May 11, 20222 min
(Image Courtesy of The American Writers Museum)
(Logo Courtesy of The American Writers Museum)
An American writer explores how their group and individual identity intersect with the national stage. American writers are unique because the writer can either be born or immigrated to the United States. Thus, American writers discover how their individual, group (race, gender, ethnicity, geographic location, etc.), and national identity reflect the national character.
(Image Courtesy of The American Writers Museum)
An American author's experience revolves around an individual's experiences. One can learn how an individual describes the American character in our American Voices Exhibit, where one hundred different writers (pre-colonial to modern era) tell their stories. The space lets visitors learn how earlier American writers inspire contemporary authors. An example of this is how William Faulkner influenced Toni Morrison's syntax and sentence structure.
(Image of Morrison courtesy of https://aas.princeton.edu/people/toni-morrison and Image of Faulkner courtesy of https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1949/faulkner/biographical/ )
The museum is an interactive space where people can use visual, audio, and kinetic learning techniques to discover the stories of American writing. My favorite exhibit is The Surprise Bookshelf, where a person can look at different wooden panels and discover the sounds, sights, touches, and smells of that work. In the Jurassic Park panel, there is a mosquito mummified in amber.
(Image Courtesy of The American Writers Museum)
We continued to serve our community during the pandemic even though we did not utilize our physical space. Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have shifted various temporary and permanent exhibits online. We also have virtual programming where the community can learn how society, writing, and politics intersect. Some of our virtual exhibit include the Paul Murray: Survival with Dignity and Hisaye Yamamoto: An American Story.
(Video courtesy of The American Writers Museum)
We partnered with the Library of Congress to teach and provide access to primary, secondary, and tertiary sources. Our museum blog, podcast, and education initiatives define what is a banned book and give access to the work.
(Image Courtesy of Media from Wix)