American Inspiration

Timothy O’Sullivan is America’s most famous war photographer. Join the celebrated writer Robert Sullivan for a discussion of the artist’s life and work, the history of photography and our country, as he follows O’Sullivan’s path on his own personal exploration of the West.

A glittering portrait of the golden age of American department stores and of three visionary women who led them. Journalist Julie Satow draws back the curtain to reveal the masterminds behind the creation and shopping experience at Hortense Odlum’s Bonwit Teller, Dorothy Shaver’s Lord & Taylor, and Geraldine Stutz’s Henri Bendel.

Moderated by Petra Slinkard, Curator of Fashion, Peabody Essex Museum

Join us for an evening centered on the history and impact of the American bookstore, looking at our country’s centuries-old passion for printed works and the bookshops’ central role in our cultural life. Author Evan Friss will reveal the findings of his affectionate and engaging new history and then converse with current-day bookstore owners David Sandberg, Dan Chartrand, and Ann Patchett.

Join us for the tale of one family spanning centuries and continents. Inspired by the discovery of a mysterious manuscript in an old Massachusetts farmhouse, the celebrated author John Kaag follows eight members of the Blood family from seventeenth-century England through the founding of the colonies and the American Revolution to the beginning of the twentieth century.

Moderated by Megan Marshall