Literary Conversations
Provocative Civil Discourse Inspired and Led by Writers
Our Literary Conversations bring together highly-acclaimed writers from all over the country to discuss the urgent issues that surround their work and let literature serve as a springboard for civil discourse. Over the past 35+ years, our literary programs have featured authors reading from their work and engaging in thrilling, thought-provoking conversations.
Authors who have joined us over the years have included:
Eudora Welty, Robert Stone, Ken Kesey, Amy Tan, Louise Erdrich, Tayari Jones, Ann Patchett, Jonathan Franzen, Joan Didion, Michael Chabon, Luis Alberto Urrea, Jennifer Egan, Susan Choi, Isabel Allende, Reginald Dwayne Betts, Ta-Nehisi Coates, T.C. Boyle, Roxane Gay, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Margaret Atwood, Stephen King, and Emma Donoghue, among many others.
INDIGENOUS
DATE | Wed, November 17, 2021, 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Online Event
We engaged with Louise Erdrich, Kali Fajardo-Anstine, and Tommy Orange, who are among the most highly acclaimed Native writers of our time. Moderated by Margaret Verble, this discussion explored how their storytelling has been informed by their experiences as Indigenous people.
A recording and transcript is now available.
More Literary Conversations
MONEY
DATE | Wed, October 27, 2021, 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Online Event
Money affects every aspect of human behavior. Authors Kevin Kwan, Cherie Jones, and Mateo Askaripour, with moderator Rumaan Alam, will explore the depiction of money and global financial systems in their work and in contemporary literature.
SHADOW AND BONE
DATE | Wed, September 22, 2021, 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Online Event
This fourth installment of Literature on Screen featured Leigh Bardugo, author of the best-selling book turned hit Netflix series, “Shadow and Bone.” Leigh was in conversation with Petra Mayer (NPR) to discuss the translation of her books to the hit Netflix series!
A recording and transcript of this event is now available!
CRISIS
DATE | April 19, 2021
LOCATION | Online Event
Crisis featured three novelists whose work is informed by the possibility of impending crisis.
T.C. Boyle (World’s End, The Terranauts), Jenny Offill (Weather, Dept. of Speculation), and Nnedi Okorafor (Who Fears Death, Lagoon) were in conversation with moderator Sean Murphy (Founder & Executive Director, 1455).
The recording and transcript for this event is now available.
REFUGE
DATE | March 11, 2021 at 7pm ET
LOCATION | Online Event
Refuge featured authors who have explored topics of immigration, identity, and home in their work, at a time when these issues are especially urgent.
This insightful and challenging discussion of refuge and home featured authors Aleksandar Hemon (Nowhere Man, The Lazarus Project), Abdi Nor Iftin (Call Me American), Souvankham Thammavongsa (How to Pronounce Knife), and moderator Matthew Davis (Founding Director, Alan Cheuse International Writers Center).
Catch the recording and transcript of this event now!
INTERSECTIONS
DATE | February 9, 2021 at 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Online Event
Intersections featured authors who have engaged with intersectional identities in their work. We were joined by novelists Tope Folarin, Min Jin Lee, and Douglas Stuart, as well as moderator and book critic Bethanne Patrick, for a complicated and challenging discussion of intersectionality in literature.
NOW AVAILABLE: The event recording and transcript.
ESCAPE
DATE | November 23, 2020 at 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Online Event
Literature provides the perfect opportunity to escape into new worlds in an attempt to cope with and understand all that happens in our own.
This riveting Literary Conversation featured Margaret Atwood, Rion Amilcar Scott, Nisi Shawl, and moderator Morgan Jerkins.
VIRUS
DATE | October 19, 2020 at 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Online Event
The COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed the way we live our lives. It has also shown us our weak points and failures as a society.
This fascinating and especially relevant conversation featured literary powerhouses Stephen King (The Stand), Lauren Beukes (Afterland), and Emma Donoghue (The Pull of the Stars). They were joined by moderator and author Daniel H. Pink.
YOU
DATE | Wed, September 23, 2020, 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Online Event
This third installment of Literature on Screen features Caroline Kepnes, author of the best-selling book turned hit Netflix series, You. Caroline was in conversation with Penn Badgley, actor and star of the TV adaptation, and moderator Chris Klimek (NPR, Washington Post) to discuss the translation of her books to the hit Netflix series, as well as the modernization of stalking in the digital age that takes place in her novels.
WIRED
DATE | February 27, 2020 at 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Jack Morton Auditorium, 805 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20052
According to the NIMH, almost twenty percent of American adults live with a mental illness. From social anxiety and depression to bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, mental illness is becoming more prevalent in today’s society and everyday dialogue.
UNINCARCERATED
Date | November 21, 2019 at 7:00 PM
Location | True Reformer Building, 1200 U Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
This event featured authors who write about the effects of this system on the lives of everyday Americans, shedding light on narratives that are often oversimplified or ignored.
Literary Conversations
Provocative Civil Discourse Inspired and Led by Writers
INDIGENOUS
DATE | Wed, November 17, 2021, 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Online Event
We engaged with Louise Erdrich, Kali Fajardo-Anstine, and Tommy Orange, who are among the most highly acclaimed Native writers of our time. Moderated by Margaret Verble, this discussion explored how their storytelling has been informed by their experiences as Indigenous people.
A recording and transcript is now available.
More Literary Conversations
MONEY
DATE | Wed, October 27, 2021, 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Online Event
Money affects every aspect of human behavior. Authors Kevin Kwan, Cherie Jones, and Mateo Askaripour, with moderator Rumaan Alam, will explore the depiction of money and global financial systems in their work and in contemporary literature.
SHADOW AND BONE
DATE | Wed, September 22, 2021, 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Online Event
This fourth installment of Literature on Screen featured Leigh Bardugo, author of the best-selling book turned hit Netflix series, “Shadow and Bone.” Leigh was in conversation with Petra Mayer (NPR) to discuss the translation of her books to the hit Netflix series!
A recording and transcript of this event is now available!
CRISIS
DATE | April 19, 2021
LOCATION | Online Event
Crisis featured three novelists whose work is informed by the possibility of impending crisis.
T.C. Boyle (World’s End, The Terranauts), Jenny Offill (Weather, Dept. of Speculation), and Nnedi Okorafor (Who Fears Death, Lagoon) were in conversation with moderator Sean Murphy (Founder & Executive Director, 1455).
The recording and transcript for this event is now available.
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