We hope you enjoy this month’s Humanities Broadsheet — a compilation of events organized by or featuring members of the Washington University community, as well as our colleagues in the greater humanities community in the St. Louis area. 

Click through each event to see the organizer’s complete listing. As you’ll see below, there’s always something going on! 


Organizers may submit events to cenhumcal@wustl.edu.
Visitors to Washington University should be aware of the university’s Health and Safety Protocols.


Humanities Broadcast

The Humanities Broadcast section spotlights virtual public events featuring WashU faculty and scholars in the humanities and humanistic social sciences, organized by internal and external hosts. If you are a faculty member with an upcoming public lecture, please let us know and we will include it here! Email us at cenhumcal@wustl.edu and please include the URL for the event page at your host institution.

 

7 SEPTEMBER  |  7 PM
Modern Segregation in St. Louis
This online and interactive panel discussion features experts on urban culture and politics, and racial identity and focuses on local neighborhoods that have historically been most impacted by segregation and racial identity erasure, including Wellston, Cherokee Street, and the Delmar divide. The four panelists for this event are: Iver Bernstein, professor of history, Washington University; Douglas Flowe, the Georgie W. Lewis Associate Professor of History, Washington University; Heidi Kolk, assistant professor in the College of Art at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts and assistant vice provost for academic assessment, Washington University; and Eric Sandweiss, the Miller Professor of History and adjunct professor of folklore and ethnomusicology, Indiana University. All four panelists have work featured in The Material World of Modern Segregation: St. Louis in the Long Era of Ferguson, a book-length journal that was published earlier this year by Washington University’s The Common Reader. Organized by the University City Public Library.
VIRTUAL - RSVP

19 SEPTEMBER  |  7:30 PM
Golden Anniversaries: Last Tango in Paris (1972) Discussion
Distraught following his wife’s suicide, American hotelier Paul (Marlon Brando) becomes transfixed by the beautiful younger Frenchwoman Jeanne (Maria Schneider) when he meets her by chance at an apartment both are attempting to rent. The couple begin an extended but purely anonymous sexual relationship in which they do not even tell each other their names, but it soon becomes clear that the couple's deliberate level of disassociation cannot continue. Introduction and discussion led by Eileen G’Sell, film critic for The Riverfront Times; contributor to Hyperallergic, Salon and Vice; and senior lecturer in the College Writing Program at Washington University. Organized by Cinema St. Louis.
VIRTUAL - RSVP

26 SEPTEMBER  |  7 PM
Paul Steinbeck, Sound Experiments: The Music of the AACM (Author Talk)
GERALD EARLY, the Merle Kling Professor of Modern Letters, and Paul Steinbeck, associate professor of music, both at Washington University, in conversation about Steinbeck’s new book. Founded on Chicago’s South Side in 1965 and still thriving today, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) is the most influential collective organization in jazz and experimental music. In Sound Experiments, Steinbeck offers an in-depth historical and musical investigation of the collective, analyzing individual performances and formal innovations in captivating detail. He pays particular attention to compositions by Muhal Richard Abrams and Roscoe Mitchell, the AACM’s leading figures, as well as Anthony Braxton, George Lewis (and his famous computer-music experiment, Voyager), Wadada Leo Smith and Henry Threadgill, along with younger AACM members such as Mike Reed, Tomeka Reid and Nicole Mitchell. Sound Experiments represents a sonic history, spanning six decades, that affords insight not only into the individuals who created this music but also into an astonishing collective aesthetic. This aesthetic was uniquely grounded in nurturing communal ties across generations, as well as a commitment to experimentalism. The AACM's compositions broke down the barriers between jazz and experimental music and made essential contributions to African-American expression more broadly. Steinbeck shows how the creators of these extraordinary pieces pioneered novel approaches to instrumentation, notation, conducting, musical form, and technology, creating new soundscapes in contemporary music. Livestream available; see website.
Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 63108
VIRTUAL

WashU Events

1 SEPTEMBER  |  7 PM
WU Cinema Presents: Spirited Away
Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, Hayao Miyazaki’s wondrous fantasy adventure is a dazzling masterpiece from one of the most celebrated filmmakers in the history of animation. Program in Film and Media Studies.
Washington University, Brown Hall, Room 100

7-25 SEPTEMBER
The African Company Presents Richard III
It’s 1821 in New York, and two productions of Shakespeare’s Richard III are vying for audiences. One is presented by the African Company of New York, a downtown theater known for its growing popularity with both Black and white audiences. A white theater owner is threatened by the success of his competition and will stop at nothing to shut them down. Learn what happens in this true story straight from American theater history. Written by Carlyle Brown and directed by Ron Himes, the Henry E. Hampton, Jr. Artist-in-Residence, Department of African and African-American Studies, Washington University. The Black Rep.
Washington University, Mallinckrodt Center, Edison Theatre

7 SEPTEMBER  |  12 PM
Voting, Misinformation, Disinformation and Manipulation
Elections in the United States continue to face threats from false and misleading narratives, conspiracy theories, misinformation, disinformation and malinformation. This event will feature insights from national and local experts on the history of information disorder and its effects on political discourse. Speakers are Shireen Mitchell (founder of Stop Online Violence Against Women, Inc.) and Jennifer Slavik Lohman (director of the St. Louis Area Voter Protection Coalition). Gena Gunn McClendon, director of Voter Access and Engagement in the Center for Social Development, will moderate the discussion. Brown School, Center for Social Development.
VIRTUAL - RSVP 

7 SEPTEMBER  |  4:30 PM
Faculty Book Talk: Felicia Fulks
The White Allies Handbook, provides an action-based resource to help those considering serving as allies and promoting racial equality among all marginalized people. Join us for a discussion with Felicia Fulks (Asa F. Seay Business Librarian), writing under Lecia Michelle. Her talk will be followed by a Q&A, and refreshments will be provided. Registration required. University Libraries.
Washington University, Olin Library, Room 142 

8 SEPTEMBER  |  5 PM
Public Tour: Shaved Portions
Join L. Irene Compadre, founding principal of Arbolope Studio and lecturer in the Sam Fox School, and Leslie Markle, curator for public art, for a twilight tour of Chakaia Booker’s monumental installation Shaved Portions, on view at the intersection of Skinker Blvd. and Brookings Drive. Shaved Portions was originally commissioned by Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center for the Campbell Art Park in Oklahoma City. It is presented at the Kemper Art Museum courtesy of the artist and the Washington University in St. Louis Art on Campus program. Free and open to the public. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Outside, East of the Museum

9 SEPTEMBER  |  10 AM
ASL Tour: Materials and Methods
Join graphic artist, photographer and cartoonist Mark Edghill for an American Sign Language tour in the permanent collection, exploring a range of artistic methods and materials and their relationship with an artwork’s subject matter. Learn about experimental processes, unusual materials and archival research in works by such artists as Torkwase Dyson, Max Ernst, Rivane Neuenschwander and Corinne Wasmuht. This program is offered in conjunction with the 2022 Deaf Visual Arts Festival in collaboration with DEAF Inc. to celebrate Deaf culture and to promote accessibility to the arts. Registration required. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum

14 SEPTEMBER  |  1 PM
‘Digital Humanities’ as a Method for Studying Pre-modern Korean Culture
MAYA STILLER, associate professor of Korean art history and visual culture, University of Kansas. In this talk Stiller will discuss the digital humanities component of her book, Carving Status at Kŭmgangsan: Elite Graffiti in Premodern Korea, which establishes the importance of site-specific visual and material culture as an index of social memory construction. Stiller argues for an expansion of accepted historical narratives on travel and mountain space in pre-modern East Asia. Rather than studying Asian pilgrimage routes as strictly religious or tourist, in the case of Kŭmgangsan, they were also a method of constructing social memory. Kŭmgangsan is one of the most prominent sacred mountains in Korea. Embarking on a journey to Kŭmgangsan to view and contribute to its sites of memory was an endeavor that every late Chosŏn (ca. 1598-1910 C.E.) Korean hoped to achieve in their lives. Kŭmgangsan became not just a destination for religious pilgrims and tourists, but an important site of social engineering. Carving Status is the first historical study in a Western language to examine this practice. Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures.
VIRTUAL - RSVP

15 SEPTEMBER  |  4 PM
Hypnerotomachie: A Rare Book Open House
University Libraries recently acquired a rare copy of Hypnerotomachie, printed in Paris in 1561. The book features gorgeous illustrations, interesting layouts, and notes from previous owners. Hypnerotomachie will be on display with other items from the Rare Book Collections that contextualize its importance in history. Registration required. Organized by University Libraries.
Washington University, Olin Library, Special Collections Classroom 

15 SEPTEMBER  |  7 PM
WU Cinema Presents: The Big Lebowski
All Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski wants to do is go bowling, but when he’s mistaken for LA millionaire Big Lebowski and a pair of thugs pee on his rug — “it really tied the room together!” — he’s forced to take action, and so the laziest man in Los Angeles County takes on nihilists, ferrets and empire tycoons, guzzling White Russians all the while. New 4K restoration DCP. Program in Film and Media Studies.
Washington University, Brown Hall, Room 100

16 SEPTEMBER  |  12 PM
Jazz Dance Is...: A Conversation with Melanie George
As an artist, thinker, writer and educator specializing in jazz dance, Melanie George centers the West African roots of jazz dance via the historically-informed technique, Neo-Jazz, which aims to unseat the privilege of Eurocentric dominance in contemporary jazz dance. In an effort to advance recognition and awareness of this form — and all jazz dance styles and techniques, Melanie founded Jazz Is… Dance Project. In this conversation, Assistant Professor of Dance Joanna Dee Das will talk with Ms. George about the history of jazz dance and its relationship to jazz music, Ms. George’s work in advocating for jazz dance as a Black aesthetic form, how the multiple hats she wears (as scholar, artist, educator and curator) weave together, and what she sees as the future of jazz dance. Performing Arts Department.
Washington University, Mallinckrodt Center, A.E. Hotchner Theatre

16 SEPTEMBER  |  3 PM
When Bossa Was Black: Brazilian Music in ’60s America
RAMI TOUBIA STUCKY, lecturer in music, Washington University. Ask your Amazon Alexa or Google Home to “play bossa nova.” You will hear the mellifluous sounds of white artists such as Grammy winners Frank Sinatra, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Astrud Gilberto and Stan Getz. Their recordings of bossa nova, a style of music developed in Brazil during the late 1950s, captivated American audiences during the 1960s and continue to impact us today. Seemingly forgotten, though, are the various black artists that took part in this initial craze of the 1960s: the doo-wop groups, the soul singers, the hard bop musicians, the funk drummers. These musicians often recorded alongside artists like Sinatra and Getz, but they also released their own bossa nova albums. Their music helped drive this initial interest in Brazilian music, yet their stories have remained untold. This talk tells their stories. It reclaims their music. It tells the history of when bossa nova was black. Department of Music.
Washington University, Music Classroom Building, Room 102

17 SEPTEMBER  |  2 PM
Public Tour: Materials and Methods
Student educators lead interactive tours of works in the permanent collection that incorporate various artistic methods and materials, including experimental processes, unusual materials and archival research in works by such artists as Torkwase Dyson, Max Ernst and Rivane Neuenschwander. Free and open to the public. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum  

21 SEPTEMBER  |  2 PM
HIV/AIDS and the Politics of Caregiving: Surfacing Coalitional Intimacies through the Domestic Archive
STEPHEN VIDER, assistant professor of history and director of the Public History Initiative, Cornell University. The history of HIV/AIDS activism has often been told with a focus on public space. In this talk, Stephen Vider draws from his new book, The Queerness of Home, to trace the history of more private responses to AIDS: in the 1980s and ‘90s, activists not only took to the streets but also ventured into other people’s homes as volunteer caregivers and remade the boundaries of queer community. Vider will also discuss how he translated this history into the exhibition AIDS at Home, featured at the Museum of the City of New York in 2017, and how focusing on private life shifts the stakes of public history. Department of History.
Washington University, Danforth University Center, Room 234  

22 SEPTEMBER  |  4:30 PM
Faculty Book Talk: Miguel A. Valerio
MIGUEL VALERIO’S book, Sovereign Joy: Afro-Mexican Kings and Queens, 1539–1640, provides an exploration of how Afro-Mexicans affirmed their culture, subjectivities and colonial condition through festive culture and performance. Join us for a discussion with Miguel A. Valerio (Romance Languages and Literatures). His talk will be followed by a Q&A, and refreshments will be provided. Registration required. University Libraries.
Washington University, Olin Library, Room 142

22 SEPTEMBER  |  6:30 PM
Banned Comic Books
Who’s afraid of comic books? Book bans across Missouri and the U.S. have often targeted graphic novels and comic books, especially those that depict issues of gender, sexuality and race. New Missouri laws will punish educators and school librarians who provide restricted materials to students with fines and jail time. This event considers banned comic books from the perspectives of the artists who create them and the advocates who defend them. Panel lineup TBA. Discussion moderated by Rebecca Wanzo, professor and chair of the Department of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Washington University. Wanzo is author of The Content of Our Caricature: African American Comic Art and Political Belonging, winner of the 2021 Eisner Award for Best Academic/Scholarly Work and the 2021 Charles Hatfield Book Prize from the Comics Studies Society. Center for the Humanities, Saint Louis Public Library and Left Bank Books.
St. Louis Public Library – Central Library, Auditorium, 1301 Olive St., St. Louis, 63103

23-24 SEPTEMBER  
A.E. Hotchner Playwriting Festival 2022
For over 20 years the Performing Arts Department has produced the A.E. Hotchner Playwriting Festival as a vehicle to support and develop new plays written by WashU students. The annual Festival begins with a university-wide solicitation of new, unproduced plays. Several plays are selected, through an anonymized screening process, to be developed in a two-week event in September. During those two weeks, each play is workshopped with a professional dramaturg, a faculty director and student cast. The festival culminates in a public staged reading of each play. Supported initially by A.E. Hotchner himself, a WashU alum, writer and businessman, and then by the Newman’s Own Foundation, the company Hotchner co-founded with Paul Newman, the festival is now fully supported by the Performing Arts Department. The 2022 winning plays are Democratic Airlines by Zachary Stern and Ferns Don’t Flower by Melia Van Hecke.  Guest dramaturg is Liza Birkenmeir, AB ’08, a recent playwright-in-residence at New York talent hub Ars Nova. Performing Arts Department.
Washington University, Mallinckrodt Center, A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre

23 SEPTEMBER  |  4 PM
Dancing Dual Diasporas: Jewishness and Blackness in Dege Feder’s Ethiopian Contemporary
HANNAH KOSSTRIN, associate professor, Department of Dance, Ohio State University. What does it mean to find home in the body? Ethiopian-Israeli multimedia artist Dege Feder embodies Jewish and African diasporas in her dances about women’s kinship, refugees and collective power. As the artistic director of Beta Dance Company in Haifa, Israel, Feder grounds her work in Ethiopian eskesta dancing driven by Israeli contemporary dance compositional devices. Her work’s blended aesthetics display bodily evidence of Jewish diasporic cultures that reflect her migration history from Ethiopia to Israel and between Jewish and African diasporic spheres. In this talk, Kosstrin shows how dancing dual diasporas like this generates corporeal potential for belonging for practitioners who do not feel fully at home in one location or another based on their competing experiences of peoplehood and exile in both places. Reception to Feder’s tours to the United States, moreover, first as a performer in Ruth Eshel’s Eskesta Dance Theater, and then as an independent choreographer, show the divergent ways hybrid American audiences perceive Israel through the work of choreographers in Jewish cultural minorities. Kosstrin argues that the eskesta logic qua Israeli-contemporary compositional vehicles of Feder’s work trace Jewish migrations from East Africa through the Middle East. Feder’s work thus offers a case study for understanding global Jewry that remaps circulations of global Black arts outside of transatlantic histories. 2022-2023 Colloquium Series, Performing Arts Department.
Washington University, location TBA

23 SEPTEMBER  |  5:30 PM
Q&A with Katharina Grosse
As part of the opening celebrations for Katharina Grosse Studio Paintings, 1988–2022: Returns, Revisions, Inventions, the artist Katharina Grosse will be interviewed by Sabine Eckmann, the William T. Kemper Director and Chief Curator. Grosse is internationally celebrated for her large-scale, on-site works that she paints across built and natural environments. This exhibition is the first major survey to focus on the artist’s important studio-based paintings. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University, Steinberg Hall, Auditorium  

24 SEPTEMBER  |  2 PM
Public Tour: Katharina Grosse Studio Paintings
Student educators lead interactive tours of this season’s exhibition Katharina Grosse Studio Paintings, 1988–2022: Returns, Revision, Inventions. The exhibition features studio-based paintings by contemporary German artist Katharina Grosse, internationally known for painting large-scale, on-site works, and explores the artist’s experimentation with the physical, optical and aesthetic qualities of color and paint on canvas. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Kemper Art Museum

25 SEPTEMBER  |  2 PM
Chinese-Language Tour: Katharina Grosse Studio Paintings
Join student educator Weixun Qu, PhD student in the Department of Art History & Archaeology in Arts & Sciences, for a tour of this season’s exhibition Katharina Grosse Studio Paintings, 1988–2022: Returns, Revision, Inventions. The exhibition features studio-based paintings by contemporary German artist Katharina Grosse, internationally known for painting large-scale, on-site works and explores the artist’s experimentation with the physical, optical and aesthetic qualities of color and paint on canvas. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Kemper Art Museum  

28 SEPTEMBER  |  3 PM
WashU Libraries Virtual Book Club: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a 1969 autobiography describing the young and early years of American writer and poet Maya Angelou. This coming-of-age story illustrates how strength of character and a love of literature can help overcome racism and trauma. Book club will begin with a special presentation on banned books, followed by a discussion of the book. Registration required. University Libraries.
VIRTUAL - RSVP 

29 SEPTEMBER  |  5 PM
Leaving China Opening Reception and Artist Talk
University Libraries and the Sam Fox School present a special reception and discussion with James McMullan, whose illustrations for the children’s book Leaving China: An Artist Paints His World War II Childhood are on display in the Thomas Gallery at John M. Olin Library. Food and drinks provided; registration required. University Libraries.
Olin Library, Room 142  

29 SEPTEMBER  |  7 PM
Rethinking Gu Yanwu from a Global Qing Perspective
JOHN DELURY, professor of Chinese studies, Yonsei University (Seoul, South Korea). Gu Yanwu (1613-82) was one of the more incisive political thinkers of the early decades of the Qing, and he went on posthumously to exercise a towering influence on dominant intellectual trends for the life of the dynasty — from 18th-century evidential research (kaozheng) of Dai Zhen, to the 19th-century statecraft reform (jingshi) of Wei Yuan, all the way up through early 20th-century cultural nationalism of Liang Qichao. In this lecture, Delury revisits his earlier work on the life and thought of Gu Yanwu, the subject of his dissertation 15 years ago, by locating Gu Yanwu in a global Qing context. Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures.
VIRTUAL - RSVP

29 SEPTEMBER  |  7 PM
WU Cinema Presents: Se7en
David Fincher’s dark masterpiece in original 35mm release print. In a dark, noir-inflected examination of evil, Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman play two homicide detectives on the trail of a serial killer who murders his victims in accordance with the seven deadly sins. Film and Media Studies.
Washington University, Brown Hall, Room 100

30 SEPTEMBER  |  12 PM
Vietnam: Race, Violence, and Decolonization in a Mekong Delta at War, 1945-54
SHAWN McHALE, professor in the Department of History and International Affairs, George Washington University, is author of The First Vietnam War: Violence, Sovereignty, and the Fracture of the South, 1945-56 (Cambridge University Press, 2021). We often like to think of decolonization in terms of binary struggles between European oppressors and indigenous resistance. But what happens when an anticolonial war is combined with a civil war? Based on extensive research on three continents and in three languages (Vietnamese, French and English), this lecture focuses on the “forgotten” part of the First Indochina War (1945-54): the war for the Mekong delta, the heart of southern Vietnam. It examines the interactions between existing racial and ethnic stereotypes and a dynamic of violence on an unstable agricultural frontier. This mix led to a particularly vicious war for the countryside, and led to massive out-migration from the delta. Understanding this conflict helps us understand the strange birth of South Vietnam (1954-75). Program in Global Studies, Department of East Asian Languages and Culture, and Department of History.
Washington University, McMillan Hall, McMillan Café

30 SEPTEMBER  |  2 PM
Ervin Scholars: Honor the Legacy
Come view a physical and online exhibit highlighting the John B. Ervin Scholars Program. The Ervin Scholars recipients are awarded for academic excellence, leadership, community service and diversity. Part of the Ervin Scholars 35th Anniversary Celebration. Free and open to all.
Olin Library, Level 1, Kagan Grand Stair  

30 SEPTEMBER  |  3 PM
Utopian Instrumentation and Audiovisual Musique Concrête
FLORENT GHYS, lecturer in music, Washington University, will discuss some of the concepts involved in the making of his recent double album Ritournelles & Mosaïques (Cantaloupe Music, 2022). Ghys is a composer and double bass player originally from Bordeaux, France, and now based in St. Louis. His music has been described as “highly contrapuntal, intelligent and inventive” (WQXR-FM) and a “thrilling breed of post-minimal chamber music” (Time Out NY). His pieces “blend elements of minimalism, pop music, and a dose of extravagant wit” (John Schaefer, WNYC). Organized by the Department of Music.
Washington University, Music Classroom Building, Room 102

St. Louis Community Events

1-29 SEPTEMBER  |  VARIOUS TIMES
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. $20–$35. Tour starting/ending points are included in your booking details.
Sept. 1: The Hill; Sept. 3: Downtown Origins, Soulard South; Sept. 4: Central West End; Sept. 10: Tower Grove, Gay Liberation in the Gateway City; Sept. 11: Downtown Evolutions, Benton Park; Sept. 17: Soulard North and LaSalle Park; Sept. 18: Forest Park; Sept. 24: Beyond the Grave; Sept. 25: Laclede’s Landing; Sept. 29: Old North and St. Louis Place. 
Missouri History Museum

2-30 SEPTEMBER  |  VARIOUS TIMES
Drop-in Collection Tour: Global Ancient Art
Join a Saint Louis Art Museum docent for a lively and engaging tour of the Saint Louis Art Museum’s collection. 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, 1 Fine Arts Dr., Forest Park, St. Louis, 63110

3-5 SEPTEMBER  
Japanese Festival
Celebrating the history, culture, and people of Japan, the Japanese Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the largest and oldest festivals of its kind in the United States. Since 1977 the garden has proudly hosted this unique event at one of the largest Japanese gardens in North America. A fruitful collaboration with several local Japanese-American organizations provides authentic Japanese music, art, dance, food and entertainment for thousands of visitors each year. See website for program and tickets.
Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, 63110

3 SEPTEMBER  |  2 PM
Brian Flaspohler, St. Louis Baseball History: A Guide (Author Talk)
Meet local author Brian Flaspohler and learn about some of the sites and players of St. Louis' rich baseball history from his book.
St. Louis Public Library - Carpenter Library, Auditorium, 3309 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 63118

6 SEPTEMBER  |  7 PM
Deanna Raybourn, Killers of a Certain Age (Author Talk)
Older women often feel invisible, but sometimes that’s their secret weapon. Deanna Raybourn presents an action-packed thriller about a deadly group of “retirees.” Billie, Mary Alice, Helen and Natalie have worked for an elite network of assassins, for forty years. Now their talents are considered old-school in an age that relies more on technology than people skills. When the foursome is sent on all-expenses paid vacation to mark their retirement, they are targeted by one of their own. To get out alive they have to turn against their own organization, relying on experience and each other to get the job done. They’re about to give a lesson on what it really means to be a woman — and a killer — of a certain age. Seating is limited; early arrival is recommended.
St. Louis County Library - Daniel Boone Branch, 300 Clarkson Rd., Ellisville, 63011

8 SEPTEMBER  |  9 AM
More Than a Bridge 
AMANDA CLARK, manager of community tours and the See STL tour program with the Missouri History Museum, talks about James B. Eads and his engineering marvel of a bridge over the Mississippi River. RSVP required. 2022 Speaker Series, National Museum of Transportation.
National Museum of Transportation, Earl C. Lindburg Automobile Center on the Mezzanine, 2933 Barrett Station Rd, St. Louis, 63122

8 SEPTEMBER  |  5:30 PM
Black Builders of St. Louis
Black people throughout the St. Louis area have always contributed to the built landscape with their ingenuity, resources and vision. Join us for an evening of dialogue that uncovers the legacy and impact of African Americans within the built environment, from the architecture of slavery to the story of 1820s bricklayer Joseph Blake to the contractors, engineers and designers who are actively working in the St. Louis community today to build a new vision for our region. Moderated by Cheeraz Gorman, the panel includes Elise Preston Mallory, Melisa Betts Sanders, Angela da Silva, Anthony Thompson and DeAna Carter. The conversation will center on the work of Black St. Louisans who are impacting the city’s built, unbuilt and rebuilt environments while creating family legacies, helping communities and establishing pipelines for underrepresented groups. Panel discussion begins at 6:30 pm.
Missouri History Museum, Lee Auditorium and MacDermott Grand Hall, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

8 SEPTEMBER  |  7 PM
Craig Johnson, Hell and Back: A Longmire Mystery (Author Talk)
What if you woke up lying in the middle of the street in the infamous town of Fort Pratt, Montana? What if the only way you know who you are is because your name is printed in the leather sweatband of your cowboy hat, and what if it says your name is Walt Longmire — but you don’t remember him. In Hell and Back, Johnson takes the beloved sheriff to the very limits of sanity to do battle with the most dangerous adversary he’s ever faced — himself. Seating is limited; early arrival is recommended. Organized by St. Louis County Library.
The J, Mirowitz Performing Arts Center, 2 Millstone Campus Dr., St. Louis, 63146

9 SEPTEMBER  |  6 PM
Kundiman Poetry Reading, Midwest Confluence Poetry Series
Kundiman is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to nurturing generations of writers and readers of Asian American literature, and creating a space where Asian Americans can explore, through art, the unique challenges that face the new and ever changing diaspora. Readers include Melody Gee, Kathryn Hargett-Hsu, STUTI and Andy Chen. 
Subterranean Books, 6271 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 63130

9 SEPTEMBER  |  7 PM
Panel Conversation—Catching the Moment: Perspectives on the Contemporary Print World
Focusing on the prints and drawings on view in the exhibition Catching the Moment: Contemporary Art from the Ted L. and Maryanne Ellison Simmons Collection, panelists will engage in a lively and informative conversation about their perspectives on building a strong collection of fine art prints. Panelists are: Enrique Chagoya, artist; Larissa Goldston, Universal Limited Art Editions; David Kiehl, curatorial advisor; Susan Sheehan, Susan Sheehan Gallery; and Elizabeth Wyckoff, curator of prints, drawings and photographs. $5 (free for members). Livestream also available.
Saint Louis Art Museum, Farrell Auditorium, 1 Fine Arts Dr., Forest Park, St. Louis, 63110
VIRTUAL - RSVP

10 SEPTEMBER  |  11 AM
Panel Discussion: Great Rivers Biennial Artists & Jurors
Celebrate the 10th edition of the Great Rivers Biennial (GRB) in this panel conversation with GRB artists Yowshien Kuo, Yvonne Osei and Jon Young, and jurors Carmen Hermo, Jen Liu and Hamza Walker. Wassan Al-Khudhairi, chief curator, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, who organized the show, moderates the discussion.
Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, 3750 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 63108

10 SEPTEMBER  |  1 PM
Day One Screening & Discussion
The award-winning documentary Day One follows a group of teenage refugees from war-torn countries who are enrolled at a unique public school for refugees and immigrants-only in St. Louis, where they are guided through an inspirational program of education, healing and trauma intervention by devoted educators, some of whom have chosen to relocate to the inner city to support their students. Over the course of a year, we watch the kids progress through layers of grief and loss as they attend school, forge new friendships and prepare to be mainstreamed into local public high schools. The screening will be followed by an interactive panel discussion, “St. Louis Refugee and Immigration Initiatives: Past, Present, and Future,” with experts featured in the film including Betsy Cohen, executive director of St. Louis Mosaic Project; Kelly Moore, director of NCNAA (Nahed Chapman New American Academy); Peter Tao, architect and community organizer; and Anita Barker, vice president of education at the International Institute of St. Louis.
St. Louis Public Library - Carpenter Library, Auditorium, 3309 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 63118

10 SEPTEMBER  |  1 PM
Pruitt-Igoe True Legacy - A Conversation With Former Residents
The Wendell O. Pruitt Homes and William Igoe Apartments, known collectively as Pruitt–Igoe, were joint urban public housing developments first occupied in 1954 in St. Louis. The complex consisted of 33 eleven-story high rises, designed in the modernist architectural style by Minoru Yamasaki. This conversation with former residents is necessary in order to focus on the residents who lived in Pruitt-Igoe and debunk the mythical narratives that have been repeated for decades. The purpose of this conversation is to share the true historic legacy of Pruitt-Igoe, of how families, despite the imposed challenges built meaningful lives, raised families, made lifelong friends, worshiped, lived, died, survived and, most importantly, loved there. That residents embraced the good times and became one family through these shared experiences stronger than ever. Moderated by Bernie Hayes,  the conversationalists scheduled to appear are Adrienne Harris, Gregory Khalil Flenoid, Ben Phillips and Robert E. Green.
St. Louis Public Library – Central Library, 1301 Olive St., St. Louis, 63103

12 SEPTEMBER  |  6 PM
Bulletproof Screening & Discussion
Bulletproof depicts what Variety calls “the day-to-day normalization of the unspeakable.” With mass shootings persisting, and schools being among the top targets, Todd Chandler’s sobering documentary turns the camera to the often undiscussed and unseen reality of schools today in the context of an epidemic of gun violence. While most conversations focus on victims, perpetrators, mental health and gun control, Bulletproof examines the measures schools have taken in response to the growing threat of danger, such as increased surveillance, security, armed and armored teachers and drills, and how a burgeoning industry has emerged to capitalize on this new standard of defense over prevention. Parts of the documentary were filmed in High Ridge, Missouri. Director Todd Chandler will join virtually to talk about this highly informative and compelling film. See website for registration. Cinema St. Louis.
Kirkwood Public Library, 140 E. Jefferson Ave., Kirkwood, 63122

12 SEPTEMBER  |  6 PM
Jonathan Escoffery, If I Survive You and LaToya Watkins, Perish (Author Talks)
About If I Survive You: In the 1970s, Topper and Sanya flee to Miami as political violence consumes their native Kingston. But America, as the couple and their two children learn, is far from the promised land. Excluded from society as Black immigrants, the family pushes on through Hurricane Andrew and later the 2008 recession, living in a house so cursed that the pet fish launches itself out of its own tank rather than stay. But even as things fall apart, the family remains motivated, often to its own detriment, by what their younger son, Trelawny, calls “the exquisite, racking compulsion to survive.” About Perish: Spanning decades, Perish tracks the choices Helen Jean — the matriarch of the Turner family — makes and the way those choices have rippled across generations: Julie B., a woman who regrets her wasted youth and the time spent under Helen Jean's thumb; Alex, a police officer grappling with a dark and twisted past; Jan, a mother of two who yearns to go to school and leave Jerusalem, Texas, and all of its trauma behind for good; and Lydia, a woman whose marriage is falling apart because her body can’t seem to stay pregnant. As they’re called home to say goodbye to their mother and grandmother, this family's “reunion” unearths long-kept secrets and forces each member to ask themselves important questions about who is deserving of forgiveness and who bears the cross of blame.
Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid Ave., St, Louis,  63108

13 SEPTEMBER  |  7 PM
Sarah Kendzior, They Knew: How a Culture of Conspiracy Keeps America Complacent (Author Talk)
SARAH KENDZIOR will be in conversation with St. Louis Public Radio political correspondent Jason Rosenbaum. They Knew discusses conspiracy culture in a rapidly declining United States struggling with corruption, climate change and other crises. As the actions of the powerful remain shrouded in mystery — like the Jeffrey Epstein operation — it is unsurprising that people turn to conspiracy theories to fill the informational void. They Knew exposes the tactics these powerful actors use to placate an inquisitive public and unearths decades of buried American history, providing an essential and critical look at how to rebuild our democracy by confronting the political lies and crimes that have shaped us. Livestream available; see website. Organized by Left Bank Books.
Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Rd., St. Louis, 63117
VIRTUAL

13 SEPTEMBER  |  7 PM
Michael W. Twitty, Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew (Author Talk)
The James Beard award-winning author of the acclaimed The Cooking Gene explores the cultural crossroads of Jewish and African diaspora cuisine and issues of memory, identity and food. In Koshersoul, Michael W. Twitty considers the marriage of two of the most distinctive culinary cultures in the world today: the foods and traditions of the African Atlantic and the global Jewish diaspora. To Twitty, the creation of African-Jewish cooking is a conversation of migrations and a dialogue of diasporas offering a rich background for inventive recipes and the people who create them. $40-$55. St. Louis Jewish Book Festival.
St. Louis Jewish Community Center, Staenberg Family Center – Mirowitz Performing Arts Center, 2 Millstone Campus Dr., St. Louis, 63144

14 SEPTEMBER  |  7 PM
Louisa Treger, Madwoman (Author Talk)
Historical fiction author Louisa Treger presents the spellbinding true story of the world’s first female investigative journalist, Nellie Bly. In 1887, young Nellie Bly sets out for New York and a career in journalism, determined to make her way as a serious reporter, whatever that may take. Down to her last dime and desperate to prove her worth, she comes up with a dangerous plan: to fake insanity and have herself committed to the asylum on Blackwell’s Island. There, she will work undercover to expose the asylum’s wretched conditions. An extraordinary portrait of a woman ahead of her time, Madwoman is the story of a quest for the truth that changed the world. Seating is limited; early arrival is recommended. 
St. Louis County Library - Daniel Boone Branch, 300 Clarkson Rd., Ellisville, 63011

15 SEPTEMBER  |  7 PM
Ellen Barker, East of Troost (Author Talk)
Under the guise of a starting-over story, East of Troost deals with subtle racism today, overt racism in the past and soul-searching about what to do about it in everyday living. The novel’s fictional narrator has moved back to her childhood home in a neighborhood that is now mostly Black and vastly changed by an expressway that displaced hundreds of families. It is the area located east of Troost Avenue, an invisible barrier created in the early 1900s to keep the west side of Kansas City white, “safely” cordoned off from the Black families on the east side. When the narrator moves back to her old neighborhood in pursuit of a sense of home, she deals with crime, home repair and skepticism — what is this middle-aged white woman doing here, living alone? Supported by a wise neighbor, a stalwart dog and the local hardware store, we see her navigate her adult world while we get glimpses of author Ellen Barker’s real life there as a teenager in the sixties, when white families were fleeing and Black families moving in — and sometimes back out when met with hatred and violence. 
Subterranean Books, 6271 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 63130

15 SEPTEMBER  |  7 PM
Dan Chaon, Sleepwalk, and Erin Belieu, Come-Hither Honeycomb (Author Talks)
Poet Dana Levin, distinguished writer-in-residence at Maryville University, in conversation with Dan Chaon and Erin Belieu conversation about adoption, being Midwestern raised, friendship and other spontaneous topics spurred by their most recent books. About Sleepwalk: Sleepwalk’s hero, Will Bear, is a man with so many aliases that he simply thinks of himself as the Barely Blur. At 50 years old, he’s been living off the grid for over half his life. He’s never had a real job, never paid taxes, never been in a committed relationship. A good-natured henchman with a complicated and lonely past and a passion for LSD microdosing, he spends his time hopscotching across state lines in his beloved camper van, running sometimes shady often dangerous errands for a powerful and ruthless operation he’s never troubled himself to learn too much about. Out of the blue, he receives a call from a 20-year-old woman claiming to be his biological daughter. She says she's the product of one of his long-ago sperm donations; he's half certain she's AI. She needs his help. About Come-Hither Honeycomb: In Come-Hither Honeycomb, Erin Belieu turns her signature wit and intellectual rigor inward for an unguarded exploration of human vulnerability. The poems meditate on the impact of large and small traumas: the lasting thumbprint of abuse, the collective specter of disease, the achingly sweet humility of parenting. The bodies in these poems are trapped, held hostage, bleeding. And yet there is agency — structural dynamism, texture, the color green — while a woman climbs a metal ladder to the diving board, a girl climbs high into the branches. The speaker grapples with a lifelong pattern of brutality, then painfully breaks free. Livestream available; see website.
The High Low, 3301 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 63103
VIRTUAL

16 SEPTEMBER  |  5:30 PM
Closing Reception: GatewayGIS Neighborhood Banner Project
Join the contributors to the “GatewayGIS Neighborhood Banner Project: Learning North St. Louis History Through Design” for the closing reception of an exhibition of eight banners on the museum’s west facade on Spring Street. The project was conceived as an opportunity for K–12 students to not only learn about past and present African-American leaders and landmarks in our neighborhoods, but also to celebrate them through digital graphic design. This celebration event welcomes back the young artists who created the banners and the Resident Teaching Artists who supported them for art making activities, food, and public comments. 
Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, 3750 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 63108

17 SEPTEMBER  |  12-4:30 PM
Chuseok Korean Harvest Festival
Chuseok is a celebration of good harvest where families visit ancestral hometowns; enjoy song, dance and folk games; and share a feast of traditional foods. The Gateway Korea Foundation invites families and friends to learn about and experience the culture of Korea at our Chuseok Korean Harvest Festival. This in person celebration will feature performances by The Korean Performing Arts Institute of Chicago (KPAC), and several local groups. Cultural learning opportunities including crafts, games, calligraphy, Korean alphabet, food, and traditional Korean clothing. Gateway Korea Foundation.
Webster University Community Music School, 535 Garden Ave., St. Louis, 63119

17 SEPTEMBER  |  12:30 PM
Golden Anniversaries: The Godfather (1972) Screening & Discussion
Winner of the Oscar for Best Picture — and now widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time — The Godfather, based on Mario Puzo’s novel of the same name, focuses on the powerful Italian-American crime family of Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando). When the don’s youngest son, Michael (Al Pacino), reluctantly joins the Mafia, he becomes involved in the inevitable cycle of violence and betrayal. Introduction and discussion led by Vincent Casaregola, professor of English and director of the Film Studies Program at Saint Louis University. Cinema St. Louis.
St. Louis Public Library – Central Library, 1301 Olive St., St. Louis, 63103

17 SEPTEMBER  |  1 PM
Valerie Battle Kienzle, Main Street St. Charles, Mo.: A Walk Through History (Author Talk)
Each year thousands of visitors from throughout the world travel to the banks of the Missouri River to experience the history and architecture of Main Street in St. Charles, Missouri. History comes alive in St. Charles, and according to longtime resident, history enthusiast, and author Valerie Battle Kienzle, the best way to experience Main Street and nearby areas is on foot. So, grab a pair of comfortable walking shoes, slip this St. Charles walking tour into your backpack or purse, and prepare to be wowed.
Main Street Books, 307 S. Main St., St. Charles, 63301

18 SEPTEMBER 
Sababa Arts & Culture Festival
Presented in collaboration between the St. Louis Jewish Federation and the J, Sababa is St. Louis’ premier Jewish arts & culture festival. Sababa is a cutting-edge, outdoor festival showcasing the vibrancy of contemporary Jewish culture. The festival features local, regional and national visual art exhibitors, culinary experiences and musical performances, as well as St. Louis Jewish organization booths.
Washington University, parking lot outside Simon Hall

19 SEPTEMBER  |  6 PM
Banned Book Podcasting
This week is Banned Books Week! We are discussing and highlighting books that were or continue to be banned by various institutions for their themes or content. In this workshop, we’ll use the recording room at Julia Davis Creative Experience to create a limited series podcast discussing banned books. Each participant will be able to talk about their favorite banned book and its significance to them. Join us to learn about podcasting, recording and the importance of Banned Book Week!
St. Louis Public Library – Julia Davis Library, 4415 Natural Bridge Ave., St. Louis, 63115

20 SEPTEMBER  |  11 AM
Brewing Architecture: Lemp Brewery
CHRIS NAFFZIGER, author of the architectural blog Saint Louis Patina, will talk about the history and architecture of the Lemp Brewery — built between 1864 and 1919, its story is far more intriguing than most people realize. Although the brewery’s architecture has previously been attributed to Edmund Jungenfeld, new research has revealed that two other architects are largely responsible for the iconic buildings we see today: Theodore Krausch, a pioneer in modern refrigeration and innovation in American brewhouses, and Guy Tyler Norton, the brewery’s full-time architect who designed the Lemp’s “newest” buildings in the decades before Prohibition. Using original photography that show little-known corners of the Lemp Brewery, this lecture will explain how St. Louis was the focal point of a revolution in brewing architecture.
Missouri History Museum, Lee Auditorium, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

20 SEPTEMBER  |  7 PM
Javier Zamora, Solito: A Memoir (Author Talk)
In one of the most critically acclaimed books of the year, a young poet shares the story of his harrowing migration to the United States at the age of nine. Javier Zamora recounts the 3,000-mile journey from his small town in El Salvador and across the U.S. border. Zamora faces perilous boat trips, relentless desert treks, pointed guns, arrests and deceptions alongside fellow migrants who will come to encircle him like an unexpected family. A memoir as gripping as it is moving, Solito provides an intimate account not only of a near-impossible journey, but also of the miraculous kindness and love delivered at the most pivotal moments. Solito is Javier Zamora’s story, but it’s also the story of millions of others who had no choice but to leave home. Seating is limited; early arrival is recommended. St. Louis Country Library.
Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Rd., St. Louis, 63117

21 SEPTEMBER  |  7 PM
Buzz Bissinger, The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II (Author Talk)
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, college football was at the height of its popularity. As the nation geared up for total war, one branch of the service dominated the aspirations of college football stars: the U.S. Marine Corps. Which is why, on Christmas Eve of 1944, when the 4th and 29th Marine regiments found themselves in the middle of the Pacific Ocean training for what would be the bloodiest battle of the war — the invasion of Okinawa — their ranks included one of the greatest pools of football talent ever assembled: former All Americans, captains from Wisconsin and Brown and Notre Dame, and nearly 20 men who were either drafted or would ultimately play in the NFL. When the trash-talking between the 4th and 29th over who had the better football team reached a fever pitch, it was decided: The two regiments would play each other in a football game as close to the real thing as you could get in the dirt and coral of Guadalcanal. The bruising and bloody game that followed became known as “The Mosquito Bowl.” Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Buzz Bissinger is author of the New York Times best-sellers Three Nights in August and Friday Night Lights. Livestream available; see website. Left Bank Books.
Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Rd., St. Louis, 63117
VIRTUAL

21 SEPTEMBER  |  7 PM
Julius Hunter, Professor Julius K. Hunter’s Stuff You Never Knew About St. Louis History (Author Talk)
Join us at for an author visit from local TV legend and University City resident Julius Hunter. During this event, Hunter will discuss his new book and share the stories behind his previous books, his long TV career and his life in St. Louis. University City Public Library.
VIRTUAL - RSVP

21 SEPTEMBER  |  7 PM
Eric Von Schrader, A Universe Disrupted (Author Talk)
In this follow up to A Universe Less Traveled, Billy Boustany has had the adventure of a lifetime. Now, all he wants to do is to go back to the amazing universe he discovered. But the power brokers over there warned him to stay away and keep his mouth shut. At the same time, Diyami Red Hawk, an idealistic young man from that universe has connected with Billy’s daughter and is on a mission to build a modern Native American city in our world. But he’s getting nowhere — until he finds support in unexpected places. A plea for help from the other universe gives Billy his chance to return. He and his wife immerse themselves in the beauty and splendor of this odd, intriguing world. Then they encounter dark secrets lurking beneath its surface. Billy, Diyami and their friends have to make the biggest decision of their lives, with the fate of two worlds hanging in the balance. Livestream available; see website.
Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 63108
VIRTUAL

22 SEPTEMBER  |  10 AM-1 PM
Advancing Change: Retaining BIPOC Talent in Museums
This free, virtual summit will explore critical changes museums and cultural institutions must make to attract, support, and retain BIPOC talent. Last year, the Saint Louis Art Museum launched Advancing Change, an annual summit devoted to addressing best practices for nurturing diverse talent within museums and cultural institutions. This program is inspired by more than 30 years of the Museum’s Romare Bearden Graduate Museum Fellowship, one of the nation’s longest-running post-graduate training opportunities for museum professionals from historically underrepresented populations. Keynote address by Dr. Kelli Morgan, who will discuss anti-racist approaches and practices in art museums today. Three alumnae of the Bearden Fellowship — Channon M. Dillard, Dr. Nenette Luarca-Shoaf and Dr. Cherise Smith — will discuss their experiences developing careers in curatorial, education and interpretation departments, among other arts-related fields. Saint Louis Art Museum.
VIRTUAL - RSVP

23 SEPTEMBER  |  7 PM
Collecting Wonders
CLAUDIA SWAN, the Inaugural Mark Steinberg Weil Professor of Art History, Washington University. Beginning in the 16th century in Europe, collectors assembled Wunderkammern, or cabinets of curiosity — protomuseums engineered to evince wonder and awe. These collections housed weird and sometimes wild conjunctions of the natural and the manmade, the local and the exotic. What purpose did cabinets of curiosity serve? And how are these sorts of collections related to museums as we experience them today? This illustrated lecture will explore key features of early modern collecting practices — as seen in the newly reinstalled Lopata Gallery at the Saint Louis Art Museum — and the aesthetics of wonder. $5 (free for members).
Saint Louis Art Museum, 1 Fine Arts Dr., Forest Park, St. Louis, 63110

23 SEPTEMBER  |  7 PM
Andrew Sean Greer, Less is Lost (Author Talk)
In this follow-up to the best-selling and Pulitzer Prize-winning Less: A Novel, the awkward and lovable Arthur Less returns in an unforgettable road trip across America. For Arthur Less, life is going surprisingly well: He is a moderately accomplished novelist in a steady relationship with his partner, Freddy Pelu. But nothing lasts: The death of an old lover and a sudden financial crisis has Less running away from his problems yet again as he accepts a series of literary gigs that send him on a zigzagging adventure across the U.S. Less roves across the “Mild Mild West,” through the South and to his mid-Atlantic birthplace, with an ever-changing posse of writerly characters and his trusty duo — a human-like black pug, Dolly, and a rusty camper van nicknamed Rosina. We cannot, however, escape ourselves. From his estranged father and strained relationship with Freddy, to the reckoning he experiences in confronting his privilege, Arthur Less must eventually face his personal demons. Livestream available; see website. Left Bank Books.
Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Rd., St. Louis, 63117
VIRTUAL

23 SEPTEMBER  |  12 PM
Artist Talk: Sukanya Mani
Join artist Sukanya Mani with participants of the Teen Museum Studies programs and CAM Teen and Adult Programs Manager Brandon Barr for a discussion about the collaboration involved in the making of the exhibition Weight of Shadows. 
Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, 3750 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 63108

27 SEPTEMBER  |  6:30 PM
Housing Blocs: Comparing Modernist Mass Housing Architecture Across the U.S. and Yugoslavia
MICHAEL ALLEN, director and architectural historian, Preservation Research Office, and senior lecturer, architecture, landscape architecture and urban design, Washington University. Sponsored by the St. Louis Public Library’s Steedman Architectural Library and the Society of Architectural Historians – St. Louis and Missouri Valley Chapters.
VIRTUAL - RSVP

28 SEPTEMBER  |  7 PM
C.J. Box, Treasure State: A Cassie Dewell Novel (Author Talk)
Private investigator Cassie Dewell is working what's easily one of her strangest assignments ever. A poem that promises buried treasure to one lucky adventurer has led to a cutthroat competition and five deaths. But Cassie’s client doesn’t want the treasure. Instead, he claims to be the one who hid the gold and wrote the poem. And he’s hired Cassie to try to find him. In Montana, a killer view can mean more than just the scenery, and Cassie knows much darker things hide behind the picturesque landscape of Big Sky Country. Seating is limited; early arrival is recommended. St. Louis Country Library.
Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Rd., St. Louis, 63117

29 SEPTEMBER  |  4 PM
Refugee Trauma and the Ambiguities of Miracles: A Historical Case Study of the Flying House of Loreto
KARIN VÉLEZ, associate professor of history, Macalester College, is author of The Miraculous Flying House of Loreto: Spreading Catholicism in the Early Modern World. Catholics and historians alike have made much of the miracle of the Holy House of Loreto, Mary’s house flown from Nazareth to Italy in the 1290s. Juxtaposing their often sharply opposed approaches, one can discern that the actual lived experience of refugees fleeing war zones was central to the history of the Loreto devotion, and was crucial to its global diffusion through the 18th century. As refugee crises continue to shake the world in 2022, the case study of Loreto’s miraculous flying house — overlaid with so many contrasting interpretations — offers one impressive example of how surviving disaster might be cumulatively processed across groups, cultures and generations. Center for Research on Global Catholicism Annual Lecture.
Saint Louis University, DuBourg Hall,  Pere Marquette Room, 221 N Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 63103 

30 SEPTEMBER  |  6 PM
Artist Talk: Meleko Mokgosi
Hear Botswana-born artist Meleko Mokgosi discuss his exhibition, Currents 122, which features new paintings from his most recent series, Spaces of Subjection. This project explores space as a metaphor, a theoretical device, and a social construct to question conventional ideas of subjecthood and subject construction. Ticketed but free event. See website for details.
Saint Louis Art Museum, Farrell Auditorium, 1 Fine Arts Dr., Forest Park, St. Louis, 63110