2 OCTOBER  |  3 PM
Bitter Fruit: A Roundtable on Drama in Translation
A scholarly roundtable featuring playwright Héctor Levy-Daniel (Zoomed in from Argentina), translator Philip Boehm (artistic director of Upstream Theatre), Virginia Braxs (faculty, Washington University), and Gad Guterman (faculty, Webster University), with interpretation by Sara Brenes Akerman (graduate student, Washington University). Performing Arts Department.
Washington University, Duncker Hall, Hurst Lounge (Room 201)

2 OCTOBER  |  4 PM
Dream Town Book Talk
Join us for a discussion of Dream Town, a new book by WashU alum and award-winning Washington Post journalist Laura Meckler. Dream Town chronicles the pursuit of integration in Shaker Heights, Ohio, which became a model for housing integration in the 1950s and later provided a national model for school integration. Nonetheless, a stubborn racial academic gap persists today. Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity.
Washington University, Ridgley Hall, Holmes Lounge

4 OCTOBER  |  3 PM
Virtual Book Club: Invisible Man
Join University Libraries for a special Banned Book Week book club. We will discuss Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, one of the most challenged classic books. Invisible Man is the story of an unnamed narrator whose bright future is erased by racism, told in confession form, frankly using the language of the period in which it was written. Book Club will begin with a short presentation of banned books followed by a discussion of the book. University Libraries.
VIRTUAL - RSVP

4 OCTOBER  |  4 PM
Khiara Bridges Keynote Address
Join us for a keynote address from Khiara Bridges, anthropologist and professor of law at UC Berkeley. She has written many articles concerning race, class, reproductive rights and the intersection of the three. Her scholarship has appeared in the Harvard Law Review, Stanford Law Review, Columbia Law Review, California Law Review, NYU Law Review and Virginia Law Review. She is also the author of three books: Reproducing Race: An Ethnography of Pregnancy as a Site of Racialization, The Poverty of Privacy Rights and Critical Race Theory: A Primer. She is a coeditor of a reproductive justice book series that is published under the imprint of the University of California Press. Department of Anthropology.
Washington University, McMillan Hall, Room G052

4 OCTOBER  |  4 PM
Community as Rebellion
The Annual James E. McLeod Lecture on Higher Education features Lorgia García Peña, professor of Latinx studies at Princeton University and author of Community as Rebellion: A Syllabus for Surviving Academia as a Woman of Color. García Peña is a writer, activist and scholar who specializes in Latinx Studies with a focus on Black Latinidades. Her work is concerned with the ways in which antiblackness and xenophobia intersect the Global North producing categories of exclusion that lead to violence and erasure. In Community as Rebellion, García Peña weaves personal narrative with political analysis to offer a meditation on creating liberatory spaces for students and faculty of color within academia. 
Washington University, Women’s Building Formal Lounge

5 OCTOBER  |  12:30 PM
Navigating the Landscape of Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice: Abortion Access Post Roe
KERSHA DEIBEL is MSW, MPH, senior advisor to the president, Planned Parenthood Federation of America & Planned Parenthood Action Fund. A comprehensive analysis of the existing laws on abortion access and their profound implications for people across the nation will be provided. Explore the historical context that led to the fall of Roe v. Wade, examining the societal and political factors that contributed to this critical moment in the reproductive rights movement. Attendees will gain an understanding of the challenges ahead and the ongoing fight to protect and expand reproductive health care. Open Classroom, Brown School.
VIRTUAL – RSVP

6 OCTOBER  |  9:30 AM
Eugene O’Neill Symposium
Join us for a one-day symposium to officially open the Harley Hammerman Collection on Eugene O’Neill. This symposium will also constitute the first day of the Conference for Irish Studies Midwest Regional Conference. RSVP requested; see website. University Libraries.
Washington University, multiple locations (see website)

7 OCTOBER  |  2 PM
Public Tour: Adam Pendleton: To Divide By
Student educators lead interactive tours of this season’s exhibition Adam Pendleton: To Divide By. Pendleton’s paintings and other works address codes of representation and abstraction, visual and literary uses of language and the aesthetics of Blackness. The exhibition showcases an assemblage of the American artist’s new and recent paintings, drawings and video portraits that together reveal his interest in creating a conversation between mediums and his belief in abstraction’s capacity to disrupt. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum

11 OCTOBER | 10:30 AM
Divided City Summer Graduate Fellows Presentations
Join us for a series of 10 PechaKucha-style presentations on the research of Divided City Summer Graduate Fellows. PechaKucha is a simple presentation format where 20 images are shown each for 20 seconds, keeping presentations concise and fast paced. Fellows’ projects, on urban segregation broadly conceived, span a wide range of disciplines, geographic regions and eras, including research on the soundscape in post-socialist Beijing, neighborhood development in late medieval Genoa and an oral history of an important figure in Black St. Louis history.
Washington University, McMillan Hall, McMillan Café

12 OCTOBER  |  12 PM
Why Poverty and Inequality Undermine Justice in America
MARK RANK, the Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare at the Brown School of Social Work, joint appointment in the Department of Sociology at WashU, and author of The Poverty Paradox: Understanding Economic Hardship Amid American Prosperity; and Steven Fazzari, the Bert A. and Jeanette L. Lynch Distinguished Professor of Economics at WashU, and professor of sociology. Public Interest Law and Policy Speakers Series, WashU Law.
Washington University, Anheuser-Busch Hall, Room 310  

12 OCTOBER  |  4:30 PM
¿Quién soy? Y ¿Quiénes somos? A Panel Discussion with Latine Poets
In celebration of Latine Heritage month, join the WashU Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity (CRE2) for a panel discussion about poetic craft and issues of race and identity. Invited guests are Roy Guzmán, Yesenia Montilla and Matt Sedillo. Moderated by Tila Neguse, CRE2 associate director, and Gicela Medina, Hispanic studies PhD student, Washington University. Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity.
Women’s Building Formal Lounge  

13 OCTOBER  |  3 PM
Love Dances: A Workshop and Lecture on Intercultural Collaboration
Drawing from SanSan Kwan’s book, Love Dances: Loss and Mourning in Intercultural Collaboration, this event will begin with a participatory workshop in embodied collaboration. Following that, Kwan will share excerpts from the book and engage the audience in a discussion about interculturalism and dance. No dance experience necessary, but please come dressed to move. Kwan is professor and chair in the Department of Theater, Dance and Performance Studies at UC Berkeley. Her research interests include dance studies, performance studies and transnational Asian American studies. Love Dances is winner of the 2022 de la Torre Bueno Award. She is also author of Kinesthetic City: Dance and Movement in Chinese Urban Spaces and co-editor, with Kenneth Speirs, of Mixing It Up: Multiracial Subjects. She remains active as a professional dancer and is currently performing with Lenora Lee Dance, Chingchi Moves and Jen Liu. Performing Arts Department.
Washington University, Mertz Dance Studio, Mallinckrodt 207

13 OCTOBER  |  3 PM
Roscoe Mitchell: Sound and Vision
Pioneering composer and multi-instrumentalist Roscoe Mitchell will present recent work that highlights the connections between his music and his decades-long painting practice, including an excerpt of a collaborative audiovisual work with Washington University composer/electronic musician Christopher Douthitt and the Princeton Laptop Orchestra. The performance, presentation and audience Q&A will be hosted by Washington University’s Paul Steinbeck, a leading scholar of Mitchell’s music. Mitchell is considered one of the key figures in avant-garde jazz, integrating influences from everywhere — world music, funk, rock, classical — to create music that is at once beautiful and complex. He has been involved with the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), a Chicago-based nonprofit organization founded in the mid 1960s to advance new creative music. Mitchell has performed on more than 85 recordings and written in excess of 250 compositions in the jazz and classical realms. He continues to pass down his musical knowledge of composition and improvisation, both in educational and performance settings. Department of Music.
Washington University, Pillsbury Theatre, 560 Music Center

13 OCTOBER  |  3 PM
Sports & Society Reading Group: A Discussion with Alex Squadron
ALEX SQUADRON will be discussing his new book, Life in the G: Minor League Basketball and the Relentless Pursuit of the NBA, which chronicles the arduous quest to achieve an improbable goal: making it to the NBA. Zeroing in on the Birmingham Squadron and four of its players — Jared Harper, Joe Young, Zylan Cheatham and Malcolm Hill — Squadron details the pursuit of a dream in what turned out to be the most remarkable season in the history of minor league sports. American Culture Studies.
Washington University, Seigle Hall, Room 301

13 OCTOBER  |  5:30 PM
Faculty Showcase
WashU performance faculty Amy Greenhalgh (viola), Sarah Johnson (piano), Tamara Campbell (soprano), Sandra Geary (piano) and Jennifer Gartley (flute), Sunghee Hinners (piano), Vince Varvel (guitar), Joel Vanderheyden (saxophone), Hannah Frey (violin) and Amanda Kirkpatrick  (piano) will perform various solo and chamber works. Department of Music.
Washington University, E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall, 560 Music Center

13 OCTOBER  |  5:30 PM
Reading & Talk with Simone White
Organized in conjunction with Adam Pendleton: To Divide By, join us for a reading by poet Simone White and a conversation on creative practice in relation to the role of language and poetry in Adam Pendleton’s work. Simone White is the author of or, on being the other woman (Duke University Press, 2022), Dear Angel of Death (Ugly Duckling Presse, 2018), Of Being Dispersed (Futurepoem, 2016) and House Envy of All the World (Factory School, 2010); the poetry chapbook, Unrest (Ugly Duckling Presse, 2013); and the collaborative poem/painting chapbook, Dolly (with Kim Thomas) (Q Ave, 2008). Her poetry and prose have been featured in Artforum, e-flux, Harper’s Magazine, BOMB Magazine, Chicago Review, The New York Times Book Review, and Harriet: The Blog. Her honors include a 2021 Creative Capital Award, a 2017 Whiting Award in Poetry, Cave Canem Foundation fellowships, and recognition as a New American Poet for the Poetry Society of America in 2013. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum

13 OCTOBER  |  6 PM
The Greek Symposium in Context
The ancient Greek symposium was a small, all-male drinking party held in a private home. Men gathered in a small room, reclined on their left elbows, and participated equally in both the drinking and activities. All men were expected to speak on topics of philosophy and politics in turn or contribute to songs and stories. The wine loosened inhibitions and made it easier for the drinkers to form bonds. Kathleen Lynch, professor of classics at the University of Cincinnati, will discuss the specialized ceramic equipment designed specifically for these gatherings by examining pottery excavated from an Athenian house. Annual George E. Mylonas Lecture in Classical Art and Archaeology. Department of Art History and Archaeology and Department of Classics.
Saint Louis Art Museum, Farrell Auditorium, 1 Fine Arts Dr, St. Louis, MO 63110

14 OCTOBER  |  1 PM
Tour de Museo: Spanish-Language Tour
Join José Garza, museum academic programs coordinator, for a Spanish-language tour of select artworks in the special exhibition Adam Pendleton: To Divide By. The interactive tour will encourage visitors to share observations and interpretations. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum

16 OCTOBER  |  7:30 PM
Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, the Last of the Bentonia Bluesmen, with William Lee Ellis, guitar
Join us for an evening with guitarists Jimmy “Duck” Holmes and William Lee Ellis as they trace the deep history of the blues in this interactive concert event. Holmes is known the world over as the most important living practitioner of the country blues tradition and as the proprietor of the Blue Front Café juke joint in Bentonia, Mississippi. At this concert, Holmes will be accompanied by William Lee Ellis, a fellow guitarist with an equally impressive pedigree — his godfather was the pioneering bluegrass musician Bill Monroe. Together, Holmes and Ellis will perform a selection of original songs and Southern standards. The concert will be followed by a Q&A session and a reception with refreshments. Hosted by Washington University voice faculty member Candice Ivory. Department of Music.
Washington University, 560 Music Center, Pillsbury Theatre 

17 OCTOBER  |  4:30 PM
Once We Were Slaves: A Multiracial Jewish Family in Early America
LAURA ARNOLD LEIBMAN is a professor of English and humanities at Reed College. An obsessive genealogist and descendent of one of the most prominent Jewish families since the American Revolution, Blanche Moses firmly believed her maternal ancestors were Sephardic grandees. Yet she found herself at a dead end when it came to her grandmother’s maternal line. In this talk, Arnold Leibman overturns the reclusive heiress’ assumptions about her family history to reveal that her grandmother and great-uncle, Sarah and Isaac Brandon, actually began their lives as poor, Christian and enslaved in Barbados. Leibman traces the siblings’ extraordinary journey around the Atlantic world, using artifacts they left behind in Barbados, Suriname, London, Philadelphia and, finally, New York. While their affluence made them unusual, their story mirrors that of the largely forgotten people of mixed African and Jewish ancestry that constituted as much as ten percent of the Jewish communities in which the siblings lived. Annual Adam Cherrick Lecture. Department of Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies.
Washington University, Umrath Lounge

17 OCTOBER  |  8 PM
Visiting Hurst Professor: Rigoberto González, Craft Talk
RIGOBERTO GONZÁLEZ was born in Bakersfield, California and raised in Michoacán, Mexico. He is the author of several poetry books, including The Book of Ruin; Unpeopled Eden, winner of a Lambda Literary Award; Black Blossoms; Other Fugitives and Other Strangers; and So Often the Pitcher Goes to Water until It Breaks, a National Poetry Series selection. The recipient of Guggenheim and NEA fellowships, the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, The Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Publishing Triangle and the PEN/Voelcker Award. He is contributing editor for Poets & Writers, on the board of directors of the National Book Critics Circle, and on the advisory circle of Con Tinta, a collective of Chicano/Latino activist writers. González is a professor of English and director of the MFA Program in creative writing at Rutgers University–Newark. Department of English.
Washington University, Duncker Hall, Hurst Lounge (Room 201)

18 OCTOBER  |  3:30 PM
Maladies of Empire: How Colonialism, Slavery and War Transformed Medicine
JIM DOWNS is the Gilder Lehrman-National Endowment for the Humanities Professor of Civil War Era Studies and History at Gettysburg College. Based on his book of the same name, Downs’ talk rethinks the history of epidemiology by uncovering the untold ways in which slavery, imperialism and war created built environments — ships, plantations and battlefields — that enabled physicians to study the spread of infectious disease. Drawing on archival records in England, Malta, Spain and the United States (as well as in in Czech Republic and Hungary), he has uncovered evidence of how doctors developed epidemiological methods before John Snow’s infamous investigation, which traced the outbreak of cholera to a water pump. While medical thinkers since Aristotle have studied epidemics, this lecture will show how the confluence of slavery, imperialism and war gave way to the creation of a massive bureaucracy that enabled doctors to develop a bird’s eye view of an epidemic. These unprecedented networks allowed physicians to share information about infectious disease among subjugated populations, which led to the first ever Epidemiological Society in 1850. Department of History.
Washington University, Busch Hall, Room 18

18 OCTOBER  |  5:30 PM
Moving Stories: Migration, Advocacy, Art and Scholarship in Conversation
Moving Stories brings together participants from scholarship, the art field and advocacy to discuss the challenges of incorporating and honoring the dignity of immigrant narratives in different practices. Following the format of a critical conversation, the discussion will touch on relevant topics such as the presence of surveillance and climate change and its impact on migratory movements, the challenges involved in researching long-term immigrant communities and the privileged forms of engagement used by migration-inspired art pieces. Moving Stories is a transdisciplinary project led by faculty from Visual Arts, Art History, Romance Languages and Literatures, Sociology and Design that reflects on how narratives work to bridge divides between migrants and the communities in which they settle. Americanist Dinner Forum. Program in American Culture Studies.
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum

19 OCTOBER  |  4 PM
The Open Collection: Discover Art Special Collections
There are over 4,200 items in the Kranzberg Art & Architecture Library Special Collections. Come learn about this collection and interact with recent acquisitions and popular selections in the Kranzberg Library Reading Room. RSVP requested; see website. University Libraries.
Washington University, Kranzberg Art & Architecture Library

19 OCTOBER  |  8 PM
Visiting Hurst Professor: Rigoberto González, Reading
RIGOBERTO GONZÁLEZ was born in Bakersfield, California and raised in Michoacán, Mexico. He is the author of several poetry books, including The Book of Ruin; Unpeopled Eden, winner of a Lambda Literary Award; Black Blossoms; Other Fugitives and Other Strangers; and So Often the Pitcher Goes to Water until It Breaks, a National Poetry Series selection. He is the recipient of Guggenheim and NEA fellowships, the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, the Bill Whitehead Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Publishing Triangle and the PEN/Voelcker Award. He is contributing editor for Poets & Writers, on the board of directors of the National Book Critics Circle, and on the advisory circle of Con Tinta, a collective of Chicano/Latino activist writers. González is a professor of English and director of the MFA Program in creative writing at Rutgers University–Newark. Department of English.
Washington University, Duncker Hall, Hurst Lounge (Room 201)

20 OCTOBER  |  3 PM
Mrs. Wardwell’s Plan of Study: The Women’s Club Movement and the Historiography of American Music
MARIAN WILSON KIMBER is a professor of musicology at University of Iowa. Between 1898 and 1925, Linda Bell Free Wardwell sold 30,000 booklets titled “Plan of Study on Musical History.” Designed to facilitate programming by members of the National Federation of Music Clubs, Wardwell’s pamphlets were adopted by women’s organizations from Magnolia, Arkansas, to Silver City, New Mexico. Her offerings contributed to the canonization of European composers in the United States, but they also supported the federation’s advocacy of American music. This talk positions Wardwell’s publications within contemporary American musical historiography. It explores the ways in which women’s historical activities within the club movement influenced — and yet were overshadowed by — more mainstream publications authored by men. Department of Music.
Washington University, Music Classroom Building, Room 102

20 OCTOBER  |  3 PM
Roundtable discussion of Tabea Alexa Linhard’s Unexpected Routes: Refugee Writers in Mexico
Panelists include Tabea Alexa Linhard, director of the Program in Global Studies and professor of Spanish and comparative literature; Erin McGlothlin, professor of German and Jewish studies and vice dean of undergraduate affairs in the College of Arts and Sciences; Anca Parvulescu, professor of English and the Liselotte Dieckmann Professor of Comparative Literature; Timothy Parsons, professor of history and of African and African-American studies. The moderator is Stephanie Kirk, director of the Center for the Humanities and professor of Spanish, comparative literature, and women, gender, and sexuality studies. Unexpected Routes chronicles the refugee journeys of six writers whose lives were upended by fascism in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and during World War II: Cuban-born Spanish writer Silvia Mistral; German-born Spanish writer Max Aub; German writer Anna Seghers; German author Ruth Rewald; Swiss-born political activist, photographer and ethnographer Gertrude Duby; and Czech writer and journalist Egon Erwin Kisch. In a study that bridges history, literary studies and refugee studies, Linhard draws connections between colonialism, the Spanish Civil War and World War II and the Holocaust to shed light on the histories and literatures of exile and migration, drawing connections to today’s refugee crisis and asking larger questions around the notions of belonging, longing and the lived experience of exile. Department of Romance Languages and Literatures.
Washington University, Duncker Hall, Hurst Lounge (Room 201)

20 OCTOBER  |  3 PM
Writing and Embodied Creativity
Join us for a conversation with Brooklyn-based choreographer Leslie Cuyjet, this year’s Marcus Guest Artist in Residence in the Dance Program of the Performing Arts Department, in which she will discuss the importance of writing to her creative process. Called “a potent choreographic voice” by the New York Times, Cuyjet is the recipient of a 2019 New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Award for her sustained achievement as Outstanding Performer and a 2022 award for Outstanding Choreographer/Creator. Her choreography aims to conjure life-long questions of identity, confuse and disrupt traditional narratives, and demonstrate the angsty, explosive, sensitive, pioneering excellence of the Black woman. The Marcus Residency is made possible by a fund established by the late Dr. Morris D. Marcus in memory of his wife Margaret. Performing Arts Department.
Washington University, Umrath Lounge

21 OCTOBER  |  2 PM
ASL Tour: Adam Pendleton: To Divide By
 Join Deaf artist and community advocate Devon Whitmore for an American Sign Language (ASL) tour of the special exhibition Adam Pendleton: To Divide By. The interactive tour will focus on select works of art and will encourage a conversation among participants. The tour is designed for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing attendees and will be provided in ASL. There will be voice interpreters for those who don’t know sign language. The free, hour-long tour is limited to 15 visitors on a first-come, first-served basis. See website to register.
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum  

22 OCTOBER  |  2 PM
Chinese-Language Tour: Adam Pendleton: To Divide By
Join student educator Weixun Qu, PhD student in the Department of Art History & Archaeology, for a tour of this season’s exhibition Adam Pendleton: To Divide By. The exhibition showcases an assemblage of the American artist’s new and recent paintings, drawings, and video portraits that together reveal his interest in creating a conversation between mediums and his belief in abstraction’s capacity to disrupt. Free and open to the public. Please check in at the Welcome Desk when arriving for the tour to secure your place.
中文美术展览：Adam Pendleton
邀请您来和艺术史暨考古学系博士生曲维洵共同欣赏Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum本期展览《Adam Pendleton：To Divide By》。本次展览将聚焦于美国当代 艺术家Adam Pendleton新近的画作、绘图和肖像影片，这些作品展现出他对于创造 各种材料间对话的兴趣，以及他对于抽象艺术具有破坏性的信念
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum

23 OCTOBER  |  4 PM
The Souls of Black Folk: The Role of Race in the Psychological Lives of African Americans
ROBERT SELLERS is the Charles D. Moody Collegiate Professor of Psychology and Professor of Education at the University of Michigan. In his seminal work, Souls of Black Folk, W.E B. DuBois (1903) suggested that the only way that African Americans can develop healthy self-concepts within American society is to come to “an understanding” within themselves regarding the duality of their status as African and American. Sellers argues that the nature of “this understanding” varies across African Americans. His research has attempted to explicate and describe the role that race plays in the psychological lives of African Americans. Inaugural Robert L. Williams Lecture. Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences.
Washington University, Wilson Hall, Room 214

24 OCTOBER  |  8 PM
Visiting Hurst Professor: Hernan Diaz, Craft Talk
HERNAN DIAZ is the Pulitzer Prize-winning and New York Times best-selling author of two novels translated into 35 languages. He is the recipient of the John Updike award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters, given to “a writer whose contributions to American literature have demonstrated consistent excellence.” His first novel, In the Distance, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and PEN/Faulkner Award, and it was the winner of the Saroyan International Prize, Cabell Award, Prix Page America and New American Voices Award. Trust, his second novel, received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was a New York Times best-seller, the winner of the Kirkus Prize and longlisted for the Booker Prize. It was listed as a best book of the year by over 30 publications and named one of the 10 Best Books of the Year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR and Time magazine, and it was one of The New Yorker’s 12 Essential Reads of the Year. One of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of 2022, Trust is currently being developed as a limited series for HBO. Department of English.
Washington University, Duncker Hall, Hurst Lounge (Room 201)

25 OCTOBER  |  5:30 PM
The Future of the Black Family Virtual Roundtable
Join the Department of African & African American Studies as we present the virtual roundtable discussing the past, present, and future of the black family dynamic.
VIRTUAL – RSVP

25 OCTOBER  |  8 PM
Visiting Hurst Professor: Hernan Diaz, Reading
HERNAN DIAZ is the Pulitzer Prize-winning and New York Times best-selling author of two novels translated into 35 languages. He is the recipient of the John Updike award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters, given to “a writer whose contributions to American literature have demonstrated consistent excellence.” His first novel, In the Distance, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and PEN/Faulkner Award, and it was the winner of the Saroyan International Prize, Cabell Award, Prix Page America and New American Voices Award. Trust, his second novel, received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was a New York Times best-seller, the winner of the Kirkus Prize and longlisted for the Booker Prize. It was listed as a best book of the year by over 30 publications and named one of the 10 Best Books of the Year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR and Time magazine, and it was one of The New Yorker’s 12 Essential Reads of the Year. One of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of 2022, Trust is currently being developed as a limited series for HBO. Department of English.
Washington University, Ridgley Hall, Holmes Lounge

26 OCTOBER  |  4 PM
The Poet with a Briefcase: Literature and Legal Consciousness in Late Imperial Russia
Reverence for literature and disregard for law have been often seen as persistent attributes of Russian cultural identity. In this talk, I will suggest that there is a connection between these attitudes, and that the outsize role of literature and the tremendous authority of the Russian writer in the late imperial period hindered the development of a strong legal consciousness. In the literature-centric courtroom of the day, lawyers sought to project the image of the writer’s surrogate; questions of law were displaced by concerns with psychology, morality, verbal artistry, and civic-mindedness; and a relaxed attitude toward facts found legitimacy behind appeals to “higher reality,” “inner meaning” and other categories imported from literature. While literature no longer enjoys the same prestige and influence, aspects of these attitudes endure to this day, underwriting some of the worst abuses of law committed in and by Russia in recent years. Program in Global Studies.
Washington University, Danforth University Center, Room 248

27 OCTOBER  |  3 PM
Department of Music Lectures
Two lectures from scholars in the Washington University Department of Music. “Negotiating Racial Identity: Racialized Assimilation in the Performances of Lee Tung Foo as the First Chinese American Vaudeville Singer” with Fang Liu, doctoral student in musicology; and “‘So Lonesome I Could Cry’: The Tear-Jerking Refrain in Country Music” with Benjamin Duane, associate professor of music. Department of Music.
Washington University, Music Classroom Building, Room 102

27 OCTOBER–5 NOVEMBER
Caberet
Join us for a raucous and risqué revival of Kander and Ebb’s musical masterpiece.  Set in the chaotic world of Weimar Berlin, Cabaret is a phantasmagorical theater of pleasure, churning with hedonistic “camp,” that dances wildly on the edge of disaster. As the looming Nazi storm becomes terrifyingly real, the play asks the challenging, and deeply resonant, question: “What would you do?” $15-$20; free for WashU students. Performing Arts Department.
Washington University, Mallinckrodt Center, Edison Theatre

28 OCTOBER  |  7:30 PM
48 St. Stephen featuring a World Premiere by Christopher Stark
Award-winning duo 48 St. Stephen will perform works by Bach, Walker, Messiaen, and a world premiere of a work by WashU composer Christopher Stark, Cocci di tempo.
Washington University, 560 Music Center, E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall

1–29 OCTOBER
See STL Walking Tours 
See STL’s fun and creative tours mix engaging storytelling and a deep well of historical knowledge with an infectious enthusiasm for the exciting changes the city is currently undergoing. Tours are 2 hours in length and are wheelchair accessible. $15–$20. Tour starting/ending points are included in your booking details. Missouri Historical Society. 
3 pm, Oct. 1: Downtown Design; 4 pm, Oct. 1: Forest Park; 10 am, Oct. 6, Downtown Origins; 10 am, Oct. 7, The Hill; 11 am, Oct. 7, Laclede’s Landing; 11 am, Oct. 8, Central West End; 4 pm, Oct. 8: Soulard North and LaSalle Park; 2 pm, Oct. 9: Tower Grove; 11 am, Oct. 14: Beyond the Ballot; 11 am, Oct. 14: Gay Liberation in the Gateway City; 1 pm, Oct. 14: Vietnam in St. Louis; 10 am, Oct. 15: Soulard South; 10 am, Oct. 15: Central West End; 2 pm, Oct. 15: Downtown Evolutions; 1 pm, Oct. 19: Vietnam in St. Louis; 11 am, Oct. 21: Laclede’s Landing; 11 am, Oct. 21: Beyond the Grave; 4 pm, Oct. 21: Soulard South; 2 pm, Oct. 28: Gay Liberation in the Gateway City; 4 pm, Oct. 29: Soulard North and LaSalle Park

3 OCTOBER  |  11 AM
Cemetery Iconography
DAN FULLER of Bellefontaine Cemetery discusses the iconography of cemeteries from the Victorian era through the mid 20th century. Hear about hidden histories in plain sight that decorate the graves of many St. Louisans in one of the most scenic cemeteries in the nation. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

4–22 OCTOBER
Twisted Melodies
This powerful one-man show is based on the life of St. Louis soul music icon Donny Hathaway. Twisted Melodies is an immersive and crushing play about the brilliant singer and composer’s compelling inner struggle. Torn between the muses that inspire him and the mental illness that torments him, Hathaway evaluates his life in a gripping performance by St. Louis native Kelvin Roston Jr. Post-performance discussions 2 pm, Sun., Oct. 15 and 2 pm, Wed., Oct. 18. $25–$75. Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.
COCA, Berges Theatre, 6880 Washington Ave., University City, 63130

4 OCTOBER  |  6 PM
Robert Rosen, Nowhere Man: The Final Days of John Lennon (Author Talk)
By all appearances, John Lennon was working on a tell-all memoir in the final years of his life. Every day he poured into diaries his raw thoughts and feelings — about his jealous rivalry with Paul McCartney; his tumultuous marriage to Yoko Ono; his love for his sons, Julian and Sean; his hatred of the music business; his escape into programmed dreams; his acerbic opinions of England and America. Written by one of the few people to have read those diaries, and based on decades of research, Nowhere Man takes you on a journey through Lennon’s consciousness. Covering a range of topics close to John’s heart, from Abbey Road to the zodiac, the book offers vivid insights into his extraordinary life.
Subterranean Books, 6271 Delmar Blvd., 63130

4 OCTOBER  |  7 PM
Scott Berg, The Burning of the World: The Great Chicago Fire and the War for a City’s Soul (Author Talk)
In 1871, Chicagoans knew they were due for the “big one” — a massive fire that would decimate the city. There hadn’t been a meaningful rain since July, and several big blazes had nearly outstripped the fire department’s resources. On October 8, when Kate Leary’s barn caught fire, so began the biggest and most destructive disaster the United States had ever endured. And as quickly as the firefight ended, another battle for the future of the city began between the town’s business elites and the poor and immigrant working class. Historian Scott W. Berg presents an enrapturing account of the fire and the powerful transformation that followed. St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library – Daniel Boone Branch, 300 Clarkson Rd., Ellisville, 63011

5 OCTOBER  |  5:30 PM
Nuestra Comunidad: Hispanic St. Louis Past, Present, and Future
Step into the heart of Hispanic Heritage Month as we explore the dynamic tapestry of St. Louis’ Hispanic community. Start your night at happy hour (5:30 pm) with food and drinks for purchase from Padrinos and Sal y Limon. Happy hour will also include a dance performance by Alma de Mexico St. Louis, a display of traditional clothing from Hispanic countries, artwork, a historians corner and a talk by St. Louisan José Garza about his design for the new Hispanic Heritage Month flag. At 6:30 pm, join us for a presentation about the complex relationships among Spain, Mexico and St. Louis during the colonial period in the late 1700s, as well as during the Mexican Revolution in the early 1900s. Finally, Adam Flores of St. Louis Shakespeare will lead conversation with leaders in the community to explore how Hispanic influences shape St. Louis today and the importance of intentionally contributing to our city’s evolving historical narrative.
Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

5 OCTOBER  |  7 PM
Ryan La Sala, Beholder (Author Talk)
Something evil is waking up and it’s compelling victims toward violence and chaos. Athan has felt this evil hiding behind his reflection his entire life. Waiting. Now, it’s taking over. St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library – Grant’s View Branch, 9700 Musick Rd., St. Louis, 63123

6 OCTOBER  |  1 PM
Drop-in Collection Tour: Significant Sculptures
Join a Saint Louis Art Museum docent for a lively and engaging tour of the museum’s collection. Tour themes change monthly. October’s theme is Significant Sculptures, which highlights diverse and varied three-dimensional objects throughout the collection. Other tour dates are Sat., Oct. 7, 1 pm; Fri., Oct. 13, 1 pm; Sat., Oct. 14, 1 pm; Fri., Oct. 20, 1 pm; Sat., Oct. 21, 1 pm; Fri., Oct. 27, 1 pm; Sat., Oct. 28, 1 pm. Saint Louis Art Museum. 
Saint Louis Art Museum, 1 Fine Arts Dr., St. Louis, 63110

6 OCTOBER  |  6 PM
Lori Rader-Day, Death of Us (Author Talk)
One rainy night 15 years ago, a knock at the door changed Liss Kehoe’s life forever. On that night, Ashley Hay stood on Liss’ front porch and handed over her brand-new baby Callan. She was never seen or heard from again. Since then, Liss has raised Callan as her own, and loves him as fiercely as any mother would. But in the back of her mind, she’s always wondered whether Ashley is still out there somewhere — and feared what might happen if she comes back. When Ashley does reappear, it’s not in the way Liss expected. After all these years, Ashley’s car has been found ... in the quarry pond on Kehoe property. But the discovery of the car dredges up more questions than answers. What really happened on the night of Ashley’s disappearance? Was it a tragic accident, or something far more sinister? Someone in town knows the truth, and they’ll go to great lengths to keep it quiet. Watch the livestream on Left Bank Books’ YouTube Page. Left Bank Books.
Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 63108

6 OCTOBER  |  7 PM
Poets Naomi Shihab Nye and James Crews
Acclaimed poets and St. Louis natives Naomi Shihab Nye and James Crews present a conversation on nature, wildness, and mindfulness through the lens of poetry. The event will be a discussion with award-winning poet Travis Mossotti. St. Louis County Library.
Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Rd., St. Louis, 63117 

9 OCTOBER  |  7:30 PM
Amarcord Discussion
Amarcord (1973) is a series of comedic and nostalgic vignettes, directed by Federico Fellini, set in a 1930s Italian coastal town. Cate Marquis, a Rotten Tomatoes certified film critic and film historian who writes for We Are Movie Geeks, St. Louis Jewish Light and Alliance of Women Film Journalists, and is a member of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists and the St. Louis Film Critics Association. Cinema St. Louis.
VIRTUAL – RSVP

11 OCTOBER  |  1 PM
On Wings of Art Song: Cool Vocal Music for a Fall Season
In the Western classical art tradition, the art song is a great poem set to moving music. As a form, the art song originated in the Renaissance, developed in the Baroque and Enlightenment, and reached its zenith in the Romantic period. It continues to flourish in a wide variety of languages in the contemporary world. The art song can be found as an internal part of a theatrical masterpiece or as a standalone work. Join us to discuss art song masterpieces, their construction and how they compare, contrast and overlap with folk music. In the process, we’ll review some immortal poetry, as well as principles of construction of Western art music. Our 10-week discussion group will conclude with a live concert of art song and its transcription to elaborate instrumental presentation. Hosted by Stanley Misler with occasional commentary and musical illustrations by Kirt Pavitt and Jorge Modolell. St. Louis Public Library.
St. Louis Public Library – Central Library, 1301 Olive St., St. Louis, 63103

11 OCTOBER  |  7 PM
Ethel Morgan Smith, Path to Grace: Reimagining the Civil Rights Movement (Author Talk)
In conversation with Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jane Smiley, Ethel Morgan Smith discusses her new book. The civil rights movement is often defined narrowly, relegated to the 1950s and 1960s and populated by such colossal figures as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. Many forget that the movement was bigger than the figures on the frontline and that it grew from intellectual and historical efforts that continue today. In Path to Grace: Reimagining the Civil Rights Movement, Smith shines light on unsung heroes of the civil rights movement, the ordinary citizens working behind the scenes to make an impact in their communities. St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library – Grant’s View Branch, 9700 Musick Rd., St. Louis, 63123

12 OCTOBER  |  1 PM
Gallery Talk: “I Forget I Am a Painter, not a Politician”
Charles E. Valier, chairman of the Bingham Trust, will lead a gallery talk about Missourian George Caleb Bingham. Bingham became a fervent Whig supporter after the collapse of the banking system in 1837 deprived him of his recent earnings. His genre paintings, river scenes, and crowded election depictions are peppered with political innuendo. The talk will explore Bingham’s election series paintings, part of the Saint Louis Art Museum’s collection, and show how politics and painting intertwined in those oeuvres. Saint Louis Art Museum. 
Saint Louis Art Museum, 1 Fine Arts Dr., St. Louis, 63110

13 OCTOBER  |  7 PM
Ben Fountain, Devil Makes Three (Author Talk)
Author Ben Fountain will be in conversation with Politico reporter Kathy Gilsinan, award-winning, best-selling author of Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. Devil Makes Three follows four Americans in Haiti in the aftermath of a violent coup — some are looking to gain an advantage in the chaos, while others are just looking to make it through another day. St. Louis County Library.
The J, 2 Millstone Campus Dr., St. Louis, 63146

14 OCTOBER  |  5 PM
Alex Squadron, Life in the G (Author Talk)
Welcome to the G League, the official minor league of the National Basketball Association. Life in the G is about the arduous quest to achieve an improbable goal: making it to the NBA. Zeroing in on the Birmingham Squadron and four of its players — Jared Harper, Joe Young, Zylan Cheatham and Malcolm Hill — sports journalist Alex Squadron details the pursuit of a dream in what turned out to be the most remarkable season in the history of minor league sports. Left Bank Books.
Pi Pizzeria, 400 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 63108

14 OCTOBER  |  5:30 PM
Safety Zone: LGBTQIA+ Sports and Recreation
Over the past half century, many LGBTQIA+ sports and recreation leagues have emerged in St. Louis as safe and comfortable spaces for those who identify as members of queer communities seeking out social interaction, physical activity, fun and friendly competition. Commemorate LGBTQIA+ History Month with this program featuring a brief history of LGBTQIA+ athletes and sports in St. Louis, followed by a conversation with individuals who have been involved with various sports and recreation leagues, as well as the Gay Games. We’ll end the night with a special ballroom dance performance featuring dancers from St. Louis Equality Dance! Before the panel program, enjoy a happy hour with food and drink for purchase from the Key Bistro, resources tables, and a special sound bath session with Aria Thome from Yoga Buzz.
Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

15 OCTOBER  |  1 PM
F for Fake Screening & Discussion
Orson Welles’ 1973 documentary details the lives of infamous fakers Elmyr de Hory and Clifford Irving. De Hory, who later committed suicide to avoid more prison time, made his name by selling forged works of art by painters like Picasso and Matisse. Irving was infamous for writing a fake autobiography of Howard Hughes. Welles moves between documentary and fiction as he examines the fundamental elements of fraud and the people who commit fraud at the expense of others. Intro and discussion by Joshua Ray, film critic for KMOV and co-founder and contributing editor of The Take-Up. Cinema St. Louis.
Hi-Pointe Main Theatre, 1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, 63117

16 OCTOBER  |  7 PM
Fergus Bordewich, Klan War: Ulysses S. Grant and the Battle to Save Reconstruction (Author Talk)
The Ku Klux Klan, which celebrated historian Fergus Bordewich defines as “the first organized terrorist movement in American history,” rose from the ashes of the Civil War. To repel the virulent tidal wave of violence, President Ulysses S. Grant waged a two-term battle against both armed Southern enemies of Reconstruction and Northern politicians seduced by visions of postwar conciliation, testing the limits of the federal government in determining the extent of states’ rights. Klan War is a bold and bracing record of America’s past that reveals the bloody, Reconstruction-era roots of present-day battles to protect the ballot box and stamp out resurgent white supremacist ideologies. St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library – Daniel Boone Branch, 300 Clarkson Rd., Ellisville, 63011

17 OCTOBER  |  11 AM
Black St. Louis with Calvin Riley
CALVIN RILEY, founder and executive director of the George B. Vashon Museum, discusses his work founding a museum and building a collection that reflects the stories of St. Louis Black culture over the past 250 years. Located on St. Louis’ historic “Millionaires Row,” the George B. Vashon Museum holds more than 10,000 artifacts, including the newly added Julius B. Hunter Collection.
Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

17 & 24 OCTOBER 
The Life and Times of Albert Lambert
From his entrepreneurial ventures to his philanthropic endeavors, we will learn how the love of aviation and Albert Lambert's commitment to innovation led to the Spirit of St. Louis flight and the building of the Lambert airport. St. Louis County Library.
2 pm, Oct. 17: Oak Bend Branch, 842 S. Holmes Ave., St. Louis, 63122
10:30 am, Oct. 24: Jamestown Bluffs Branch, 4153 N. Highway 67, Florissant, 63034

18 & 19 OCTOBER
Indigenous Use of Native Plants
Explore the herbs used by indigenous people as well as the historical and cultural significance of those plants. Presented by St. Louis Herb Society. St. Louis County Library.
10 am, Oct. 18: Florissant Valley Branch, 195 New Florissant Rd. S., Florissant, 63031
2 pm, Oct. 19: Cliff Cave Branch, 5430 Telegraph Rd., St. Louis, 63129

18 OCTOBER  |  6 PM
Greggor Mattson, Who Needs Gay Bars? (Author Talk)
Author Greggor Mattson will be in conversation with founder of the St. Louis LGBT History Project, Steven Louis Brawley. Gay bars have been closing by the hundreds. The story goes that increasing mainstream acceptance of LGBTQ+ people, plus dating apps like Grindr and Tinder, have rendered these spaces obsolete. Beyond that, rampant gentrification in big cities has pushed gay bars out of the neighborhoods they helped make hip. Who Needs Gay Bars? considers these narratives, accepting that the answer for some might be: maybe nobody. And yet... Jarred by the closing of his favorite local watering hole in Cleveland, Ohio, Mattson embarks on a journey across the country to paint a much more complex picture of the cultural significance of these spaces. Watch the livestream on Left Bank Books’ YouTube page. Left Bank Books.
Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 63108

18 OCTOBER  |  6:30 PM
Greg Olson, Indigenous Missourians: Ancient Societies to the Present (Author Talk)
The history of Indigenous people in present-day Missouri is far more nuanced, complex, and vibrant than the often-told tragic stories of conflict with white settlers and forced Indian removal would lead us to believe. While previous Missouri histories have tended to include Indigenous people only during periods when they constituted a threat to the state’s white settlement, Olson shows us the con­tinuous presence of Native people that includes the present day. Olson served as the curator of exhibits and special projects at the Missouri State Archives from 2000 to 2018 and is the author of six books, including The Ioway in Missouri; Voodoo Priests, Noble Savages, and Ozark Gypsies: The Life of Folklorist Mary Alicia Owen; and Ioway Life: Reservation and Reform, 1837–1860. Richmond Heights Memorial Library.
The HEIGHTS Community Center, 2nd Floor, 8001 Dale Ave., Richmond Heights, 63117

19 OCTOBER  |  5:30 PM
The American Experience Through Storytelling
Presented in collaboration with the St. Louis Storytelling Festival, this event features three nationally renowned storytellers as they share inspiring, thought-provoking, personal stories. Dovie Thomason (Lakota and Kiowa Apache) utilizes the art form of traditional Native storytelling to tell stories of her own life and her people’s experience; two-time Moth StorySLAM winner Jitesh Jaggie is a recent immigrant from India who has learned that despite our different backgrounds, our fears and hopes are surprisingly common; and Charlotte Blake Alston is a veteran international storyteller who was named the official storyteller, narrator and host of the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2021. Before the performances, enjoy happy hour with food and drink for purchase from the Key Bistro. You'll also find resource tables, activities and literature readings from UMSL Honors College students. 
Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

20–21 OCTOBER
Translations, Transgressions, and Transformations: The Global Movement of Objects in Catholic Cultures
This international interdisciplinary conference examines the cultural mobility of Catholicism through the physical movement of objects. One of the hallmarks of Catholicism throughout its long history has been its inherent portability and its protean assimilation across the visual cultures of societies, peoples and landscapes worldwide. Catholicism has entangled with cultures over time in such diverse ways that distinct innovations and transformations are readily on display through the arts and material culture at Carnevale in Italy, Día de los Muertos in Mexico, Celtic pilgrimage sites in Ireland, Candomblé healing rituals in Afro-Caribbean communities, the feast of the Black Nazarene in the Philippines, as well as countless other popular expressions. Material objects, including refined artworks, textiles, books, and mundane, everyday objects, have long been central to encounters between Catholicism and local cultures. Diverse media of exchange can work to transfigure both Catholicism and local cultures in surprising and unpredictable ways. This conference brings leading scholars from various disciplines into conversation to break new ground and open new lines of inquiry into the translation, transgression and transformation of Catholicism as it has circulated globally across cultural spaces through the traffic and transfer of material cultures. See website to register. Saint Louis University Center for Research on Global Catholicism.
Saint Louis University, Pere Marquette Gallery, DuBourg Hall, 221 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 63103

21 OCTOBER  |  10:30 AM
Literary Ladies of St. Louis
Explore the lives and writings of St. Louis’ 20th-century women writers, from the bayou tales of Kate Chopin, to the romantic poetry of Sara Teasdale, to the plays and screenplays of Hollywood writer Zoe Akins. The program is free, but registration is required due to limited space.
Missouri Historical Society Library & Research Center, 225 S. Skinker Blvd., St. Louis, 63105

22 OCTOBER  |  4:30 PM
Schuyler Bailar, He/She/They (Author Talk)
Anti-transgender legislation is being introduced in state governments around the United States in record-breaking numbers. Trans people are under attack in sports, healthcare, school curriculum, bathrooms, bars and nearly every walk of life. He/She/They clearly and compassionately addresses fundamental topics, from why being transgender is not a choice and why pronouns are important, to more complex issues including how gender-affirming healthcare can be lifesaving and why allowing trans youth to play sports is good for all kids. With a relatable narrative rooted in facts, science and history, Schuyler Bailar helps restore common sense and humanity to a discussion that continues to be divisively coopted and deceptively politicized. Watch the livestream on Left Bank Books’ YouTube page. Left Bank Books.
The High Low Listening Room (entrance on N. Leonard Ave.), 3301 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 63103

23 OCTOBER  |  VARIOUS
ARCE-MO Papyrus Workshop
Roger Bagnall will lead small groups in viewings of the papyri in the Special Collections at Washington University’s Olin Library. Bagnall, the Leon Levy Director Emeritus at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World and honorary professor of classics at Washington University, is a world-renowned papyrologist, classicist and historian, whose wide-ranging scholarship has contributed to our understanding of life in Egypt during the Greco-Roman and late antique periods. He previously co-organized the 2018 Summer Institute in Papyrology using the Olin Library Special Collections, giving him special insights into what these papyri tell us. Additionally, the workshop will include a Kalamoi Reed pens hands-on activity to help participants understand the mechanics of producing manuscripts using papyrus and reed pen. This event is free, however, space is limited to only 10 participants per time slot. Register by October 13; limited participation for two time slots. American Research Center in Egypt, Missouri Chapter.
Washington University, Olin Library, Special Collections

23 OCTOBER  |  7 PM
Observable Readings: Tommy Archuleta and Ariana Benson
TOMMY ARCHULETA is a native northern New Mexican. Most recently his work has appeared in the New England Review, Laurel Review, Lily Poetry Review, The Cortland Review, Guesthouse and the Poem-a-Day series sponsored by the Academy of American Poets. Susto, his full-length debut collection of poems, published by the Center for Literary Publishing, is a 2023 Mountain/West Poetry Series title. Ariana Benson was born in Norfolk, Virginia. Her debut collection, Black Pastoral (University of Georgia Press) won the 2022 Cave Canem Poetry Prize. She has also received the Furious Flower Poetry Prize and the Porter House Review Poetry Prize, and the 2021 Graybeal Gowen Prize for Virginia Poets. $5. Livestream available here. St. Louis Poetry Center.
High Low, 3301 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 63103

24 OCTOBER  |  6 PM
Patrick Bringley, All the Beauty in the World (Author Talk)
Millions of people climb the grand staircase to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art every year. But only a select few have unrestricted access to every nook and cranny. Former New Yorker staffer Patrick Bringley spent a decade as a museum guard. In his absorbing memoir, we follow him as he guards delicate treasures, strolls the labyrinths beneath the galleries and marvels at the beautiful works in his care. All the Beauty in the World is an inspiring portrait of a great museum, its hidden treasures and the people who make it tick, by one of its most intimate observers. Advanced registration highly encouraged; see website. Saint Louis Art Museum and St. Louis County Library.
Saint Louis Art Museum, 1 Fine Arts Dr., St. Louis, 63110

24 OCTOBER  |  6 PM
Michael O’Leary and Patrick Morrissey
MICHAEL O’LEARY is the author of Out West (2023) and The Reception (2016). The Reception’s narrative and lyric poems draw one in, word by word and line by line. Rooted in a desirous present, they reach forward into the future, and one wants to reach with them. He serves as an editor of Flood Editions. Patrick Morrissey is the author of three books of poetry: The Differences, World Music and Light Box. In Light Box, his third collection, Morrissey explores the mysteries and intimacies of life in the city as they intersect with the pleasures and realities of family life. He teaches at the University of Chicago.  
Subterranean Books, 6271 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 63130

24 OCTOBER  |  6:30 PM
When Bad Things Happen to Good Buildings
MEG LOUSTEAU, director, Cultural Resources Office, City of St. Louis. Society of Architectural Historians STL/Steedman Library Lecture Series. St. Louis Public Library.
VIRTUAL - RSVP

25 OCTOBER  |  2 PM
Virtual Program: Stories in the Sky
Jayme Novara (St. Charles Community College) and Christina Gant (St. Charles Community College) are co-authors of An Introduction to World Mythology. They share stories inspired by the stars and their configurations across cultures. St. Louis Storytelling Festival. St. Louis County Library.
VIRTUAL - RSVP

25 OCTOBER  |  6:30 PM
History After Dark: Curiosities and Cocktails
Join the Young Friends of the Missouri Historical Society to go behind the scenes at the Library & Research Center. Explore fascinating artifacts from the Missouri Historical Society Collections, discover your ghost person and enjoy signature cocktails. Tickets include one complimentary drink. $15.
Missouri Historical Society Library & Research Center, 225 S. Skinker Blvd., St. Louis, 63105

25 OCTOBER  |  7 PM
Storytelling Concert Series: Irish Music
Listen to and learn about Irish music at this live concert, with the musical stylings of harpist Eileen Gannon and fiddler Robert Ryan of St. Louis Irish Arts. St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis Public Library – Grand Glaize Branch, 1010 Meramec Station Rd., Manchester, 63021

26 OCTOBER  |  6 PM
John Irving, The Last Chairlift (Author Talk)
Join us at for an intimate online conversation with internationally best-selling author John Irving as he chats about not only his most recent novel, The Last Chairlift, but also about his prolific body of work and a lifetime spent writing. Irving’s first novel was published when he was just 26 years old. He has gone on to be nominated for a National Book Award three times and won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. University City Public Library.
VIRTUAL – RSVP

27 OCTOBER  |  6:30 PM
Cozy Con 2023
Join us for a night of sleuthing, fun and cozy mysteries. SLCL’s first event celebrating the light, humorous subgenre of suspense fiction, Cozy Con 2023 will feature Vivien Chien (Misfortune Cookie: A Noodle Shop Mystery), Diane Kelly (Snow Place for Murder: A Mountain Lodge Mystery), Mia P. Manansala (Murder and Mamon: A Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery), Ellie Alexander (Catch Me If You Candy: A Bakeshop Mystery) and Korina Moss (Case of the Blues: A Cheese Shop Mystery). St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library – Grant’s View Branch, 9700 Musick Rd., St. Louis, 63123

28 OCTOBER  |  9 AM
Discovery Tour | STL Reborn
There is such a thing as reincarnation … especially when it comes to architecture! Join us as we rediscover a number of buildings that have been repurposed, reworked and “reborn” with new purposes to serve St. Louisans in the 21st century. From a totally reimagined William B. Ittner school to a 140-year-old Catholic church that’s now a skater haven, learn about some of the local developers who have discovered creative new ways to build upon our past. $80–$90. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

28 OCTOBER  |  3 PM
Germans Helping Jews in Nazi Germany – A Secret History
MARK ROSEMAN, Distinguished Professor, and the Pat M. Glazer Chair in Jewish Studies at the University of Indiana, will be presenting on rescue efforts made in Nazi Germany. Unearth the incredible story of a little-known group who defied the darkest days of Nazi Germany, reaching out to save lives in the face of unspeakable horrors. This captivating talk unveils remarkable historic documentation and goes beyond the heroic rescuers to explore the deeper meaning of “rescue” during the Holocaust. While the spotlight often falls on the brave individuals, this talk will uncover the hidden dimensions of help, revealing the complex web of support that enabled Jews to survive in their darkest hours. See website to register. St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum.
St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, 36 Millstone Campus Dr., St. Louis, 63146

30 OCTOBER  |  6 PM
Margaret Renkl, The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year (Author Talk)
In The Comfort of Crows, Margaret Renkl presents a literary devotional: fifty-two chapters that follow the creatures and plants in her backyard over the course of a year. As we move through the seasons—from a crow spied on New Year’s Day, its resourcefulness and sense of community setting a theme for the year, to the lingering bluebirds of December, revisiting the nest box they used in spring—what develops is a portrait of joy and grief: joy in the ongoing pleasures of the natural world, and grief over winters that end too soon and songbirds that grow fewer and fewer. St. Louis Public Library.
St. Louis Public Library – Schlafly Library, 225 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis  63108

31 OCTOBER  |  11 AM
Haunted STL
St. Louis radio icon and occasional ghostbuster Johnny Rabbitt tells the tales and walks the walks of the supernatural in St. Louis. He brings decades of occult investigation to this talk on haunted places and spaces, the paranormal and the spiritualism of the city's past. His ghost guide to the St. Louis connections in The Exorcist and Ghostbusters will also be on the docket. Show up on Halloween morning — if you dare!
Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112