New York, NY, March 16, 2009 – Leaders of political movements. Media moguls. Best-selling authors. Culinary gurus. Influential women of the Twenty-first Century can be found in a variety of fields, and a few of them will stop by the 92nd Street Y in March for discussions and interviews. Wed, Mar 18, 7-8:30 pm, $40 Francine Segan’s World of Tasting | TEA: TASTING AND HISTORY Discover the origins of tea and the fascinating story of its world journey. Learn how tea is grown and about the differences among green, black, white and other teas. Find out about the Japanese tea ceremony and the history of English afternoon tea. Learn to brew the perfect cup and talk about recipes that use tea. See various types of raw leaves and – of course – taste several different brews. With food historian and expert FRANCINE SEGAN, who has appeared on numerous radio and television programs and is the author of The Philosopher’s Kitchen, Shakespeare’s Table and The Opera Lover’s Cookbook. Mon, Mar 23, 8:15 pm, $27 NAOMI WOLF: UNDERSTANDING DEMOCRACY In her new book, Give Me Liberty (Simon & Schuster, 2008), feminist, social critic and political activist NAOMI WOLF provides a guide to understanding democracy in America and teaches us how to use it to change our lives, communities and nation. Wolf is also the author of The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot and The Beauty Myth. She is cofounder of the Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership, an organization that teaches young women how to become leaders and agents of change in the 21st century. Wed, Mar 25, 8 pm, $27 JEHAN SADAT with BARBARA WALTERS On the 30th anniversary of the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty, the widow of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat talks about her new memoir, My Hope for Peace (Free Press, March 24, 2009), with BARBARA WALTERS. As a professor, peace activist and former first lady, JEHAN SADAT has had a front-row seat to the agonizing cycle of progress and setback in the Middle East. An ardent feminist who believes women’s rights and Islamic values need not be at odds, Sadat has been a lifelong activist for literacy and humanitarian causes. In My Hope for Peace, she shares her husband’s principles for peace, sets the record straight on the most persistent and damaging misconceptions about Islam and explains what Muslim women can do to advance peace in the Middle East. Barbara Walters, of ABC News, is one of the leading journalists in America and acclaimed for her penetrating interviews. Thu, Mar 26, 8 pm, $27 RACHAEL RAY with KIM SEVERSON RACHAEL RAY has emerged as one of the most popular hosts on television. Her hour-long show, Rachael Ray, debuted in fall, 2006 and won seven Emmy award nominations in its first year. She has done a string of successful shows on The Food Network, including the phenomenally successful, Emmy-winning 30 Minute Meals. She has expanded that show into a bestselling series of cookbooks that include 30 Minute Meals, Cooking Rocks! Rachael Ray 30 Minute Meals for Kids and Express Lane Meals. In 2006, Ray launched Yum-o!, a nonprofit organization that helps kids and families develop a healthy relationship with food by teaching them how to shop and cook, feeding hungry kids and funding food and cooking education. KIM SEVERSON covers food and cultural trends for The New York Times.