Ann Friedman founded the museum Planet Word as a novel way to engage people with words, reading, and language. She hoped that by taking an interactive, high-tech, participatory approach, she might help reverse a troubling trend: people of all ages were reading less and were using words unkindly to divide people rather than foster community or strengthen democracy. Friedman will talk about the museum’s core values and the decisions she and her team made when designing its galleries.
Register before 5 p.m. the Sunday before for in-person lunch ($10) or by the next evening for the Zoom link.
Ann B. Friedman is the Founder and CEO of Planet Word and the developer behind the restoration of the Franklin School, the museum’s home. She was a beginning reading and writing teacher in Montgomery County, MD, for 9 years until her retirement in 2011. From 2010-2016, she served as the Chair of the Board of the SEED Foundation, the parent body of the only U.S. public, inner-city, college-prep boarding schools, where she remains a board member. Ms. Friedman is a trustee of the Aspen Music Festival and School and of the Downtown D.C. Foundation. She is a graduate of Stanford University and earned master’s degrees from the London School of Economics and American University. She is married to N.Y. Times foreign affairs columnist Thomas L. Friedman. They have two adult daughters.
For more information, please email Lunch and Learn.