andrew d. kaufman

speaking

From university stages to keynote events, literary festivals to leadership retreats, Andrew D. Kaufman delivers talks that tell unforgettable stories—and offer fresh ways to think about courage, connection, and change.


Author of the PEN America finalist The Gambler Wife (now a major motion picture), Andrew brings insights from Russian literature, his transformative prison education work, and his own journey of reinvention to audiences navigating uncertainty, change, and what it means to stay human in challenging times.

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Featured Topics

keynote topic 1

The Courage to Stay Human: 

Choosing Connection Over Fear

Perfect for: Leadership retreats, burnout recovery, educational transformation, and personal reinvention.

An international feature film has brought Andrew D. Kaufman's critically acclaimed biography The Gambler Wife to the big screen. But the story behind the story—and why it matters now—runs deeper.

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In this timely talk, Andrew shares the real-life journey of Anna Dostoyevskaya, the remarkable woman who saved novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky from destruction and reshaped literary history. Her courage wasn't loud. It was quiet, resilient, and rooted in love.

Andrew also draws on his journey teaching literature in jails, where he's witnessed how stories of moral complexity can awaken hope in even the darkest places. In a time when fear pushes us apart, it's connection—simple, human, real—that carries us through.

Key Takeaways:

  • How to stay centered and lead with empathy when fear and division take hold
  • How vulnerability builds trust and connection in communities and organizations of all kinds
  • How to stay grounded, compassionate, and human through change and uncertainty

keynote topic 2

The Courage to Let Go: 

What a Book Becoming a Film Can Teach Us About Collaboration and Change


Perfect for: Creative teams, project transitions, organizational transformation, letting go of control.

When Andrew D. Kaufman's book The Gambler Wife was adapted into the international film The Idiot(s), he discovered powerful lessons that extend far beyond literature or cinema.

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Visiting the set in Poland, Andrew witnessed his story reimagined by world-class directors and actors—and experienced what it means to entrust a vision to others and watch it transform into something larger than he could have created alone.

This talk offers timeless lessons in leading through uncertainty, building trust across differences, and finding resilience in the face of change. Audiences gain not just a behind-the-scenes glimpse of adaptation, but a deeply human reflection on the courage it takes to let go and embrace transformation.

Key Takeaways:

  • How to let go of ownership while holding on to what matters most
  • How to build trust by allowing others to bring their strengths and perspectives
  • How transformation—even when unexpected—can deepen connection and open new possibilities

keynote topic 3

Reclaiming Power and Purpose in Troubled Times

Perfect for: Personal growth events, resilience training, career transitions.

In this keynote, Andrew D. Kaufman explores a quieter, often overlooked form of courage: the courage to stay present when it would be easier to turn away.

Watch Andrew share a story inspired by this talk→

Drawing from his experiences teaching literature in jail classrooms, navigating personal loss, and questioning his own assumptions about safety and belonging, Andrew invites audiences to rethink where strength and purpose really come from. What began as an effort to teach others became a profound lesson in compassion, humility, and shared humanity.

Through vivid, deeply human stories, he shows how choosing presence over judgment can transform the way we lead, connect, and find meaning—especially in uncertain or divided times.

Key Takeaways:

  • Why staying present is often the hardest—and most powerful—choice
  • How compassion builds resilience in individuals and teams
  • Reclaiming purpose by seeing others, and ourselves, more fully

keynote topic 4

Transforming Mistakes into moments of connection 

Perfect for: Leadership audiences, entrepreneurial teams, organizations navigating failure or change

In this keynote, Andrew D. Kaufman shares a deeply personal story about failure, shame, and the unexpected power of honesty. After a painful early-career mistake left him feeling exposed and defeated, a vulnerable conversation with his father changed the way he understood success—and connection.

Watch Andrew share a story inspired by this talk→

Drawing on this experience and his years teaching in jail classrooms, Andrew shows how shared honesty—not       perfection—is what builds trust, resilience, and the courage to begin again.

Key Takeaways:

  • Why honesty builds trust more powerfully than success alone
  • How shared vulnerability strengthens relationships and teams
  • Turning moments of failure into moments of human connection and growth