WHO: Gloria Steinem, political activist, journalist and spokeswoman for the feminist movement

WHAT: ”What’s Next: An Evening with Gloria Steinem,” in the Distinguished Speakers Series

WHEN: 8 p.m. Jan. 16

WHERE: Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

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WHO: Ishmael Beah, a former "child soldier" in Sierra Leone, having been conscripted, given a copious amount of drugs and turned into a killer at age 13—who survived his ordeal, regained his humanity and wrote the book A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

WHAT: "A Long Way Gone: A Story of Redemption and Hope"

WHEN: 8 p.m. April 8

WHERE: Jackson Hall

RELATED EVENT: "Just the Facts, Ma'am?" Forum@MC, 5 p.m. April 6, Studio Theatre, Mondavi Center. Free.

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WHO: Paul Haggis, writer, director and producer, the creative force behind the films Million Dollar Baby and Crash, first person to write back-to-back winners of the Academy Award for best picture—addressing the practical and magical aspects of writing for the camera and maintaining one's integrity in an industry of compromise

WHAT: "From Crash to the Valley of Elah: The Art and Craft of Hollywood"

WHEN: 8 p.m. May 11

WHERE: Jackson Hall

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Tickets: (530) 754-2787 or (866) 754-2787, or www.mondaviarts.org.