“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” —Frederick Douglass Discover the incredible legacy and enduring impact of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, as well as other Black writers who came before and after him. This 15-minute tour introduces you to all areas of the American Writers Museum, with a special focus on our special […]
Celebrate Black History Month with a literary twist at the AWM's Family Free Days this weekend. Enjoy free admission on Sunday, February 18 and Monday, February 19. Access to our temporary special exhibit, Dark Testament: A Century of Black Writers on Justice, is also included with free admission. This exhibit closes in May.
Raise your glasses and don your finest green attire because we're bringing the heart and soul of Irish pubs to life at this month’s Get Lit! At this event, we’re celebrating the works of Irish-American writers and the stories told every day in pubs across the country. Play a few rounds of classic Pub Trivia, […]
Join us as writers from around the country and across genres and disciplines converge in Chicago to celebrate the power of the written word and the joys of reading. The Festival will feature in depth conversations with diverse writers including sci-fi authors, game writers and designers, journalists and poets. From labor history to true crime […]
How does the son of a Presbyterian minister wind up winning a Pulitzer Prize for writing a wildly inaccurate newspaper column read by millions of people? America’s most beloved wiseass, Dave Barry, finally tells his life story with all the humor you’d expect from a man who made a career out of making fun of pretty […]
Get Lit: The Musical Celebrate Pride Month at the American Writers Museum with Get Lit: The Musical, a sing-along celebration of the iconic, queer world of musical theatre! Whether you’re a Sondheim fanatic, a Hamilton devotee, or just looking to revel in the spotlight, you’re bound to leave humming a show tune. GET TICKETS Test your knowledge of musical theatre […]
Join us for a panel discussion at the intersection of romance and religion! Three writers of romance—Sajni Patel, Scarlett St. Clair, and Helene Wecker—talk about incorporating religion into their work in the genre, retelling myth and tradition, and dealing honestly with their characters' spiritual beliefs. This is the livestream of an in person program at the American […]
Author, television producer, and former Chicago Sun-Times journalist Thomas Maier visits the American Writers Museum to discuss his new book The Invisible Spy. It is the untold WWII story of Ernest Cuneo, a former NFL player turned White House insider who worked with Churchill's undercover agents in New York City to conduct the biggest foreign spy operation ever within the […]
Join us for a night of creativity, color, and animated magic at Get Lit: Drawn to Life. We’re diving into the vibrant world of animated movies and TV shows, spotlighting the storytellers who bring these beloved characters and worlds to life. This is your chance to geek out over your favorites, learn something new, and […]
Despite James Baldwin’s disavowal of Christianity in his youth, he continued to engage the symbols and theology of Christianity in works such as The Amen Corner, Just Above My Head, and others. With his new book Jimmy’s Faith: James Baldwin, Disidentification, and the Queer Possibilities of Black Religion, author Christopher W. Hunt shows how Baldwin’s usage of those religious symbols both shifted […]
Join us for an evening with acclaimed screenwriter and director Nicholas Meyer, who is also the author of several novels in the Sherlock Holmes universe. In his latest book, Sherlock Holmes and the Real Thing, Holmes and Dr. Watson delve into the world of art forgery. Books will be available for purchase and Meyer will sign them […]
Join us for an evening with acclaimed screenwriter and director Nicholas Meyer, who is also the author of several novels in the Sherlock Holmes universe. In his latest book, Sherlock Holmes and the Real Thing, Holmes and Dr. Watson delve into the world of art forgery. Books will be available for purchase and Meyer will sign them […]
Get Lit: Blood Suckers Sink your teeth into a night of spooky fun at Get Lit: Blood Suckers. This vampire-themed event will celebrate the fanged and fearless from your favorite works of American writing. Test your knowledge of vampires in film, tv, books, and more in our Bloody Bloody Trivia Challenge. Put on your best vampire-inspired fit […]
Join us for a panel discussion about religion, spirituality, and horror writing! Leading writers of horror and suspense discuss their use of religion in their work, from magic and voodoo in Tananarive Due’s The Good House, to historical cults in Matt Ruff’s Lovecraft Country. What frightens us so deeply about religion, and how do different kinds of writing explore […]
Scholar Thomas A. Tweed visits the American Writers Museum to discuss his new book Religion in the Lands that Became America. A sweeping retelling of American religious history, Tweed shows how religion has enhanced and hindered human flourishing from the Ice Age to the Information Age. Tweed is joined in conversation by fellow Indigenous Studies scholar John N. Low. […]
Winter Writing Institute (Online) Join us for an online professional development session co-presented by Teach Tank. This session will support educators in using writing as a healing practice, facilitating complex conversations through writing experiences, and developing culturally responsive writing strategies that can be used across grade levels and content areas. Free, registration required. Illinois Teachers will […]
Join us for a conversation with Emmy Award-winning journalist Mary Ann Ahern of Chicago’s NBC 5 about covering religion, writing about Chicago’s Pope, and shaping the public’s perception and practice of faith. Mary Ann Ahern joined NBC 5 News in March 1989 and was named the station’s Political Reporter in 2006. Most recently, Ahern was front-and-center at […]
American Prophets: Religion & Rhetoric in the Early Woman’s Rights Movement Scholars Lisa Marie Gring-Pemble and Martha Watson join us online to discuss their book Your Daughters Will Prophesy: Religion and Rhetoric in the Nineteenth-Century Woman’s Movement. Their work explores how nineteenth-century women used the Bible to claim their voice on the moral questions of their day. This program is […]
Join us online for a discussion with Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad about her new book The Fire Inside: The Dharma of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde. Black, queer, feminist, Buddhist: The Fire Inside casts a fresh new light on the radical literary legacies of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde. This is an online-only program with the American Writers Museum. This program […]
Celebrate all things charming, hilarious, and heart-fluttering at Get Lit: Rom-Com Night as we bring the world of romantic comedies to life. Test your knowledge of rom-com films in our Meet Cute Trivia Challenge. Meet with our friends from the Last Chapter Book Shop, Chicago’s first & only romance bookstore. Unwrap your next read at the Blind Date with a […]