WashULibraries

Stonington Literary Festival 2026 | James Merrill Centennial Stonington Literary Festival is a multi-day celebration of literature, music, and community honoring poet James Merrill’s centennial in Stonington, CT.

Happy 100th birthday to James Merrill. We are proud to house the James Merrill Papers in special collections.

To celebrate and honor Merrill's centennial, the Stonington Literary Festival will take place on October 2-4.
www.jamesmerrillhouse.org/stonington-l...

Three Gallery Exhibits Showcase Comics Artists: book illustrator Nicky Zann, modern indie artist Alex Schubert, and 125 years of the Post-Dispatch Weatherbird Love Comic fabric, 1970. Image from the Nicky Zann Archive, Dowd Illustration Research Archive, Julian Edison Department of Special Collections, Washington University Libraries. St. Louis will soon…

St. Louis will soon have the distinct honor of simultaneously hosting three gallery exhibitions featuring original art by comic creators—one of which is the "Nicky Zann: A Life in Art" exhibition currently on display at Washington University's Olin Library.

‘Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection’ This fall, the Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis will present “Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection.” Spanning nearly eight decades and featuring more than 70 a...

A fascinating new exhibition at WashU's Kemper Art Museum will feature nearly 70 women artists, with a particular focus on abstraction. “Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection" will open on September 12.

Tonight! WashU Professor & National Book Critics Circle Award-winning poet, Mary Jo Bang celebrates the conclusion of her translation of Dante's "Divine Comedy." Presented by St. Louis County Library Foundation & @leftbankbooks.bsky.social.
www.slcl.org/events/mary-...

Poet Mary Jo Bang reaches the end of her 20-year journey through Dante's 'Divine Comedy' Poet Mary Jo Bang has spent the last two decades translating the three parts of Dante's Divine Comedy. Paradiso is the final installment and continues her style of lively, lyrical translation.

WashU Professor Mary Jo Bang discusses her translation of Dante's Paradiso with host Ari Shapiro @npr.org. With her final book from the epic, Bang translates the Divine Comedy into a contemporary idiom, making it relevant to a new generation of readers. www.npr.org/2025/07/10/n...

An Interview with Mary Jo Bang on Translating Paradiso by Dante Alighieri - Asymptote Blog I wanted my translation to honor Dante’s decision to write the poem in the vernacular instead of in literary Latin.

An interview with WashU professor Mary Jo Bang on translating Dante's Paradiso. The Mary Jo Bang Papers are an important part of our Modern Literature Collection at the WashU Libraries.

We are delighted to see unpublished fiction by William Gass from our archives in the pages of Revel No. 3 and a centenary tribute to the novelist and former WashU professor. WashU Libraries are home to the incredible and wide ranging William Gass Papers.

From War to Words: Exploring the Vietnamese American Experience - WashU Libraries In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, WashU Libraries are highlighting books by Vietnamese American writers. All books are available at WashU Libraries or electronical...

We are highlighting Vietnamese-American books and authors to celebrate their contributions to the rich tapestry of American literature. "These books are acts of memory, resistance, and imagination." #AAPIHeritageMonth
library.washu.edu/news/from-wa...

@WASHUREADY #AREYOUREADY WashU Emergency Management (EM) ensures that the university is well-prepared for different types of incidents by conducting training, demonstrations, and exercises.

All Danforth Campus locations are closed on May 19 & 20 due to recent storm impacts and clean-up efforts. Updates on campus status and services will be available at emergency.washu.edu.

WashU staff and students work against the clock to preserve disappearing federal data The Data Rescue Project at WashU is part of a national call to action to archive federal datasets before they potentially get removed by the Trump administration.

Students, librarians, and community members at WashU are participating in the Data Rescue Project to restore critical federal data. A great article in @stlpublicradio.bsky.social on the Data Rescue Project at WashU Libraries. www.stlpr.org/education/20...

I am ride or die for my subject librarian - Student Life It is nearing the end of the semester, and for many students here at WashU, the deadline for final papers is fast approaching. Writing projects can take a lot of time and can be especially draining if...

A great article in WashU's Student Life that explains the various ways in which subject librarians can help students with their research and learning. We love this perspective! www.studlife.com/scene/2025/0...

Earth Day: A Selection of Books on the Environment - WashU Libraries To celebrate Earth Day on April 22, WashU Libraries are highlighting newly acquired and recently published books on environmentalism, nature, climate change, and more. The books are available at WashU...

Happy Earth Day! 💚 To celebrate Earth Day on April 22, WashU Libraries highlight newly acquired and recently published books on environmentalism, nature, climate change, and more. Happy reading! library.washu.edu/news/earth-d...

Novel approach: Performance artist types Elkin’s 'The Dick Gibson Show' live on KWUR As part of his “100 Novels Project,” performance artist Tim Youd is retyping, word for word, “The Dick Gibson Show,” Stanley Elkin’s novel about a late-night disc jockey, on KWUR, the student radio st...

Performance artist Tim Youd will retype late novelist & WashU professor Stanley Elkin's 1971 novel, "The Dick Gibson Show" on WashU student radio station KWUR. Youd will interview Joel Minor, curator of our Modern Literature Collection, home to the Stanley Elkin Papers.

Mary Jo Bang Reflects on Poetry in the Digital Age - WashU Libraries What is the future of poetry archives in the digital era? What actions can we take toward preventing future losses of these archives in a rapidly evolving digital landscape—especially when dealing wit...

Happy National Poetry Month! Poet & WashU Professor Mary Jo Bang discusses the future of poetry archives in the digital age as part of our Born-Digital Poetry Project, which strives to prevent the loss of creative practices when materials only exist in digital form. library.washu.edu/news/mary-jo...

We have a delightful children's book exhibit at Olin Library. The exhibition celebrates and helps visitors share memories of their favorite children's books. All 50 award-winning titles on display were recently added to our collections.

Cities of Women - WashU Libraries Join us for virtual book club, where we will discuss Cities of Women by Kathleen B. Jones. Verity Frazier, a disillusioned history professor sets out to prove that the artist responsible for the illum...

Join us at our monthly virtual Book club, where we will discuss Cities of Women by Kathleen B. Jones. Book Club will begin with a showcase of illuminated manuscripts from our rare books collections, followed by a discussion of the book. March 26, 3-4 pm on Zoom. library.washu.edu/events/citie...

Books to Celebrate Pi Day - WashU Libraries We celebrate Pi Day on March 14th, since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three digits of pi (written as π)—the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, which is used in many mathematical formula a...

It is March 14! Happy Pi Day! Here are some delightful reads from the shelves of Olin Library to enhance our appreciation of π and whet our appetites for math and pie: library.washu.edu/news/books-t...

A Book List to Celebrate Women's History Month - WashU Libraries To celebrate Women’s History Month in March, WashU Libraries are highlighting new books that portray several dimensions of women’s lives and histories from its shelves. The books are available at the ...

What are you reading this March? Here are some recommendations of new books from the shelves of Olin Library in honor of Women's History Month. library.washu.edu/news/a-book-...

Collection Highlight: Cookbooks for Ramadan - WashU Libraries Did you know there are cookbooks in the library? Try searching the catalog to inspire your next culinary adventure! We have a wide array of ebooks that you can access conveniently from home, or explor...

We are delighted to highlight cookbooks from our collections during the Holy Month of Ramadan. From "Scheherazade's Feasts" to "The Gaza Kitchen" our collections contain a delectable spread of Middle Eastern cookbooks. library.wustl.edu/news/collect...

Happy Women's History Month! Our digital exhibition "A Celebration of Women at WashU" celebrates the achievements of women at WashU that have long marked the university's history and its traditions of excellence in research, teaching, and service. uaexhibits.omeka.net/exhibits/sho...

An important @datarescueproject.org event at WashU Libraries brought together students, faculty & community members to archive and rescue vital federal data reports and websites that had gone missing. It made the front page of @stltoday.com!

Data Rescue: Call to Action at WashU - WashU Libraries WashU Libraries are participating in nationwide initiatives to rescue and make accessible disappearing federal data. Access to federal data is important for researchers and students, including here at...

WashU Libraries are participating in nationwide initiatives to rescue and make accessible disappearing federal data. Join us for the Data Rescue event on February 27 & 28 in John M. Olin Library at WashU. See below for details: library.wustl.edu/events/data-...

Surprising donation of 513 letters opens window into life of late US poet laureate Nemerov Washington University in St. Louis Libraries has received a remarkable gift of 513 letters by U.S. poet laureate Howard Nemerov from a surprising source — the family of Nemerov’s lover. For two decade...

A new cache of 513 letters by renowned poet Howard Nemerov has arrived at our Modern Lit. Collection. The letters from Nemerov to his secret lover Joan Coale were gifted to WashU Libraries by Coales's family. Read the story of this remarkable donation. source.washu.edu/2025/02/surp...

Antje Rávik Strubel Reading - WashU Libraries Join the International Writers Series for a reading and discussion with 2025 Max Kade Visiting Writer Antje Rávik Strubel. Strubel is an award-winning German author, and her most recent novel Blaue Fr...

Feb. 27 at Olin Library! Join the International Writers Series for a reading and discussion with 2025 Max Kade Visiting Writer Antje Rávik Strubel.

Strubel is an award-winning German author, and her most recent novel Blaue Frau (Blue Woman) won the German Book Prize in 2021. Sign up:

Douglass Day - WashU Libraries Drop in for a collaborative digital transcribe-a-thon in celebration of the birthday of Frederick Douglass, noted abolitionist, orator, and U.S. Ambassador to Haiti. Together with Douglass Day events ...

Feb. 14! Celebrate Frederick Douglass's birthday by joining us in Olin Library for the Douglass Day collaborative digital transcribe-a-thon. Details below ⬇️

library.wustl.edu/events/dougl...

Freedom Suits and the Story of Aspasia LeCompte - WashU Libraries As a reparative public historian, Kelly Schmidt works with archives to bring to light the forgotten histories of enslaved people and explore the relationships between slavery and institutions in the S...

The Freedom Suits exhibition and events tell the extraordinary history of people who sued for freedom from enslavement in 19th-century Missouri. Historian Kelly Schmidt's research with our archives sheds light on the story of LeCompte & her legal battle for freedom. library.wustl.edu/news/freedom...

WashU Libraries at the Guadalajara International Book Fair - WashU Libraries Each year, by the end of November, the city of Guadalajara, in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, becomes the epicenter of the Spanish-speaking literary and publishing world. The Feria International del Li...

The Guadalajara International Book Fair is one of Latin America's most important celebrations of literature and culture. Our subject librarian Lino Mioni talks about his experiences at the fair and building a collection of Latin American literature at WashU.
library.wustl.edu/news/washu-l...

We have 6 exhibitions currently on view at the John M. Olin Library. "Stanley and Joan Elkin's Artistic Kingdom" exhibits renowned writer and former WashU professor Stanley Elkin's manuscripts & letters and his wife Joan's paintings. library.wustl.edu/exhibitions/...

Freedom Suits exhibition

We are excited to make our debut on #BlueSky during #BlackHistoryMonth. The Freedom Suits exhibition at our John M. Olin Library tells the extraordinary history of people who sued for freedom from enslavement in the 19th century. Free and open to all.