Frank Bruni joined the Duke faculty in 2021 after 25 years at the New York Times, where he served as metro reporter, White House correspondent, Rome bureau chief, chief restaurant critic and most recently as an Op-Ed columnist. He was the first openly gay Op-Ed columnist at the Times and in 2016 was honored by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association with the Randy Shilts Award for his lifetime contribution to LGBTQ equality.
He is the author of three New York Times best sellers: a 2015 examination of the college admissions frenzy, “Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be”; a 2009 memoir, “Born Round,” about the joys and torments of his eating life; and a 2002 chronicle of George W. Bush’s initial presidential campaign, “Ambling into History.” His first cookbook, “A Meatloaf in Every Oven,” was published in February 2017 and co-written with his Times colleague Jennifer Steinhauer. His forthcoming book, “The Beauty of Dusk: On Vision Lost and Found,” which reflects on his imperiled eyesight and the challenges of aging, will be published in March 2022.
Bruni joined the Times from the Detroit Free Press, where he was, alternately, a war correspondent, the chief movie critic and a religion writer. He has worked as a general-assignment writer for the Detroit Free Press and the New York Post. He has taught at Princeton University and been active at his alma mater, UNC-Chapel Hill, as an advisor on improving the undergraduate experience and the liberal arts curriculum.
Bruni remains a contributing opinion writer for The Times, which distributes his popular weekly newsletter every Thursday (nytimes.com/BruniLetter).