Tuesday

"The author’s interest in history and politics shines through in his well-researched, engaging book. In addition to describing the engine and its applications, Brunt provides a clear picture of Diesel the inventor, the polyglot, the man dreaming of social justice and a peaceful world." - Kirkus Reviews

Tuesday, September 26 at 7pm ET - Douglas Brunt on The Mysterious Case Of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I with Gareth Russell (Virtual)

On September 29, 1913, the New York Times led with the headline that Rudolf Diesel – multi-millionaire inventor of the diesel engine and international superstar in the scientific community – had disappeared of a passenger ship crossing from Belgium to England and was presumed dead. Since Diesel’s disappearance, the world has assumed one of three outcomes: there was an accident, he committed suicide, or he was murdered, with high profile players such as Kaiser Wilhelm and John D. Rockefeller in the line of accusation. 

Perfect for fans of Erik Larson, New York Times bestselling author and historian Douglas Brunt expertly weaves history with intrigue while presenting a new theory on Diesel’s disappearance.

Virtual: Choose your own price for non-members. 

Virtual: Choose your own price for non-members. Free for members. Learn More & Register Here.

Wednesday

Wednesday, September 27 at 7pm ET - Stephen Graham Jones & S.A. Cosby in Conversation (Virtual)

The Mark Twain House & Museum is delighted to reunite bestselling and award-winning authors Stephen Graham Jones and S.A. Cosby in conversation discussing their new novels!

2021 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award-winner and horror master Stephen Graham Jones (The Only God Indian) has unleashed the page-turning second installment of his Lake Witch Trilogy, Don't Fear the Reaper.

S.A. Cosby is the award-winning novelist of such bestsellers as Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade Tears, is getting plaudits for his latest edge-of-your seat novel, All the Sinners Bleed.

Virtual: Choose your own price for non-members. Free for members. Learn More & Register Here.

Begins Friday

Hartford's most chilling Halloween tradition returns! Graveyard Shift Ghost Tours of The Mark Twain House begin September 29 and are offered Friday and Saturday nights through the month of October.

Make a nighttime visit to the Victorian home of Mark Twain, a journey into the paranormal and haunted history. Featured on SyFy’s Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters Academy, and Biography Channel’s My Ghost Story, you’re in for a night of mystery filled with creepy stories and exclusive accounts of unexplained encounters in the Clemens family home. Grab your tickets while you can….they might disappear faster than a ghost!

Tickets: $29 / $21 for children 10 to 16. Not recommended for children under 10. Reserve your tickets by Clicking Here.

Wednesday, October 4th, 2023 at 7:00pm - THE TROUBLE BEGINS: A Delicate Balance: Work and Play in Mark Twain’s Creative Process with Dr. Kerry Driscoll (In-Person & Virtual) 

Although Mark Twain published over twenty books during his lifetime—in addition to countless short stories, sketches, and essays—he nonetheless repeatedly maintained that he was essentially a “lazy” man. This talk, featuring archival photographs and manuscripts from the Mark Twain Project, examines the concepts of “work” and “play” in terms of the writer’s creative process and prolific literary output. Specifically, it explores the physical conditions and circumstances Mark Twain found most conducive to the expression of his artistic genius—from his Quarry Farm study in Elmira, NY to a rented room atop a mountain in Heidelberg, Germany, and culminating in the comfort of his elaborately carved Venetian bed. 

This is a Free Hybrid event sponsored by CT Humanities and the Center for Mark Twain Studies in Elmira, New York. 

In-Person Event: Free. Register Here.

Livestream: Free. Register Here.

In-person attendees are invited to come to the Museum Center early to visit this year’s summer exhibition For Business or Pleasure? Twain’s Summer Sojourns which highlights the Clemens family’s American-based summer vacations. Virtual attendees will receive a link to watch live via YouTube.

Saturday, October 7 at 5:30pm - Reflecting on Harriet: Playwright Kyle Bass in Conversation (In-Person)

Prolific playwright Kyle Bass comes to The Mark Twain House & Museum to discuss the HartBeat Ensemble production of his play, Possessing Harriet. His new play tells the true story of Harriet Powell, a young mixed-race, enslaved woman who escapes her owners at a hotel. A formerly enslaved Underground Railroad conductor her to the home of an impassioned abolitionist, who is hosting his young cousin Elizabeth Cady (yes! before she was a Stanton!), a women’s rights advocate. In the 90 minutes before her nighttime escape to Canada, Harriet confronts new ideas about race, gender and equality as she answers the tragic question: What will she give up for freedom?

Kyle will be in conversation with Hartford native Channon Miller, Trinity College Assistant Professor of History and American Studies. They’ll discuss the play’s investigation of the interior and exterior lives of black women during slavery, and the tragic choice between freedom and leaving family many had to make.

Tickets for Reflecting on Harriet: Playwright Kyle Bass in Conversation are $5. To register Click Here.

Attendees who purchase ticket to this event will receive a discount code for $5 off tickets to Possessing Harriet via their confirmation email. On Saturday, October 7, there are performances at 2pm and 8pm at HartBeat Ensemble's Carriage House Theatre, located directly across the street from The Mark Twain House. Guests attending the lecture program are encouraged to park in our lot and attend the matinee or evening performance that day.

To get more information about Possessing Harriet and other Reflecting on Harriet special events, Click Here.

Funding for this event is provided in part by CT Humanities.

Upcoming Events

V = Virtual Event; IP = In-Person Event

September 26 - The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power and Deception on the Eve of World War I with Douglas Brunt (V)

September 27 - Stephen Graham Jones (Don't Fear the Reaper) & S.A. Cosby (All the Sinners Bleed) in Conversation (V)

September 29 - Graveyard Shift Ghost Tours being for October (IP) 

October 4 - THE TROUBLE BEGINS: Work and Play in Mark Twain's Creative Process with Dr. Kerry Driscoll (IP & V)

October 7 - HartBeat Ensemble's Reflecting on Harriet: Possessing Harriet Playwright Kyle Bass in Conversation (IP)

October 10 - America's Castle: One Hundred Years of Mar-a-Lago with Mary C. Shanklin (V)

October 11 - THE TROUBLE BEGINS: The Phenomenon of Summer Reading with Donna Harrington-Lueker (IP & V)

October 17 - The Hidden Language of Cats: How They Have Us at Meow with Sarah Brown (V)

October 23 - Before the Gilded Age: W.W. Corcoran and the Rise of American Capitalism and Culture with Mark L. Goldstein

October 25 - THE TROUBLE BEGINS: Lurking, There, in the Underbrush: The Gilded Age in the Adirondacks with Robert Engel (IP & V)

October 30 - Modern Occultism: History, Theory, and Practice with Mitch Horowitz (V)

November 3 - The Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Celebration Dinner with David Baldacci (IP)

 November 8 - THE TROUBLE BEGINS: The House that Trudeau Built with Chessie Monks-Kelly (IP & V)

November 27 - Class with Stephanie Land (V)

November 27 - THE TROUBLE BEGINS: Gravity - Selected Letters of Olivia Langdon Clemens with Barbara Snedecor (IP & V)

December 16 - GET A CLUE Tours (IP)

More to be announced soon! 

To see all event information and registration, Click Here.

To preorder books for our upcoming events, Click Here. Signed books will be mailed after the event. Please note that we cannot ship outside of the U.S. at this time.

Your donation to The Mark Twain House & Museum helps us meet our mission to preserve the home and legacy of Mark Twain. Thank you for your generosity!

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