American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture opens in just a few months, and we can’t wait to share it!
In the meantime, check out the upcoming American Prophets programs we have lined up! Here at the AWM, we focus on writing of all different varieties, including playwrighting, songwriting, novel writing, and more; American Prophets is no exception! We’ve got something that will interest everyone, so register for your favorite today!
1. James Baldwin & Queer Spirituality (September 16, 6:00 PM CT)
Despite James Baldwin’s disavowal of Christianity in his youth, he continued to engage the symbols and theology of Christianity in works such as The Amen Corner and Just Above My Head. With his new book, Jimmy’s Faith: James Baldwin, Disidentification, and the Queer Possibilities of Black Religion, author Christopher W. Hunt shows how Baldwin’s usage of those religious symbols shifted their meaning and served as a way for him to build his own religious and spiritual vision. Hunt is interviewed by Northwestern professor Ivy Wilson.
Books will be available for purchase, and Hunt will sign them following the program.
This is an in-person program at the American Writers Museum. This program will also be livestreamed, and you can register for the link to the online broadcast here.
2. Horror Writing and Religion (October 10, 6:30 PM CT, University of Chicago Divinity School)
Leading writers of horror and suspense discuss their use of religion in their work, from magic and voodoo in Tananarive Due’s The Good House, to historical cults in Matt Ruff’s Lovecraft Country, to reckoning with the past in Levi Holloway’s play Paranormal Activity. What frightens us so deeply about religion, and how do different kinds of writing explore the topic? Author Juan Martinez will moderate this discussion.
This program takes place at the University of Chicago Divinity School, 1025 E 58th St, Chicago, IL 60637. Books will be available for purchase, and the authors will sign them following the program.
3. Religion in the Lands that Became America (November 10, 6:00 pm CT)
Scholar Thomas A. Tweed visits the American Writers Museum to discuss 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 in conversation by fellow Indigenous Studies scholar John N. Low. Books will be available for purchase, and Tweed will sign them following the program.
This is an in-person program at the American Writers Museum. This program will also be livestreamed, and you can register for the link to the online broadcast here.
4. Spirituality & Song: From Leonard Cohen to Fleetwood Mac (November 26, 6:00 PM CT)
Esteemed music journalist Alan Light discusses the significance of spirituality in music. Light has written numerous books on songs and songwriters, including The Holy or The Broken, which explores the significance of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” and his newest book, Don’t Stop, which examines the enduring relevance of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album 50 years after its release. After the talk, Light will be signing copies of his newest book.
This is an in-person program at the American Writers Museum. This program will also be livestreamed, and you can register for the link to the online broadcast here.
5. Kathryn Gin Lum, “Heathen” (December 10, 6:00 PM CT)
Religious Studies professor and writer Kathryn Gin Lum visits the American Writers Museum to discuss her book Heathen: Religion and Race in American History, an innovative history that shows how the religious idea of the heathen in need of salvation undergirds American conceptions of race. Books will be available for purchase, and Gin Lum will sign them following the program.
This is an in-person program at the American Writers Museum. This program will also be livestreamed, and you can register for the link to the online broadcast here.