John Williams and Teddy Roosevelt Live on Stage
Oct
22
10:00 AM10:00

John Williams and Teddy Roosevelt Live on Stage

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Saturday, October 22 at 10 a.m.
Classic Cinemas Tivoli Theatre in Downers Grove

TR to the Rescue – Again! with John Williams sponsored by Joint Relief Institute, Jerry Haggerty Chevy

This won’t be the first time John Williams and WGN Radio have invited Teddy Roosevelt to share his stories and insight with us. But it may be the best! If ever Chicago and Illinois and the USA needed someone who is good, smart, solid, dependable, independent, reliable, honest, candid, funny, well-read, rough ridin’, shootin’, tootin’- okay, you get the idea – it’s now. The stories you will hear are true, heartfelt, sometimes hilarious and hard to believe. And the insight will be important.

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The Lewis & Clark Trail: Tour with Clay Jenkinson (July 31-August 9)
Jul
31
to Aug 8

The Lewis & Clark Trail: Tour with Clay Jenkinson (July 31-August 9)

Join Jefferson scholar and author Clay Jenkinson in exploring the less-traveled reaches of the Lewis & Clark Trail in Montana and Idaho. On this exclusive adventure, we hike, canoe, swim, sing, tell stories, explore historic sites, gaze at the stars, sit around bonfires, and learn about the most important exploration party in American history.

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The Lewis & Clark Trail: Tour with Clay Jenkinson (July 17-26)
Jul
17
to Jul 26

The Lewis & Clark Trail: Tour with Clay Jenkinson (July 17-26)

  • Google Calendar ICS

Join Jefferson scholar and author Clay Jenkinson in exploring the less-traveled reaches of the Lewis & Clark Trail in Montana and Idaho. On this exclusive adventure, we hike, canoe, swim, sing, tell stories, explore historic sites, gaze at the stars, sit around bonfires, and learn about the most important exploration party in American history.

Learn more.

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Clay Jenkinson as John Wesley Powell
Jun
25
3:00 PM15:00

Clay Jenkinson as John Wesley Powell

June 25, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Salida SteamPlant, Salida, CO

“Clay Jenkinson, host of The Thomas Jefferson Hour on NPR, will appear as John Wesley Powell, the leader of the Powell Geographic Expedition of 1869 which was the first recorded survey of the Grand Canyon. This is a Scholarship Fundraiser for the Central Colorado Humanists.”

More information.

Get your tickets here.

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8th Annual Lecture in Honor of John C. Van Horne Featuring Clay S. Jenkinson
Jun
7
5:30 PM17:30

8th Annual Lecture in Honor of John C. Van Horne Featuring Clay S. Jenkinson

The Library Company
Philadelphia, PA
Franklin Hall of the American Philosophical Society
June 7, 5:30 pm

Jenkinson will be discussing German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) and his memorable 1805 visit with Thomas Jefferson. Humboldt took a long detour in his journey from Mexico to Europe to spend a few days with Jefferson, then serving his second term as President of the United States. The visit took place precisely at the time Lewis and Clark were exploring Montana and Idaho on the president's behalf, and Humboldt's encounters with Jefferson are revealing and delightful.”

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Clay Jenkinson as Thomas Jefferson
May
14
7:00 PM19:00

Clay Jenkinson as Thomas Jefferson

Saturday, May 14th at 8:00PM
Ferguson Center for the Arts
Newport News, VA

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“Humanities scholar and writer Clay Jenkinson brings Jefferson to life in his portrayal of the third president with such authenticity that the audience may forget that Mr. Jefferson is not actually standing in front of them.

“The program will focus on Jefferson’s life and accomplishments, but the audience will have the opportunity to ask Mr. Jefferson questions as well on any subject, an experience that will give everyone a new appreciation of history and our Founding Fathers in a truly inspirational, educational and entertaining way.”

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The Future of the Constitution (Virtual Lecture/Seminar)
Apr
12
5:30 PM17:30

The Future of the Constitution (Virtual Lecture/Seminar)

“Historian, author, and humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson considers four questions: What happened in Philadelphia between May and September 1787? What are the various ways in which the Constitution has been interpreted (broad versus strict construction, originalism, textualism, structuralism, pragmatism)? What problems or inadequacies have the 27 amendments attempted to address? And what principles or clauses of the Constitution are in need of clarification or reform nearly 250 years after the ‘miracle in Philadelphia’?”

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Can Huckleberry Finn Survive? (Virtual Lecture/Seminar)
Mar
3
5:30 PM17:30

Can Huckleberry Finn Survive? (Virtual Lecture/Seminar)

“Author and humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson considers the controversial issues surrounding the book—ones that are not unique to Huck Finn. Should we retire the novel permanently? Should we silently alter that taboo word to something less offensive? Should we continue to teach the book, but with plenty of disclaimers, context, and warnings? And what would be lost when a work of literature—one that chronicles the triumph of an improbable friendship that transcends law and race—disappears?”

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A More Perfect Union: The Future of the U.S. Constitution
Nov
6
to Dec 11

A More Perfect Union: The Future of the U.S. Constitution

  • Google Calendar ICS

The five-week course will include sessions on:

  • How we got the Constitution of 1787

  • How we have interpreted the Constitution

  • How we have amended the Constitution

  • How we might improve the Constitution

The famous Roman Republic collapsed when its constitution, devised for a small city state, failed to embrace the Mediterranean world empire Rome had become. This led to civil discord, demagoguery, and civil war.

Thomas Jefferson urged us to tear up or revise the U.S. Constitution once every generation, perhaps every nineteen years, to keep pace "with the progress of the human mind," and the experience of the American republic. We have, in fact, only amended the Constitution 27 times, ten right at the start, just 17 times the last 230 years. (The last amendment was ratified in 1992, on an issue of very limited importance).

Together we will explore the making of the Constitution, its ratification, its interpretation, and its current status, but we will brainstorm together, with all this historical background to guide our thoughts and conversation, about ways in which we might form a "more perfect union," if we have the moral courage to address the fundamental problems of American governance.

Learn more here.

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Clay Jenkinson on the Native American Photography of Edward S. Curtis: Art, Advocacy, Appropriation and the Myth of the Vanishing Indian
Oct
26
7:30 PM19:30

Clay Jenkinson on the Native American Photography of Edward S. Curtis: Art, Advocacy, Appropriation and the Myth of the Vanishing Indian

Clay Jenkinson on the Native American Photography of Edward S. Curtis:
Art, Advocacy, Appropriation and the Myth of the Vanishing Indian
Tuesday, October 26 7:30 – 8:30 p.m.
YouTube Live | http://bit.ly/tcc-roper
Produced by Clay Jenkinson and Paul Lasakow

Learn more here.

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Aug
30
to Sep 1

Clay Jenkinson: One Man, Two Presidents, Three Nights

Monday, Aug. 30 – Wednesday, Sept. 1
6 p.m. (In Person)

Vail, CO
https://vailsymposium.org/winter-20-21-season-at-a-glance/

Vail Symposium Special Fundraising Event

If you could talk with Thomas Jefferson or Theodore Roosevelt, what would you discuss? While we cannot resurrect our past presidents, we can offer the next best thing–historian and historical reenactor Clay Jenkinson. Jenkinson will portray Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt (not simultaneously) on three nights. Start thinking about what you would ask them, because you might just get the chance.

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Lewis & Clark Trail in Montana & Idaho
Jul
11
to Jul 20

Lewis & Clark Trail in Montana & Idaho

July 11 – 20, 2021
more details

Join Jefferson scholar and author Clay Jenkinson in exploring the less-traveled reaches of the Lewis & Clark Trail in Montana and Idaho. On this exclusive adventure, we hike, canoe, swim, sing, tell stories, explore historic sites, gaze at the stars, sit around bonfires, and learn about the most important exploration party in American history.

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The Language of Cottonwoods book signing at Main Street Books
Jul
8
5:30 PM17:30

The Language of Cottonwoods book signing at Main Street Books

Thursday, July 8, 2021
5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. CST

Main Street Books, Minot, ND

https://www.mainstreetbooksminot.com/

Join us as renowned North Dakota author Clay Jenkinson discusses his new book, "The Language of the Cottonwoods: Essays on the Future of North Dakota." Make sure to stick around to get your own copy signed!

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Jun
29
6:00 PM18:00

Smithsonian Virtual Lecture: "Road Books: Unforgettable Journeys"

Tuesday, June 29, 2021
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET

Tickets and more information can be found here.

Road books represent one of the richest and most satisfying genres of literature. Beginning with Homer’s Odyssey, and the Apollonius’ Voyage of the Argonauts, or the Book of Exodus for that matter, road stories have both delighted audiences throughout western civilization, and also served as a metaphor for life’s less physical journeys. In American literature Kerouac’s On the Road is pre-eminent, unless you include Mark Twain’s masterpiece Huckleberry Finn and Melville’s epic Moby Dick. More recently, Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley, William Least Heat-Moon’s Blue Highways, and Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance have made significant contributions to the genre.

Award-winning historian, author, and public humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson introduces the themes and structures of the literature of the road, examines passages from several road classics, and explores the theme of restlessness in American history. He has traveled the Lewis and Clark Trail by plane (including an F-16 jet), by canoe, and by automobile, and he twice hiked the entire length of the Little Missouri River between Devils Tower and central North Dakota.

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The Muse: Clay Jenkinson Book Launch and Reading
Jun
23
6:00 PM18:00

The Muse: Clay Jenkinson Book Launch and Reading

North Dakota is regarded as flyover country, but extraordinary narratives play out on this improbable Great Plains landscape. North Dakota is the home of one of the world's largest nuclear missile fields, one of the first mosques in America, a zany collection of roadside attractions, resurgent Native American communities, one of the nation's most productive oil fields, and the magnificent Little Missouri River badlands.

Join The Muse Writers Center for a reading by Clay Jenkinson from his latest book, The Language of Cottonwoods: Essays on North Dakota, followed by a Q&A hosted by Michael Khandelwal. To join live, register for the Zoom link to the reading and Q&A. Attendees who join the Zoom webinar will be able to interact and ask the author questions. There will also be a recording available after the event.

Learn more: The Muse Writer’s Center.

RSVP on Facebook.

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