Headshot of Frank BruniFrank Bruni

Author and New York Times columnist

James P. Elder Lecture

Thursday, April 9, 2026, 6:30 p.m.
Whitley Auditorium

Frank Bruni is a journalist and bestselling author who served at The New York Times for more than 25 years as a White House correspondent, the Rome bureau chief, the paper鈥檚 chief restaurant critic and op-ed columnist. He is now a contributing opinion writer and maintains a weekly newsletter reflecting on politics and life.

Bruni is the author of five New York Times bestsellers including 鈥淭he Age of Grievance,鈥 a dive into why Americans are so angry. He makes the case that Americans conflate legitimate causes and petty complaints, creating a condition of constant self-victimization. People obsess over how they鈥檝e been wronged and who to blame, which poses a threat to American democracy, rather than choosing to focus on civil, productive dialogue and constructive action.

鈥淭he Beauty of Dusk鈥 is a memoir detailing Bruni鈥檚 adjustment to the sudden loss of vision in one eye and the acceptance of the reality that the same fate could befall the other at any moment. It earned rave reviews from people and publications including Oprah Winfrey, Katie Couric, People magazine, The New York Times and The Washington Post.

The first openly gay op-ed columnist at the Times, Bruni is a recipient of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association鈥檚 Randy Shilts Award for his career-long contributions to the LGBTQ community and the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Newspaper Columnist. A Pulitzer Prize finalist in feature writing, he is the Eugene C. Patterson Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy at Duke University鈥檚 Sanford School of Public Policy.