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!
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 Joe Posnanski, Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments (Author Talk)
JOE POSNANSKI will be in conversation with Gerald Early, the Merle Kling Professor of Modern Letters, professor of English and of African and African American Studies at Washington University, and essayist and American culture critic. Willie Mays’ catch. Babe Ruth’s called shot. Kirk Gibson’s limping home run. Moments like these have been described again and again, and in Why We Love Baseball, they are looked at anew and told from unique perspectives. These are moments from the big and famous to the small and private, experienced by players, teammates and fans. All of them fundamental to the connection fans have with the game they love. $35-$42, includes one book copy. Online viewing, $35, includes one book copy. St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis Jewish Community Center, 2 Millstone Campus Dr., St. Louis, 63146
23 SEPTEMBER | 7 PM Cedric the Entertainer, Flipping Boxcars (Author Talk)
St. Louis’ star and one of the original Kings of Comedy, Cedric the Entertainer, will discuss his first novel, Flipping Boxcars, with G’Ra Asim, a writer, a musician, and an assistant professor of English at Washington University. Babe is a charismatic and widely loved man and a gambler with a gift for gab that often gets him out of tricky situations. He’s also a dreamer, something he shares with his patient and loving wife, Rosie. They both yearn for financial stability and see the land they own as insurance for future generations, but when Babe and a few comrades enlist in a scheme that improbably falls apart, he endangers the little security the family has. Over the course of a career spanning more than 30 years, actor/comedian Cedric Kyles has solidified his status as one of the world’s premier performers on the stage, in film and on television. $40-$45, includes one book copy. Online viewing, $40, includes one book copy. Left Bank Books.
Hi-Pointe Theatre, 1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis, 63117
WashU Events
1 SEPTEMBER–31 DECEMBER Teaching Gallery: Disorderly Materials / Contingent Objects
Over the past two decades, several philosophers, art theorists and cultural critics have turned their attention to the study of matter. There is a prevailing sense that materials and their transformations are an urgent topic to be addressed in contemporary art (and architecture). This is not an issue of pure signification or creating seductive images of inanimate things to be cast as commodities; nor is it a turn toward hard material science, high-tech fabrication processes or computational elegance. The artworks collected in this installation speak to the agency inherent in the behavior of inanimate things. Together they raise the question: What happens when we allow materials to speak during the process of art production? Disorderly Materials / Contingent Objects is organized by Kelley Van Dyck Murphy, assistant professor of architecture in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts; and Hans Tursack, PhD candidate in electronic arts at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum
7 SEPTEMBER | 5:30 PM Gallery Talk: Exile Art
TOBIAS FELDMANN, PhD student in German and Comparative Literature at Washington University, discusses archival material and new works on view recently added to the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum’s permanent collection display on exile art, including such primary sources as letters, notes, articles and other personal and official documents. Joined in conversation by Sabine Eckmann, the William T. Kemper Director and chief curator at the Kemper Art Museum, the talk will give a glimpse into the vast sociopolitical network of World War II exiled artists in the United States, their process of immigrating into the country and the way these artists and their work were received. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum
7 SEPTEMBER | 6 PM The Problem of Josephus
JONATHAN J. PRICE is the Fred and Helen Lessing Professor of Ancient History at Tel Aviv University and the author of books and articles on Greek and Roman historiography, Jewish history of the Roman period and epigraphy. His research and teaching interests include Greek and Roman history, internal war in antiquity, Greek and Roman historiography, Jewish epigraphy and Jewish history during the Roman period. Among his publications are Jerusalem Under Siege: The Collapse of the Jewish State, 66-70 C.E.; Thucydides and Internal Conflict; and editions of the Jewish inscriptions in Corpus Inscriptionum Iudaeae/Palaestinae: A Multi-lingual Corpus of the Inscriptions from Alexander to Muhammad, volumes I-V. Department of Classics.
Washington University, Busch Hall, Room 100
9 SEPTEMBER | 2 PM Public Tour: Portraiture
Student educators lead interactive tours highlighting diverse approaches to portraiture from different historical moments in the permanent collection galleries. Explore portraits by such artists as Jess T. Dugan, Kehinde Wiley and Max Beckmann in a range of media. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum
10 SEPTEMBER | 2 PM Chinese-Language Tour: Portraiture
Join student educator Weixun Qu, PhD student in the Department of Art History & Archaeology at Washington University, for an interactive tour highlighting diverse approaches to portraiture in the permanent collection galleries. Explore portraits by such artists as Jess T. Dugan, Kehinde Wiley and Ai Weiwei in a range of media. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum
10 SEPTEMBER | 3 PM Israeli Art-Song: Between Fantasies and Realities
This lecture-concert follows the history of the Israeli art song. Songs for voice and piano setting Hebrew poems have been composed since the early 20th century, reflecting Israel’s rich and complicated culture. Mezzo-soprano Iris Malkin and pianist Ido Ariel present this fascinating genre’s contrasting trends, over 100 years of tensions between West and East, Zionism and post-Zionism, classical and popular music. Department of Music and Department of Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies.
Washington University, E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall, 560 Music Center
14–15 SEPTEMBER Theory as Event: Epistemic Cultures and Humanistic Knowledge Production in Germany since 1968
The 26th Biennial St. Louis Symposium on German Literature and Culture seeks to address recent developments in the humanities in German-speaking lands in their broader social and historical frameworks. Our goal is to bring together a select group of international scholars who are interested in reconsidering the history of contemporary German thought from perspectives inspired by recent work in science studies and the history of knowledge.
Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures.
Washington University, various locations; see schedule
14 SEPTEMBER | 5:30 PM Auerbach in Istanbul: A Reading from Die Sprache der Sonne
MATTHIAS GOERITZ, distinguished German author and professor of practice of comparative literature, will give a German-language reading of his critically acclaimed novel Die Sprache der Sonne (C.H. Beck, 2023). Die Sprache der Sonne (The Sun Language) deftly shifts perspectives between present-day Istanbul, where an American journalist looks for traces of her deceased German-Jewish grandmother, and the 1930s, when Istanbul was a haven for German-Jewish intellectuals, and intellectual theory from the profound to the outlandish abounded. The German-language reading and subsequent discussion will highlight the role Istanbul played in fostering German intellectual thought that was sidelined by the Nazi regime. Goeritz will be joined in conversation by Walter Schlect, subject librarian for Germanic Languages and Literatures and Comparative Literature. Goeritz is a poet, translator and novelist. He has written four poetry collections, four novels, and three novellas. He has received the Hamburg Literature Prize, the Mara Cassens Prize, the Robert Gernhardt Prize, and the William Gass Award. University Libraries.
Washington University, Olin Library, Ginkgo Reading Room
21 SEPTEMBER | 4 PM Weird Barbie: Feminist, Queer, and Industry Issues in Greta Gerwig’s Blockbuster
Join a discussion of feminist, queer and industry issues in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Panelists include Erica Rand, professor of art and visual culture and gender and sexuality studies at Bates College and author of Barbie’s Queer Accessories; Aria S. Halliday, associate professor of gender and women’s studies and African American and Africana studies at the University of Kentucky and author of Buy Black: How Black Women Transformed U.S. Pop Culture; and Collin Burnett, associate professor of film and media studies at Washington University in St. Louis and author of the forthcoming Serial Bonds: 007 Storytelling Across Media. Department of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Washington University, Women’s Building Formal Lounge
21 SEPTEMBER | 5:30 PM International Writers Series: Efe Duyan
Former Visiting Hurst Professor Efe Duyan returns to St. Louis to present The Behavior of Words, the first book of his poetry translated into English. He will be joined in discussion by Derick Mattern, literary translator and comparative literature PhD candidate in the track for international writers. As an internationally recognized poet, Duyan’s poems have been translated to over 25 different languages. His debut novel Başka (Other) was published in 2022. The Behavior of Words was published earlier this year by White Pines Press in a translation by Aron Aji. As an advocate of freedom of expression and creative thinking, he has been an active cultural actor curating international events, workshops and conferences. RSVP requested; see website. University Libraries.
Washington University, Olin Library, Ginkgo Reading Room
22–23 SEPTEMBER A.E. Hotchner Playwriting Festival 2023
We invite you to become a part of the playwriting process at the script-in-hand staged reading of each play. For nearly 30 years, Washington University’s 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 will be workshopped with a professional dramaturg, a faculty director and student cast. The festival culminates in a public staged reading of each play. Guest dramaturg Mead Hunter will mentor the writers during the Hotchner Festival workshop in September 2023. Performing Arts Department.
Fri., Sept. 22, 7 pm: The Smoke Watcher by Bela Marcus, directed by Sarah Whitney; and Lost Cat (a 10-minute Play) by Bela Marcus, directed by Sarah Whitney
Sat., Sept. 23, 7 pm: Minds at Work by Maddy Klass, directed by William Whitaker; and Now Boarding (a 10-minute Play) by Charlie Meyers, directed by William Whitaker
Washington University, A.E. Hotchner Studio Theatre
22 SEPTEMBER | 3 PM Return to Play: A Workshop in Clown and Improv Lindsay Brill
Join Performing Arts Department alumna Lindsay Brill as she presents an introduction to clowning and its application to improvisation. “Return to Play” will use the clown method developed by Christopher Bayes, head of physical acting at the Yale School of Drama, as well as various improv techniques to help participants rediscover the joy and freedom of play. This workshop will combine the techniques of clown with the spontaneity of improv to help participants find their inner child and tap into their natural sense of playfulness. Through a series of exercises and games, participants will learn to let go of judgement and unlock a deeper sense of embodiment, vulnerability and connection — both with themselves and with the audience. Performing Arts Department.
Washington University
22 SEPTEMBER | 5:30 PM Q&A with Adam Pendleton
As part of the opening celebrations for Adam Pendleton: To Divide By, the artist Adam Pendleton will be in conversation with Meredith Malone, curator, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. Public opening of the exhibit will immediately follow. Pendleton is known for his large-scale paintings, drawings, sculptures and films, many of them informed by Black Dada — his visual inquiry into the relationships between Blackness, abstraction and the avant-garde. This exhibition showcases new paintings, drawings and ceramics, along with two recent film portraits that together reveal Pendleton’s belief in abstraction’s capacity to destabilize and disrupt. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University, Steinberg Hall Auditorium
28 SEPTEMBER | 5 PM Center for the Literary Arts Speaker Series: Mary-Alice Daniel
MARY-ALICE DANIEL is the Center for the Literary Arts’ inaugural Visiting Writer in Residence. Join us for a reception, followed by readings from her celebrated, genre-spanning works – including new, unpublished poems and selections from secret projects. A cross-genre author, Danie’'s work appears in New England Review, American Poetry Review, Prairie Schooner, The Iowa Review, Callaloo, The Yale Review and more. Mass for Shut-Ins, her first book of poetry, released in March 2023, won the 117th Yale Younger Poets Prize. In November 2022, Ecco/Harper Collins published her trans-continental memoir, A Coastline Is an Immeasurable Thing, which was People’s Book of the Week and one of Kirkus Reviews’ best nonfiction books of the year. Center for the Literary Arts.
Washington University, Women’s Building Formal Lounge
St. Louis Community Events
1 SEPTEMBER | 5:30 PM Hip Hop Block Party
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip hop with food trucks, a live DJ, a graffiti wall and other games and activities in Bangert Park. This event is presented in partnership with the City of Florissant and the St. Louis Art Museum and in celebration of the exhibition The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century now open at the Saint Louis Art Museum. St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library – Florissant Valley Branch, 195 New Florissant Rd., S., Florissant, 63031
2–30 SEPTEMBER 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.
Sept. 2: Central West End; Sept. 2: Forest Park; Sept. 3: Soulard North and LaSalle Park; Sept. 3: Downtown Evolutions; Sept. 4: Soulard North and LaSalle Park; Sept. 6: Central West End; Sept. 9: Downtown Origins; Sept. 10: Webster Groves; Sept. 15: Downtown Origins; Sept. 16: Cherokee Street; Sept. 16: Gay Liberation in the Gateway City; Sept. 17: Soulard South; Sept. 17: Central West End; Sept. 22: Downtown Origins; Sept. 23: Musical St. Louis; Sept. 23: Cherokee Street; Sept. 23: Downtown Origins; Sept. 23: Tower Grove; Sept. 24: Benton Park; Sept. 24: Downtown Design; Sept. 30: Gay Liberation in the Gateway City; Sept. 30: Downtown Origins; Sept. 30: Soulard North and LaSalle Park
2-4 SEPTEMBER Japanese Festival
Experience the thunderous pounding rhythms of the taiko drums, thrilling samurai sword performances and more at this three-day cultural adventure right here at the Missouri Botanical Garden. For more than 40 years, the Garden has produced the annual Japanese Festival in conjunction with the Japanese Activities Committee, a coalition of several Japanese-American organizations that provide art, dance, food and entertainment for thousands of visitors each year. $8–$16.
Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, 63110
2 SEPTEMBER | 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. Groups have the option to add on a 15-minute tour of the outdoor memorials honoring St. Louisans who made the ultimate sacrifice. Missouri Historical Society.
Soldiers Memorial, Court of Honor, 1315 Chestnut St., St. Louis, 63103
2 SEPTEMBER | 2 PM Vietnam: At War and At Home Exhibit Tours
Your guide will walk you through the exhibit, exploring the Vietnam War’s origins, evolution and legacy. The exhibit will present a diverse and holistic snapshot of the turbulent times in Vietnam, America and the St. Louis region. Groups have the option to add on a 15-minute tour of the outdoor memorials honoring St. Louisans who made the ultimate sacrifice, including those who served in Vietnam. Missouri Historical Society.
Soldiers Memorial, Court of Honor, 1315 Chestnut St., St. Louis, 63103
5 SEPTEMBER | 6 PM Work in Progress: Justin Favela
View upcoming exhibiting artist Justin Favela’s major mural installation in its final days of completion and join the artist in conversation with CAM Associate Curator Misa Jeffereis. Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.
Contemporary Art Museum, 3750 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 63108
5 SEPTEMBER | 7 PM Ann Cleeves, The Raging Storm: A Detective Matthew Venn Novel (Author Talk)
ANN CLEEVES will be in conversation with Jane Henderson, book editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Cleeves, acclaimed author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows, returns with the extraordinary third in her Two Rivers series. When Jem Rosco — sailor, adventurer and legend — blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. Soon his lifeless body is discovered in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own. Superstition and rumor mix with fact as another body is found, and Detective Matthew Venn finds his judgment clouded. $35-$40, includes one book copy. St. Louis County Library.
The J’s Staenberg Family Complex, Staenberg Family Complex, 2 Millstone Campus Dr., St. Louis, 63146
5 SEPTEMBER | 7 PM Fandom in St. Louis
In honor of Star Trek Day on September 8th, prepare to boldly go on a journey featuring one of the State Historical Society of Missouri’s unique collections. A. J. Medlock, coordinator of the St. Louis Research Center, will present a brief history of science fiction fandom in Missouri. Attendees will learn about the evolution of this unique Missouri subculture from the formation of the Ozark Science Fiction Association in St. Louis to the Archon, one of the longest-running science fiction and fantasy conventions in Missouri. RSVP suggested; see website. St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library – Daniel Boone Branch, 300 Clarkson Rd., Ellisville, 63011
6 SEPTEMBER | 7 PM Jovita Oruwari, MD, Black Girls in White Coats: Black Female Doctors (Author Talk)
Black women make up less than 5% of all physicians in the United States, while studies have shown that African American patients fare better when their healthcare provider is African American. Dr. Jovita Ugochi Oruwari, a board certified oncologic breast surgeon in St. Louis, showcases 59 female African American doctors, dentists and psychologists. St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library – Florissant Valley Branch, 195 New Florissant Rd., S., Florissant, 63031
6 SEPTEMBER | 6 PM Julie Nicolai, Enslavement and the Underground Railroad in Missouri and Illinois (Author Talk)
Priscilla Baltimore purchased her own emancipation and founded a freedom village. Caroline Quarlls escaped to Canada. Many who fled for their lives spent time bunkered in the basement of Hanson House. The region’s Congregationalists brought a fiery brand of abolitionism. Prairie Park still holds the faded “haint” blue paint traditionally used on slave dwellings. St. Louis historian Julie Nicolai earned a BA and MA in art history and archaeology from Washington University and has written articles for the Missouri Historical Society, New York Silver Society and the Morse-Libby Mansion. Livestream available for online viewing. Left Bank Books.
Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 63108
7–17 SEPTEMBER 8th Annual Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis
This year’s fall festival will give center stage to Suddenly Last Summer, a drama by Pulitzer Prize–winning American playwright Tennessee Williams and directed by award-winning director Tim Ocel. “University City Years” will be a focus for the fall festival. Learning experiences will include a walking tour of U. City and three panels on the various aspects of Williams’ life in University City.
Center of Creative Arts (COCA), Catherine B. Berges Theatre, 6880 Washington Ave., University City, 63130
7 SEPTEMBER | 12 PM Art Speaks: Class in Session!
Romare Bearden Graduate Museum Fellow Charlie Farrell will discuss artists Augusta Savage and Margaret Burroughs and their roles as educators. Both working during their respective Renaissances (Harlem and Chicago), Savage and Burroughs felt it important to foster the creative development of young people in their community. Farrell will discuss their individual practices in addition to their reverberating impact on their communities. Saint Louis Art Museum.
VIRTUAL - RSVP
7 SEPTEMBER | 2 PM The Moon Motor Car Company of St. Louis
JEFF BUCKLEY, founder and president of the Moon Car Club, will present the history of the Moon Motor Car Company of St. Louis, the largest locally owned and built car manufacturer in St. Louis during the early 20th century. St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library – Oak Bend Branch, 842 S. Holmes Ave., St. Louis, 63122
7 SEPTEMBER | 6 PM Jason Gray, Mound City Chronicle (Author Talk)
Local St. Louis artist Jason Gray will discuss his book Mound City Chronicle, which documents his journey and exploration of St. Louis, including his unearthing of hidden and underground sites in our historic city. St. Louis Public Library.
St. Louis Public Library – Buder Library, 4401 Hampton Ave., St. Louis, 63109
9 SEPTEMBER | 9 AM Discovery Tour: Jewish in St. Louis
Although the first Jews arrived in the U.S. from Brazil in 1654, the Midwest didn’t open for Jewish settlement until the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The region’s first known Jewish citizen, Joseph Philipson, came to St. Louis from Philadelphia in 1807. Today, St. Louis’ Jewish population is one of the largest in the Midwest. This tour, guided by Linda Koenig of Gateway Tours, offers an overview of significant sites and organizations important to the community’s history and development. It will also include a visit to the recently reopened and enlarged St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum. Discovery Tours begin and end at the Missouri History Museum and run from 9 am–3 pm. $80-$90. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112
9 SEPTEMBER | 1 PM Artist Talk: Hajra Waheed
HAJRA WAHEED speaks about the ideas and stories that inspired her exhibition Hajra Waheed: A Solo Exhibition on the occasion of its opening at CAM. Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.
Contemporary Art Museum, 3750 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 63108
9 SEPTEMBER | 4:30 PM Voyageur Rendezvous
Come to Sainte Geneviève for feast, fête and fun! Celebrate the 350th anniversary of Marquette and Jolliet’s Mississippi River voyage. In 1673, Father Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit missionary, and fur trader Louis Jolliet led an expedition to explore the French-claimed territory in North America from the Great Lakes region to the Gulf of Mexico. They ended the expedition in present-day Arkansas when warned by native tribes that Spanish colonial powers controlled territory from the mouth of the Arkansas River to the Gulf. The expedition was the first time non-native people explored the central portions of the Mississippi River and was the first to determine the courses of the rivers that ran through the interior of the continent. This culturally significant evening takes place on the grounds of the historic Bolduc House in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. The event features historic food of the French Colonial period, live period music, historic interpreters and a one-act play by Jim Healy, “Louis Jolliet: A Solid Path Through Water.” Baroque guitarist Patrick Rafferty will play period music. French Colonial America. $125.
Historic Bolduc House, 125 Main St., Ste. Genevieve, 63670
11 SEPTEMBER | 12 PM Kranzberg High Noon Series: Q & A w/ the Poet Laureate
St. Louis Poet Laureate Jane Ellen Ibur invites you to get answers for all the questions about writing poetry you ever wanted to know. Of course, bring pen and paper as you never know when you’ll be asked to write. Ibur will also read some of her work. 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. RSVP suggested; see website. St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library – Florissant Valley Branch, 195 New Florissant Rd., S., Florissant, 63031
11 SEPTEMBER | 6 PM Brian Teare and Dana Levin: Night of Poetry and Discussion
Poets Brian Teare and Dana Levin will discuss themes from their newest books, focusing on transforming oppressions of body and family — chronic illness and abusive family environments. They will share poetry from their books, speaking to those themes. The evening will take twists and turns as the poets discuss connections between their works, creating a unique event. A 2020 Guggenheim Fellow, Teare is the author of seven critically acclaimed books, including Doomstead Days, winner of the Four Quartets Prize and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. His most recent publications are a pair of book-length ekphrastic projects exploring queer abstraction, chronic illness and collage: Levin’s latest poetry book is Now Do You Know Where You Are, a 2022 New York Times Notable Book and NPR “Book We Love.” Livestream available for online viewing. St. Louis Poetry Center.
Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid Ave., Saint Louis 63108
11 SEPTEMBER | 7 PM The History and Mystery of Music: The Making of Exile on Main St.
Learn about various musical artists, their lives and the influence they had on the music world. This month’s focus is on the turbulent recording of the Rolling Stones’ 1972 album, Exile on Main St., created in a French mansion. St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library – Oak Bend Branch, 842 S. Holmes Ave., St. Louis, 63122
12 SEPTEMBER | 7 PM Craig Johnson, Longmire Defense (Author Talk)
Western suspense author Craig Johnson presents the 19th installment in the best-selling series starring Wyoming sheriff Walt Longmire and the basis for Netflix’s hit show Longmire. Deep in the Wyoming countryside, Walt is called to a shocking crime scene that brings up ghosts of his past and causes him to question the very nature of justice and mercy in the hard country of the West. Johnson is the recipient of the Western Writers of America Spur Award for fiction and the Mountain & Plains Independent Booksellers Association’s Reading the West Book Award for fiction. Left Bank Books.
The J, 2 Millstone Campus Drive, St. Louis, 63146
13 SEPTEMBER | 6:30 PM Very Open Rehearsal: Interactive Insight
Be a part of a working rehearsal with Chamber Project St. Louis. Learn about the process of making music in this interactive musical experience. Ask questions about the music, the instruments, the musicians — whatever comes to mind. A moderator will facilitate the conversation between the audience and the musicians, who will be preparing “The Life of Birds” by Mason Bates music for their upcoming concerts in October. Chamber Project St. Louis.
St. Louis County Library – Thornhill Library, 12863 Willowyck Dr., St. Louis, 63146
13 SEPTEMBER | 7 PM David Lange, Soccer Made in St. Louis (2nd ed.) (Author Talk)
St. Louis has played soccer since the 1870s and has produced 90 national champions, 77 players on the U.S. National Team and 34 members of U.S. national soccer halls of fame. Soccer Made in St. Louis chronicles the successful drive to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to St. Louis while sharing the early history of St. Louis soccer. St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library – Daniel Boone Branch, 300 Clarkson Rd., Ellisville, 63011
14 SEPTEMBER | 9 AM Rhythm on the Mississippi: How Riverboats Shaped St. Louis Music in the Early 20th Century
Missouri Historical Society Library Assistant Magdalene Linck examines the beginnings of jazz in St. Louis during the 1910s and 1920s. Learn about the connection between riverboats and music and explore the lives of musicians who made names for themselves on the Mississippi. RSVP required; see website. National Museum of Transportation.
National Museum of Transportation, 2933 Barrett Station Rd., St. Louis, 63122
14 SEPTEMBER | 12:30 PM Art Speaks: Language, Brand, Adornment, Tribute, Ascension, and Pose in The Culture
Join curators Hannah Klemm and Andréa Purnell as they explore the six thematic areas in the exhibition The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century. Learn about the complex relationships between the hip hop and art industries that have made hip hop a global phenomenon and established it as the artistic canon of our time. Saint Louis Art Museum.
VIRTUAL - RSVP
14 SEPTEMBER | 5:30 PM Vietnam: The Experiences of Black St. Louisans
Join us for an engaging evening supporting the African American History Initiative and highlighting the Vietnam: At War and At Home exhibit at Soldiers Memorial. We will dive into the experiences of Black St. Louisans from the 1950s to the 1970s to today, looking specifically at the varied impacts of the Vietnam War on Black St. Louisans while showing respect for their military service and paying respect to our veterans. Through oral histories, images, newspaper accounts and artifacts, we will gain a better understanding of and respect for the experiences of Black St. Louisans during this time. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, Lee Auditorium and MacDermott Grand Hall, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112
14 SEPTEMBER | 7 PM Paulette Jiles, Chenneville (Author Talk)
Award-winning author of News of the World, Paulette Jiles presents a fearless historical novel set in the lawless post-Civil War frontier. Returning home from war, Union soldier John Chenneville finds only more tragedy. His beloved sister and her family have been brutally murdered. Traveling through the unforgiving landscape of a shattered nation in the midst of Reconstruction, John braves winter storms and confronts desperate people in pursuit of justice. As he trails a killer deep into Texas, John accepts that this final reckoning may cost him more than all he’s already lost. St. Louis County Library.
The J, 2 Millstone Campus Dr., St. Louis, 63146
16 SEPTEMBER | 1 PM St. Louis African American History and Genealogy Society
Join the St. Louis African American History and Genealogy Society and the Missouri Historical Society each month for a deep dive into researching your family’s history. Meetings include announcements, a presentation by an expert in the field of Black history and genealogy and a question-and-answer session. Presentation themes in the past have included census records, keeping track of your research, organizing family trees and digging into the archives. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112
17 SEPTEMBER | 1 PM The Long Goodbye Screening & Discussion
In 1970s Hollywood, Detective Philip Marlowe tries to help a friend who is accused of murdering his wife. Presented as part of Golden Anniversaries, a series that honors films celebrating their 50th year of release. Introduction and discussion by Calvin Wilson, theater, film, dance and jazz critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Cinema St. Louis.
Hi-Pointe Main Theatre, 1005 McCausland Ave., St. Louis 63117
18 SEPTEMBER | 7 PM Naomi Klein, Doppelganger (Author Talk)
NAOMI KLEIN will be in conversation with St. Louis’ best-selling author and co-host of the acclaimed podcast Gaslit Nation, Sarah Kendzior. Klein was confronted with a doppelganger whose views she found abhorrent but whose name and public persona were sufficiently similar to her own that many people got confused about who was who. Destabilized, she lost her bearings until she began to understand the experience as one manifestation of a strangeness many of us have come to know but struggle to define: AI-generated text is blurring the line between genuine and spurious communication. New Age wellness entrepreneurs turned anti-vaxxers are scrambling familiar political allegiances of left and right, and liberal democracies are teetering on the edge of absurdist authoritarianism even as the oceans rise. Under such conditions, reality itself seems to have become unmoored. Is there a cure for our moment of collective vertigo? Left Bank Books.
Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Rd., St. Louis, 63117
19 SEPTEMBER | 11 AM The St. Louis American’s 95th Anniversary
Join us for a deep dive into the history and legacy of the St. Louis American over the past 95 years. How has the newspaper chronicled the Black community in the St. Louis region? To what extent has it impacted and been impacted by other Black newspapers? How has the St. Louis American moved into the digital age, and what does the future hold? During this conversation we will reflect on the ways the St. Louis American has told the story of St. Louis in the last 95 years, and we will also acknowledge other print newspapers over the years. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, Lee Auditorium, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112
21 SEPTEMBER | 4 PM Audio Description Tour: Soccer City
In 1875, the first recorded soccer-like game in St. Louis took place at the future site of Sportsman’s Park between teams named the Blondes and Brunettes. In 2019, the city was awarded a Major League Soccer team, the first majority female-owned club in MLS history. In between these two dates are amateur and professional teams, victories and defeats and periods of struggle and astounding upsets. Combined, they sealed the St. Louis region’s reputation as America’s first soccer capital. Unlike most cities, St. Louis cultivated a unique, homegrown soccer culture with an impact that stretched beyond our nation’s borders. Soccer City at the Missouri History Museum presents graphics, digital interactives, films and artifacts that tell the story of a major metropolis, a dynamic sport and the many personalities that propelled St. Louis to the competitive forefront. Audio Description Tours at the Missouri History Museum are for visitors who are blind or have low vision. Each quarter, individuals or groups will enjoy a 45-minute guided tour led by specially trained staff and volunteers in select museum galleries. RSPV required; see website. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, Lee Auditorium, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112
21 SEPTEMBER | 7 PM Anderson Cooper, Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune (Author Talk)
ANDERSON COOPER will be in conversation with co-author and historian Katherine Howe. The story of the Astors is a quintessentially American story of ambition, invention, destruction and reinvention. From 1783, when German immigrant John Jacob Astor first arrived in the United States, until 2009, when Brooke Astor’s son, Anthony Marshall, was convicted of defrauding his elderly mother, the Astor name occupied a unique place in American society. The family fortune, first made by a beaver trapping business that grew into an empire, was then amplified by holdings in Manhattan real estate. Over the ensuing generations, Astors ruled Gilded Age New York society and inserted themselves into political and cultural life but also suffered the most famous loss on the Titanic, one of many shocking and unexpected twists in the family’s story. Cooper is an anchor at CNN and a correspondent for CBS’ 60 Minutes. Cooper has won 20 Emmys and numerous other major journalism awards. Book purchase is required. Left Bank Books.
VIRTUAL
22 SEPTEMBER | 6 PM Michael Harriot, Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America (Author Talk)
Columnist Michael Harriot will discuss the book that Dr. Ibram X. Kendi says, “evokes the full range of human emotions,” Black AF History. America’s backstory is a whitewashed mythology implanted in our collective memory. It is the story of the pilgrims on the Mayflower building a new nation. It is George Washington’s cherry tree and Abraham Lincoln’s log cabin. It is the fantastic tale of slaves that spontaneously teleported themselves here with nothing but strong backs and Negro spirituals. It is a sugarcoated legend based on an almost true story. It should come as no surprise that the dominant narrative of American history is blighted with errors and oversights — after all, history books were written by white men with their perspectives at the forefront. It could even be said that the devaluation and erasure of the Black experience is as American as apple pie. In Black AF History, Harriot presents a more accurate version of American history. Combining unapologetically provocative storytelling with meticulous research based on secondary sources as well as the work of pioneering Black historians, scholars and journalists, Harriot removes the white sugarcoating from the American story, placing Black people squarely at the center. St. Louis Public Library.
St. Louis Public Library – Schlafly Public Library, 225 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 63108
22 SEPTEMBER | 6 PM Self-Discovery, Connection, and Empathy in the Art Museum
There are more ways than you might imagine to engage with art, including strategies that can expand upon and enhance familiar experiences of looking at the art and reading the label. Our experiences with art have the potential to teach us something about ourselves, connect with ideas that are bigger than ourselves, and build deeper connections with others in our communities. Enjoy new ways of engaging with art during this participatory and engaging journey of self-discovery across the Saint Louis Art Museum’s collection. Mike Murawski is an educator and author of Museums as Agents of Change. Free for members; $5 for non-members. Saint Louis Art Museum.
Saint Louis Art Museum, Education Center, 1 Fine Arts Dr., St. Louis, 63110
23 SEPTEMBER | 9 AM Carondelet Author Breakfast
Join eight local authors for a speed-dating style event, where you will learn a little bit about each author and their works. Authors change tables every 15 minutes. A light continental breakfast will be available, and Left Bank Books will be on-hand with copies of the author’s books. The following authors will be there:
Geri L. Dreiling is the author of the novels Crime Beat Girl and Erasing the Past. She is an award-winning alt-weekly journalist, a lawyer who represented clients in criminal defense matters, and she served a stint as the public information officer for the prosecutor's office in the city of St. Louis.
Rafael Frumkin is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the Medill School of Journalism.
George Jreije is the Lebanese-American author of the Shad Hadid children’s fantasy series as well as the upcoming graphic novel, Tarik’s Bazaar Adventure.
Igor Karash, an illustrator based in St. Louis, is originally from Baku, Azerbaijan. Karash’s illustration work is diverse and includes picture books, classic literature, novels and concept art for theater and film.
Valerie Battle Kienzle, a University of Missouri School of Journalism graduate, spent the last 40+ years in various writing-related positions.
Lecia Michelle is a writer, librarian, educator, activist and founder of Real Talk: WOC and Allies for Racial Justice and Anti-Oppression.
Gabe Montesanti is a queer Midwestern roller derby player. She earned her MFA in creative nonfiction from Washington University in St. Louis. Her piece “The Worldwide Roller Derby Convention” was recognized as a notable essay in The Best American Essays.
Ed Wheatley is an award-winning author, film producer and sports historian. His writings have been recognized by Sports Collectors Digest as the best book published on baseball. His films have received Emmy nominations and a win and were also selected for the prestigious Annual Film Festivals at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
RSVP required; see website. Left Bank Books.
St. Louis Public Library – Carondelet Library, 6800 Michigan Ave., St. Louis, 63111
26 SEPTEMBER | 11 AM The 1904 Olympics and the World’s Fair
Author Michael Loynd will talk about the maneuvers on the field and off that led to St. Louis scoring the Olympics from Chicago during the iconic 1904 World’s Fair. Join for the history of this momentous moment in St. Louis and Olympic history. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, Lee Auditorium, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112
26 SEPTEMBER | 6 PM Brendan O’Brien, Homesick: Why Housing Is Unaffordable and How We Can Change It (Author Talk) Homesick argues that we can be so much better, and we can start with where we live. Nobody who sits in traffic on Sedona, Arizona’s main stretch or stands shoulder-to-shoulder in its many souvenir shops would call it a ghost town. Neither would anyone renting a room for $2,000 a month or buying a house for a half-million dollars. And yet the people who built this small town and made it a community are being pushed further and further out. Their home is being sold out from under their feet. In studying the impact of short-term rentals, Brendan O’Brien saw something similar happening in places ranging from Bend, Oregon, to Bar Harbor, Maine. Housing in the United States has always been marred by racial and income inequality that mocks the country’s highest ideals. Subterranean Books.
Subterranean Books, 6271 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 63130
26 SEPTEMBER | 7 PM Holocaust Composer Stories: Pavel Haas
Discover stories of composers who were impacted by the Holocaust in this new collaborative project between the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) and the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum. In this first installment, Helen Turner, director of education and interpretation for the museum, will teach about composer Pavel Haas and his tragic Holocaust experience. The 20-minute composer story will be followed by a performance of Haas’ String Quartet No. 3 played live by musicians of the SLSO. This hour-long event is free but RSVPs are requested. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum.
St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, 36 Millstone Campus Dr., St. Louis, 63146
27 SEPTEMBER | 6 PM Raj Haldar, This Book is Banned (Author Talk and Panel Discussion)
Left Bank Books, St. Louis Public Library – Schlafly Library, and Washington University Center for the Humanities presents Raj Haldar, author of the #1 New York Times best-selling picture book, P is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever. Join us for read aloud and discussion of This Book is Banned, a hilarious and thoughtful new picture book that underscores the importance of the fight against censorship in schools and libraries across the country. Discover just what happens when we aren’t allowed to freely share and explore ideas with this funny, self-referential picture book romp that kids (and grown-ups) will want to read over and over again. Join in person or watch the livestream on Left Bank Books’ YouTube page.
St. Louis Public Library – Schlafly Library, 225 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 63108
27 SEPTEMBER | 6 PM Steve Wiegenstein, Land of Joys (Author Talk)
A best-selling book, an exhibit featuring the Hill-Billies of Heaven Holler and a brutal murder turn the excitement of 1904 World’s Fair into a nightmare for the people of Daybreak. Country and city collide when Charlotte Turner’s son Adam turns their sleepy Ozarks village of Daybreak into a tourist attraction with his best-selling novel The Hill-Billies of Heaven Holler, but his idea of setting up a hillbilly exhibit at the 1904 World’s Fair has unforeseen consequences in all directions as Charlotte, her granddaughter Petey and the rest of Daybreak are caught up in the exoticism, greed and danger that surround the event. Adventure leads to violence at home and at the fair, and Charlotte must make life-of-death choices to keep Petey safe and preserve her beloved community. Subterranean Books.
Subterranean Books, 6271 Delmar Blvd, St. Louis 63130
27 SEPTEMBER | 7 PM 2023 Fierce Reads Book Tour
Join us in welcoming four top YA authors on their cross-country tour celebrating new books: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé (Ace of Spades), Jamison Shea (I Feed Her to the Beast and the Beast is Me), Tomi Oyemakinde (The Changing Man), and Kalyn Josephson (This Dark Descent). St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library – Grant’s View Branch, 9700 Musick Rd., St. Louis, 63123
27 SEPTEMBER | 7 PM John Connolly, The Land of Lost Things (Author Talk)
Irish novelist John Connolly presents a follow-up to his hit fantasy novel, The Book of Lost Things. Phoebe, an eight-year-old girl, lies comatose following a car accident. Her mother, Ceres, can only sit by her bedside and read aloud the fairy stories Phoebe loves in the hope they might summon her back to this world. But an old house on the hospital grounds is calling to Ceres. Something wants her to enter, to journey to a land colored by the memories of childhood — a land of witches and dryads, giants and mandrakes; a land where old enemies are watching and waiting… St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library – Daniel Boone Branch, 300 Clarkson Rd., Ellisville, 63011
28 SEPTEMBER | 5:30 PM Mill Creek Speaks: Gwen Moore in Conversation with Vivian Gibson and Damon Davis
Join for a deep dive into the history and remembrance of Mill Creek Valley with Damon Davis, artist and creator of the Mill Creek monument Pillars of the Valley on the Great Rivers Greenway Brickline Greenway at CITYPARK Stadium; and Vivian Gibson, Mill Creek Valley resident and author of The Last Children of Mill Creek. Together through time and place, we will rediscover the dynamics of a nearly erased and forgotten Black community and explore the rich cultural heritage of Mill Creek Valley with a nod to the concept of congregation versus segregation. We will also explore ways to preserve and reestablish Black communities through improved infrastructure, affordable housing, community businesses and neighborhood schools. A conversation led by MHS Curator Gwen Moore will follow with a Q&A session and book signing featuring The Last Children of Mill Creek. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, Lee Auditorium and MacDermott Grand Hall, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112
28 SEPTEMBER | 7 PM Kashmir Hill, Your Face Belongs to US (Author Talk)
New York Times tech reporter Kashmir Hill shares the riveting story of Clearview AI, a small tech company that claimed it could identify anyone based on just one snapshot. If it was everything it claimed to be, the app would be the ultimate surveillance tool. Your Face Belongs to Us is a gripping warning about one of many new technologies that challenge what Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once called “the right to be let alone.” St. Louis County Library.
The J, 2 Millstone Campus Dr., St. Louis, 63146
29 SEPTEMBER | 9 AM Advancing Change: Museums, Libraries, and Communities Diversity Summit
This year’s panel will center museums and libraries as leaders in their communities and explore alternative collaborative models. The Saint Louis Art Museum launched Advancing Change, a free annual summit devoted to addressing best practices for nurturing diverse talent within museums and cultural institutions in 2021. The museum’s yearly diversity summit is inspired by over 30 years of history of its Romare Bearden Graduate Museum Fellowship, one of the nation’s longest-running post-graduate training opportunities for museum professionals from historically underrepresented populations. The fellowship boasts a 96 percent rate of alums still working in the arts and cultural sector. Advancing Change provides an opportunity to hear from Bearden alums and how they continue to be change-makers in their fields. Free tickets; see website. Virtual viewing also available. Saint Louis Art Museum.
Saint Louis Art Museum, Farrell Auditorium, One Fine Arts Dr., Forest Park, St. Louis, 63110
29 SEPTEMBER | 7 PM SLAM Underground: REMIX
Join us for the first of two SLAM Undergrounds highlighting the exhibition The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century with music, performances, art making, cocktails and more. Saint Louis Art Museum.
Saint Louis Art Museum, 1 Fine Arts Dr., St. Louis, 63110
30 SEPTEMBER | 10:30 AM Before the Wrecking Ball
This program traces the history of Mill Creek Valley from its origins in the mid 19th century as an area of white affluence to its transformation to the city’s largest concentration of Black residents. The subject of an upcoming Missouri History Museum exhibit, the Mill Creek Valley narrative chronicles the community’s rise and its fall in 1959 when it was destroyed in the name of urban renewal. RSVP required; see website. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri Historical Society Library, 225 S. Skinker Blvd., St. Louis, 63105
30 SEPTEMBER | 11:30 AM Chuseok Korean Harvest Festival
Explore and celebrate Korean culture through traditional and contemporary Korean performing arts featuring The Eine Ensemble from South Korea and other local groups. Participate in Korean arts and crafts, traditional games, Korean alphabet and calligraphy demonstration. Visitors can also enjoy a martial arts demonstration, K-pop dance performances, sample delicious food, try on traditional Korean clothing called hanboks and learn about the traditional Chuseok charye table setting.
Webster University, Community Music School, 535 Garden Ave., Webster Groves, 63119
30 SEPTEMBER | 1 PM Jim Merkel, Walking South City: A Journey through Historic St. Louis Neighborhoods (Author Talk)
Local author Jim Merkel will discuss his new book, Walking South City: A Journey through Historic St. Louis Neighborhoods, which chronicles centuries of stories, block-by-block through the heart of South City. St. Louis Public Library.
St. Louis Public Library – Carpenter Library, 3309 S. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, 63118
30 SEPTEMBER | 5 PM Creativity in the Time of COVID-19 Creativity in the Time of COVID-19 is a multi-institutional collaboration, funded by the Mellon Foundation, to investigate and exhibit art in the time of COVID-19. Story Stitchers will prepare a 60-minute presentation that includes video with sound and transcriptions and live performance elements to describe and share artists’ creative work during the pandemic. The performance will be part of the opening ceremony of the exhibition and will be followed by a cocktail reception. Story Stitchers.
Washington University, Farrell Learning and Teaching Center, Connor Auditorium, 520 S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis 63110
