Topics

Each interactive session is approximately 60 minutes. Sessions can be held in-person or online.
Art Song: The Intersection of Poetry and Music
Art song is a unique combination of poetry and music that results in a composer’s musical interpretation of, and reaction to, an existing poem. From its glory days in the 19th century to more modern forms today, art song is a musical celebration of some of the world’s most beautiful poetry.
 
In this session, we’ll explore the development of art song, what makes it a special form of artistic expression, and how the form continues today.
Meet Me at Bricktop’s: Parallels Between Jazz-Age Montmartre and the Modernist Left Bank
As the Modernist writing and art movement was developing along the Left Bank of Paris in the 1920s, another important development was occurring in the city at the same time: a Black community was establishing itself in the district of Montmartre, with jazz musicians at its core. One of the epicenters of this transatlantic jazz revolution was the nightclub in Montmartre owned by Ada “Bricktop” Smith, an African-American expatriate singer who arrived in the city in 1924.
 
In this session, we’ll learn how Bricktop’s nightclub in Montmartre represented a microcosm of the interwar Paris environment that allowed both Black jazz musicians and Modernist expatriate writers to find freedom of self-expression.
From Demon to Dreamboat: How Vampires Represent Shifts in Society’s Fears and Desires
Humans have been fascinated with vampires for centuries. Even though the fundamental characteristics of vampires have not changed since their first appearance in popular culture in the early 19th century, literary depictions in the last two hundred years have transformed them from creatures to be feared into creatures with desirable traits.
 
In this session, we’ll use two literary vampires as examples, one from the mid-19th century and one from the late 20th century, to discuss how vampires symbolize a society’s concerns at a certain timepoint, how they represent both fear and desire, and how the balance between that fear and desire has shifted as society has changed.
More Than a Fiancée: The Literary Identity of Sarah Helen Whitman
The mid-nineteenth century intellectual community in the Eastern United States was filled with literary giants, such as Emerson, Thoreau, Poe, and more. Other influential writers were developing their own literary identities within the explosion of intellectual output, including a woman named Sarah Helen Whitman – who was engaged to Poe for a short time in 1848.
 
In this session, we’ll learn how Whitman developed her own identity as an American writer and why she deserves more than a few paragraphs in a Poe biography as a short-term fiancée.
Love, Honor, Duty, Betrayal: Blues Music and the Human Experience in the Plays of August Wilson
Although the origins of blues music are rooted in the struggles of African-American slaves, the music provides a foundation from which Black writers can explore not only the Black collective experience but move beyond race into more universal themes. One such influence was on the biracial playwright August Wilson, who crafted plays that built upon the blues foundation by focusing on the collective themes of love, honor, duty, and betrayal.
 
In this session, we’ll explore the history of blues music, along with some of its common themes, and learn how August Wilson used the blues to infuse his writing with themes that affect all humans, irrespective of race.
There’s More to the Story: The Fan Fiction of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice
Jane Austen’s classic novel of romance, family, and first impressions has inspired many adoring fans to modify this enduring story in their own creative ways. Interpretations vary widely, from continuing the story to presenting a completely new perspective through a different character’s eyes—the fan fiction of this beloved novel offers something for everyone.
 
In this session, we’ll explore some of the fan fiction generated by this well-loved novel and discuss why these works are an important part of the literary canon.