Thank You for an Unforgettable 35th Annual Authors Luncheon!

35 Years of Stories, Community & Possibilities!

What an incredible afternoon! On Saturday, October 17, 2026, we gathered at The Terrace in Palo Alto to celebrate the 35th Annual Authors Luncheon, and what a celebration it was!

Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, guests, donors, volunteers, and dedicated committee, we raised nearly $425,000 and counting, making this our most successful Authors Luncheon to date!

We were thrilled to welcome bestselling authors David Pogue, Evelyn Skye, and Alka Joshi, along with our wonderful emcee Maureen Langan, for an afternoon filled with inspiring stories, meaningful connections, and a shared commitment to AbilityPath's mission.

To everyone who helped make this milestone year so special, THANK YOU! Your support helps AbilityPath continue creating opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.

We'd Love Your Feedback!

Did you attend this year's Authors Luncheon? We'd love to hear from you! Please take a few minutes to complete our brief post-event survey. Your feedback helps us make next year's event even better.

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Thank you for celebrating 35 years of stories and possibilities with us. We can't wait to see you next year!

After 30 years in advertising and marketing, Alka Joshi turned to full-time writing with her New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon Pick, The Henna Artist. The novel was Longlisted for the "Center for Fiction First Novel Prize," translated into 30 languages, and is now in development as a feature film. She followed with 2 sequels, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur and The Perfumist of Paris before releasing Six Days in Bombay. Her 5th novel, Daughters of the Pink City, will appear on shelves March 2, 2027. Forbes selected Alka for their 50 Over 50 List in 2023. Born in India, Alka came to the U.S. at nine and earned a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of the Arts.

David Pogue is a seven-time Emmy-winning correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning. He’s also a New York Times bestselling author, a five-time TED speaker, and host of 20 NOVA science specials on PBS. From 2000 to 2013, he was The New York Times weekly tech columnist.

He’s written or cowritten more than 120 books, including dozens in the Missing Manual tech series, which he created in 1999; six books in the For Dummies line (including Macs, Magic, Opera, and Classical Music); two novels; his three bestselling Pogue’s Basics books of tips and shortcuts (on Tech, Money, and Life); his practical guide to the climate crisis, How to Prepare for Climate Change; and his 2026 New York Times bestseller, Apple: The First 50 Years.

After graduating summa cum laude from Yale in 1985 with distinction in music, Pogue spent ten years conducting and arranging Broadway musicals in New York. He has won a Loeb Award for journalism, two Webby awards, and an honorary doctorate in music. He lives with his wife Nicki near New York City.

Evelyn Skye is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels, including The Incredible Kindness of Paper and The Hundred Loves of Juliet. A graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School, her books have been published worldwide and translated into sixteen languages.

Maureen is an award-winning Bloomberg Television & Radio host, PBS documentary producer, TEDx Talk speaker and international standup comedian. She’s been featured at comedy festivals in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and South Africa and was recently a semi-finalist on America's Got Talent.

As a performer and keynote speaker, Maureen has worked with entertainment, literary and cultural icons that include Robin Williams, Rosie O’Donnell, Jack Canfield, Marianne Williamson, Gloria Steinem, Danny Glover, Jordin Sparks and Gladys Knight.

Her TEDx Talk, “The Business of Fun,” is inspired by her time performing in South Africa. Maureen’s message of diversity, equity, and inclusion had 600 people on their feet when first presented at Monmouth University.

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