONAL SPY MUSEUM. Srodes hosted an evening reception and discussion of a newly published book, "Secret Channel to Berlin," by Swiss historian and former diplomat Dr. Pierre Th. Braunschweig, and Dr. Joseph Hayes, former Richard C. Helms Chair at the CIA. H.E. Christian Blickenstorfer, the Swiss Ambassador, made introductory comments.

January 16, 2003: AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY (Philadelphia). "Franklin and His Internet." Main address to the annual symposium on Franklin's birthday.

November 2002: ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE ARTS (London) "Franklin and Today's News Media," at the annual symposium on Franklin.