All upcoming Authors, Books, & Writing programs

Fantasy is now an established and lucrative genre with a dizzying array of popular iterations across literature, games, and film. But the story of how hobbits, dungeons, knights, and dragons took over our collective imaginations is a long, complex one. In a fall series, historian Justin M. Jacobs explores the origins of the modern fantasy genre, from the evolution of obscure Gothic novels to the iconic works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and the co-creators of Dungeons & Dragons. This session focuses on the fantasy roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons.

Why and how does a living language like English change? The answer, in a word, is fascinating. Linguist and English-language historian Anne Curzan offers a lively tour that spans the language’s many influences and shifting landscape, from Beowulf to blogging, texting, and tweeting.

Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Mary Hall Surface, the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s Writing Salon, leads three online workshops that explore essential elements of writing and styles through close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative response to prompts. The sessions spotlight a wide range of visual art chosen to inspire writers of all experience levels to deepen their process and practice. This writing session is inspired by 19th-century American artist William Michael Harnett's The Old Violin.

Fantasy is now an established and lucrative genre with a dizzying array of popular iterations across literature, games, and film. But the story of how hobbits, dungeons, knights, and dragons took over our collective imaginations is a long, complex one. In a fall series, historian Justin M. Jacobs explores the origins of the modern fantasy genre, from the evolution of obscure Gothic novels to the iconic works of J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and the co-creators of Dungeons & Dragons. This session focuses on the cultural impact of the fantasy roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons.

Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, brought a unique voice to children’s literature, seizing on classic folk tales and giving them a decidedly American spin. From the landmark 1939 film adaptation to this year’s release of Wicked: For Good, Baum’s fantastical creations continue to shape our cultural landscape. Celebrate the wonderful world of Baum as author Daniel Stashower explores his life and legacy and actor Scott Sedar reads from Baum’s most beloved works.

Beyond his political and military achievements, Sir Winston Churchill was a prolific and accomplished writer. Historian Katherine Carter explores the literary legacy of a man whose mastery of language was as formidable as his determination during his country's darkest hour. She examines how Churchill’s skillful storytelling helped shape public perception, bolstered morale during World War II, and made him a worthy recipient of a Nobel Prize in Literature.

Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Mary Hall Surface, the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s Writing Salon, leads three online workshops that explore essential elements of writing and styles through close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative response to prompts. The sessions spotlight a wide range of visual art chosen to inspire writers of all experience levels to deepen their process and practice. This writing session is inspired by 20th century British-Mexican painter Leonora Carrington.

When young Will Shakespeare showed up in London sometime before 1592, it was full of travelers from all over the world—a polyglot of languages and cultures crammed together in narrow streets and taverns. Tudor scholar and historian Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger explores how London served as a backdrop and inspiration for Shakespeare’s works, revealing how he was inspired by the humanity he observed—the city’s nobility, merchants, artisans, laborers, actors, beggars, thieves, visitors, and more—to create the unforgettable worlds of his plays.

Apart from celebrating the holiday, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol highlights the stark contrast between London’s wealthy and impoverished. Taking a cue from the Ghost of Christmas Past, historian Julie Taddeo returns to the age of workhouses and plum puddings to examine Dickens and Christmas within the larger social dynamic of 19th-century Britain; why Dickens has been credited with the “invention” of Christmas; and how this holiday became a distinctly Victorian tradition that influences how it is celebrated today.

Ponder the possibilities that the contemplative season of Advent provides inspired by Henry Ossawa Tanner’s painting The Annunciation and a poem by Wendell Berry. Designed for writers of all levels, and for the curious, the workshop led by Mary Hall Surface invites you to look outwardly at art and to look inwardly through writing. These reflections can become creative fertile ground for memoir, poetry, and more.