Weekly Newsletter

Friday, January 12 at 12pm
A Lunchtime Conversation with Ralph Young on AMERICAN PATRIOTS: A Short History of Dissent with MTH&M's Erin Bartram (Virtual)

The history of America is a history of dissent. In American Patriots, historian Ralph Young chronicles the key role dissent has played in shaping the United States. He explains that activists are not protesting against America but rather pushing the country to live up to its ideals. Young considers how ordinary Americans, from moderates to firebrands, responded to injustice and challenges us to explore our own definition of dissent.

Virtual: Choose your own price for non-members. Free for members.

LEARN MORE & REGISTER HERE.

Wednesday, January 17 at 12pm ET
A Lunchtime Conversation with Lizzie Pook on MAUDE HORTON'S GLORIOUS REVENGE: A Novel with Shelley Noble (Virtual)

Maude Horton searches for the truth about her sister, who boarded a ship headed to the frozen Arctic and never returned. In order to get the answers she needs, Maude decides to shadow the man who might have had a hand in her sister’s disappearance. She joins him on a new venture to extract the truth from him in any way possible. As tensions and dangers mount, it ultimately falls to Maude to enact the ultimate revenge to get justice for her sister.

Virtual: Choose your own price for non-members. Free for members.

LEARN MORE & REGISTER HERE.

Friday, January 19 at 7pm ET
Scott Gac on BORN IN BLOOD: Violence and the Making of America with Dr. Vivian Martin (In-Person)

This compelling examination of American violence explains a political culture of violence from the American Revolution to the Gilded Age, illustrating how physical force, often centered on racial hierarchy, sustained the central tenets of American liberal government. It offers an important story of nationhood, told through the experiences and choices of civilians, Indians, politicians, soldiers, and the enslaved, providing historical context for understanding how violence has shaped the United States from its inception. Born in Blood investigates one of history’s most violent undertakings: The United States of America.

In-Person Event: $10 for non-members, free for MTH&M Members (please login to access your discount).

LEARN MORE & REGISTER HERE.

Tuesday, January 23 at 7pm ET:
Álvaro Enrigue on YOU DREAMED OF EMPIRES: A Novel with Gerardo Sámano Córdova (In-Person)

One morning in 1519, conquistador Herna?n Corte?s met the emperor Moctezuma in a collision of two worlds, two empires, two languages, two possible futures. You Dreamed of Empires brings to life a moment in history and reimagines what happens next. Considered “an offbeat, well-turned riff on anti-colonialist themes,” this new novel by A?lvaro Enrigue turns a moment of conquest into one of revolution, a restitutive, fantastical counter- attack, in an electric novel that almost feels like a dream.

In-Person Event: $10 for non-members, free for MTH&M Members (please login to access your discount).

LEARN MORE & REGISTER HERE.

Friday January 26 at 6 PM and Saturday January 27 at 1 PM ET
SAY IT WITH FLOWERS: VALENTINE-MAKING WORKSHOP (In-Person)

People in the Victorian Era knew what greeting card companies these days have forgotten: emotions are complicated–especially love! Any candy heart or last-minute card can say “Be mine,” but using the Victorian language of flowers, you can send more complex sentiments like “Have confidence in me and hope in love,” “Let our friendship be the cure for your heart ache,” or even “I love you, my child, unconditionally–and with endless patience.”

In this workshop, you’ll learn about the Victorian language of flowers and then use it to craft three paper Valentines that send exactly the message you want–platonic, familial, or romantic!

In-Person Event. $25 per person. All materials provided, including the special envelopes and postage required to mail each Valentine! REGISTER HERE.

On Friday evening, hot and cold beverages, including wine and beer, will be available at our Nook cafe beginning at 5:30.

Thursday, February 22 at 7pm ET
New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry on THE ATLAS MANEUVER - A Cotton Malone Novel with Amy Brady (In-Person Event)

From celebrated?bestselling author Steve Berry comes the latest Cotton Malone adventure, in which Cotton unravels a mystery from World War II involving a legendary lost treasure, worth billions, known as Yamashita’s Gold. The subsequent adventure is a high-octane, propulsive page-turner that will take you from the stolid banking halls of Luxembourg to the secret vaults of Switzerland,?and finally up into the treacherous mountains of southern Morocco, Cotton Malone is stymied at every turn.?Each move he makes seems wrong, and nothing works, until he finally comes face-to-face with the Atlas Maneuver. 

In-Person Event: $42 for non-members, $37 for MTH&M Members (please login to access your discount). Admission includes a copy of The Atlas Maneuver that ticket holders will pick up—and have signed by the author—at the event. 

LEARN MORE & REGISTER HERE.

Help Us Preserve Two Twain Artifacts

You can play a role in the conservation of two vital pieces in The Mark Twain House & Museum collection! 

• Six original woven cord and leather pockets of a Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company billiard table. 

• A tooled leather travel trunk with a canvas and leather cover that is stamped S.L. Clemens.

The Mark Twain House & Museum has received a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to conserve these two items. However, the grant only covers half the expense of the conservation and requires that we raise the rest in matching gifts. 

The total cost to restore the billiard pockets and travel trunk is over $32,651. To date, we are 22% of the way to our goal. We hope you will join us in preserving Mark Twain's legacy!

Donate Here

Upcoming Events

V = Virtual Event; IP = In-Person Event

January 12 - American Patriots: A Short History of Dissent with Ralph Young (V)

January 17 - Maude Horton's Glorious Revenge - A Novel with Lizzie Pook (V)

January 19 - Born in Blood - Violence and the Making of America with Scott Gac (IP)

January 23 - You Dreamed of Empires - A Novel with Álvaro Enrigue (IP)

January 25 - Diva - A Novel of Maria Callas with Daisy Goodwin (V)

January 26 & 27 - Say It With Flowers Valentine-Making Workshop (IP)

January 30 - Disillusioned: Five Families and the Unraveling of America's Suburbs with Benjamin Herold (V)

February 1 - Who Owns This Sentence?: A History of Copyrights and Wrongs with David Bellos and Alexandre Montagu (V)

February 22 - The Atlas Maneuver - A Cotton Malone Novel with Steve Berry (IP)

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!

Support the House

Author programs at The Mark Twain House & Museum are sponsored by Connecticut Public Broadcasting and the Wish You Well Foundation. Virtual author programs are supported by Suzanne Hopgood in the memory of former MTH&M Trustee Frank Lord.

Activities at The Mark Twain House & Museum are made possible in part by support from CT Humanities; State of CT Department of Economic & Community Development, Office of the Arts; The Hartford; The Mark Twain Foundation; National Endowment for the Humanities; and Travelers Foundation and the Greater Hartford Arts Council.