1 APRIL  |  2 PM
Public Tour: Power of Place
Student educators lead interactive tours of the permanent collection designed to prompt discussion and reflection on the power of place in relationship to works by such artists as Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Torkwase Dyson and Martín Chambi, as well as early travel photography.
Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum

3 APRIL  |  4 PM
Activism, Scholarship and Radical Self-Care: A Conversation with Ericka Huggins
Join the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows for the 2023 virtual symposium. A discussion between Huggins and Angela LeBlanc-Ernest will cover Huggins’ academic and community work, Black Panther Party Community Programs and Huggins’ recent co-authored publication, Comrade Sisters: Women of the Black Panther Party. Huggins is an educator, Black Panther Party member, former political prisoner, human rights advocate and poet. LeBlanc-Ernest is an independent scholar, documentarian, multimedia content creator, oral historian and community archivist whose projects focus on 20th-century social movement history, gender, education and culture. Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows.
VIRTUAL

3 APRIL  |  4 PM
Israel Approaching 75: Reform, Protests & Contexts
Please join us for an open conversation on current events in Israel with faculty in Department of Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies, led by Ayala Hendin, Israel Institute Postdoctoral Research Associate and Teaching Fellow. Together, we will try to make sense of the proposal for judiciary reform, the protests, and the wider implications.
Washington University, Busch Hall, Room 18

3 APRIL  |  5:30 PM
Aaron Coleman Reading: International Writer’s Series 
AARON COLEMAN (MFA ‘15, PhD ‘21), whose papers and other materials are now part of the Modern Literature Collection at Washington University Libraries, will read his poetry and translations. Ignacio Infante, associate professor of comparative literature and co-director of the Center for the Literary Arts, will introduce Coleman and moderate a brief Q&A after, followed by a light reception. Coleman is featured in the current exhibition Wherein I Am: Highlights from The Aaron Coleman Papers. The International Writers Series is a collaboration between the International Writers track of the Program in Comparative Literature and the Washington University Libraries to celebrate new publications of creative works by writers and translators in the Washington University in St. Louis community and beyond. University Libraries.
Washington University, Olin Library, Ginkgo Reading Room

3 APRIL  |  5:30 PM
The Evolving Concept of Gender-Specific Medicine
MARIANNE LEGATO, MD, emerita professor of clinical medicine, Columbia University, and founder and director of the Foundation for Gender-Specific Medicine. Introduction by Rebecca Wanzo, professor and chair of the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Washington University. Kimberly Templeton Lecture on Sex and Gender in Medicine, Department of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Washington University, Women’s Building Formal Lounge

4 APRIL  |  4 PM
Gendered Experiences of the Holocaust in Italy: Space, Place, and Testimonies
ALBERTO GIORDANO is a professor in the Department of Geography at Texas State University. His research interests are in historical GIS, Holocaust and genocide geography, policy applications of GIScience and spatial applications of forensic anthropology. Paul and Silvia Rava Memorial Lecture in Italian Studies, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures. 
Washington University, Women’s Building Formal Lounge

4 APRIL  |  4:30 PM
The Wild Edges of Character: Creation in the Gospel of Luke
MICHAL BETH DINKLER, associate professor of the New Testament, Yale Divinity School. Typically, scholars treat references to the environment in the Gospel of Luke in one of two ways: nature is read as the inanimate background, or setting, in which animate human characters play out the plot or the environment is seen as symbolically representing deeper spiritual truths. Drawing on literary ecocriticism, Dinkler argues that Creation itself functions as a vibrant and diverse living character in the Gospel of Luke. In-person and Zoom attendance options. E.G. Weltin Lecture in Early Christianity, Program in Religious Studies. 
Washington University, Danforth University Center, Goldberg Formal Lounge

4 APRIL  |  8 PM
Visiting Hurst Professor: Leslie Jamison, Craft Talk
LESLIE JAMISON is the New York Times best-selling author of four books: The Empathy Exams, The Recovering: Intoxication and Its Aftermath, Make It Scream, Make It Burn: Essays and a novel, The Gin Closet. Department of English.
Washington University, Duncker Hall, Hurst Lounge (Room 201)

6 APRIL  |  4 PM
The Black Corporeal Undercommons in Post-Fidel Cuba
Historic expansion of market reforms in post-Fidel Revolutionary Cuba has contributed to increasingly stark racialized class inequality on the island. The contours of these socioeconomic changes are felt and mediated by Black people in distinctly gendered ways. In this talk, based on ethnographic fieldwork with rumberos (rumba performers) between 2012 and 2018, the embodied practices of African-inspired faith systems are engaged as means for ritual kin to form a space of well-being autonomous from the state and its development designs. Maya J. Berry is a dancer, performance scholar and social anthropologist by training who brings a Black feminist approach to her research on the Black political imagination in Havana, Cuba. She is also an assistant professor of African diaspora studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Department of African and African-American Studies.
TBD

6 APRIL  |  6 PM
Rethinking Early Modern Globalization through the Case of Qing China and Its Perception of Its Own Position in the World
YUE DU is an assistant professor of history at Cornell University. The term “Central State” (Zhongguo/Dulimbai gurun), which is used as the equivalent to the English term China today, experienced thorough transformation and gained its modern meaning as a territorial, sovereign country during the second half of the 19th century. By 1900, intellectuals in China viewed the Qing as but one regime whose fate warranted special concern only as a means to save the trans-dynastic entity that was the Chinese nation (Zhongguo); meanwhile, they perceived the “Central State” as but one “parallel” (pingxing) country competing for survival in a globe composed of “tens of thousands of countries.” The conceptual decentralization of the China-based empire took place only following the Arrow War (1856-60), facilitated by systematic diplomatic engagement between the Qing and Euro-American countries and by translation of international law. The timing of this conceptual revolution reveals the limited impact of early modern globalization on the worldviews of rulers and cultural elites in China despite the integration of Ming and Qing China into global economy, begging us to rethink the nature and scope of early modern globalization. Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures.
VIRTUAL - RSVP

6 APRIL  |  8 PM
Visiting Hurst Professor: Leslie Jamison, Reading
LESLIE JAMISON is the New York Times bestselling author of four books: The Empathy Exams, The Recovering: Intoxication and Its Aftermath, Make It Scream, Make It Burn: Essays and a novel, The Gin Closet. Department of English.
Washington University, Duncker Hall, Hurst Lounge (Room 201)

7 APRIL  |  4 PM
Staging Orbitas in Ennius’ Andromacha
LAUREN GINSBERG is an associate professor of classical studies at Duke University. Department of Classics.
Washington University, Seigle Hall, Room 109

7–8 APRIL  |  8 PM
WUDance Collective: GENESIS
“There is an important story needing to come through each of us. We are longing to be seen, to be necessary.” — Toko-pa Turner. Dance is the physical emergence of the untold stories that originate from deep within ourselves. Fueled by emotion and energy, it moves through the body and out into space to create the language from which we tell the stories of our everyday lives. Join us for an evening of dance derived from deep personal reflections on our most valued experiences in the world. Washington University Dance Collective serves as the Performing Arts Department’s resident dance company. Artistic direction is by Cecil Slaughter. Performing Arts Department.
Washington University, Edison Theatre

7 APRIL  |  2 PM
A New Global Studies? Global-South Perspectives, Activist Engagement, Interdisciplinary Innovation
PAUL AMAR, recent department chair and founder of the PhD program in the Department of Global Studies and current director of the Orfalea Center for Global & International Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, will highlight some of the most exciting trends in the evolving field of global studies. He will map the centering of perspectives and scholars from the Global South and the shift in research ethics from extraction toward community partnerships and public action. And he will identify the challenges and opportunities of interdisciplinary institution-building in the context of austerity politics and isolationist anti-globalism. Program in Global Studies.
Washington University, Danforth University Center, Room 233

7 APRIL  |  4 PM
‘Write What You Don't Know’: A Conversation with David Henry Hwang
DAVID HENRY HWANG’s stage work includes the plays M. Butterfly, Chinglish, Yellow Face, Golden Child, The Dance and the Railroad and FOB, as well as the Broadway musicals Aida, Flower Drum Song (2002 revival) and Disney’s Tarzan. He is currently penning the live-action feature musical remake of Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, as well as an Anna May Wong biopic to star actress Gemma Chan. For television, he was a writer/consulting producer for the Golden Globe-winning television series The Affair and is now creating Billion Dollar Whale. Called America’s most-produced living opera librettist, he has written 13 libretti, including five with composer Philip Glass. Hwang is a Tony Award winner and three-time nominee, a three-time OBIE Award winner, a Grammy Award winner who has been twice nominated and a three-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. A professor at Columbia University School of the Arts, Hwang is a trustee of the American Theatre Wing, where he served as chair and sits on the Council of the Dramatist Guild. Helen Clanton Morrin Biennial Lecture, Performing Arts Department.
Washington University, Mallinckrodt Center, Edison Theatre 

10 APRIL  |  4 PM
One More Try (Or, Teacher, There Are Things That I Don’t Want to Know) 
JOSHUA CHAMBERS-LETSON is a professor of performance studies and Asian American studies at Northwestern University and author of After the Party: A Manifesto for Queer of Color Life and A Race So Different: Law and Performance in Asian America. The reading group “Cruising Utopia in the 2020s” invites you to a lecture by Chambers-Letson — a return to the dynamics of melancholia and reparation in queer theory, a meditation on the art of living with grief and another (final) attempt to reconcile with a teacher who told you goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.
They are presently the 2022-23 Thinker in Residence with the Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation.
Washington University, Seigle Hall, Room 204

10 APRIL  |  5:30 PM
Tere Dávila in Discussion with Zorimar Rivera Montes
Puerto Rican author Tere Dávila and Zorimar Rivera Montes, assistant professor of Latinx studies in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at Washington University, will discuss Dávila’s literary fiction and its relationship to Puerto Rican culture and contemporary global issues. University Libraries. 
Washington University, Olin Library, Room 142

11 APRIL  |  5:30 PM
International Writers Series: Tere Dávila & Rebecca Hanssens-Reed
REBECCA HANSSENS-REED’s translation of Tere Dávila’s Mercedes’s Special Talent won a 2022 O. Henry Prize for Short Fiction. Dávila is the recipient of two Puerto Rican National Prizes, for her novel, Nenísimas, and the short story collection, Aquí están las instrucciones. She has also published three other short-fiction collections, children’s books and books on Puerto Rican culture. In 2017, she received Puerto Rico’s New Voices Award, and in 2015 her short story “El fondillo maravilloso” was adapted into an award-winning short film. Hanssens-Reed is a literary translator and PhD student in the track for international writers. University Libraries. 
Washington University, Olin Library, Room 142

13 APRIL  |  9 AM
Global Trade & Exchange, c. 600-1600: A Forthcoming Installation at the Saint Louis Art Museum
MAGGIE CROSLAND is the Etta Steinberg Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Washington University. In this talk, Crosland will provide an overview and update on her forthcoming installation at the Saint Louis Art Museum, which explores trade and artistic connections across the world in the centuries between 600 and 1600. She will discuss her process for choosing artwork, layout and didactic materials, as well as some of the challenges that have arisen in the planning stages. Department of Art History and Archaeology.
Washington University, Kemper 103

13 APRIL  |  4 PM
Virtuous Healing: Therapeutic Knowledge in Women’s Educational Literature in Early Modern Japan
W. EVAN YOUNG is an assistant professor of history at Dickinson College and a historian of Japan who specializes in medicine and science. During the Tokugawa period (1603–1868), didactic literature for women increasingly featured an impressive amount of medical know-how. Largely overlooked within the history of medicine, educational texts aimed at a female readership, such as Onna daigaku (The greater learning for women, 1716), in fact represent some of the most voluminous collections of therapeutic knowledge in early modern vernacular print. Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures.
Washington University, Busch Hall, Room 18

13 APRIL  |  5 PM
Living as a Writer
Join us for a discussion on how writers navigate the professional aspects of their careers. Visiting keynote speaker Anna Moschovakis, an award-winning poet, novelist, translator and one of the founding members of the acclaimed Ugly Duckling Presse, will join WashU creative writing faculty members G’Ra Asim (creative nonfiction), Danielle Dutton (fiction) and Niki Herd (poetry) to discuss everything from prizes and publishing to grants and grad school. This will be a lively, informal event directed by student questions. Center for the Literary Arts.
Washington University, McMillian Hall, McMillan Café

13 APRIL  |  5:30 PM
Diaspora Dialogues: African Art Influence across the Atlantic
Following a self-guided tour of African Modernism in America, join the annual Diaspora Dialogues event, a conversation among Black women in St. Louis organized by Vitendo4Africa and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. International Awareness and Involvement Committee. This year’s theme will center on a transnational discussion of African art and its connections to African-American artists, the social and political roles of art in African and African-American contexts during the 1950s and 1960s, and the importance of teaching these histories to challenge Western notions of African art. Invited speakers include Erin Falker-Obichigha, artist, art historian and curator; Bukky Gbadegesin, associate professor of art history at Saint Louis University; Yvonne Osei, artist; and MwazaCarol Thompson-Robinson, artist. The discussion on the social and political roles of art in African and African-American contexts continues over a modern Congolese cuisine provided by Lady Lauralie. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum

13 APRIL  |  7 PM
Beyond the Pitch: Qatar, Human Rights, and the World Cup
This town hall event is a panel discussion hosted by Sigma Iota Rho focusing on the 2023 World Cup hosted by Qatar and their impact on conversations surrounding human rights, international relations and globalism. This event brings together experts from various fields, including sports, politics and human rights activism, to facilitate an open and honest discussion about the challenges facing Qatar after hosting the World Cup, including concerns about labor practices and human rights violations. Panelists will explore the various issues surrounding the event, including the treatment of migrant workers, gender inequality and environmental concerns. Town Hall also provides an opportunity for participants to engage in constructive dialogue about how to improve the situation in Qatar and create a more inclusive and equitable world. The event encourages active participation from the audience with opportunities for questions and comments from the floor. Program in Global Studies.
Washington University, Simon Hall, Room 01

13 APRIL  |  7 PM
Retina Burn
The students of the Lighting Technology class will put on a full concert in the Edison Theatre. The concert, which we lovingly call Retina Burn, is the culmination of a semester-long process in learning the craft of designing a concert lighting and projection rig. Students have spent the better part of the semester programming this concert in computer visualization in preparation for the live show. Performance is by Uncle Albert Band with Tim Albert and Lisa Campbell. This popular Illinois-based band maintains their roots as well as they “Boogie da’ Blues.” Performing Arts Department.
Washington University, Edison Theatre

13 APRIL  |  8 PM
Visiting Writer: André Naffis-Sahely
ANDRÉ NAFFIS-SAHELY is the author of two collections of poetry, The Promised Land: Poems from Itinerant Life and High Desert, as well as the editor of The Heart of a Stranger: An Anthology of Exile Literature. He is a lecturer at the University of California, Davis in the U.S. and the editor of Poetry London in the UK. Department of English.
VIRTUAL

14 APRIL  |  10 AM
Author Anna Moschovakis Reading, Talk and Q&A
Join for breakfast and a series of events with Anna Moschovakis and her agent Akin Akinwumi. Moschovakis will read from and discuss her own work, after which Akinwumi will speak about his work representing international literary voices in a commercial environment. Following Akinwumi’s discussion, the two will respond to audience questions. Moschovakis is an award-winning poet, novelist, translator and one of the founding members of the acclaimed Ugly Duckling Presse. Her translation of David Diop’s At Night All Blood Is Black received the 2021 International Booker Prize. Akinwumi is the founder of Willenfield Literary Agency, an international agency dedicated to representing writers working in contemporary literature. Center for the Literary Arts.
Washington University, Danforth University Center, Room 276

14 APRIL  |  8 PM
Online Chinese-Language Tour: African Modernism in America
Join student educator Yue Dai, PhD student in the Department of Art History and Archaeology at Washington University, for an online tour of this season’s exhibition African Modernism in America. Drawing primarily from Fisk University’s remarkable collection of gifts from the Harmon Foundation, the exhibition examines connections between modern African artists and patrons, artists and cultural organizations in the United States, amid the interlocking histories of civil rights, decolonization and the Cold War. The exhibition features more than 70 artworks by 50 artists that exemplify the relationships between the new art that emerged in Africa during the 1950s and 1960s and the art and cultural politics of the U.S. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum

14–15 APRIL  |  7 PM
A Beautiful Life
Student Dance Showcase is proud to present our 2023 showcase, A Beautiful Life. Composed by nine student choreographers, pieces will cover a wide range of styles and subjects. Choreography is by Jill Mark, Erin Prein, Allison O’Bara, Lexy Sokolowski, Izzy Yanover, Amarnath Ghosh, Arielle Meisel, Callie Kamanitz and Jebron Perkins. $3–$5. Performing Arts Department.
Washington University, Mallinckrodt Center, Annelise Mertz Dance Studio (Room 207)

15 APRIL  |  2 PM
Public Tour: African Modernism in America
Student educators lead interactive tours of this season’s exhibition African Modernism in America. Drawing primarily from Fisk University’s remarkable collection of gifts from the Harmon Foundation, the exhibition examines connections between modern African artists and patrons, artists and cultural organizations in the United States, amid the interlocking histories of civil rights, decolonization and the Cold War. The exhibition features more than seventy artworks by fifty artists that exemplify the relationships between the new art that emerged in Africa during the 1950s and 1960s and the art and cultural politics of the U.S. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum

17–21 APRIL  
The Biggs Family Residency in Classics: Victor Caston
VICTOR CASTON is a professor of philosophy and classical studies at University of Michigan and the world’s leading interpreter of Aristotle’s account of the human mind. His expertise extends over a range of topics in metaphysics and epistemology and from Aristotle’s Presocratic predecessors to his Hellenistic and late antique successors. See website for schedule. Department of Classics.
VARIOUS LOCATIONS

19 APRIL  |  5:30 PM
The Syrian Bride
Facilitated by Ayala Hendin and Younasse Tarbouni of the Washington University Department of Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies, join us for the final session of the Spring 2023 Middle East and North Africa Film Series. The Syrian Bride is a 2004 film directed by Eran Riklis. In Majdal Shams, the largest Druze village in Golan Heights on the Israeli-Syrian border, the Druze bride Mona is engaged to marry Tallel, a television comedian who works in the Revolution Studios in Damascus, Syria. They have never met each other because of the occupation of the area by Israel since 1967; when Mona moves to Syria, she will lose her undefined nationality and will never be allowed to return home. Mona’s father Hammed is a pro-Syria political activist who is on probation by the Israeli government. His older son Hatten married a Russian woman eight years ago and was banished from Majdal Shams by the religious leaders and his father. His brother Marwan is a wolf trader who lives in Italy. His sister Amal has two teenage daughters and has the intention to join the university, but her marriage with Amin is in crisis. When the family gathers for Mona’s wedding, an insane bureaucracy jeopardizes the ceremony. In recognition of Ramadan, Iftar will be provided after the screening. Department of Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies.
Washington University, McDonnell Hall, Room 162

20–23 APRIL 
Fucking A
In Fucking A, Hester Smith, the shunned local abortionist, hatches a plan to buy her jailed son’s freedom — and nothing will deter Hester from her quest. In this gritty journey of story and song, Hester’s branded letter A becomes a provocative emblem of vengeance, violence and sacrifice. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, Fucking A was inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel The Scarlet Letter. Parks’ brilliant reimagining of the tale feels deeply contemporary, as though it has been pulled from our contemporary headlines. $15–$20. Performing Arts Department.
Washington University, Mallinckrodt Center, A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre

20 APRIL  |  6 PM
Envisioning Baroque Rome, From Paper to Pixels
SARAH C. MCPHEE is the Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Art History and chair of the Department of Art History at Emory University. Department of Art History and Archaeology. 
Washington University, Kemper 103

21 APRIL  |  1 PM
The Anthropology of Anxiety
The event will feature four scholars who have been working collaboratively over the past few years on this topic: Nutsa Batiashvili, associate professor in social sciences and dean of the Graduate School in Humanities, Social and Natural Sciences at Free University of Tbilisi; Katie Hejtmanek, associate professor of anthropology and archaeology and children and youth studies at Brooklyn College; Susan Lepselter, associate professor of American Studies and anthropology; and Rebecca Lester, chair of the Department of Anthropology and professor of sociocultural anthropology at Washington University. Department of Anthropology.
Washington University, McMillan Hall, Room G052

21 APRIL  |  1 PM
Gendering Male Dan: Jingju Male Cross-Gender Performers and Performance in the Post-Cultural Revolution Era
YAN MA is a postdoctoral fellow in Chinese performance cultures at Washington University. The dan role (female role) is one of the four major role categories in jingju (Beijing/Peking opera) and which can be performed by men or women. Prominent male dan masters, especially those active in the Republican era (1912–49), established and perfected the dan role performance system, but the socialist government that established the People’s Republic of China in 1949 had a negative attitude toward cross-gender performances. Male dan therefore have been generally excluded from the official jingju training system. This talk identifies and explicates the gender politics of the jingju male dan in the post-Cultural Revolution era (1976 to the present). Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures.
Washington University, Busch Hall, Room 18

21 APRIL  |  3 PM
Department of Music Lectures
JACOB P. CUPPS is a PhD student in music theory at Washington University. Cupps will present “‘If You’re Seeking Understanding…’: Glissant’s Opacity, ELUCID’s I Told Bessie, and the Politics of Legibility in Contemporary Underground Hip-Hop.” Varun Chandrasekhar is a PhD student in music theory at Washington University. Chandrasekhar will present “Clownin’ in Blue: Mingus and the Jazz Absurd.” Department of Music.
Washington University, Music Classroom Building, Room 102

22 APRIL |  2 PM
Public Tour: Power of Place
Student educators lead interactive tours of the permanent collection designed to prompt discussion and reflection on the power of place in relationship to works by such artists as Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Torkwase Dyson and Martín Chambi, as well as early travel photography. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum

24 APRIL  |  6 PM
Gerard Sekoto and the International Histories of African Modernism
JOSHUA COHEN, associate professor of art history at the City University of New York, discusses the life and work of the South African painter Gerard Sekoto (1913–93), who made vibrant Postimpressionist-style works in the 1940s before relocating permanently to Paris in 1947 — a move that allowed him to distance himself geographically from Apartheid, which began the following year. Living as an artist and musician in exile, Sekoto participated in a series of conferences and exhibitions charged with anticolonial ambitions and Cold War tensions. Sekoto’s tumultuous trajectory both reflects and reveals the international histories of African modernism at midcentury. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum

26 APRIL  |  3 PM
Virtual Book Club: The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu
Join University Libraries for a special National Preservation Week book club as we read the fascinating true story of The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer. Haidara, a mild-mannered archivist from the legendary city of Timbuktu, became one of the world’s greatest smugglers by saving the texts from sure destruction. With bravery and patience, Haidara organized a dangerous operation to sneak all 350,000 volumes out of the city to safety. Book club will begin with a short presentation on preservation, followed by a discussion of the book. University Libraries.
VIRTUAL - RSVP

26 APRIL  |  6 PM
Memory for the Future Showcase
Join us for refreshments and a showcase of project work by students of the Memory for the Future Studiolab, a yearlong course that combines the study of interlinked histories and legacies of colonialism, slavery and genocide with collaborative development of reparative public humanities projects in St. Louis. The studiolab is led by Anika Walke, associate professor of history; Geoff Ward, professor of African and African-American Studies; and Santiago Rozo-Sanchez, an RDE/M4F Postdoctoral Fellow. RSVPs appreciated.
Lewis Collaborative, 725 Kingsland Blvd., University City, 63130

27 APRIL  |  8 PM
MFA Readings
Second-year MFA students will read from their own works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Department of English.
IN PERSON & VIRTUAL: Washington University, Duncker Hall, Room 201 — Hurst Lounge

29 APRIL  |  2 PM
Public Tour: African Modernism in America
Student educators lead interactive tours of this season’s exhibition, African Modernism in America. Drawing primarily from Fisk University’s remarkable collection of gifts from the Harmon Foundation, the exhibition examines connections between modern African artists and patrons, artists and cultural organizations in the United States, amid the interlocking histories of civil rights, decolonization and the Cold War. The exhibition features more than 70 artworks by 50 artists that exemplify the relationships between the new art that emerged in Africa during the 1950s and 1960s and the art and cultural politics of the U.S. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum

1–25 APRIL   
Drop-In Collection Tour: Art and the Natural World
Art and the Natural World highlights diverse and varied interpretations of our environment. Join a Saint Louis Art Museum docent for a lively and engaging tour of the museum’s collection. Tour themes change monthly. Tours begin at the Information Center in Sculpture Hall, and they are limited to 10 visitors on a first-come, first-served basis. Saint Louis Art Museum.
Saint Louis Art Museum, 1 Fine Arts Dr., St. Louis, 63110

1–30 APRIL  
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. April 1: Tower Grove; April 1: Downtown Origins; April 1: Soulard South; April 2: Central West End; April 2: Tower Grove; April 5: Forest Park; April 8: Downtown Origins; April 8: Made in STL; April 8: Cherokee Street; April 9: Forest Park; April 12: Soulard North and LaSalle Park; April 13: Forest Park; April 15: Vietnam in St. Louis; April 15: Benton Park; April 15: Old North and St. Louis Place; April 16: Downtown Evolutions; April 22: Vietnam in St. Louis; April 22: Soulard South; April 22: Musical St. Louis; April 22: Dutchtown; April 23: Downtown Evolutions; April 23: Tower Grove; April 25: Forest Park; April 29: Central West End; April 29: Cherokee Street; April 29: Gay Liberation in the Gateway City; April 30: Soulard North and LaSalle Park

1 APRIL  |  1 PM 
St. Louis in Service Exhibit Tours
Explore St. Louis’ military history from the American Revolution through the present day. Your group’s guide will introduce you to artifacts, places and stories of individuals featured in the galleries at Soldiers Memorial. Missouri Historical Society.
Soldiers Memorial, Court of Honor, 1315 Chestnut St., St. Louis, 63103

1 APRIL  |  3 PM 
Deb JJ Lee, In Limbo (Author Talk)
DEB JJ LEE will discuss their new graphic memoir about a Korean-American teen’s coming-of-age story, In Limbo. Lee will be in conversation with best-selling author and illustrator John Hendrix (Washington University). Ever since Deborah (Jung-Jin) Lee emigrated from South Korea to the United States, she’s felt her otherness. For a while, her English wasn’t perfect. Her teachers can’t pronounce her Korean name. Her face and her eyes, especially her eyes, feel wrong. In high school, everything gets harder. Friendships change and end, she falls behind in classes and fights with her mom escalate. Caught in limbo, with nowhere safe to go, Deb finds her mental health plummeting, resulting in a suicide attempt, but Deb is resilient and slowly heals with the help of art and self-care, guiding her to a deeper understanding of her heritage and herself. Left Bank Books.
Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 63108

1 APRIL  |  3 PM 
Soldiers Memorial Architecture Tours
This 60-minute guided tour explores the exterior of Soldiers Memorial and the Court of Honor. From art deco window screens to sculptures by Walter Hancock, this tour will dive into Soldiers Memorial’s architecture, history, neighborhood, renovation and legacy. Missouri Historical Society.
Soldiers Memorial, Court of Honor, 1315 Chestnut St., St. Louis, 63103

4 APRIL  |  6 PM
Ann Hood, Fly Girl (Author Talk)
ANN HOOD will discuss her entertaining and fascinating memoir of her adventurous years as a TWA flight attendant. In 1978, in the tailwind of the golden age of air travel, flight attendants were the epitome of glamor and sophistication. Fresh out of college and hungry to experience the world — and maybe, one day, write about it — Ann Hood joined their ranks. After a grueling job search, Hood survived TWA’s rigorous Breech Training Academy and learned to evacuate seven kinds of aircraft, deliver a baby, mix proper cocktails, administer oxygen and stay calm no matter what the situation. In the air, Hood found both the adventure she’d dreamt of and the unexpected realities of life on the job. She carved chateaubriand in the first-class cabin and dined in front of the pyramids in Cairo, fended off passengers’ advances, found romance on layovers in London and Lisbon and walked more than a million miles in high heels. She flew through the start of deregulation, an oil crisis, massive furloughs and a labor strike. As the airline industry changed around her, Hood began to write — even drafting snatches of her first novel from the jump-seat. She reveals how the job empowered her despite its roots in sexist standards. Left Bank Books.
Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 63108

6 APRIL  |  5:30 PM
Mapping Black Towns
Join us on this program stop as we journey through Black towns and settlements in Missouri. The Missouri Historical Society, in partnership with Missouri State Parks and Lincoln University, is hosting Atyia Martin, PhD, Next Leadership Development, and Cymone Davis, Black Towns Municipal Management, for a Missouri multi-city tour featuring their Black Towns & Settlements Mapping Project. The mission of Next Leadership Development is to accelerate change and strengthen resilience in Black communities through building leadership, creating its own tables, and developing partnerships with allies. Black Towns Municipal Management’s mission is to assist the remaining US Black townships in community redevelopment and government infrastructure with a vision to build sustainable townships for people within the African diaspora. This program will dive into the project’s origin story, vision, counternarratives, and ways to sustain and grow this effort. How can we leverage community digital mapping projects to support Black municipalities and communities’ ability to thrive? What are the challenges? What are the opportunities? Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

6 APRIL  |  6 PM 
Ursula Goodenough, Sacred Depths of Nature (Author Talk)
Professor Emerita of Biology at Washington University, Ursula Goodenough, will discuss her celebration of molecular biology with meditations on the spiritual and religious meaning. One of America’s leading cell biologists, she is the author of a best-selling textbook on genetics, and has served as president of the American Society of Cell Biology and of the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science. For many of us, the great scientific discoveries of the modern age — the Big Bang, evolution, quantum physics, relativity — point to an existence that is bleak, devoid of meaning, pointless, but in The Sacred Depths of Nature, Goodenough shows us that the scientific world view need not be a source of despair. Indeed, it can be a wellspring of solace and hope. This eloquent volume reconciles the modern scientific understanding of reality with our timeless spiritual yearnings for reverence and continuity. Looking at topics such as evolution, emotions, sexuality and death, Goodenough writes with rich, uncluttered detail about the workings of nature in general and of living creatures in particular. Her luminous clarity makes it possible for even non-scientists to appreciate that the origins of life and the universe are no less meaningful because of our increasingly scientific understanding of them. Left Bank Books.
Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 63108

8 APRIL  |  11 AM & 3 PM 
Mama Said, Mama Said
Our 10th year/first time being aired on Nine PBS of our live show of 11 storytellers talking about motherhood. If you have an ovary, used to have an ovary, or know someone with an ovary - you qualify to tell your story. We promise that the audience will laugh, cry and be inspired. Net proceeds will go to the nonprofits Welcome Neighbor-STL and Bilingual International helping Afghan, Syrian, Ukrainian, and other refugees build productive lives in St. Louis. $17.
Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Sq., St. Louis, 63108 

8 APRIL  |  1 PM 
Peanut Butter, Beer and Maya Angelou: Three Things Proudly St. Louis 
Join celebrity historian Raffi Andonian as he explores St. Louis history, highlighting how our Fair City has shaped the world we live in today. Who is Dr. Ambrose Straub and how did his patent and sliced bread come together in St. Louis to make peanut butter an American staple? Even schoolchildren in St. Louis know about Aldofus Busch, but how did Budweiser become the King of Beers? Who was Marguerite Annie Johnson and why is 3130 Hickory Street now known as City Landmark #129? Old Bakery Beer and Mound City Shelled Nut Company (yes, peanut butter and beer) will provide free samples for all attendees. Native St. Louisan, artist, actress and author Basmin Nadra will recite “On the Pulse of Morning,” a poem made famous by Maya Angelou herself at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton. RSVP required; see website. St. Louis Public Library.
St. Louis Public Library – Central Library, 1301 Olive St., St. Louis, 63103

10 APRIL  |  12 PM 
Kranzberg High Noon Series featuring St. Louis Artist Cbabi Bayoc
CBABI BAYOC discusses his career as an internationally known visual artist, muralist and illustrator. Learn about his inspiring resolution to paint a positive image of black fatherhood each day for an entire year and explore his most recent artworks. The Kranzberg High Noon Speakers Series features guest speakers from across the arts, culture and thought leadership landscape. Guests are invited to bring their lunch. St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library — Florissant Valley Branch, 195 New Florissant Rd., S., Florissant, 63031

10 APRIL  |  7 PM 
George Black, The Long Reckoning: A Story of War, Peace, and Redemption in Vietnam (Author Talk)
Author and journalist George Black recounts the inspirational story of a small cast of characters — veterans, scientists and Quaker-inspired pacifists, and their Vietnamese partners — who used their moral authority, scientific and political ingenuity, and sheer persistence to attempt to heal the horrors that were left in the wake of the military engagement in Southeast Asia — specifically from unexploded munitions and the use of toxic chemicals such as Agent Orange. Their intersecting story is one of reconciliation and personal redemption, embedded in a vivid portrait of Vietnam today. The Long Reckoning is being published on the 50th anniversary of the day the last American combat soldier left Vietnam. St. Louis County Library.
The J’s Staenberg Family Complex, Mirowitz Performing Arts Center, 2 Millstone Campus Dr., St. Louis, 63146

11 APRIL |  7 PM 
Sally Hepworth, The Soulmate (Author Talk) 
SALLY HEPWORTH in conversation with Angie Weidinger, HEC Media host. Gabe and Pippa have moved into their cliffside dream home in a sleepy coastal town. But their perfect house hides something sinister. The tall cliffs have become a popular spot for people to end their lives. Night after night Gabe comes to their rescue, literally talking them off the ledge. Until he doesn’t. When Pippa discovers Gabe knew the victim, the questions spiral... Did the victim jump? Was she pushed? As the perfect facade of their marriage begins to crack, the deepest and darkest secrets are revealed. St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library – Grant’s View Branch, 9700 Musick Rd., St. Louis, 63123

11 APRIL |  7 PM 
Curtis Sittenfeld, Romantic Comedy (Author Talk)
CURTIS SITTENFELD will be in conversation with award-winning St. Louis author Edward McPherson, associate professor of English, Washington University. Sally Milz is a sketch writer for The Night Owls, a late-night live comedy show that airs every Saturday. With a couple of heartbreaks under her belt, she’s long abandoned the search for love, settling instead for the occasional hook-up, career success and a close relationship with her stepfather to round out a satisfying life. But when Sally’s friend and fellow writer Danny Horst begins dating Annabel, a glamorous actress who guest-hosted the show, he joins the not-so-exclusive group of talented but average-looking and even dorky men at the show — and in society at large — who’ve gotten romantically involved with incredibly beautiful and accomplished women. Sally channels her annoyance into a sketch called the Danny Horst Rule, poking fun at this phenomenon while underscoring how unlikely it is that the reverse would ever happen for a woman. Enter Noah Brewster, a pop music sensation with a reputation for dating models, who signed on as both host and musical guest for this week’s show. Dazzled by his charms, Sally hits it off with Noah instantly. As they collaborate on one sketch after another, she begins to wonder if there might actually be sparks flying, but this isn’t a romantic comedy — it’s real life. And in real life, someone like him would never date someone like her … right? Left Bank Books.
Clayton High School Theatre, 1 Mark Twain Circle, Clayton, 63105

12 APRIL  |  6 PM 
David Cantwell, The Running Kind: Listening to Merle Haggard (Author Talk)
DAVID CANTWELL is the coauthor of Heartaches by the Number: Country Music’s 500 Greatest Singles and the author of the first edition of this book, Merle Haggard: The Running Kind (2013). Merle Haggard enjoyed numerous artistic and professional triumphs, including more than a hundred country hits (38 at No. 1), dozens of studio and live album releases, upwards of ten thousand concerts, induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame and songs covered by artists as diverse as Lynryd Skynyrd, Elvis Costello, Tammy Wynette, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Willie Nelson, the Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan. In The Running Kind, a new edition that expands on his earlier analysis and covers Haggard’s death and afterlife as an icon of both old-school and modern country music, Cantwell explores the fascinating contradictions — most of all, the desire for freedom in the face of limits set by the world or self-imposed — that define not only Haggard’s music and public persona but the very heart of American culture. Subterranean Books.
Subterranean Books, 6271 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis 63130

12 APRIL  |  4 PM 
Jerry Craft, School Trip: A Graphic Novel (Author Talk)
JERRY CRAFT is the author-illustrator of New York Times best-selling graphic novels New Kid and Class Act. New Kid was the first book in history to win the Newbery Medal, Coretta Scott King Author Award and Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature. In his latest book, School Trip, Craft hopes to share his love of travel in order to inspire kids and their families to see the world and embrace new cultures. Online and in-person options available. Left Bank Books.
St. Louis Public Library – Schlafly Library, 225 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 63108

12 APRIL  |  6:30 PM
RE: Worldbuilding through Performance
Drawing on Jacolby Satterwhite’s ability to create immersive and expansive environments in the exhibition Spirits Roaming on the Earth, this program explores the power of performance to transcend limitations. Marlon M. Bailey, professor of African and African-American studies,  and of women, gender and sexuality studies at Washington University, will facilitate a conversation that includes queer theory, Black LGBTQ cultural formations, performance and more. Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.
Contemporary Art Museum, 3750 Washington Boulevard, St. Louis, 63108

13 APRIL  |  5:30 PM
The National Day of Silence: LGBTQIA+ Voices in Schools
The National Day of Silence is an annual observance designed to spread awareness about the bullying, harassment and silencing of individuals who identify as part of LGBTQIA+ communities in schools. Join us the day before the 2023 National Day of Silence to hear teachers and students share their own experiences. Rodney Wilson, the first public school teacher in Missouri to come out publicly in 1994, will share his story and then lead a conversation with current students who have spoken out for themselves and other LGBTQIA+ students. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

13 APRIL  |  6 PM 
Joe Betz, Soot (Author Talk)
JOE BETZ is an associate professor of English at Ivy Tech-Bloomington. Soot challenges an American fascination with violence through the lenses of childhood and parenthood. There are questions with the hope of answers: How are generational lessons altered toward a more caring future? How is loss reimagined as growth? When will the pumpjack stop? Subterranean Books.
Subterranean Books, 6271 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis 63130

14–30 APRIL
Robert Classic French Film Fest
The 15th Annual Robert Classic French Film Festival celebrates St. Louis’ Gallic heritage and France’s cinematic legacy. This year’s featured films span the decades from the 1920s through the 1990s, offering a revealing overview of French cinema. The fest annually includes significant restorations, and this year is no different, touting a brand-new restoration of Claire Denis’ Chocolat, which is the filmmaker’s debut feature. The fest also screens the seldom seen Martin Roumagnac in a new restoration, starring Marlene Dietrich and Jean Gabin in a riveting crime thriller. Every program features introductions and discussions by film or French scholars and critics. All films are in French with English subtitles. Cinema St. Louis.
Fri., April 14, 7:30 pm: Pierrot le fou (Jean-Luc Godard, France, 1965, 110 min., color, French, DCP) – Intro and discussion by Pete Timmermann, director of the Webster University Film Series and adjunct professor of film studies at Webster University 
Sat., April 15, 7:30 pm: Chocolat (Claire Denis, Cameroon/France, 1988, 105 min., color, restoration, DCP) – Intro and discussion by Joshua Ray, film critic, and co-founder and contributing editor of The Take-Up
Sun., April 16, 7:30 pm: Martin Roumagnac (Georges Lacombe, France, 1946, 108 min., black & white, French, restoration, DCP) – Intro and discussion by Robert Garrick, attorney and former contributor to the davekehr.com film blog.
Fri., April 21, 7:30 pm: 8 Women (François Ozon, France/Italy, 2001, 103 min., color, French, 35mm) – Intro and discussion by Diane Carson, professor emerita of film at St. Louis Community College at Meramec and film critic for KDHX (88.1 FM)
Sat., April 22, 6:30 pm: Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (Chantal Akerman, Belgium/France, 1975, 202 min., color, French, DCP) – Intro and discussion by Jessica Pierce, St. Louis-based filmmaker
Sun., April 23, 7:30 pm: The Wing or the Thigh/L’aile ou la cuisse (Claude Zidi, France, 1976, 104 min., color, French, Blu ray) – Intro and discussion by Salim Ayoub, the Jane M. and Bruce P. Robert Endowed Professor in French and Francophone Studies and director of the Centre Francophone at Webster University
Fri., April 28, 7:30 pm: Le Magnifique (Philippe de Broca, France/Italy/Mexico, 1973, 95 min., color, French, DCP) – Intro and discussion by Jean-Louis Pautrot, professor of French and in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at Saint Louis University
Sat., April 29, 7:30 pm: Fat Girl (Catherine Breillat, France/Italy, 2001, 86 min., color, French, English & Italian, Blu ray) – Intro and discussion by Andrew Wyatt, film critic and managing editor of The Take-Up
Sun., April 30, 7:30 pm: Shoot the Piano Player (François Truffaut, France, 1960, 81 min., black & white, French, Blu ray) – Intro and discussion by Cliff Froehlich, former executive director of Cinema St. Louis and adjunct professor of film studies at Webster University

13 APRIL  |  7 PM  
St. Louis Literary Award: Neil Gaiman 
Saint Louis University Libraries will honor award-winning writer Neil Gaiman. Actor Jon Hamm will interview Gaiman at one and possibly both Literary Award events (see below). Gaiman is a prolific author of prose, poetry, film, journalism, comics, song lyrics and drama. He has been honored with both the Newbery and Carnegie Medals. While he is best known as a novelist, Gaiman is adept at writing in a variety of forms. His work includes Coraline, Neverwhere, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, American Gods, The Graveyard Book, Stardust and The Sandman. The St. Louis Literary Award is presented annually by the Saint Louis University Libraries, honoring a writer who deepens our insight into the human condition and expands the scope of our compassion. Award ceremony is sold out but online viewing registration is still available. On Fri., April 14 at 11 am, Gaiman will give a craft talk at the Busch Student Center on the SLU campus. RSVP required; see website. Saint Louis University Libraries.
VIRTUAL (AWARD CEREMONY) & IN PERSON (CRAFT TALK)

14 APRIL  |  1–6 PM
Building Progressive Social Movements in St. Louis, 1960–1980: A Symposium
This public symposium marks the recent release of Left in the Midwest: St. Louis Progressive Activism in the 1960s and 1970s (University of Missouri Press). The volume is a first-of-its-kind anthology exploring the exceptional range of progressive social activism that took shape in 1960s–70s St. Louis. Bringing together four of the volume’s chapter authors and four organizers active in the era’s movement work, the event will offer innovative scholarship and vibrant first-hand accounts of a dynamic chapter of St. Louis history. The event takes place at the historic former home of Berea Presbyterian Church (now Saint Louis University’s “Il Monastero Center”), a hub for 1960s civil rights work that was adjacent to the storied LaClede Town residential complex. Highlighting St. Louis narratives of the Black freedom struggle, gay liberation, environmental and feminist organizing, the peace movement, and beyond, the anthology and this symposium call into question St. Louis’ mid-20th-century reputation as a conservative and sleepy Midwestern metropolis while honoring the experiences of determined organizers who fought for equity and social change. Saint Louis University and Left Bank Books.
Saint Louis University, Il Monastero Center, 3050 Olive St., St. Louis, 63103

14 APRIL  |  5 PM 
Art at the Table: A Night in Toulouse
Combining fine dining and great art, Art at the Table makes its return to Panorama at the Saint Louis Art Museum. The night will begin with a docent-led tour of the Impressionist galleries followed by a five-course, French-inspired dinner paired with French wine. Executive Chef Joseph Gardner will discuss the history and origins of each dish and Panorama’s wine director will offer a perfect pairing with each course. $140-$150. Saint Louis Art Museum.
Saint Louis Art Museum, 1 Fine Arts Dr., St. Louis, 63110

14 APRIL  |  7 PM
Shelley Wong and Ina Cariño (Observable Readings)
SHELLEY WONG is the author of As She Appears (YesYes Books), winner of the Pamet River Prize and longlisted for the 2022 National Book Award. She is a Kundiman and MacDowell fellow and lives in San Francisco. Ina Cariño is a 2022 Whiting Award winner with an MFA in creative writing from North Carolina State University. Their poetry appears or is forthcoming in the American Poetry Review, The Margins, Guernica, Poetry Northwest, Poetry Magazine, Paris Review Daily, Waxwing and New England Review. She is a Kundiman Fellow and is the winner of the 2021 Alice James Award for FEAST, just released from in March 2023. In 2021, Cariño was selected as one of four winners of the 92Y Discovery Poetry Contest. $5 suggested donation. Wong and Cariño will each run a poetry workshop on Sat., April 15 at 10 am, same location. St. Louis Poetry Center.
The High Low, 3301 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 63103

15 APRIL  |  11 AM
Vivienne Chang and Eugenia Yoh, This Is Not My Home (Author Talk)
Debut author-illustrator duo and Washington University students Vivienne Chang and Eugenia Yoh will discuss their read-aloud about moving and family ties, This Is Not My Home. A humorous and heartfelt reverse immigration story that will resonate across cultures and show us how a place can become home. Left Bank Books.
Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 63108

15 APRIL  |  1:30 PM
Egyptomania: The Obsession and Appropriation of Ancient Egypt throughout History
JULIA TROCHE is an assistant professor in the Department of History at Missouri State University. Classical Club of St. Louis.
John Burroughs School, Newman Auditorium, John Burroughs School, 755 South Price Rd., Ladue, 63124

15 APRIL  |  2 PM 
Jeremy Amick and Ret. Maj. Gen. Hank Stratman, A Global Warrior (Author Talk)
What is a hero? Unlike a Hollywood movie, Hank Stratman’s military achievements are as true as they are inspiring. Come and hear his amazing story in person with writer Jeremy Amick, author of A Global Warrior. Coming of age during the Vietnam War and the Cold War in Europe, Hank Stratman attended college, deferring his military service and achieving an ROTC commission. In December 1972, he became a second lieutenant in the Field Artillery. Married with one child and another on the way, he and his wife ventured into the uncertain world of military service. The young officer embraced many challenging assignments. As a soldier, Stratman served in Germany and South Korea during the Cold War and was later selected for battalion command — a milestone achievement surpassed only by his unit’s combat performance in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Stratman served two peacekeeping missions in Bosnia, fulfilled key roles in the defeat of the Taliban in Afghanistan and establishment of the combat theater in the Middle East for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Stratman’s final tour of duty was in Baghdad, serving with the U.S. Embassy to establish Iraq’s governance. In 2006, he retired as a major general with three decades of military service, demonstrating that a farm boy from rural Vienna, Missouri, could take on the many diverse, global challenges and succeed. St. Louis Public Library.
St. Louis Public Library – Carondelet Library, 6800 Michigan Ave., St. Louis, 63111

15 APRIL  |  3 PM
What the Constitution Means to Me
Playwright Heidi Schreck’s boundary-breaking play breathes new life into our Constitution and imagines how it will shape the next generation of Americans. Fifteen-year-old Heidi earned her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. In this endearingly funny, hopeful and achingly human new play, actor Michelle Hand brilliantly resurrects Schreck’s teenage and present self in order to trace the profound relationship between four generations of women in her family and the founding document that shaped their lives. Post-show talkback with Luz Maria Henriquez, executive director of the ACLU of Missouri. On stage April 5–23. $15–$50. Max and Louie Productions.
The Marcelle Theatre, 3310 Samuel Shepard Dr., St. Louis, 63103

16 APRIL  |  10 AM–5 PM 
Roundtable Discussions & Conversations: Counterpublic
A series of roundtable discussions with Counterpublic curatorial ensemble members Allison Glenn, Diya Vij, New Red Order, Risa Puleo, and Katherine Simone Reynolds, moderated by James McAnally and hosted by the Pulitzer Arts Foundation. Live streaming will be available online for remote viewing. Seating is limited; registration required. Pulitzer Arts Foundation.
Pulitzer Arts Foundation, 3716 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 63108

16 APRIL  |  2 PM 
Heaven & Earth Screening & Discussion
Heaven & Earth is a powerful war epic that explores the impact of the Vietnam War on the life of a Vietnamese woman. Experience a captivating, unforgettable journey of chaos, faith, culture, identity and redemption. Members of the St. Louis Vietnamese Community will lead a panel discussing aspects of the film and the Vietnamese experience during the war. This program is associated with the exhibit Vietnam: At War and At Home. Missouri Historical Society.
Soldiers Memorial, 1315 Chestnut St., St. Louis, 63103

17 APRIL  |  6 PM 
Luther Hughes, A Shiver in the Leaves (Author Talk)
Founder of Shade Literary Arts and Washington University MFA alum Luther Hughes will discuss his debut poetry collection with award-winning author, translator and Washington University professor Mary Jo Bang. Nestled against the backdrop of Seattle’s flora, fauna and cityscape, Hughes’ debut poetry collection wrestles with the interior and exterior symbiosis of a gay Black man finding refuge from the threat of depression and death through love and desire. Hughes draws readers into a Seattle that is heavily entrenched in violent anti-Blackness and full of vulnerable and personal encounters from both the speaker’s past and present. Left Bank Books.
Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 63108

19 APRIL  |  7 PM 
Leigh McMullan Abramson, A Likely Story (Author Talk)
Growing up in the ’90s in New York City as the only child of famous parents was both a blessing and a curse for Isabelle Manning. Her beautiful society hostess mother, Claire, and New York Times best-selling author father, Ward, were the city’s intellectual It couple. Ward’s glamorous obligations often took him away from Isabelle, but Claire made sure her childhood was always filled with magic and love. Now an adult, all Isabelle wants is to be a successful writer like her father, but after many false starts and the unexpected death of her mother, she faces her upcoming 35th birthday alone and on the verge of a breakdown. Her anxiety only skyrockets when she uncovers some shocking truths about her parents and begins wondering if everything she knew about her family was all based on an elaborate lie. Left Bank Books.
Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 63108

19 APRIL  |  7 PM
Timothy Egan, A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them (Author Talk)
Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author Timothy Egan presents a powerful and page-turning reckoning with one of the darkest threads in American history. The 1920s saw the height of the uniquely American hate group, the Ku Klux Klan. Their domain was not the old Confederacy, but the Heartland and the West. And the man who set in motion their takeover of great swaths of America was a charismatic charlatan named D.C. Stephenson. But at the peak of his influence, it was a seemingly powerless woman, Madge Oberholtzer, whose deathbed testimony finally brought the Klan to their knees. St. Louis County Library.
Ethical Society of Saint. Louis, 9001 Clayton Rd., St. Louis, 63117

20 APRIL  |  7 PM
Mountain Monasteries as Sites for Wellness Tourism
KYOIM YUN is associate professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Kansas. This presentation examines Templestay, a short-term retreat program held for laypersons at Buddhist monasteries, as a form of wellness tourism amid the happiness crisis in South Korea. Challenging the polarized view that posits socially engaged Buddhism as the opposite of traditional monastic Buddhism, this study argues that Templestay facilitates Buddhism’s engagement with the prevailing psychological predicament of society and with people’s aspirations and desperation to live a good life. Opening monasteries day and night for a standard fee, a way of formatting staying at temples as an experiential commodity, allows the distressed laity space for self-reflection and enhancement of their wellbeing. This study illuminates the interplay of secular retreats in sacred sites, vernacular therapeutic culture and wellness tourism. Gateway Korea Foundation.
VIRTUAL - RSVP

21 APRIL  |  6 PM
Everywhere or Nowhere: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Broadacre City
In April 1935, Frank Lloyd Wright mounted an exhibit on a project he called Broadacre City, which proposed radical changes to cities and how we live in them. A veritable Trojan horse that challenged the very urbanity of the space in which it was installed, Broadacre City called for widespread decentralization whereby communities would be based on small-scale farming and manufacturing, local government and property ownership. Jennifer Gray, director of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation’s Taliesin Institute will unpack the ways that Broadacre, though never built, was a vehicle to address pressing social, economic and environmental issues, many of which have contemporary relevance. Free tickets for the on-site program may be reserved in person at the Saint Louis Art Museum’s Information Centers or through MetroTix.
Saint Louis Art Museum, Farrell Auditorium, 1 Fine Arts Dr., St. Louis, 63110

21 APRIL  |  6:30 PM
Gallery Talk: Ria Unson
In this talk, Ria Unson shares her artistic inspiration and research journey behind Mga kuwento namin (Stories we tell). Unson will discuss the intimate process of creating a portrait, the struggles of growing up with identity stereotypes, and the importance of reclaiming historically suppressed mother tongues. After the presentation, there will be time for questions from the audience. Mga kuwento namin is on display through May 4.
Center of Creative Arts (COCA), Millstone Gallery, 

21 APRIL  |  7 PM
Functional: The Thelonious Monk Story
This full-length play honors the musical genius of pianist and jazz composer Thelonious Sphere Monk and tackles the issues of mental illness as it relates to disparities in healthcare, police interaction, education and social acceptance. We will explore Monk’s misdiagnosis, the discriminatory practices he faced, the societal stigma that plagued his career and how these issues persist today. We’ll also recognize the importance of creative self-expression through the arts and celebrate how Monk stood firm to pursue his music without compromise. Following the performance, the National Alliance for Mental Illness in St. Louis (NAMI–St. Louis) will facilitate a discussion on living with and overcoming the challenges posed by mental illness. On stage April 20–22. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

22 APRIL  |  9 AM 
Discovery Tour: Preserving St. Louis
Our historic city has seen monumental wins and colossal losses when it comes to historic preservation. One generation’s eyesores can be the next generation’s masterpieces, and the scope of preservation has changed drastically throughout the 20th century. Join Amanda Clark, MHS community tours manager and director of MHS’s See STL Tours program, as we explore the legacy of saving St. Louis’ architectural legacy and historic landscape and meet with those who are leading the efforts today. Discovery Tour transportation will be provided by luxury motor coach; however, each tour will require at least a little walking. $80–$90. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

22 APRIL  |  12–4 PM
Shared Muses: Nature, Music, and Art
This Earth Day, celebrate by exploring elements of nature, music and painting inspired by the exhibition Monet/Mitchell: Painting the French Landscape. Listen to the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra play classical compositions inspired by the artists’ musical preferences, sign up for a forest immersion walk with Jess Thenhaus of Urban Forest Therapy, learn about Impressionist art with pop-up talks by students from Washington University, or watch the documentary Joan Mitchell: Portrait of an Abstract Painter. Saint Louis Art Museum.
1:00–1:20 pm, Wells Fargo Advisors Gallery 218: Pop-up talk: Joaquín Sorolla and an Impressionism Beyond France – Hoyon Mephokee, graduate student, Washington University 
1:30–1:50 pm, Wells Fargo Advisors Gallery 218: Pop-up talk: Nature and Industry in Monet’s Paintings – Brooke Eastman, graduate student, Washington University
2–2:20 pm, Wells Fargo Advisors Gallery 218: Pop-up talk: Water and Impressionism –  Elizabeth Mangone, graduate student, Washington University 
Saint Louis Art Museum, 1 Fine Arts Dr., St. Louis, 63110

22 APRIL  |  2 PM 
J. Ryan Stanley, Small Town Rural (Author Talk)
Join us as local artist and author J. Ryan Stanley discusses his photography book Small Town Rural and his process in creating the pieces that capture rural Missouri and that we as communities are more similar than we seem. The artist will also have artwork of his series displayed at Buder Library for the entire month of April. St. Louis Public Library.
St. Louis Public Library – Buder Library, 4401 Hampton Ave., St. Louis, 63109

24 APRIL  |  7 PM 
David Grann, The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder (Author Talk)
Author of best-selling Killers of the Flower Moon, nonfiction writer David Grann presents a page-turning story of shipwreck, survival and savagery. In 1742, a ramshackle vessel washed up on the coast of Brazil. Inside were 30 emaciated men, barely alive. They were survivors of His Majesty’s Ship The Wager and they had an extraordinary story to tell. Six months later, another, even more decrepit craft landed on the coast of Chile. This boat contained just three castaways, and they told a very different story. As accusations of treachery and murder flew, the Admiralty convened a court martial to determine who was telling the truth. The stakes were life-and-death — for whomever the court found guilty could hang. St. Louis County Library.
Ethical Society of Saint Louis, 9001 Clayton Rd., St. Louis, 63117

25 APRIL  |  6 PM 
Mark Tiedemann, Granger’s Crossing (Author Talk)
St. Louis author Mark W. Tiedemann will discuss his historical fiction novel set in the aftermath of the Battle of St. Louis in 1780. Ulysses Granger, Continental soldier assigned to assist Colonel Clark in the West, is present for the Battle of St. Louis in 1780. In the aftermath, his best friend goes missing. Granger tracks him to a homestead some distance from the village where a mystery unfolds surrounding the Spaniard who owns the property, the body of Granger’s friend and stack of letters to and from a woman promised to marry the Spaniard. Granger does not have time to investigate as he is called away with Clark’s men to pursue British and Native American forces. Three years later, partly on assignment to be the local American in St. Louis, he returns to St. Louis and resumes his search for answers about his friend’s death, the mysterious Spanish bride who is on her way and the woman he encountered three years before. He uncovers a plot concerning stolen gold, treason and the deception of lovers. Left Bank Books.
Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 63108

25 APRIL  |  6 PM
StitchCast Studio LIVE! Violence in Music
Watch and be a part of Story Stitchers live, on-stage podcast discussions. Story Stitchers artists and guest artists will round out each presentation with live art interludes. Youth, ages 16-24 years old, discuss current topics in live podcast recordings on stage. Live art interludes are incorporated into the presentations. Learn about the community through the words of young leaders.
High Low, 3301 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 63103

25 APRIL  |  7 PM
Martha Hall Kelly, The Golden Doves (Author Talk)
Martha Hall Kelly’s new historical novel centers on the fates of Nazi fugitives in the wake of World War II and the unsung female spies who risked it all to bring them to justice. While working for the French Resistance, American Josie Anderson and Parisian Arlette LaRue stole so many Nazi secrets that they became known as the Golden Doves, renowned across France and hunted by the Gestapo. A decade later the Doves fall headlong into a dangerous dual mission: to hunt down the infamous doctor of the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Their pursuit uncovers a web of terrible secrets. St. Louis County Library.
The J’s Staenberg Family Complex, Mirowitz Performing Arts Center, 2 Millstone Campus Dr., St. Louis, 63146

25 APRIL  |  7 PM 
Dennis Lehane with Gillian Flynn, Small Mercies (Author Talk)
DENNIS LEHANE will be in discussion with Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl, Dark Places and Sharp Objects. In the summer of 1974, a heatwave blankets Boston, and Mary Pat Fennessy is trying to stay one step ahead of the bill collectors. Mary Pat has lived her entire life in the housing projects of “Southie,” the Irish-American enclave that stubbornly adheres to old tradition and stands proudly apart. One night, Mary Pat’s teenage daughter Jules stays out late and doesn’t come home. That same evening, a young Black man is found dead, struck by a subway train under mysterious circumstances. The two events seem unconnected, but Mary Pat, propelled by a desperate search for her missing daughter, begins turning over stones best left untouched — asking questions that bother Marty Butler, chieftain of the Irish mob, and the men who work for him — men who don’t take kindly to any threat to their business. Book purchase required. Left Bank Books.
VIRTUAL

26 APRIL  |  7 PM
TJ Klun, In the Lives of Puppets (Author Talk)
In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots: fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They’re a family, hidden and safe. The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled “HAP,” he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio — a past spent hunting humans. When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission or worse, reprogramming. Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached? Left Bank Books.
Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Rd., St. Louis, 63117

27 APRIL  |  5:30 PM 
St. Louis: Sports Capital USA
St. Louis has cultivated countless professional and amateur athletes. Join author Ed Wheatley and an all-star cast of veteran athletes to relive their biggest championship moments. The discussion will also touch on social change, how it has characterized St. Louis’ sports scene for more than a century and include highlights from Wheatley’s latest book, St. Louis Sports Memories: Forgotten Teams and Moments from America’s Best Sports Town. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

27 APRIL  |  7 PM 
Jeneva Rose, You Shouldn’t Have Come Here (Author Talk)
Grace Evans, an overworked New Yorker looking for an escape from her busy life, books an Airbnb on a ranch in the middle of Wyoming. When she arrives at the idyllic getaway, she’s pleased to strike up a flirtation with the handsome owner, but after learning of a missing woman, Grace begins to feel that something isn’t right with the ranch. What began as a playful romance soon turns into a complicated web of lies. St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library — Grant’s View Branch, 9700 Musick Rd., 63123-3935

28–30 APRIL  
Desensitized 
The Gun Violence Archive is a nonprofit group that tracks gun violence using police reports, news coverage and other public sources. They define mass shootings as “an incident in which at least four people are injured or killed, excluding the shooter.” According to their records, 2022 was the second most deadly year for gun violence in the United States in over a decade – a year that did not leave St. Louis unscathed. The Gun Violence Archive has recorded nearly 700 mass shootings in 2022, with the United States holding the ghastly record for more than any other country. Some studies indicate that the rate at which public mass shootings occur has tripled since 2011, leaving us desensitized. Consuming Kinetics Dance Company’s spring concert questions some of the contributing factors to this plague on our country, including high access to guns, low access to mental health resources, as well as a variety of sociocultural factors. Join us for a sobering, yet important discussion through movement this spring. Consuming Kinetics Dance Company.
The Marcelle, 3310 Samuel Shepard Dr., St. Louis, 63103

29 APRIL  |  9 AM 
Discovery Tour: Scott Joplin: From Ragtime to Opera
Inspired by the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ reimagined version of Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha premiering in May 2023, Vann Ford will lead this exploration of St. Louis ragtime through the “King of Ragtime.” The tour will feature a selection of performances in various locations, visits to the Scott Joplin House and other significant sites, plus wonderful surprises, including a rare opportunity to view a private collection of authentic ragtime-era sheet music. Discovery Tour transportation will be provided by luxury motor coach; however, each tour will require at least a little walking. $80–$90. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

29 APRIL  |  11 AM
Understanding Learning from Museums: A 50-Year Journey
Museums have always been in the education business, but over the past 50 years, what it means to support public education has changed significantly. Change has occurred on several fronts, including change in how researchers and the public understand and define the nature of learning and change in the appreciation of the critical role that museums can and do play in supporting the public’s learning. John H. Falk, founder and principal researcher at the Institute for Learning Innovation, has been both an observer and a participant in these changes and this talk represents both a field-wide and personal examination of the topic of museums and learning. Tickets ($5) may be reserved in person at the Saint Louis Art Museum’s Information Centers or through MetroTix.
Saint Louis Art Museum, Farrell Auditorium, 1 Fine Arts Dr., St. Louis, 63110

29 APRIL & 6, 13, 20 MAY  |  4 PM
Something Spoken: Tennessee Williams on the Air 
Listen live online (Classic 107.3 FM) or visit website to stream. Four one-act plays by Tennessee Williams featured: Something Unspoken, The Magic Tower, Sunburst and The Case of the Crushed Petunias. Commentary following each episode by Tom Mitchell, Tennessee Williams scholar in residence, Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis. Episodes will be available for a week after they air and will reprise August 5, 12, 19, 26.
VIRTUAL & RADIO