American Inspiration

Journey back to the 17^th Century with two celebrated scholars in this discussion of courtship, marriage, love, and sex, drawn from the world’s first personal advice column and Mary Beth Norton’s latest book, I Humbly Beg Your Speedy Answer.  

Actor-producer-director Griffin Dunne grew up among larger-than-life characters in Hollywood and Manhattan. Don’t miss hearing the story of his family – a New York Times bestseller named a Best Book of the Year by  NPR, Time, People, and Town & Country magazines.

From the bestselling author of The Big Rich and Forget the Alamo comes a reconsideration of Texas as the epicenter of the Wild West, home to America’s most legendary gunfighters including Jesse James, Billy the Kid, Butch, and Sundance. Join Bryan Burrough and historian Douglas Brinkley for a discussion of the Lone Star State and “one of the most important books written on the American West in many years.” (True West Magazine)

“A fresh, arresting history of the American Revolution as people lived it: facing forward. Molly Beer recovers the suspense, perils, and dazzling possibilities of the era, and her lapidary prose and keen sense of character bring Angelica Schuyler Church, her family, and her world to vivid, unforgettable life, making a great global event into a family drama, and vice versa.” - Jane Kamensky, president of Monticello/The Thomas Jefferson Foundation and author of A Revolution in Color.

Don’t miss hearing from the recently announced Pulitzer Prize–winning author Kathleen DuVal about her book Native Nations, exploring the rise of ancient cities around 1000 CE through to the challenges of sovereignty in this millennium. DuVal and fellow Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Nicole Eustace will bring to life the history of these lands and Native peoples, offering a powerful and deeply informed conversation.

In 18th-century America, genealogy was more than a simple record of family ties—it was a powerful force that shaped society. In Lineage, Karin Wulf delves into an era when individuals, families, and institutions meticulously documented their connections in family records, cultural artifacts, and court documents. Join us for Wulf's presentation about this new history and her discussion with the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, further exploring the vital role of lineage in the colonial America.