June 30, 2020 (CHICAGO) – The American Writers Museum (AWM) is opening to the public on Friday, July 3, one week after the City of Chicago moved into Phase 4 of the coronavirus reopening plan. The museum will be following all CDC, IDPH and local guidelines for the safety of AWM staff and visitors. AWM members have an exclusive opportunity to visit the museum on Wednesday, July 1 and Thursday, July 2. The museum’s adjusted hours of operation are Wednesday through Sunday, 10am to 5pm, and purchasing tickets online is strongly encouraged. $1 (one-dollar) of every admission ticket to the American Writers Museum sold between July 3, 2020 and July 31, 2020 will be donated to Young, Black & Lit and Bernie’s Book Bank.
“We are excited to be opening our doors again and to have Young, Black and Lit and Bernie’s Book Bank as our charity partners,” said AWM President, Carey Cranston. “With our mission to inspire the young writers of tomorrow, it makes sense for us to support these two organizations that put books in the hands of underserved children.”
The AWM is taking extra safety measures to ensure a safe reopening experience for everyone including:
- Masks are required to enter the building and the museum and must be kept on at all times.
- Gloves and styluses are available to promote safe interaction with museum exhibits.
- Distancing guidelines will be followed.
- Hand sanitizing stations are located throughout the museum.
- Regular cleaning of contact surfaces per CDC recommendations.
- Employee health screenings.
- Monitoring compliance with guidelines.
To promote social distancing, all AWM programs will continue to be held live online. For more information and to register for a free virtual program, visit https://americanwritersmuseum.org/calendar/
Upcoming Virtual Programs:
- Monday, July 6, 6:30 p.m. Shirley Screenwriter and Playwright Sarah Gubbins
Zoom: https://americanwritersmuseum.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gxhtpwFmSa6xqjrME8CHrw
A conversation with Chicago screenwriter and producer Sarah Gubbins about her new film Shirley, which stars Elisabeth Moss as novelist Shirley Jackson. You can watch Shirley here: https://neonrated.vhx.tv/checkout/american-writers-museum-presents-shirley/purchase. Half of all rental purchases go toward the American Writers Museum.
- Saturday, July 11, 10:30 a.m. Little Black Pearls for Little Black Girls Storytime
Zoom: https://americanwritersmuseum.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_WIdrH2T7RcqwDUMiEPfdVg
The Chicago Council of the American Writers Museum presents a special Saturday storytime and book discussion with mother-daughter team Dominique Jordan Turner and Kennedy Jordan Turner, who will read and discuss their collaboration Little Black Pearls for Little Black Girls.
- Monday, July 13, 11:30 a.m. Crusade for Justice: The Autobiography of Ida B. Wells
Zoom: https://americanwritersmuseum.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cx4bGmN-TT-rgQXIhswWBQ
A discussion with writer Michelle Duster about the legacy of her great-grandmother Ida B. Wells. Earlier this year, the University of Chicago Press reissued Crusade for Justice: The Autobiography of Ida B. Wells with a new foreword by Eve L. Ewing and a new afterword by Duster herself.
- Wednesday, July 22, 6:30 p.m. My America Program Series: Adrianna Cuevas
Zoom: https://americanwritersmuseum.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2HvWa-1lR7qhZVbd1zS3DQ
In this magical middle-grade debut novel from Adrianna Cuevas, The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez, a Cuban American boy must use his secret ability to communicate with animals to save the inhabitants of his town when they are threatened by a tule vieja, a witch that transforms into animals. This program is part of the Jeanne and John Rowe program series My America: Immigrant and Refugee Writers Today, in conjunction with the AWM’s exhibit of the same name, now online at my-america.org.
- Wednesday, July 29, 6:30 p.m. Book Launch: Natasha Trethewey, Memorial Drive
Zoom: https://americanwritersmuseum.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_D56gtLQjR86hmkrAf2TX0w
The official launch of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey’s forthcoming memoir Memorial Drive, a chillingly personal and exquisitely wrought memoir of a daughter reckoning with the brutal murder of her mother at the hands of her former stepfather, and the moving, intimate story of a poet coming into her own in the wake of a tragedy. Trethewey, the former U.S. Poet Laureate, will be interviewed by Donna Seaman, editor of Adult Books at Booklist and author of Identity Unknown: Rediscovering Seven American Women Artists.
About American Writers Museum
The American Writers Museum is the first museum of its kind in the United States. The mission of the American Writers Museum is to engage the public in celebrating American writers and exploring their influence on our history, our identity, and our daily lives. The museum is located at 180 N. Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60601, and offers something for every age group including permanent exhibits and special galleries highlighting America’s favorite works and the authors behind them. Tickets to the museum are $14 for adults, $9 for seniors, students, and teachers. Free for members and children ages 12 and under. To inquire about discounted rates for groups of 10 or more, including adults, student travel groups, and University students, visit AmericanWritersMuseum.org/visit/groups/ or call 312-374-8770. Museum hours are Wednesday – Sunday 10 AM – 5 PM. For more information visit www.AmericanWritersMuseum.org or call 312-374-8790.