This fall, the Newberry is excited to roll out a new public programming series dedicated to the art and craft of writing. Writers on Writing will launch officially this October, presented in partnership with award-winning author Rebecca Makkai and StoryStudio Chicago.
The new series will kick off on October 4 with a conversation between Makkai and celebrated novelist and short story writer Lauren Groff, author of Fates and Furies, Matrix, and the just-released The Vaster Wilds. Writers on Writing is meant to dive deeper than the typical author talk, which might focus only on the writer’s most recent publication. Instead, Writers on Writing conversations will discuss the real work and artistry of writing, covering the evolution of each writer’s entire career and writing process.
The Newberry is pleased to continue a close relationship with Makkai, author of The Great Believers and I Have Some Questions For You, who makes her home in Chicago and maintains a close connection to local wordsmiths as the Artistic Director of StoryStudio. The Ravenswood-based nonprofit dedicates itself to celebrating the art of fiction and storytelling through workshops, classes, youth programs, retreats, manuscript consultations, and much more. Celebrating their twentieth anniversary this year, StoryStudio is a natural partner for the Newberry in this project.
Vice President for Public Engagement Vince Firpo comments: "The Newberry is thrilled to work with StoryStudio and Rebecca Makkai on this new series. Programs on literature and writing are always a draw for Newberry audiences, and partnering with another Chicago institution will help us invite a diverse roster of renowned writers to the library. Writers on Writing is a perfect way to attract new audiences while providing the first-rate programming that longtime attendees have come to expect from us."
The initial season of Writers on Writing will present three programs, including the October conversation between Makkai and Groff. In March, highly acclaimed poet and essayist Hanif Abdurraqib will join Chicago poet and scholar Eve L. Ewing in conversation; in May, the Newberry will welcome Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jericho Brown in conversation with a fellow poet to be announced.
We hope you will join us for Writers on Writing and many other public programs this fall, all of which are made possible through the generosity of donors like you.