Cathedral to Host Bono for Conversation with Jon Meacham
WASHINGTON– Washington National Cathedral will host legendary singer-songwriter, activist, and global humanitarian Bono to discuss his upcoming memoir with Cathedral Canon Historian Jon Meacham on Monday, December 5, at 7 p.m. ET.
Bono’s new book, Surrender, is the story of the remarkable life he’s lived, the challenges he’s faced, and the friends and family who have shaped and sustained him.
As the lead singer for U2 and one of the world’s most iconic artists and engaged activists, Bono’s career has been written about extensively. But Surrender marks the first time he has written a memoir, reflecting on his own life.
“When I started to write this book, I was hoping to draw in detail what I’d previously only sketched in songs,” says Bono, “In the band, in my marriage, in my faith, in my life as an activist. Surrender is the story of one pilgrim’s lack of progress . . . with a fair amount of fun along the way.”
“We are honored to host Bono, who is not only one of the world’s most iconic artists, but a person who has dedicated himself to improving the world for marginalized people,” said the Very Rev. Randolph Marshall Hollerith, dean of Washington National Cathedral. “His openness and commitment to his faith is an inspiration to us all.”
As Canon Historian of the Cathedral, Jon Meacham leads public conversations several times a year on issues of faith, spirituality, and civic life. As a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, Meacham brings acclaimed scholarship to every work. Meacham is the Rogers Chair in the American Presidency and co-chair of the Project on Unity and American Democracy at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., and the author of the new book, And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle.
The event is open to the public for in-person attendance, tickets can be purchased here. Each ticket includes admission to this event and a hardcover copy of Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story.
Media is welcome to cover the conversation in-person and should contact Eleanor Donohue for details.
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MEDIA CONTACTS
Eleanor Donohue, 202-704-5840, [email protected]
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About Bono
The lead singer of Irish rock band U2, Bono was born Paul David Hewson in Dublin. He met The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton at school, and in 1978 U2 was formed. Acknowledged as one of the best live acts in the world, U2 have sold over 170 million albums and won numerous awards, including 22 Grammys and the Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award. In 2005, U2 were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and this December they will receive the Kennedy Center Honors.
Alongside his role in U2, Bono is a groundbreaking activist. A leader in Jubilee 2000’s Drop the Debt campaign, he next took on the fight against HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty, co-founding sister organizations ONE and (RED). With ONE, Bono has lobbied heads of state and legislatures all around the world, helping to ensure the passage of health and development programs, such as the U.S. PEPFAR AIDS program, which alone has saved 20 million lives to date. (RED)—which partners with companies to raise awareness and funding to fight AIDS—has generated $700 million for the Global Fund to treat and prevent AIDS in Africa.
Bono has received a number of awards for his music and activism, including the Freedom of the City of Dublin (with U2), the Légion d’Honneur from the French government, an honorary British knighthood, the Fulbright Prize for International Understanding, and TIME magazine’s Person of the Year (along with Bill and Melinda Gates). He lives in Dublin with his family.
About Washington National Cathedral
Grounded in the reconciling love of Jesus Christ, Washington National Cathedral is a house of prayer for all people, conceived by our founders to serve as a great church for national purposes.