James Bradley (left), the bestselling author of "Flags of Our Fathers," will be the keynote speaker at the 21^st biennial Melvin R. Laird Youth Leadership Day on Monday, April 21, at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

This year’s theme is also the title of a new authorized biography of Melvin Laird written by Dale Van Atta and published by UW Press. Van Atta will lead a discussion of the book and hold a book signing at the UWSP University Bookstore at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 19. It is free and open to the public.

Laird Day begins at 9 a.m. on Monday in the Dreyfus University Center. Gov. James Doyle will give the opening remarks in the Alumni Room and Bradley will address participants after lunch in the Laird Room. Throughout the day, high school participants will attend workshops on the topics of justice, legislation, government, ethics, the environment, biomedical informatics, global citizenship, teamwork, media and creativity. The event concludes at 2:30 p.m.

Workshop speakers will include Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson and Justice Ann Walsh Bradley of the Wisconsin Supreme Court; Andrew Halverson, mayor of Stevens Point; Tom Petri, Wisconsin congressman; Rev. James Trainor, physicist; Christine Thomas, dean of the UWSP College of Natural Resources; Eric Yonke and Mark Koepke of UWSP’s International Programs; Dr. Justin Starren, a physician at the Marshfield Clinic; Bill Carollo, an official with the National Football League; Frank Aukofer, former Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel bureau chief in Washington D.C; and Adriane Fang, alumna and professional dancer.

Bradley burst onto the national scene as an author in 2000 with his New York Times bestselling book, "Flags of our Fathers." The New York Times called it "the surprise runaway nonfiction best seller of the season." Steven Spielberg acquired the movie rights and Clint Eastwood directed the movie, released in 2006.

His second book, "Flyboys," is also a New York Times bestseller and Steven Spielberg, in conjunction with Tom Hanks, purchased the movie rights. Bradley is currently working on his third book, "The Imperial Cruise," which will be published in 2008.