Michael J. Rosen, founding Thurber House literary director and Columbus Museum of Art guest curator, curates this exhibition of James Thurber’s work—Thurber’s first solo show at the Columbus Museum of Art since 1936.

A Mile and a Half of Lines: The Art of James Thurber showcases the drawings of Columbus’s native son and one of America’s best-known twentieth century writers. Thurber’s depictions changed the nature of cartooning. His process of drawing his illustrations spontaneously with child-like abandon was an innovation to his field.

The exhibition includes Thurber’s work for The New Yorker, his illustrations for his own and others’ books, ad campaigns, and children’s illustrations. Sections of the exhibition include topical drawings depicting: Signs of the Times (Prohibition, the Great Depression, and the Lost Generation); The Bestiary in Me (the animal kingdom); and Columbustown (including OSU football).

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The Thurber Prize for American Humor is one of the highest recognitions of the art of humor writing in the United States. It is presented annually to one author of exceptional humor writing. A panel of national judges selects three finalists from eight or nine semi-finalists. The winner receives $5,000 and a commemorative plaque.

We invite you to join us for the 2019 Thurber Prize for American Humor. This hilarious red carpet event is held in James Thurber’s hometown of Columbus, Ohio. The three Thurber Prize finalists will all read from their nominated books, and at the close of the event, the winner will be announced and presented with the 2019 Thurber Prize for American Humor. This is the event of the year—don’t miss it!

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With the support of Friends of the Library, the Carnegie Gallery creates unique cultural experiences for Columbus Metropolitan Library visitors by presenting quality art exhibits. The Carnegie Gallery is located on the second floor of the Main Library at 96 South Grant Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215. Exhibits are free.

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Thurber House is pleased to present Tayari Jones, award-winning author of An American Marriage, in partnership with Denison University.

An American Marriage was a 2018 selection for Oprah’s Book Club; a 2018 best book of the year selection for NPR, Time, Bustle, O: The Oprah Magazine, and Amazon.com; and winner of the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction.

“A moving portrayal of the effects of a wrongful conviction on a young African-American couple.” —Barack Obama

Newlyweds Celestial and Roy embody the American Dream and the New South. As they settle into their life together, Roy is suddenly arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. As Roy’s time in prison passes, Celestial struggles to hold on to her love. After five years, Roy’s conviction is overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together. An American Marriage is a profound look into the souls of people who are bound and separated by forces beyond their control, and who must reckon with the past while moving forward—with hope and pain—into the future.

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James A. Willis has been walking on the weird side of history for over 30 years. He will tell spooky and strange tales about the Buckeye State’s most unusual sightings and citizens—ghosts, monsters, UFOs, murderous villains, courageous heroes, and much more! Willis has authored more than a dozen books, including Ohio's Historic Haunts: Investigating the Paranormal in the Buckeye State, The Big Book of Ohio Ghost Stories, Central Ohio Legends and Lore, and Weird Ohio.

GHOST HUNT RAFFLE
That's not all—our popular Ghost Hunt Raffle is back! Did James Thurber actually have an encounter with a ghost on "The Night the Ghost Got In"? One lucky winner and a guest will join James A. Willis for a private ghost hunt inside Thurber House. Let’s face it . . . haven't you always wanted to scratch that one off your bucket list?

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Thurber House is pleased to present U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown in partnership with Gramercy Books.

Since his election to the U.S. Senate in 2006, Sherrod Brown has sat on the Senate floor at a desk with a proud history: Desk 88. In his new book, Desk 88, Brown profiles eight Senators who were there before him, all of whom fought for a more just America. They range from Hugo Black, who helped to lift millions of American workers out of poverty, to Robert F. Kennedy, whose eyes were opened by an undernourished Mississippi child, to Idaho’s Glen Taylor, a singing cowboy who stood up to segregationists.

These eight portraits in political courage tell of the triumphs and failures of politicians to fight against entrenched special interests and advance the cause of economic or racial fairness. Brown dramatizes the hard work and high ideals required to renew the social contract and create a new era in which Americans of all backgrounds can know the “Dignity of Work.”

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CBS Sunday Morning correspondent and writer Mo Rocca presents a charmingly irreverent and rigorously researched book that celebrates the dead people who made life worth living.

Mo Rocca has always loved obituaries—reading about the remarkable lives of world leaders, innovators, and artists. But not every notable person has gotten the send-off she or he deserves. In Mobituaries, Rocca profiles the 20th century’s greatest entertainer, sitcom characters gone all too soon, a shamefully forgotten Founding Father, and more. Even if you know the names, you’ve never understood why they matter . . . until now.

There’s Thomas Paine, whose Common Sense lit the fuse for the American Revolution, and whose paltry obit summed up his life thusly: “He had lived long, did some good, and much harm.” And then there’s screen icon Audrey Hepburn. She remains a household name, but how much do we know about her wartime upbringing and how it shaped the woman we fell in love with?

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Join us for all six Evenings with Authors with a Series Subscription!

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Want to have dinner with an author? Author's Table Dinners are unique to Evenings with Authors and are held prior to most Evenings with Authors events. They are a great opportunity to share a fantastic meal with the author and talk about his or her work in a more intimate setting.

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Part travelogue across Europe, part caper, part crime thriller, and full of unexpected turns, Where Are You, Calvin Bledsoe? is a wild ride of a book. Calvin Bledsoe’s mother, an internationally known theologian, has just died. At her funeral, Calvin meets his aunt Beatrice, a woman he had not even known existed. Beatrice whisks him off to Europe for a grand adventure. It soon becomes apparent that her clandestine behavior is leading him into danger. Facing a menagerie of antiquities thieves, secret agents, religious fanatics, and an ex-wife who’s stalking him, Calvin begins to suspect there might be some meaning behind the madness.

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Rafael Rosado is a writer, director, and storyboard artist, working on animated shows such as Scooby Doo, Transformers, The Batman, Looney Tunes, and Curious George. His latest book, Monsters Beware!, is the third and final book of the Claudette graphic novel series. Claudette has fought giants, clobbered dragons, and now she’s ready to kick major monster butt! It all begins when Claudette’s town hosts the annual Warrior Games. She is quickly put to the ultimate test—none of her past battles have prepared her for this. And to make matters worse, she must stop the vicious Sea Queen and her evil children from using the Warrior Games to free the dark Wizard Grombach and conquer the world. With so much on the line, will Claudette learn that there's more to a fight than just winning?

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Join William Matson and Crazy Horse family elder Floyd Clown, Sr. for an inside look into the life of famed Lakota war leader, Crazy Horse. In partnership with Matson, the Edward Clown family, nearest living relatives to Crazy Horse, has recorded the family tales and memories told to them about their famous grandfather. In many ways, the oral history differs from what has become the widely accepted biography of Crazy Horse. Until now, their story had not been told outside the family for over a century because the government had been hunting them since Crazy Horse was assassinated in 1877. This will be Matson and the Clown family’s landmark 265th appearance as they travel across the United States and Europe.

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In Urban Contemporary History Month: Poems, Scott Woods interrogates identity and society, exposing the frequently imposed and false duality of 21st century Black life by a world that prefers its art and people in neat boxes. His poems navigate police abuse, idol worship, the definition of Black culture, and the importance of the blues—chipping away at our acceptance of American life as we know it. The collection includes meditations on juke joint culture, art as a communal projection, and a cento comprised of the first lines of Stephen King stories. Scott Woods is a Columbus Foundation Spirit of Columbus Award recipient and was named the first-ever “Face of Columbus” by Columbus Alive.

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National Book Award-winning biographer Deirdre Bair spent 15 remarkable years in Paris with Samuel Beckett and Simone de Beauvoir. In 1971, Bair secured access to Nobel Prize-winning author Samuel Beckett. Seven years of intimate conversations resulted in Samuel Beckett: A Biography, which won the National Book Award. Bair's next subject was Simone de Beauvoir. The catch? De Beauvoir and Beckett despised each other. Bair hid out in the back rooms of Paris cafés as she worked with the difficult de Beauvior to create another groundbreaking biography. Bair’s new book, Parisian Lives, revisits these experiences with never-before-told anecdotes and details that were impossible to publish at the time.

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