September 16, 2026
The Federal Writers’ Project: How America Put Its Stories to Work
During the Great Depression, the United States hired thousands of writers, editors, researchers, and interviewers to document the country’s places,…
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Writers & Artists
September 16, 2026
The Harlem Renaissance: How Black Artists Built a New American Culture
In 1920s and 1930s Harlem, writers, musicians, painters, photographers, and performers transformed a New York neighborhood into one of the…
September 16, 2026
Black Mountain College: How a Small School Made Collaboration an American Art Form
For 24 years, an experimental college in rural North Carolina gave artists, writers, musicians, dancers, and designers room to learn…
September 16, 2026
Chicano Park: How San Diego’s Barrio Turned Concrete Pillars Into a Living Gallery
In San Diego’s Barrio Logan, generations of artists and neighbors transformed an underpass into one of the largest collections of…
September 16, 2026
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival: How Living Traditions Found a Place on the National Mall
For more than half a century, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival has invited musicians, cooks, craftspeople, farmers, storytellers, and communities to…
September 16, 2026
Poetry 180: How a U.S. Poet Laureate Put One Poem a Day Within Reach
In 2002, Billy Collins created Poetry 180, a free online collection designed to bring contemporary American poetry into ordinary school…
September 16, 2026
StoryCorps: How Ordinary Conversations Became an American Archive
A small recording booth in New York grew into one of the country’s most ambitious living archives—built not around presidents…
September 16, 2026
826 Valencia: How a Pirate Supply Store Made Writing Feel Possible
In San Francisco’s Mission District, a neighborhood writing center turned an ordinary storefront into an imaginative gateway for young people.…
September 5, 2026
Ernest Hemingway and the Making of a Modern Writing Style
Short Sentences, Big Impact Ernest Hemingway became known for a direct style that favored strong verbs, concrete details and economical…