IAPP Global Summit 2026: Privacy | AI governance | Cybersecurity law

Sir Salman Rushdie is one of the most celebrated authors of our time — of any time. A brilliant provocateur, he has penned multiple classic novels and memoirs, influenced a generation of writers, and received a Queen’s Knighthood for his “services to literature.” He stands as both a pop culture icon and one of the most thought-provoking proponents for free speech today.

Rushdie’s novels, greeted always with anticipation and acclaim, include “The Satanic Verses,” “The Moor’s Last Sigh,” “The Ground Beneath Her Feet,” and “The Enchantress of Florence.”

His most recent book, “The Eleventh Hour,” is a collection of stories on life, death, and what comes into focus at the proverbial eleventh hour of life. In a starred review, Booklist praises it as “enthralling, sagacious, and resounding,” while Kirkus, in a starred review, calls it “a brilliant series of intimations of mortality.”

His previous book, “Knife,” is a number-one international bestseller that was named to the New York Times 100 Notable Books of the Year and became a finalist for the National Book Award. It is a deeply personal account of surviving and healing after an attempt on his life. It has been lauded across the media. The Guardian calls it “a courageous defense of free speech,” while The New York Times hails it as “a visceral, intimate book.”

His latest New York Times bestselling novel, “Victory City,” tells the epic tale of a woman who breathes a fantastical empire into existence only to be consumed by it. It was named a best book of the year by The New York Times Book Review, The New Yorker, TIME, NPR, The Washington Post, and more. His previous work, “Languages of Truth,” is a collection of non-fiction essays from 2003-2020, which illuminate truths about our society and culture through his gorgeous and often searing prose.

For his masterwork of magic realism, “Midnight’s Children,” he won the prestigious Booker Prize, and later, the Best of the Booker. The novel has since been adapted to film by the Academy Award-nominated director Deepa Mehta and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. As well, a new adaptation of “Midnight’s Children” is in development at Netflix, with showrunner Vishal Bhardwaj, whose work Rushdie calls “visually astonishing”.

Rushdie is also the author of the bestselling memoir “Joseph Anton.” His “Luka” and the “Fire of Life” is a children’s novel and a companion to “Haroun” and the “Sea of Stories.” His recent novel “Two Years Eight Months” and “Twenty-Eight Nights” was a New York Times bestseller, as was “The Golden House.”

An eclectic writer and noted public intellectual, Rushdie has won many of the world’s top literary prizes, published a heralded collection of essays, “Step Across the Line,” and served for two years as president of The PEN American Center, the world’s oldest human rights organization.

Maya Shankar is a cognitive scientist and the creator, executive producer, and host of the podcast “A Slight Change of Plans,” which Apple recently awarded as the Best Show of the Year 2021. Shankar was a senior advisor in the Obama White House, where she founded and served as chair of the White House Behavioral Science Team. She also served as the first behavioral science advisor to the United Nations under Ban Ki-moon, and as a core member of Pete Buttigieg’s debate preparation team during his 2020 presidential run. Shankar has a postdoctoral fellowship in cognitive neuroscience from Stanford, a doctorate from Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship, and a Bachelor of Arts from Yale. She's been profiled by The New Yorker and been the featured guest on NPR's “All Things Considered,” “Freakonomics,” and “Hidden Brain.” She is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music's pre-college program, where she was a private violin student of Itzhak Perlman.

Alyson Stoner is a multi-disciplinary entertainer, author, and the founder and CEO of Movement Genius, a mental health company providing therapist-led content to improve well-being. As the writer and host of the award-winning Dear Hollywood podcast, Stoner advocates for industry and policy reform centering the protection of children in traditional and digital media. With multiple certifications and 15 years of group facilitation experience, they have led and contributed to programming for the United Nations, the World Health Organization, LGBTQIA+ centers, and leading universities.

During childhood, Stoner appeared in over 200 films, TV shows, and tours, including Camp Rock, Phineas & Ferb, Step Up, Cheaper by the Dozen, and iconic music videos with Missy Elliott and Eminem. Today, they are focused on impact-driven and community-based initiatives, such as designing Artist Wellbeing Essentials, a robust digital toolkit including expert-led education and tools for performers to pursue their passions in a healthy and sustainable way.

Next, Stoner will release their debut memoir, “Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything,” on August 12, 2025. Opening with candid and intimate details of their tumultuous childhood in Hollywood, Stoner embarks on a powerful and timely deconstruction of identity, culture, and the concept of being “well-adjusted” in a dysfunctional society. From working 80-hour weeks as a child star to navigating family violence, eating disorders, and religious trauma, Stoner charts an unconventional journey of self-discovery, recovery, and advocacy, while providing actionable insights for deep healing and collective change.