Elizabeth Edwards' Gives Lessons in 'Resilience' - Both in her New Memoir and at The Forum

Elizabeth Edwards will appear this afternoon in an anticipated interview with Oprah to promote her new book, Resilience, which discusses her battle with cancer, her husband's Presidential run and his well-known infidelity, and her children and family. Later in the week she will appear on other media outlets including Larry King Live and The View.

In September, Edwards was in Hartford as a part of a Forum on The Presidency, along with Matthew Dowd and Joseph Ellis, and she discussed what it was like to campaign with her husband.

The crowd later broke out in applause when she talked about her inspiring outlook on her cancer.




During the YOUTH Forum press conference Alexandra Gruber, 15, of Hall High School in West Hartford, asked Mrs. Edwards what it was like having "the whole world finding out your whole business. How do you deal with the world knowing about... cancer, those kinds of things?"

Edwards replied: "I don't have a corner on all those things. I see people all the time who do it. Actually, my being public about those things has allowed me to get an enormous amount of support. A lot of people who have all the same things I have, most of them without the kind of health insurance, for example, that I have, they don't have people calling them "inspiring". They don't have a spotlight on them, they don't have a camera on them, and so I get a lot of support. So as much as something is taken out of you, it's also given back to you in a real way."

Matthew Dowd on bullsh*tting former President Bush

When Matthew Dowd was at The Forum back in September, he filled us in on what it was like to work on the re-election campaign for George W. Bush in 2004. Even if his Dubya impression wasn't pitch perfect, his behind-the-scenes insight was fascinating.



You can watch more of the recently posted videos from The Presidency at The Forum's YouTube page.

A Dream Realized

Today the words and wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King were realized as Barack Obama broke the racial and political barriers of old, becoming the first African American President of the United States.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Panelists Reflect Back Stage

By Katlyn Knox, Executive Associate at The Connecticut Forum

After The Presidency ended on stage, things got
very busy back stage!

Check out these post-Forum reactions from some of our panelists!

Elizabeth Edwards describes her experience at The Connecticut Forum:







Matthew Dowd:




Stay tuned! More to come!

Half-Time

By Katlyn Knox, Executive Associate of The Connecticut Forum

Intermission is a VERY busy time backstage...check it out!

Forum volunteers sort thru your many questions

Moderator Michel Martin prepping on the stairs for the second half

YOUTH Forum member Ornella Thompson looks on
as she prepares to welcome the crowd to the second half

Elizabeth Edwards enjoying Ornella's speech

Pre-Forum Cocktails and Dinner

By Katlyn Knox, Executive Associate at The Connecticut Forum


I’m back!

Dinner is underway, with Forum panelists, friends, and sponsors enjoying delicious food and fueling up for the great evening ahead!

Sponsors and other friends of the Forum mingle with panelists while enjoying a few drinks

CT Forum staff members

Sandy Morrow (The Ticket Empress)
and Linda Kollmorgen (The Dinner Queen)

More to come! The panel will be hitting the stage soon!

Live! It's The Presidency!

By Katlyn Knox, Executive Associate at The Connecticut Forum


Hello Forum Fans!

Tonight marks the kickoff of our exciting 2008-2009 Season with our first Forum, The Presidency. This evening our elite panel of historians and insiders will take a look at the nations highest office..where its been, and where its going.

The panel includes:

Elizabeth Edwards, Political Insider and Inspirational Woman

Matthew Dowd, Chief Strategist of the 2004 Bush-Cheney Campaign

Joseph Ellis, Pulitzer-Prize Winning Historian and Author of Founding Brothers

Michel Martin, Host of NPR's Tell Me More will Moderate


I am here to provide you with an exclusive behind the scenes look at tonight's Forum...let's get started!


The panelists have arrived and are settling into The Connecticut Culinary Institute, where the pre-Forum cocktail and dinner are held.

First Stop? The panelist meeting room. Here the panel meets and greets each other before the evening begins, and take a few moments to sign some autographs. Take a look!

Then it is off to the press confrence where members of the media, as well as our very own YOUTH Forum members have a chance to intimately ask the panelists a few questions.

Check back here in a few minutes for clips from the press confrence, and the dish on dinner!

One Nation under...Paris Hilton?

Last week Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain approved a TV spot entitled "Celeb" that labeled Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama "the biggest celebrity in the world" and juxtaposed his image with those of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.

Well needless to say, that glimmer of media spotlight ignited a spark in Paris Hilton, and now things are getting hot!

Check out her videotaped reply.

Paris…for President?

It's...a Forum Blog!

Hello and welcome to the The Connecticut Forum blog - your place for the latest Forum news, videos, and discussion about issues affecting our communities and our world.

For the past 16 years, the Connecticut Forum has brought world-renowned experts and celebrities to the stage of the Bushnell Theater in Hartford, Connecticut for the purpose of talk...the free and active exchange of ideas that challenge your beliefs and inspire you to think. Our live, unscripted, provocative Forums get the conversation started, and we make it our mission to keep it going - to engage and connect people across geographic, economic, social and racial divides for the purpose of building community.

There's simply nothing like the Forum experience, and through this blog we hope to share it with you. We invite you to join the conversation, to check out our Forum video clips, and of course, if possible, to come find out for yourself what makes us unique!

This Season, we are thrilled to bring Elizabeth Edwards, one of the most inspirational women and knowledgeable political insiders to Hartford to reflect on the office of the presidency, democracy, and the future. She will be joined by Matthew Dowd, chief strategist for the 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign and Joseph Ellis, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Founding Brothers.

Later this Season, Christopher Hitchens, the best-selling author of God is Not Great will participate in our discussion about God: Big Questions...Bigger Questions. Hitchens recently allowed himself to be waterboarded for an article he wrote in Vanity Fair entitled, Believe Me, It's Torture. The video of Hitchen's experience is perhaps as torturous to watch as it was for him to endure. You be the judge.