Night of Ideas

People

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Prune Antoine

Journalist and Novelist

Texas Through Women’s Minds

Prune Antoine is an independent journalist and novelist. Her reports have been published by major media outlets and have been shortlisted for the European Press Prize, the True Story Award, and the Franco-German Journalism Prize. 

She has investigated numerous topics at the intersection of international relations, politics, and society. L’Heure d’été (2019), a finalist for the Goncourt First Novel Prize, explores the hopes of a Millennial couple in Berlin grappling with precariousness, gentrification, and free love in Europe on the brink of an implosion. More recently, La mère diabolique (2024) examines the ambivalences of motherhood and revisits the criminal case of Christiane K. 

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Sofia Heyl

Music Therapist

The Advocacy Power of Music & Poetry

Sofia Heyl, MT-BC is a board-certified music therapist located in Houston, Texas. Sofia provides music therapy services at Alexander Jewish Family Service (JFS) to people of all ages with mental health diagnoses, to work on their therapeutic goals through music. She provides both individual and group music therapy services at JFS and in the community, provides educational presentations about music therapy, and also teaches private music lessons in her free time.

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Toni Hickman

Singer and Songwriter

The Advocacy Power of Music & Poetry

Singer, songwriter and motivational speaker on subjects of depression and recovery; physical, mental and spiritual health; and living one’s purpose.

Toni Hickman’s talent for adding poetry to a vocal beat nailed her a major record label and name before a strake and second brain aneurysm robed her of her voice. Her doctors told her she may never walk or speak again but when music is an ingrained part of your soul, it finds a way out – and it did.

Toni holds an Emmy Award for the song “Rising Phoenix” which she wrote the passionate chorus and her part of the lyrics. The song accompanies the closing of the Netflix film of the same name.

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Peter Hotez

Physician-scientist

The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science
Reception & Book Signing with Dr. Peter Hotez

Dr. Hotez is an internationally-recognized physician-scientist in neglected tropical diseases and vaccine development.

He has emerged as one of the leading defenders of vaccines in America. As both a vaccine scientist and autism parent, he has led national efforts to defend vaccines and to serve as an ardent champion of vaccines going up against a growing national “antivax” threat.

 

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François Picard

Journalist

François Picard is a freelance journalist covering the region through text or video for various media, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), French television, and the press. Based in Houston for five years, he is also actively directing documentaries on a regular basis. In 2024, he received the Migration Journalism Claudio Paolillo Award from the Inter American Press Association for his work with AFP. He is also the host of the podcast and YouTube channel Death Row Stories and frequently lectures in Quebec and France.

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