Recorded Virtual Events

Below you’ll find the collection of all of our past virtual events recorded for your viewing pleasure! While the events are free to view, we hope you’ll consider contributing what you’d call a fair ticket price while participating. Click the button below to head over to our events page and register for any of our upcoming virtual events!

Upcoming Events

Leo Baekeland’s groundbreaking creation, perhaps best remembered for its use in colorful costume jewelry and accessories, transformed our world and has also endangered it. This panel conversation will examine Bakelite, Leo Baekeland, and the legacy of plastics.

Join author and scholar David Damrosch and moderator Julia Pistell for a transporting and illuminating voyage around the globe, through classic and modern literary works that are in conversation with one another and with the world around them.

Authors Dr. Lydia Kang and Nate Pedersen join Dr. Ina Park for an informative and shockingly fun conversation on PATIENT ZERO: A Curious History of the World’s Worst Diseases.

Author, investigative reporter and RollingStone National Political Correspondent Matt Taibbi returns for a conversation on his (almost true) new book on the ins-and-outs of working in the drug trade.

Professor Reuben Jonathan Miller discussing HALFWAY HOME: Race, Punishment and the Afterlife of Mass Incarceration, with Community Partners in Action’s Director of Operations Deborah Rogala, LCSW

Tiphanie Yanique, the award-winning author of Land of Love and Drowning, joins Dr. Christina Greer to discuss Yanique’s electric new novel that maps the emotional inheritance of one couple newly in love.

Join Katie Mears and Jodi DeBruyne, the Mark Twain House Director of Collections, as they discuss Mark Twain’s role in the history of stand-up comedy.

Giacomo Calabria presents a brief history of Mark Twain’s surprising, sometimes scandalous, and ongoing contributions to gaming from the 1880s to the modern era.

A deadly discussion (and return engagement) by two people who know a thing or two about the poisoner’s proclivities. This conversation will cover the storied poisons of history, some of the most spectacular (and twisted) poisoners of our time, and a nod to some of the great poison-infused murder stories.

Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization elegantly cuts through the tangle of urban legends and anecdotal impressions surrounding our notions of intoxication to provide the first rigorous, scientifically-grounded explanation for our love of alcohol.

Author Richard Thompson Ford discusses his illuminating book DRESS CODES: HOW THE LAWS OF FASHION MADE HISTORY with Vogue Senior Editor Corey Seymour.

The true story of a torrid love triangle tainted by a touch of cyanide! The Gilded Edge author Catherine Prendergast is joined by Lindsey Fitzharris, the author of The Butchering Art.

Cappy McGarr and the host of WNPR’s The Colin McEnroe Show discusses the behind-the-scenes drama and laughter behind the creation of American humor’s highest honor.

Bestselling novelist Walter Mosely, NPR White House Correspondent and co-host of NPR’s Politics Podcast Scott Detrow, and Le Carré’s son John Cornwell join Harper’s Editor Christopher Beha for a conversation on Le Carré’s career, legacy, and what it took to publish his final work.

Surprising and delightfully engrossing, Americanon explores the true history of thirteen of the nation’s most popular books — the unexamined touchstones for American cultures and customs.

Rubenstein explores our grand national experiment in democracy, culture, innovation, and ideas, revealing the setbacks, suffering, invention, ingenuity, and social movements that continue to shape our vision of what America is and can be.

The first-ever full reckoning with Marvel Comics’ half-million-page story from a beloved authority on the subject who read all 27,000+ Marvel superhero comics and lived to tell the tale.

Matthew Pearl explores the little-known true story of the kidnapping of legendary pioneer Daniel Boone’s daughter and the dramatic aftermath that rippled across the nation.

An astounding work of fiction from a New York Times bestselling author that goes to the heart of racism, police violence, and the hidden costs exacted upon Black Americans, and America as a whole.

S.A. Cosby (Blacktop Wasteland) and Stephen Graham Jones (The Only Good Indians) reflect on their uniquely American stories of murder and revenge.

Side-splittingly funny one minute, a freak horror show the next, Ladyparts is an era-defining memoir for our time.

National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Evan Osnos examines three communities in the U.S. to uncover the roots of America’s fury.

This Tender Land author William Kent Krueger discusses his newest novel, Lightning Strike, with New York Times bestselling author Kristin Hannah.

A revelatory and enthralling new biography of Lincoln, many years in the making, that brings him to life within his turbulent age.

Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, authors of The New York Times bestseller The Personal Librarian in conversation with Kimberly Kersey, Executive Director of the Amistad Center.

Author and journalist, Lionel Shriver, discusses her brilliant and thought-provoking new novel, SHOULD WE STAY OR SHOULD WE GO, with Harper’s President and Publisher John R. McArthur.

Dwayne’s lecture focuses on two sermons Joseph Twichell preached in 1876 at Asylum Hill Congregational Church and the positive theological influence they had on Twain.

Author, host, and commentator Touré discusses his second book on the singer-songwriter, Nothing Compares 2 U: An Oral History of Prince with playwright and Prince enthusiast Jacques Lamarre.

Literary living legend, Joyce Carol Oates, discusses her stunning new novel, BREATHE, with Christopher Beha.

New York Times bestselling duo Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child join Christopher Rice for a conversation on the 20th installment in their wildly popular Agent Pendergast series.

Jaime Lowe in conversation on BREATHING FIRE: Female Inmate Firefighters on the Front Lines of California’s Wildfires, moderated by CPA’s Executive Director Beth Hines.

With Sword Stone Table, a whole new generation of writers bring their own takes on Arthur, Merlin, Mordred, Guinevere, and Lancelot.

Joshua Cohen discusses his quirky new novel, The Netanyahus: An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family.

New York Times bestselling author Amy Sohn presents a narrative history of Anthony Comstock, anti-vice activist and U.S. Postal Inspector, and the remarkable women who opposed his war on women’s rights at the turn of the twentieth century.

Author/researcher Dean Jobb in conversation with Deborah Blum on The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream, the true story of a Victorian Era monster, the ruthless “Lambeth Poisoner.”

New York Times bestselling author Kelly Williams Brown joined by the crafty star of the Style Network’s The Brini Maxwell Show to discuss Brown’s latest novel Easy Crafts for the Insane: A Mostly Funny Memoir of Mental Illness and Making Things.

In Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen: The Emotional Lives of Black Women, esteemed clinical psychologist Dr. Inger Burnett-Zeigler praises the strength of women, while exploring how trauma and adversity have led to deep emotional pain and shaped how they walk through the world.

Adam Wilson discusses his razor-sharp, darkly funny, and deeply human rendering of a Post-Trump America in economic free fall. Harper’s Editor Christopher Beha moderates.

Thomas Nast, the “most famous editorial cartoonist of his time.”, and Twain spent a Thanksgiving together, almost toured together, and both worked with Albert Bigelow Paine on their respective biographies. Learn about these connections and more during John’s talk.

Harper’s Magazine and The Mark Twain House & Museum join forces to present a thrilling new work of historical fiction about the life — and mysterious murder — of a legendary Manhattanite in Gilded Age New York.

Les Standiford in conversation with Barnum Museum Executive Director Kathy Maher on the confrontations, cutthroat business strategies, and eccentric personalities that built the Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Bestselling author Alex Michaelides joined in conversation by Brad Thor on his spellbinding tale of psychological suspense, weaving together Greek mythology, murder, and obsession.

Duane Tudahl in conversation will be Prince enthusiast, blogger and Glitch CEO Anil Dash take you on an intimate journey of love, loss, rivalry, and renewal with never-before-published memories from the Revolution, the Time, the Family, and Apollonia 6.

Author, historian, podcaster and commentator Zachary Karabell is joined by columnist and Hearst Connecticut Media Group Associate Editor Dan Haar to discuss Karabell’s new book, Inside Money.

Author of POST MORTEM Dr. Virginia de la Cruz Lichet of the University of Lorraine in France and Cecilia Casas Desantes of the Communications and Educational Department of Cerralbo Museum in Madrid, Spain in conversation with The Mark Twain House & Museum’s Assistant Curator Mallory Howard.

Brown University Professor and practicing psychiatrist Dr. Christine Montross discusses her groundbreaking new book, Waiting for an Echo: The Madness of American Incarceration, with Gordon Lyde, Peer to Peer Case Manager for Community Partners in Action’s Reentry Treatment Program.

Beloved Christian fiction author Tessa Afshar joined in conversation by Lauren Yarger on her latest book, Jewel of the Nile.

Author Dr. Rebecca Hall and Illustrator Hugo Martinez in conversation with Kimberly Kersey on WAKE: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts, the story of women-led slave revolts and chronicle of scholar Rebecca Hall’s efforts to uncover the truth about these women warriors.

A.E. Osworth sits down with MJ Kaufman to discuss Osworth’s novel We Are Watching Eliza Bright, a fast-paced thriller told from shifting points of view within the polarized gaming community.

Writer, lawyer, and journalist Eric Berkowitz and LA Times best-seller Marc Cooper on Dangerous Ideas, an examination of how censorship is used to prop up authorities and maintain class and gender disparities.

Sophfronia Scott in conversation with author and Episcopalian minister Barbara Brown Taylor on The Seeker and the Monk: Everyday Conversations with Thomas Merton.

Lost in Summerland finds essayist Barrett Swanson crossing the United States to uncover what it means to be an American amid the swirl of our post-truth climate.

The Mark Twain House & Museum and Theatre Within present longtime MAD Senior Editor Joe Raiola in a program of offbeat comedy that takes you behind the scenes of America’s dumbest magazine (BIG DEAL)!

In this month’s Trouble Begins at 5:30, KevinMac Donnell shows us some of the highlights from his collection, shares how he cares for his collection, and talk about how his collection is used for research.

Emmy-nominated stand-up, actor, author, professor, and podcaster Wayne Federman sits down with comedy journalist Katie Mears to discuss The History of Stand-Up: From Mark Twain to Dave Chappelle.

Author Anna Tubbs is joined in conversation by Melinda L. Johnson to discuss her latest novel The Three Mothers, the story of the extraordinary women who raised James Baldwin, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X.

Author John Reeves sits down with Steve Courtney to discuss his novel A Fire in the Wilderness. The riveting account of the first bloody showdown between Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee.

Quiara Alegría Hudes, author of My Broken Language, with Melia Bensussen on her inspired exploration of home, memory, and belonging—narrated by an obsessed girl who fought to become an artist so she could capture the world she loved in all its wild and delicate beauty.

Roya Hakakian discusses her new book, A Beginner’s Guide to America: For the Immigrant and the Curious, with former Connecticut U.S. Congressman Sam Gejdenson and author Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo.

Harper’s Magazine Editor Christopher Beha sits down with The New York Times and Commonweal Magazine writer and novelist Rand Richards Cooper to discuss The Index of Self-Destructive Acts.

Melia and Sherry are friends and share many passions, among them, how people find meaning in their life’s work. How does creativity, art, theater, memoir enhance empathic understanding? How did Sherry come to new compassion as she wrote this book, such a departure from her other work?

Award-winner P. Djèlí Clark joined in conversation by Vivian Nabeta on Ring Shout, a dark fantasy historical novella that gives a supernatural twist to the Ku Klux Klan’s reign of terror.

Steve Inskeep, co-host of Morning Edition, and MTH&M Executive Director Pieter Roos discuss Imperfect Union: How Jessie and John Frémont Mapped the West, Invented Celebrity, and Helped Cause the Civil War.

Oxford University Professor Emma Smith, author of This is Shakespeare, joines us from across the pond for a special lunchtime conversation with Hartford Stage Artistic Director Melia Bensussen.

Stephen Graham in conversation with Joe R. Lansdale on his latest novel The Only Good Indians, which follows four American Indian men in a desperate struggle for their lives stemming from a disturbing event in their youth.

Biographer and RollingStone journalist Neal Karlen discusses his 30-year friendship with the legend with Prince enthusiast and tech CEO Anil Dash.

Twain scholars Dr. Shelley Fisher Fishkin, Mark Dawidziak, Steve Courtney, and Dr. Cindy Lovell discuss their relationship with Hal, his contributions to Mark Twain studies, and share personal insights into the man they called both friend and colleague.

Harper’s Magazine’s contributing editor Christine Smallwood discusses her debut novel The Life of the Mind with Harper’s Editor Christopher Beha.

Katie Booth in conversation with American School for the Deaf Executive Director Jeff Bravin on The Invention of Miracles. Presented with ASL interpretation and captioning.

Raw and palpable, The Pale-Faced Lie is an inspirational story about the power of forgiveness and the strength of the human spirit.

Dr. Ina Park explores STDs on the cellular, individual, and population-level, blending science and storytelling with historical tales, real life sexual escapades, and interviews with leading scientists.

Enjoy the talk-back following the showing of award-winning documentary Holbrook/Twain: An American Odyssey featuring director Scott Teems and producer Laura Smith, moderated by Dr. Cindy Lovell.

Jenny Minton Quigley in conversation with Lolita in the Afterlife contributors Sloane Crosley, Dani Shapiro, and comedian Jamie Loftus. Moderated by Bridget Quinn, President and CEO of Hartford Public Library.

The New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline sits down with iHeartMedia’s Renee DiNino to discuss Scottoline’s first-ever historical novel, Eternal.

The Harper’s/Twain series launches with a virtual event featuring the critic Lauren Oyler, who discusses her debut novel, Fake Accountswith Harper’s editor Christopher Beha.

Dr. Mia Bay discuss her latest novel Traveling Black: A Story of Race and Resistance which explores when, how, and why racial restrictions took shape and brilliantly portrays what it was like to live with them.

Ty Seidule, brigadier general and professor emeritus of history at West Point discusses his latest book Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner’s Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause.

Loren Ghiglione, Alyssa Karas, and Dan Tham discuss their book Genus Americanus: Hitting the Road in Search of America’s Identity and their journey to follow in Mark Twain’s footsteps across the United States.

“How will I raise my son to be better?” Washington Post reporter Emma Brown spoke to hundreds of people including coaches, educators, researchers, parents, and boys themselves, all resulting in her book To Raise a Boy.

Acclaimed author of Pictures at a Revolution and Five Came Back, Mark Harris joined in conversation by journalist Frank Rizzo to discuss Mike Nichols – A Life.

Chris Frantz, founding member of the iconic rock bands Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, discussing his memoir REMAIN IN LOVE with freelance writer Roger Catlin, former rock critic for The Hartford Courant.

Chang-rae Lee, author of Native Speaker, sits down with UConn professor Kathy Knapp to discuss his latest novel My Year Abroad, the story of an American student in Asia.

Acclaimed journalist and producer Maria Hinojosa in conversation with Marilyn Alverio, CEO of Latinas and Power Corp, discussing Hinojosa’s new book, Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America.

Hsuan Hsu aims to better understand how Twain’s olfactory humor stages a little-explored aspect of Twain’s realism: the materiality of socially and geographically stratified atmospheres.

Explore how people who lived through the Civil War revised and reshaped that event’s legacy—particularly on race. Viewers will learn how their revisions influence our current understandings and reflect on best practices for teaching the history of events in our own living memory.

Presented by The Mark Twain House & Museum, President Lincoln’s Cottage, and Ford’s Theatre.

Film historian and screenwriter/producer Steven Jay Rubin, author of The James Bond Movie Encyclopedia, joined in conversation by the New Britain Museum of American Art’s Jeffrey J. Mainville.

What makes a great leader? Are leaders born or are they made? David Rubenstein sits down with Dr. Christina Greer to discuss all of this and more!

Roman Dial, author of The Adventurer’s Son, and Caroline Van Hemert, author of The Sun is a Compass, as the two discuss their books, their adventures in the wild, the dangers inherent in adventuring, and more.

A lively dialogue between Howard Sherman, author of the new book Another Day’s Begun about Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Our Town and Hartford Stage Artistic Director Melia Bensussen.

Dr. Perri Klass discusses her book, A Good Time To Be Born: How Science and Public Health Gave Children a Future, Langdon Clemens, and how measles plays a role in both Twain’s fiction and his autobiography.