4 DECEMBER  |  9 AM
“The Hidden Curriculum of Female Teachers’ Bodies”: An Oral Storytelling Approach to Understanding Sexual Harassment in a Boys’ Senior High School in Ghana
ARABA OSEI-TUTU, lecturer in the Department of Teacher Education, School of Education and Leadership, University of Ghana. Schools are expected to be institutions that challenge social injustices towards creating a safe environment for teachers, students and the community. However, they are increasingly identified as sites where disproportionately high levels of sexual violence occurs. In this work, Osei-Tutu shares the sexual harassment experiences of female teachers in boys’ senior high schools in Ghana using the African Oral Traditional Storytelling (AOTS) Framework. She will also discuss the teachers’ approach to addressing the issue, coping mechanisms and policy considerations. RSVP requested. Center for the Humanities.
Washington University, Umrath Hall, Room 201

4 DECEMBER  |  12 PM
Humanitarianism, Human Security, and Development: The Careers of Sadako Ogata (1927–2019)
LORI WATT, associate professor of history and global studies, Washington University, specializes in Japanese history. As the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (1991–2000) and president of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (2003–12), Sadako Ogata, a professor of political science, connected Japan’s stances on humanitarianism, human security and development with those of the United Nations and other organizations. An analysis of her careers by Watt provides the opportunity to explore Japan’s successes and failures in international cooperation efforts. RSVP requested. Global Studies program. 
Washington University, McMillan Hall, Room 259

4 DECEMBER  |  5 PM
Literature in the Making: A Public Reading
Please join us to celebrate the creative work of students taking the course “Literature in the Making”: Ameen Animashaun, Robinson Etienne, AJ Javaheri, Safa Khatib, Jessica Lipton, Natasha Muhametzyanova, Joel Gabriel Ngameleu Ngameni, Tolu Daniel, Frauke Thielecke, Martha Jannemann and Ilie Shirin. Reading begins at 5:30 pm. Department of Comparative Thought and Literature.
Washington University, Duncker Hall, Hurst Lounge

6 DECEMBER  |  4 PM
Current Work on the Washington University Papyri
ROGER BAGNALL, honorary professor of classics (Washington University); Alexander Free, visiting researcher (University of Munich); and Will Sieving, MA student (Washington University). Bagnall, Free and Sieving will discuss recent advances in the conservation, digitization and editing of the 451 papyri from Roman and Byzantine Egypt owned by the John and Penelope Biggs Department of Classics and housed in Olin Library Special Collections. Department of Classics and Washington University Libraries.
Washington University, Olin Library, Room 142

6–8 DECEMBER
It’s Time
It’s Time, this year’s installment of the Performing Arts Department’s annual fall dance concert, explores the relationship between temporality and dance, posing the question, “What is it time for?” — in dance, art, history, culture and society. This annual concert dance showcase features diverse and creative choreography by resident and guest artists and performed by select student dancers. Tickets $15–20, free for WashU students. Performing Arts Department.
Washington University, Mallinckrodt Center, Edison Theatre

7 DECEMBER  |  2 PM
Art and the Environment
Join student educators for interactive tours of the permanent collection that invite discussion of how artists explore our complex relationship to the environment — ranging from 19th-century landscape paintings and scenes of laborers in the context of industrialization and Native histories, to contemporary visions of the land amid globalization and climate crises. Please check in at the Welcome Desk when arriving for the tour. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Lobby

9 DECEMEBER  |  3 PM
Public Scholarship Symposium
The inaugural Public Scholarship Symposium will highlight outstanding examples of public scholarship by WashU faculty and students. Presenters will include Public Scholarship Prize winners Abram Van Engen and Rebecca Lester as well as PhD students enrolled in the CREATES cohort graduate seminar on public scholarship, with a keynote lecture by public scholar and environmental philosopher Margret Grebowicz, the Weiner Distinguished Professor in Humanities, Missouri University of Science & Technology. RSVP requested. Program in Public Scholarship.
Washington University, Umrath Hall, Umrath Lounge

9 JANUARY  |  7:30 PM
Don’t Be Angry!
JUSTIN AUSTIN, world-renowned baritone, will reprise a program he debuted at Carnegie Hall in March 2024. He curated this arrangement of songs in response to the often-heard phrase “Don’t Be Angry!,” highlighting irony, dissidence and rage. It includes music by Kurt Weill (Three Penny Opera), Olaf Bienert, Ricky Ian Gordon and Robert Owens, and poems by Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Tucholsky, Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes among others. Austin will be joined in conversation with Sabine Eckmann, the William T. Kemper Director and Chief Curator, to discuss this captivating program and the accompanying exhibition on view in the Teaching Gallery that explores artists’ responses to social inequities, including war, political corruption, class struggle and racism. Registration required. Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.
Washington University, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Lobby

22 JANUARY  |  5–7 PM
WGSS Wikipedia Edit-a-thon
Join University Libraries, the Epsilon Pi Chapter of Triota and the Department of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies for the WGSS Wikipedia Edit-a-thon. The event will start with an overview of Wikipedia and how to edit, and editors will work in small groups to make improvements to articles related to women, gender and sexuality studies. No prior Wikipedia editing experience necessary. Bring your laptop and charging cord. Please RSVP by Jan. 20. Department of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Washington University, Olin Library, Room 142

23 JANUARY  |  4 PM
Dynamics of Comprehension, Memory, and Storytelling
JEFFREY M. ZACKS, chair and professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, studies perception, memory, movies and reading in the mind and the brain — including brains that are developing, aging and disordered. Film and Media Studies program.
Washington University, Seigle Hall, Room 306

28 JANUARY  |  7 PM
Meet the Makers: An Insider’s Look at OTSL’s New Works Collective
Last winter, more than 150 artists applied to create new operas with OTSL. Ultimately, just three multi-genre teams were selected by a panel of St. Louis artists, advocates and community leaders. Meet the artists who are pushing the boundaries of opera, hear musical excerpts from their works and learn more from acclaimed scholars at Washington University about the context surrounding each story. Registration requested. Co-presented by Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Equity and Department of Music.
Washington University, 560 Music Center, Pillsbury Theatre

1–22 DECEMBER
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 two hours in length and are wheelchair accessible. $15–$20. Tour starting/ending points are included in your booking details. Missouri Historical Society.

1 DECEMBER  |  11 AM
Day With(out) Art Brunch
Day With(out) Art is a national program that originated in 1989 on World AIDS Day as a celebration of lives and achievements of lost artists and colleagues. With participation from hundreds of organizations, Day With(out) Art encourages ongoing efforts to destigmatize and find a cure for HIV by showing care for those living with a positive status. Mark World AIDS Day with a full itinerary of free programs at museums in St. Louis. Start with a special Day With(out) Art Brunch at CAM hosted by the legendary Vanessa Frost featuring live performances, a portion of the AIDS Memorial Quilt on display, free HIV testing and a screening of videos commissioned by Visual AIDS. Tickets $15. Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis.
Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, 3750 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, 63108

1 DECEMBER  |  2 PM
The Viral Underclass
To mark World AIDS Day, join Steven W. Thrasher for a powerful and crucial exploration of how viruses expose the fault lines of society. Based on his groundbreaking studies conducted largely in St. Louis and New York City — and told through the heart-rending stories of friends, activists and teachers navigating the novel coronavirus, HIV and other viruses — Thrasher delves into the viral underclass and lays bare its inner workings and the fraught relationship between privilege and survival. Thrasher is a journalist and the Daniel H. Renberg Chair at Northwestern University’s Medill School, the first journalism professorship in the world created to focus on LGTBQ+ research. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, Lee Auditorium, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

2 DECEMBER  |  7 PM
University City Returning Artist Reception
CHRISTOPHER J. THOMAS, Grammy-nominated musician, is the University City Returning Artist for 2024–25. Annually, the program invites a University City High School (UCHS) graduate who has achieved acclaim in the arts. Thomas (UCHS Class of 1988), is this year’s celebrated artist. Thomas’ foundational education was entirely within the walls of U. City Schools. From an early age, he demonstrated a deep passion for music, starting with violin in fourth grade, then moving to the cello and finally dedicating himself to the double bass by age 13. By age 18, he was touring with jazz pianist Marcus Roberts, marking the start of a celebrated career of performing and recording with artists like Wynton Marsalis, Harry Connick Jr., Joshua Redman, Everlast, Macy Gray, Nora Jones and Melody Gardot. Since 1997, Thomas has co-led his own group, “The Soul of John Black,” which has toured widely across the United States. University City Schools.
University City High School, Library Media Center, 7401 Balson Ave., St. Louis, 63130

3 DECEMBER  |  11 AM
The Music of St. Louis
Join us for our first annual lecture named after quintessential St. Louis radio man Johnny Rabbitt. The legend himself will be here to regale us with a fascinating retrospective of St. Louis music including classical, ragtime, riverboat, jazz, Dixieland, country, big band, pop, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, progressive rock and more. Rabbit will be joined by Daniel Neman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis media icon Bernie Hayes and bandleader Bob Kuban. Recorded remarks from Leonard Slatkin of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra will also be included. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri Historical Museum, Lee Auditorium, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

5 DECEMBER  |  5 PM
Book Launch: The Wonder and Complexity of the 1904 World’s Fair (Author Talk)
Join the authors of the newest Missouri Historical Society Press publication for an evening that will analyze what is arguably the most complex and fascinating event in St. Louis history. The 1904 World’s Fair was grand. It was shameful. It was full of fun and full of indignity. Now, 120 years after it opened, a companion book to the new 1904 World’s Fair exhibit — The Wonder and Complexity of the 1904 World’s Fair — will go much deeper than the well-worn stories about the Ferris wheel and ice cream cones to delve into topics including the fair’s visual culture, technology and international reach. It will also cover its more challenging aspects, such as the Filipinos who were brought to St. Louis to be placed on display, the African Americans who were refused service and the Chinese people who faced prejudice and arrest. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, MacDermott Grand Hall, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

5 DECEMBER  |  5:30 PM
Troy Taylor, From Brews to Boos: The History and Hauntings of the Lemp Family (Author Talk) 
TROY TAYLOR is the author of more than 150 books on history, hauntings, true crime, the unexplained and the supernatural in America. Come raise a glass to the end of Prohibition as we celebrate St. Louis’ brewing history! The Lemp family and their infamous grand mansion have become synonymous with St. Louis history, inspiring countless ghostly tales and interpretations. Join us for an evening of lively discussion and historical insights as author Troy Taylor separates fact from fiction in the captivating story of the Lemp Family as he delves into the complexities of their legacy, untangling the threads of truth and myth surrounding this famous haunted family. St. Louis Public Library.
St. Louis Public Library – Central Library, Lower Level Auditorium, 1301 Olive St., St. Louis, 63103

6 DECEMBER  |  11 AM
Festive Friday
SLAM will celebrate the holiday season with free concerts, tours, gallery activations and art-making activities every Friday through December 27. In between programs and visits to the galleries, stop by a holiday pop-up bar in Sculpture Hall to purchase seasonal drinks and snacks. Melissa Venator, Saint Louis Art Museum’s Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Assistant Curator of Modern Art, will discuss Vasily Kandinsky’s painting Murnau with Locomotive as part of a seasonally themed in-gallery talk. Starting at 3 pm, musicians from Washington University will perform in SLAM’s sculpture hall through 8:30 pm. Saint Louis Art Museum.
Saint Louis Art Museum, Sculpture Hall, 1 Fine Arts Dr., Forest Park, St. Louis, 63110

6–28 DECEMBER  |  1 PM
Drop-in Collection Tour — Global Celebrations
Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Diwali, Christmas, and more. Discover works of art related to diverse celebrations that occur during wintertime worldwide. Make the most of the holiday season with a journey through global joy and art. Tours begin at the welcome desk in Sculpture Hall on a first-come, first-served basis. Saint Louis Art Museum.
Fri., Dec. 6
Fri., Dec. 13
Fri., Dec. 20
Sat., Dec. 28
Saint Louis Art Museum, Sculpture Hall, 1 Fine Arts Dr., Forest Park, St. Louis, 63110

6 DECEMBER  |  4 PM
WashU Student-Led Audio Description Tour of Van Gogh Works
Explore the development of Vincent van Gogh’s style and the significant themes of his art from his early to late career through five Van Gogh paintings in the Saint Louis Art Museum collection. This live audio description tour will be led by advanced Washington University art history students who have been studying Van Gogh this semester. Students also received audio description training from MindsEye, a Belleville, Illinois, nonprofit organization that strives to build a more inclusive community by translating vision into audio. A painted reproduction of one of the Van Gogh paintings will be available for tour participants to touch. The tour begins at the Sculpture Hall welcome desk. No reservation is required. Saint Louis Art Museum.
Saint Louis Art Museum, Sculpture Hall, 1 Fine Arts Dr., Forest Park, St. Louis, 63110

7 DECEMBER  |  12 PM
Soldiers Memorial and Surroundings Tour
Delivered by knowledgeable volunteer docents, these free tours explore Soldiers Memorial’s exhibits and Memorial Plaza. The 12 pm tour, Soldiers Memorial and Its Surroundings, explains the building’s history and architecture. At 1 pm, St. Louis in Service delves into the history of St. Louis, from the Revolutionary War through today. At 2 pm, visitors can take a guided tour of the temporary exhibition Ghost Army: The Combat Con Artists of World War II, a production of the National WWII Museum. Missouri Historical Society.
Soldiers Memorial, Court of Honor, 1315 Chestnut St., St. Louis, 63103

7 DECEMBER  |  2 PM
Contemporary African Artists in Conversation
Experience an exchange of ideas among a panel of artists represented in the exhibition Narrative Wisdom and African Arts. The conversation will be moderated by Nichole N. Bridges, the Morton D. May Curator of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, Saint Louis Art Museum. Tickets for this free program may be reserved in person at the museum’s information centers or through MetroTix. Saint Louis Art Museum.
Saint Louis Art Museum, Farrell Auditorium, 1 Fine Arts Dr., Forest Park, St. Louis, 63110

8 DECEMBER  |  11 AM
Tour público en español: Celebraciones globales
Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Diwali, Navidad y mucho más. Descubre obras de arte relacionadas con las diversas celebraciones que tienen lugar durante el invierno en todo el mundo. Aprovecha al máximo las fiestas navideñas con un viaje a través de la alegría y el arte mundial. Con este tour guiado de una hora, disfruta de la cultura en tu idioma y conéctate con tu comunidad. El tour iniciará en Sculpture Hall y estará limitado a 20 personas. 
Public Tour in Spanish: Global Celebrations: Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Diwali, Christmas, and more. Discover works of art related to diverse celebrations that occur during wintertime worldwide. Make the most of the holiday season with a journey through global joy and art. Tours begin at the welcome desk in Sculpture Hall on a first-come, first-served basis. The tour will be delivered in Spanish, and it will require a fair understanding of the language. Saint Louis Art Museum.
Saint Louis Art Museum, Sculpture Hall, 1 Fine Arts Dr., Forest Park, St. Louis, 63110

8 DECEMBER  |  2 PM
The Wendell Pruitt Celebration of African American Service
MATTHEW DELMONT is the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of Dartmouth College, a Guggenheim Fellow and an expert on African American history and the history of civil rights. More than 1 million Black men and women served in World War II. Black troops were at Normandy, Iwo Jima and the Battle of the Bulge, serving in segregated units and performing unheralded but vital support jobs, only to be denied housing and educational opportunities on their return home. Without their crucial contributions to the war effort, the United States could not have been victorious. And yet the stories of these Black veterans have long been ignored, cast aside in favor of the myth of the “Good War” fought by the “Greatest Generation.” Delmont is author of Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad. In these pages are stories of Black heroes such as Justice Thurgood Marshall, Benjamin O. Davis Jr., Ella Baker, James Thompson and Langston Hughes. Missouri Historical Society. Registration is required.
Soldiers Memorial, 1315 Chestnut St., St. Louis, 63103

11 DECEMBER  |  6:30 PM
Frances Levine, Crossings: Women on the Santa Fe Trail (Author Talk)
FRANCES LEVINE, past president of the Missouri Historical Society. The Santa Fe Trail has a special allure in Southwestern history and a surprising number of links to St. Louis. Connecting the far northern frontier of the newly formed Mexican nation with the westward-expanding United States that began in our gateway city, the trail crossed Indigenous lands and became a cultural nexus. Within a generation the Santa Fe Trail evolved into the route for advancing U.S. interests and the expansionist policies of Manifest Destiny. Crossings introduces readers to a diverse group of women, including Comanche captive María Rose Villalpando; suffragist Julia Anna Archibald Holmes and her enslaved servant, Jame; and Jewish pioneers Betty and Flora Spiegelberg. This book shines a light on their adventures and challenges crossing the continent in a time before railroads. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

13 DECEMBER  |  11 AM
Festive Friday
The Saint Louis Art Museum will celebrate the holiday season with free concerts, tours, gallery activations, and art-making activities every Friday through December 27. Melissa Wolfe, SLAM’s curator of American art, will discuss Bessie Lowenhaupt’s painting Bird and Dish as part of a seasonally themed in-gallery talk at 11 am and again at 3 pm. From 4 pm to 8:30 pm, enjoy live music, a holiday art-making activity and WashU-student led tours during the SLAM Social. At 7 pm, Early Music Missouri will perform Messe de minuit pour Noël (Music for the Holiday Season) by Marc-Antoine Charpentier in the museum’s auditorium. The Early Music Missouri performance of Baroque music will include a vocal ensemble and chamber orchestra. Saint Louis Art Museum.
Saint Louis Art Museum, 1 Fine Arts Drive, Forest Park, St. Louis, 63110

13 DECEMBER  |  7 PM
Billy Collins, Water, Water (Author Talk)
BILLY COLLINS is a former poet laureate of the United States. In this collection of 60 new poems, Collins writes about the beauties and ironies of everyday experience. Common and uncommon events are captured here with equal fascination, be it a cat leaning to drink from a swimming pool, a nurse calling a name in a waiting room or an astronaut reciting Emily Dickinson from outer space. With his trademark lyrical informality, Collins asks us to slow down and glimpse the elevated in the ordinary, the odd in the familiar. Tickets $32–40, includes book copy. St. Louis County Library, St. Louis Poetry Center and Left Bank Books.
St. Louis County Library – Clark Family Branch, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, 63131

19 DECEMBER  |  5 PM
Toy Stories
Come play with us! From the simplest handmade playthings to the latest mass-market craze, toys are an integral part of the childhood experience. Indulge your inner child with a night of all things toys, including mini museum touch tables with toys from different eras; vintage toy print ads and commercials; and display tables hosted by the Field House Museum, Miniature Museum of Greater St. Louis, World’s Fair Society and WashU’s Special Collections. You can also play vintage board games and make your own toy-themed craft. At 6:30 pm, enjoy two short presentations about toys of the 1950s and one St. Louis man’s efforts to sell toys along the Santa Fe Trail. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, MacDermott Grand Hall, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

20 DECEMBER  |  11 AM
Festive Friday
The Saint Louis Art Museum will celebrate the holiday season with free concerts, tours, gallery activations, and art-making activities every Friday through December 27. As part of SLAM’s Festive Fridays celebration, Hannah Segrave, associate curator of European Art to 1800, will discuss Jan van Goyen’s painting On the Ice Near Dordrecht, on view in Opal and Arthur H. Meyer Jr. Gallery 238, as part of a seasonally themed in-gallery talk at 11 am and again at 3 pm. From 4 pm to 8:30 pm, enjoy live music, a holiday art-making activity and WashU-student led tours. From 7 pm to 8:30 pm, Town and Country Symphony Orchestra will be performing a holiday-themed concert, titled Stars for the Season, in the museum’s auditorium. Saint Louis Art Museum.
Saint Louis Art Museum, 1 Fine Arts Dr. St. Louis, 63110

26 DECEMBER  |  5–8 PM
Kwanzaa Celebration
Join us on the first day of this weeklong annual celebration honoring African American culture. Reflect on the seven principles of Kwanzaa, spend time among community and enjoy live performances. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, MacDermott Grand Hall, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

27 DECEMBER  |  11 AM
Festive Friday
The Saint Louis Art Museum will celebrate the holiday season with free concerts, tours, gallery activations and art-making activities every Friday through December 27. Judith Mann, SLAM’s senior curator of European art to 1800, will discuss the follower of Hugo van der Goes’s painting Adoration of the Magi as part of a seasonally themed in-gallery talk at 11 am and 3 pm. From 3 pm to 4:30 pm, St. Louis Irish Arts will perform traditional Irish dance and music in the museum’s auditorium. From 6:30 pm to 8 pm, Confluence Chamber Orchestra will perform wintry favorites and grand ballroom music in the marble splendor of Sculpture Hall. Saint Louis Art Museum. 
Saint Louis Art Museum, 1 Fine Arts Dr., St. Louis, 63110

28 DECEMBER  |  10 AM–2 PM
Kwanzaa Celebration 2024
Enjoy a day of culture, performance and tradition during one of the region’s biggest Kwanzaa celebrations. The event’s theme this year is “Abakobwa ni Abanyembaraga: Limitless Power and Potential.” The phrase, in the Rwandan language Kinyarwanda, translates to “girls are powerful people.” The free event will honor the resilience of woman athletes at the Olympics. Celebrated at the Saint Louis Art Museum for more than 20 years, the free annual Kwanzaa Celebration is presented in partnership with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Saint Louis Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter. Saint Louis Art Museum.
Saint Louis Art Museum, 1 Fine Arts Dr., St. Louis, 63110

3 JANUARY  |  6 PM
The Passion of Joan of Arc 
Spiritual rapture and institutional hypocrisy come to stark, vivid life in one of the most transcendent masterpieces of the silent era. The 1928 film will be accompanied by a live original score by The Rats & People Motion Picture Orchestra, which has been composing and performing original scores for classic films since 2007. The group describes its sound as blending “symphonic instrumentation with experimental pop sensibilities, prominently featuring string trios, pitched percussion, piano and guitars of all description, along with the occasional electronic flourish.” Tickets for this free program may be reserved in person at the museum’s welcome desks or through MetroTix. Saint Louis Art Museum.
Saint Louis Art Museum, 1 Fine Arts Dr., St. Louis, 63110

9 JANUARY  |  5 PM
Missouri Emancipation and the St. Louis African American Community
On January 11, 1865, the delegates of the Missouri state convention passed the immediate emancipation of all enslaved persons. Join us for a short presentation about the history of Missouri emancipation, followed by a conversation with representatives from St. Louis area sites that are part of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, Lee Auditorium and MacDermott Grand Hall, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

10 JANUARY  |  7 PM
Kate Winkler Dawson, The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne (Author Talk)
KATE WINKLET DAWSON, acclaimed podcaster and true crime historian, tells the true story of the scandalous murder investigation that became the inspiration for Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. On a cold winter day in 1832, Sarah Maria Cornell was found dead in a quiet farmyard. When her troubled past and a secret correspondence with a charismatic Methodist minister was uncovered, more questions emerged. Using modern investigative advancements, Dawson brings justice to an unsettling mystery that speaks to our past as well as our present. St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library – Clark Family Branch, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, 63131

14 JANUARY  |  11 AM
China and the 1904 World’s Fair 
At the turn of the 20th century, both the Qing government and its American counterpart were navigating through the forces of colonialism, imperialism, diplomacy and globalization. Join Washington University Professor Zhao Ma to investigate documented personal stories from the 1904 World’s Fair. Ma will explore the carefully curated representation of China that World’s Fair organizers designed specifically to appeal to an American audience that viewed China as the “old regime” with an exotic culture but outdated civilization. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, Lee Auditorium, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

15 JANUARY–9 FEBRUARY
Athena
Mary Wallace and Athena are brave, and 17, and fencers, and training for the Junior Olympics. They practice together, they compete against each other, they spend their lives together. They wish they were friends. Post-show talkback on January 25. Tickets $55. Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.
Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Emerson Studio Theatre, 130 Edgar Rd., Webster Groves, 63119

17–20 JANUARY
MLK Community Celebration
Celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. throughout the holiday weekend. Families are invited to join us for youth activism workshops, meaningful conversations on race and social justice, storytelling, movement and craft workshops. Events include a historical exploration of St. Louis activism, story times and a documentary screening of Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

18 JANUARY  |  7 PM
Brad Meltzer, The JFK Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Kennedy—and Why It Failed (Author Talk)
BRAD MELTZER, best-selling author, shares the little-known story about the first assassination attempt on John F. Kennedy, right before his inauguration. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, is often ranked among Americans’ most well-liked presidents. Yet, what most Americans don’t know is that JFK’s historic presidency almost ended before it began — at the hands of a disgruntled sociopathic loner armed with dynamite. St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library – Clark Family Branch, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, 63131

23 JANUARY  |  5–8 PM 
Untold Stories: LGBTQIA+ Composers
This narrated performance by musicians from the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra introduces stories of composers from the LGBTQIA+ community over the last 1,000 years. This through-provoking hourlong concert includes music you know alongside stories you don’t know about composers’ lives hidden because of prejudice and legal consequences. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, Lee Auditorium and MacDermott Grand Hall, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112

23 JANUARY  |  7 PM
Lee Hawkins, I Am Nobody’s Slave: How Uncovering My Family’s History Set Me Free (Author Talk)
LEE HAWKINS, Pulitzer Prize finalist and former Wall Street Journal writer. Hawkins’ riveting memoir examines his family’s legacy of post-enslavement trauma and resilience. I Am Nobody’s Slave tells the story of one Black family’s pursuit of the American Dream through the impacts of systemic racism and racial violence. Hawkins explores the role of racism-triggered childhood trauma and chronic stress in shortening his ancestors’ lives, using genetic testing, reporting and historical data to craft a moving family portrait. This book shows how genealogical research can educate and heal Americans of all races, revealing through their story the story of America. St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library – Clark Family Branch, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, 63131

28 JANUARY  |  10:30 AM
NiNi Harris, St. Louis Hills: A Walk Through History (Author Talk)
NINI HARRIS, lifelong St. Louis City resident and author of 18 books on St. Louis history, ethnic groups and architecture. The enchanting St. Louis Hills neighborhood boasts an extraordinary mix of architecture merged with traditional South St. Louis craftsmanship and delightful landscapes. Harris will show how Victorian Lafayette Square, 1930s concepts for modern living and the visionary Cyrus Crane Willmore inspired the creation of this treasured neighborhood. Harris has been studying and giving walking tours of St. Louis Hills history and its architecture for four decades. St. Louis Public Library.
St. Louis Public Library – Buder Library, 4401 Hampton Ave., St. Louis, 63109

29 JANUARY  |  7 PM
Juan Williams, New Prize for These Eyes: The Rise of America’s Second Civil Rights Movement (Author Talk)
JUAN WILLIAMS, journalist, historian and author of Eyes on the Prize, turns his attention to the rise of a new civil rights movement. More than a century of activism reached a mountaintop with the arrival of a Black man in the Oval Office. But hopes for a unified, post-racial America were deflated when Barack Obama’s presidency met with furious opposition. In New Prize for These Eyes, Williams traces the arc of a new civil rights era, from Obama to Charlottesville to January 6th and a Confederate flag in the Capitol. New Prize for These Eyes is a forward-looking call to action, urging Americans to get in touch with the progress made and hurdles yet to be overcome. St. Louis County Library.
St. Louis County Library – Clark Family Branch, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, 63131

30 JANUARY  |  5–8 PM
Korean New Year
Korean New Year, or Seollal (설날), is a significant traditional celebration in South Korea, marking the beginning of the lunar calendar and lasting three days. Join St. Louisans of Korean heritage for an evening focused on food, traditions and celebration. Missouri Historical Society.
Missouri History Museum, Lee Auditorium and MacDermott Grand Hall, 5700 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, 63112