The American Writers Museum opened in Chicago May 16, 2017

The American Writers Museum (AWM), interactive and high tech, is the first and only museum of its kind in the United States. The mission of the American Writers Museum is to engage the public in celebrating American writers and exploring their influence on our history, our identity, and our daily lives. It showcases the personal stories and literary works of diverse American writers, from Mark Twain to Dr. Seuss. The American Writers Museum has collaborated with 65 authors’ homes and museums around the U.S.

The AWM debuts with two temporary exhibits:  Palm: All Awake in the Darkness, inspired by the life and work of the American poet W.S. Merwin, and The Beat Journey: Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” featuring the display of the original scroll manuscript. Palm is a newly commissioned immersive installation by artist duo Susannah Sayler and Edward Morris (Sayler / Morris) in collaboration with Ian Boyden.  The Beat Journey: Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” displays the iconic hand-crafted scroll on which Jack Kerouac wrote the modern classic On The Road. Jack Kerouac reportedly typed the scroll in three weeks, after years of planning and early drafts. On the Road, and the way in which it was produced, is representative of the Beat Generation and their characteristic rejection of societal norms.

“We are thrilled to officially open the doors to the country’s first American Writers Museum and proud to call Chicago the museum’s home. It will provide an exciting and unprecedented opportunity to showcase our great writers and their works in one of the nation’s most culturally rich cities,” stated AWM President, Carey Cranston. “We have had the honor to work with an inspiring team of people dedicated to the importance of celebrating American culture through writing and we hope the museum inspires visitors to not only appreciate the works of the writers featured in the museum, but practice the art of writing themselves.”

Images courtesy American Writers Museum.