Award-winning political cartoonist slated for Speakers Assembly

Cartoonist Kevin Kallaugher

Nationally recognized editorial cartoonist Kevin Kallaugher will conduct a participatory brunch on Friday, Feb. 8 at 10 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort in Estero.

Kellaugher, a Harvard graduate, is part of a series of presenters sponsored by Speakers Assembly of Southwest Florida, which for 12 years has brought distinguished speakers and panelists to address the community on issues of politics, energy, the economy, healthcare, business and industry.

For those who have ever tried to put a basketful of criticism into a thimble, Kallaugher does it on a regular basis. His political cartoons have appeared in publications on both sides of the Atlantic. Kallaugher's work for The Baltimore Sun and The Economist has appeared in more than 100 publications worldwide, including Le Monde, Der Spiegel, Pravda, Krokodil, Daily Yomiuri, Time, Newsweek and many more.

He's won many awards for his work including the 2005 Nast Prize presented by the town of Landau, Germany. The Nast is named for Thomas Nast, a famous German-American caricaturist and editorial cartoonist in the 19th century. He is considered to be the father of American political cartooning. In 2006 The Walter's Art Gallery (Baltimore) mounted a major retrospective of Kallaugher's work titled "Mightier than The Sword; The Satirical Pen of KAL". His work has also been exhibited at the Tate Gallery in London and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Kallaugher will share his knowledge and skills so that all attendees can be on the biting edge of political discourse and satire. This will be a participatory luncheon enabling the audience to hear, learn and experiment with editorial cartooning. Kallaugher promises we can all be political cartoonists before we leave for the afternoon!

The cost, which includes brunch, is $40 for guests of the Speakers Assembly. Reservations are required and can be made by contacting the Speakers Assembly Office at 239-948-7909 or speakersassembly@aol.com.

Also attending the session will be students from a local high school who are being sponsored by Bonita Daily News. The students will have a private question and answer session with Kallaugher prior to his presentation. Community Honorees for this session will be Marie Tranovich, Naples Community Foundation Women of Style and Dudley Goodlette, Distinguished Citizen of the Year for Southwest Florida Council Boy Scouts of America.