About this Event
We are honored to host author, Elizabeth Vartkessian to discuss her book, The Deserving!
Mitigation specialist Elizabeth Vartkessian has been investigating the life histories of those facing the most severe penalties possible in the United States since 2004. She is the author of The Deserving: What the Lives of the Condemned Reveal About American Justice published by Bloomsbury in January 2026.
Elizabeth holds a PhD in law and an MS in comparative social policy from the University of Oxford, and BAs in philosophy and political science from the George Washington University. She is the founder and executive director of Advancing Real Change Inc., a national nonprofit dedicated to conducting life history investigations in criminal cases. She lives in Baltimore.
Elizabeth will be joined in conversation with Slant of Light regular, Marc Kadish. Marc retired from the International Law Firm Mayer Brown this month. He has done criminal defense work since he graduated law school in 1968. Mr. Kadish and Ms. Vartkessian worked together on a Texas death penalty case. They worked with the forensic psychologist whose report convinced the state that the client was intellectually disabled. Ms. Vartkessian's work showing the defendant's life was a crucial part of the expert's report. After 23 years of work on the case, the client's death sentence was set aside.
Event venue & nearby stays
Slant of Light Books, 1543 North Wells Street, Chicago, United States
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