John Bates is a naturalist who sees his professional purpose as enabling people to develop environmental literacy. Since 2003, Bates has been particularly interested in old-growth forests, made up of trees that are hundreds of years old at minimum. Bates shares his Brief But Spectacular take on helping others “fall more deeply in love with the world” and connecting time through old-growth forests.

Poet Tongo Eisen-Martin was born and raised in San Francisco, a city whose rapid gentrification he critiques in his work. Through his writing, Eisen-Martin seeks to “facilitate resistance” to a culture that he believes perpetuates domination of those who are already oppressed. The winner of a California Book Award shares his Brief But Spectacular take on poetry as revolution.

Paul Rucker is an artist who uses his work to shed light on the truth, creating pieces that explore mass incarceration, police brutality and the continuing legacy of slavery in the United States. His career path was highly influenced by the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Rucker shares his Brief But Spectacular take on power, repeating history and the normalizing of systemic racism in America.

Malcolm Gladwell is an acclaimed journalist, author and host of the podcast “Revisionist History.” In his latest book, “Talking to Strangers,” he explores how humans tend to misjudge each other during their first encounters, often perceiving conflict and danger where none exist. Gladwell shares his Brief But Spectacular take on intimacy, judgment and how to talk to people we’ve never met before.