AWM Author Talks

This week, we explore America at 250 years old, through lenses of migration, Black history, and queer liberation. Darius Bost and C. Riley Snorton discuss their book A Black Queer History of the United States . And Anna O. Law discusses her book Migration and the Origins of American Citizenship: African Americans, Native Americans, and Immigrants . Moderated by historian and author Valerie Gugala...

This week, the American Writers Museum and the Consulate General of Ireland, Chicago present a conversation with writer, entertainer, drag queen, LGBTQ+ rights activist and 'Queen of Ireland' Rory O'Neill , also known as Panti Bliss. O'Neill visited the AWM to celebrate Bloomsday—the annual global celebration on June 16 of Irish writer James Joyce that commemorates the events of his 1922 masterpie...

This week, pop culture historian Jennifer Keishin Armstrong stops by to discuss her latest book Parks and Rec: The Underdog TV Show That Lit’rally Inspired a Vision for a Better America . Armstrong tells the definitive story of the creation and legacy of the beloved television show Parks and Recreation , with exclusive interview content from its cast, crew, and creators, as well as an introduction...

This week, we chat with poet Naoko Fujimoto , a senior editor at RHINO Poetry . She stopped by the AWM the other week to discuss the work of translation, her poetry process, and her forthcoming book titled: of Women: 20 Japanese Female Poets / 20 Waka Poems , a collection of translated Japanese waka-poems, including text collage and haibun-style discourses on translation. This conversation origina...

This week, poets Marilyn Hacker and Deema K. Shehabi discuss their powerful new book Water to Water: Gaza Renga , a poetry collaboration in the call-and-response form of renga written during the conflict in Gaza. This conversation originally took place April 20, 2026 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HUB This episode is presented in conjunction with the Amer...

This week, religious studies professor Dr. Kati Curts discusses her book Assembling Religion: The Ford Motor Company and the Transformation of Religion in America , which illustrates how Henry Ford institutionalized a social gospel. Though Ford's efforts at the head of the Ford Motor Company have commonly been understood as secular, Ford himself was explicit that his work in engineering and auto p...

This week, Maggie and Africa Brown discuss the legacy of their father— Oscar Brown, Jr. —and perform some of his work. This conversation originally took place February 26, 2026 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. Maggie and Africa Brown love doing what they do best together—singing with theatrics on stage. These "2 Brown Sisters" energetically merge their foundations in jazz with...

In this episode, Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad discusses her book The Fire Inside: The Dharma of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde . Black, queer, feminist, Buddhist: The Fire Inside casts a fresh new light on the radical literary legacies of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde. This conversation originally took place January 29, 2026 and was recorded live via Zoom. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HUB This episode is presented...

This week, scholars Lisa Marie Gring-Pemble and Martha Watson discuss their book Your Daughters Will Prophesy: Religion and Rhetoric in the Nineteenth-Century Woman’s Movement . Their work explores how four 19th-century women— Jarena Lee ,  Sarah Moore Grimké ,  Lucretia Coffin Mott , and  Frances Willard —used the Bible to claim their voice on the moral questions of their day. This conversation o...

This week, Emmy Award-winning journalist Mary Ann Ahern talks about covering religion, writing about Chicago's Pope, and shaping the public's perception and practice of faith. Ahern is interviewed by AWM President Carey Cranston . This conversation originally took place January 22, 2026 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HUB Mary Ann Ahern joined NBC 5 News i...

Music journalist Alan Light discusses spirituality and song, as well as his new book Don’t Stop: Why We (Still) Love Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours , which   examines the enduring relevance of Fleetwood Mac's album Rumours 50 years after its release. He is interviewed by radio host Ryan Arnold . This conversation originally took place November 24, 2025 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum...

This week, scholar Christopher W. Hunt discusses his recent book Jimmy’s Faith: James Baldwin, Disidentification, and the Queer Possibilities of Black Religion . This conversation originally took place September 16, 2025 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. This episode is presented in conjunction with the American Writers Museum’s new special exhibit American Prophets: Writers, R...

This week, three writers of romance— Sajni Patel , Scarlett St. Clair , and Helene Wecker —discuss the role of religion in the romance genre. This conversation originally took place July 10, 2025 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. This episode is presented in conjunction with the American Writers Museum’s new special exhibit American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture . Th...

This week, scholar Thomas A. Tweed discusses his new book Religion in the Lands that Became America . A sweeping retelling of American religious history, Tweed shows how religion has enhanced and hindered human flourishing from the Ice Age to the Information Age. Tweed is joined by fellow Indigenous Studies professor John N. Low . This conversation originally took place November 10, 2025 and was r...

This week, we revisit our Faith is Funny program with four comedians— Gibran Saleem , Hari Kondabolu , Peter Sagal , and Kate Sidley —who discuss the role of religion in comedy. This conversation originally took place June 23, 2025 and was recorded live at the Studebaker Theater. This episode is presented in conjunction with the American Writers Museum’s forthcoming exhibit American Prophets: Writ...

Beloved author Susan Orlean discusses her new book Joyride , a masterful memoir of finding her creative calling and purpose that invites us to approach life with wonder, curiosity, and an irrepressible sense of delight. Orlean is interviewed by journalist Chris Borrelli . This conversation originally took place October 24, 2025 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjo...

This week in honor of Halloween, we discuss the use of religion and spirituality in horror writing. We are joined by leading horror writers Tananarive Due , Juan Martinez , and Matt Ruff . This conversation originally took place October 10, 2025 and was recorded live at the University of Chicago Divinity School. We hope you enjoy entering the Mind of a Writer. This episode is presented in conjunct...

This week, religious scholar Paul Elie discusses his latest book The Last Supper: Art, Faith, Sex, and Controversy in the 1980s . This enthralling group portrait brings to life a moment when popular culture became the site of religious strife—strife that set the stage for some of the most salient political and cultural clashes of our day. Elie is interviewed by Emily D. Crews , the Executive Direc...

This week, screenwriter and author Nicholas Meyer discusses his latest mystery novel Sherlock Holmes and the Real Thing . In this latest book, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson delve into the world of art forgery. Meyer is interviewed by Allison Sansone, Director of Programs at the American Writers Museum. This conversation originally took place September 18, 2025 and was recorded live at the America...

How does the son of a Presbyterian minister wind up winning a Pulitzer Prize for writing a wildly inaccurate newspaper column read by millions of people? America's most beloved wiseass, Dave Barry , finally tells his life story with all the humor you'd expect from a man who made a career out of making fun of pretty much everything. This week, Barry discusses his memoir Class Clown: The Memoirs of...

This week, we kick off our new exhibit and content initiative American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture with four writers of speculative fiction: N. K. Jemisin , Matthew J. Kirby , Nnedi Okorafor , and Nghi Vo . Moderated by Michi Trota , the panel of authors discuss religion in their writing, the importance of considering socio-spiritual systems when world-building, and how these influenc...

This week, we discuss McSweeney’s new quarterly issue: McSweeney’s 78: The Make Believers , featuring writers of the Vietnamese diaspora. We are joined by contributors and guest editors of the issue, Thi Bui and Vu Tran , as well as McSweeney’s Quarterly Editor Rita Bullwinkel . You can learn more about their work in the episode description below. During the episode, Thi, Vu, and Rita mention upco...

This week, author Sash Bischoff discusses her hit debut novel Sweet Fury , a twisty, thought-provoking novel in conversation with the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Bischoff is interviewed by author Kathleen Rooney . This conversation originally took place February 12, 2025 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. We hope you enjoy entering the Mind of a Writer. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOM...

This week, poets CM Burroughs and Adrian Matejka discuss the groundbreaking legacy of poet Melvin Dixon , who "wrote extensively about the complexities of being a gay Black man" (Poetry Foundation). Presented by the Poetry Foundation. This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festival . We hope you enjoy entering the Mind of a Writer. AWM PO...

This week, writers from around the world discuss their journeys, finding community in creativity, and making a home in Chicago. Featuring multidisciplinary writers Nestor Gomez , Lani T. Montreal , and Ugochi Nwaogwugwu ; moderated by Jane Hseu . Presented by the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame. This conversation originally took place May 19, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Festiv...