The American Writers Museum - An Interactive Museum in Chicago, IL

Dive into a world of discovery! The American Writers Museum’s permanent exhibits take visitors on a journey through the American story, from the perspective of the writers. They introduce you to great writing in all genres, illustrating how writing influences our history and culture, and spotlighting the beauty and visceral impact of great writing.

The American Writers Museum is open 10 AM – 5 PM Thursday – Monday

find your words

Click a photo to see what our visitors are saying!

Upcoming Programs

See our full calendar here

19Jan

Frederick Douglass Tours

American Writers Museum

14Feb

Get Lit: Down with Love

American Writers Museum

19Feb

Dark Testament: Blackout Poems with Crystal Simone Smith

American Writers Museum

23Feb

Clarence Lusane: Twenty Dollars and Change

Virtual Author Talks

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Share your story with us when you visit!

#americanwritersmuseum

Black Writers Matter. Black Voices Matter.

Black Lives Matter.

Watch a reading of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave on YouTube

View on YouTube

Get Lit: A Snowy Day Recap

Get Lit: A Snowy Day Recap

January 17, 2023

Jazz, Drinks, and Joy…the first Get Lit event was a night to remember! This past [...]

AWM Staff Picks: January 2023

January 9, 2023

Reading Recommendations from the staff of the American Writers Museum. We can’t recommend these books [...]

Top 5 Reasons to Visit the American Writers Museum in January

January 5, 2023

We have plenty of events and exhibits that are some of the top things to [...]

Works that entered the public domain in 2023

New Works to Enter the Public Domain in 2023

January 4, 2023

A roundup of some of the notable works that entered the Public Domain this year. [...]

Banned Books Reading List

December 27, 2022

Welcome to the AWM’s banned books reading list! Now more than ever, authors across the [...]

AWM Staff Picks: December 2022

December 6, 2022

Reading Recommendations from the staff of the American Writers Museum. We can’t recommend these books [...]

Top 5 Reasons to Visit the American Writers Museum in December

December 5, 2022

We have plenty of events and exhibits that are some of the top things to [...]

AWM Wrapped 2022

December 2, 2022

The songs American Writers Museum staff had on repeat this year. At the American Writers [...]

A National Museum Celebrating American Writers