 James Srodes Author-Journalistor telephone (202) 232-5312 |
BIOGRAPHYFranklin: The Essential Founding Father, the latest biography by author,journalist, and broadcaster James Srodes has been honored by the Free Library of Philadelphia and Mayor John Street. The book has been chosen for the One Book-One Philadelphia city-wide literacy promotion program for 2006. A special edition of the book is being circulated in the public schools and nearly 60 public libraries in the city. The announcement came at a televised press conference October 20 at the Library.
The book's selection is 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 will repeat the Franklin spy lecture when the Tercentenary Museum show moves to the Missouri Museum of History in St. Louis this summer. On October 20, he will return 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 U.S. Industry Today magazine and Industry Europe magazine in the U.K. He also provides a weekly radio commentary program on business and finance for the BBC World Report.
He is currently working on a biography of William E. Colbiy, the CIA director.
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. 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
November 3-4, 2006. 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.
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