The Rock Island and Silvis Public Libraries present "The Many Lives of Kal Penn" -- May 7.
Tuesday, May 7, 7 p.m.
Presented by the Rock Island and Silvis Public Libraries
An actor, writer, producer, and former Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement will take part in a special Illinois Libraries Present event hosted by the Rock Island and Silvis Public Libraries, the May 7 virtual program The Many Lives of Kal Penn offering an audience with the author of You Can’t Be Serious and the co-star of entertainments including The Namesake, The Santa Clauses, and the Harold & Kumar franchise.
Penn was a national co-chair for the Obama/Biden re-election campaign in 2012 and served on the President’s Committee for the Arts and Humanities, focusing on arts education and cultural diplomacy, including the first-ever U.S. Government arts delegation to Cuba. He also taught courses at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California, Los Angeles. Originally from New Jersey, the 47-year-old Penn received his undergraduate degree in sociology, theatre, film, and television at the University of California, Los Angeles, and received a graduate certificate in international security from Stanford University. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
As an actor, Penn is known for his portrayals of Lawrence Kutner on the television program House, White House staffer Seth Wright on Designated Survivor, Kevin, a psychologist and boyfriend to Robin in How I Met Your Mother, and Kumar Patel in the trio of Harold & Kumar films that began with 2004's Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. Earlier in the year, Penn wrapped production on the Bloomberg Green climate change docuseries Getting Warmer, as well as the Viacom/Paramount+ comedy Surina & Mel. Following the departure of Trevor Noah from The Daily Show, Penn was named as an upcoming guest host, and for his May 7 online presentation, the multi-hyphenate will be joined in conversation with Bridget Petrites of the Evanston Public Library.
This virtual event is made possible by Illinois Libraries Present, a statewide collaboration among public libraries offering premier events. ILP is funded in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library, a department of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA).
The Many Lives of Kal Penn will be presented virtually on May 7, participation in the 7 p.m. event is free, and more information is available by calling (309)732-7323 and visiting RockIslandLibrary.com, and calling (309)755-3393 and visiting SilvisLibrary.org.
