American Writers Museum to Open in Chicago

Heroes of American literature are celebrated in various cities and towns across the country, including their birthplaces or areas they once considered home. But never before have these influential writers been corralled into one city and admired under one roof. All of that will change in May as Chicago opens the American Writers Museum, an homage to the nation’s best from the first Native American written accounts to modern-day literary forces.

The American Writers Museum hopes to engage both lovers of literature as well as new admirers by providing rotating exhibits, interactive experiences and informative displays of how the written word changed over time and influenced American history. Six permanent galleries will house the fixed exhibits that cover various aspects of literature such as hometown authors, American voices, a story of the day, a surprise bookshelf and a children’s literature gallery. Interactive exhibits will allow visitors to play with words and explore their own literary abilities.

Other exhibits will showcase specific writers and include artifacts from their homes and writing spaces. Visitors will be able to learn about these writers’ processes and explore how words shaped the evolution of America throughout its young history. Rotating exhibits will feature specific topics covered in the present day and how history led us to the current literary landscape.