Past Events
May 19
Stayton Public Library
Stanton, Oregon
May 14, 2016
Northwest Authors Talk
Cannon Beach Library
Cannon Beach, Oregon
April 5, 4 pm
Shakespeare 400
University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire
March 31-April 3, 2016
Kitty Fisher Found It
American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies
Pittsburgh, PA
I'll be talking about Kitty Fisher, the subject of my not-yet-out novel
March 23, 7:30 pm
Town Hall Seattle
(Not the official City Hall government place, "Town Hall" puts on all sorts of fascinating events)
1119 8th Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
November 6-8, 2015
Gender and Commodification
PAMLA
Portland State University
November 5, 2015
Ledding Cultural Forum
The Pond House
Milwaukie, OR
October 17, 2 pm
Corvallis Author Talk
Corvallis-Benton Public Library
645 NW Monroe Ave.
Corvallis, OR 97330
October 13, 6:30 pm
Pageturners Book Group
Capitol Hill Library
10723 Sw Capitol Hwy,
Portland, OR 97219
I'm honored that Multnomah County Library has chosen Juliet's Nurse for their wonderful Pageturners program. I had a blast visiting libraries to discuss The Secrets of Mary Bowser.
October 1, 1:30 pm
Pageturners Book Group
Capitol Hill Library
10723 Sw Capitol Hwy,
Portland, OR 97219
I'm honored that Multnomah County Library has chosen Juliet's Nurse for their wonderful Pageturners program. I had a blast visiting libraries to discuss The Secrets of Mary Bowser.
Tuesday, August 25, high noon.
Celebrity Chocolate Cake Smackdown!!!
Oregon Historical Society
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland OR
What do I love about Portland? 1. That authors count as celebrities. 2. That chocolate cake is considered an historical phenomenon.
Thursday, July 30, 6:30 pm
Sex in Shakespeare
Portland Shakespeare Project
Artists Repertory Theatre
1515 SW Morrison Street
Portland, Oregon 97205
Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Daniel Pollack-Pelzner is joined by Amy Greenstadt, Associate Professor of English at Portland State University, Lois Leveen, author of Juliet’s Nurse, and Erica Terpening-Romeo, Co-Artistic Director of Anon It Moves, for a lively discussion about Twelfth Night and the more general topic of sex in Shakespeare.
July 23-24
Civil War Weekend: Fact, Film, and Fiction: An Intriguing Look at How We Learn History
Josephine Community Library
Grants Pass, OR
What choices do historians, filmmakers, and creative writers make when they represent events like the Civil War? How do those choices shape our understanding of the past? Can you learn "good history" from a Hollywood film or a work of fiction? Join us to explore these questions in two workshops led by historian, former college professor, and award-winning author Lois Leveen.
Friday evening:
Glory, Story, and History: In this workshop, we'll discuss the Academy Award-winning film Glory, which stars Denzel Washington, Matthew Broderick, and Morgan Freeman. How does the film represent the way different individuals experienced important historical events? How does it encourage the audience's interest in history? What more do you wish you knew about the Civil War, because of this film? Participants are urged to watch the full film prior to the workshop [WILL THERE BE A SCREENING OR TWO AT THE LIBRARY??? I hope so, and if so put it here].
Saturday morning:
Telling Secrets: Mary Bowser and the Fictions of History: In this workshop, we'll discuss the historical research behind Lois Leveen's novel The Secrets of Mary Bowser. How does a fiction writer use historical facts to create a compelling story? What happens when the historical record doesn't yield enough information to be certain about what happened in the life of a real historical figure? Is it ever okay to change the facts or make up events in order to write historical fiction? Participants are urged to read The Secrets of Mary Bowser prior to the workshop. Copies are available for check-out from the library; if you want your own copy, it can also be ordered from any online bookseller in print, audio, or ebook. [does the local bookstore have copies for sale? if so, put that info here]. You may also want to watch a C-SPAN program featuring Lois and two leading Civil War historians, which is available for free online at
http://ow.ly/OESxU .
July 23, 7 pm
Bloomsbury Books
Ashland, Oregon . . . .Home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
July 7, 2015, 6:30 pm
Olympia Timberland Library
313 8th Ave SE
Olympia, WA
June 18, 2015, 7 pm
Annie Bloom’s Books
Delighted to read at this wonderful Portland independent bookstore, to celebrate the paperback release of JULIET'S NURSE
7834 SW Capitol Hwy
Portland, OR 97219
June 11, 2015
Capulet Gynecologist, Montague Onanist: Medieval Sex, Renaissance Death, and Romeo and Juliet
Morbid Anatomy Museum
424-A 3rd Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
I'll be presenting some of the more bizarre and fascinating things I learned while researching JULIET'S NURSE.
This should up Angelica's cache among the hipsters!
Thursday, May 28 9 pm
Harvard Author Party
Harvard University
Cambridge MA
A private event for Harvard alumni, featuring authors from the Class of 1990.
May 15, 2015
The Fact of Fiction: Negotiating the Place of Historical Novels in Igniting Interest in Women’s Hist
Western Association of Women Historians
47th Annual Conference
Sacramento CA
Sunday, April 19, 2 pm
Calyx Fundraiser
Dessert and cocktail fundraiser for Calyx Press
2524 SW Sheffield Ave.,
Portland, OR
RSVP to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
I'm delighted to support Oregon's stalwart feminist press, and to be reading with my dear friends and fellow writers Paulann Petersen, Willa Schneberg, Kate Gray, and Kerry Cohen.
April 10
HomeWord Bound
Community Partners for Affordable Housing
I'm delighted to speak at this fundraiser for a wonderful organization serving hard-working families.
April 1-4, 2015
Shakespeare Association of America
"Appropriation, Adaptation, or What You Will"
Vancouver, BC
March 25, 6 pm - 8 pm
Civil War Sesquicentennial—the Final Year
University of Alabama
Gorgas Library, Room 205
I'm delighted to be speaking about Mary Bowser at the culmination of the sesquicentennial remembrance of the Civil War. My talk is entitled, "Fighting Memory: What We're Still Learning About Race, Gender, and the Civil War."
Tuesday, March 17
Canby Public Library
Canby Public Library Author Talk
March 12
Three Creeks Community Library
Fort Vancouver Regional Library
800-C NE Tenney Rd.
Vancouver, WA
February 22, 2 pm
Portland Actors Conservatory—Audience Talk Back
Portland Actors Conservatory
1436 SW Montgomery St
Portland OR
Come see the Portland Actors Conservatory production of Romeo and Juliet, then join the audience discussion with the director, cast, and me about how we've each interpreted the characters and events in Shakespeare's most famous play.
February 19, 7 pm
Art & Architecture of Italy
"Community Reads" event
Atkinson Church, Oregon City
February 13, 7 pm MT
Dialogue with Marcia Franklin
Idaho Public Television
February 12, 7 pm
Community Wide Read
Oregon City
Atkinson Church
I'm delighted that Oregon City has chosen JULIET'S NURSE for its 2015 Community-Wide Read.
The wonderful library director Maureen Cole and I have cooked up a series of great programs, including my author talk this evening. See their website for all the events.
February 11, noon
Shakespeare Enamorata
Clackamas Community College
This guest talk is hosted by Professor Taylor Donnelly and the Clackamas Community College's winter Shakespeare course, and it's open to all members of the CCC community.
January 31, 2015
Write to Publish
Portland State University
Smith Memorial Union
I'm delighted to be speaking about writing and publishing at this fundraiser for Ooligan Press
January 20, 9 am
AM Northwest, KATU-TV
Helen's Book Club Pick
Juliet's Nurse is this month's on-air book club selection. Tune in Tuesday morning to watch Lois interviewed and hear what the audience says about the novel.
January 17, 2015
Salem Book Club Day
Salem Public Library
December 7, 12-4 pm
Celebration of Oregon Authors
Oregon Historical Society
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland OR
Buy local! Read local!
Support the Oregon Historical Society, a wonderful archive and museum serving our state.
Support local authors.
And stock up on great reads and great gifts.
November 26-30
Writer’s Voice
Broadcasting throughout the US and Canada
November 20, 6 pm
Rediscovered Books
180 N. 8th St, Boise, Idaho
Thursday, November 20
Borah High School
Boise, ID
Thursday, November 20
Bishop Kelly High School
Boise, ID
Wed. November 19, 6 pm
Juliet’s Nurse: Writing Premodern Desire
Boise State University
Interactive Learning Center, room 313
November 9, 2014, 2 pm
Second Sunday Author Series
Deschutes Public Library
601 N.W. Wall Street
Bend, OR
Saturday, November 8, 6 pm
Paulina Springs Books
252 W Hood Ave
Sisters OR 97759
October 30, 7 pm
Winged: New Writing on Bees
Literary Arts
925 SW Washington St
Portland OR
October 28, 7 pm
Broadway Books
Broadway Books
1714 NE Broadway St
Portland, OR
October 26, 11 am
International Festival of Authors
Lakeside Terrace, Harbourfront Centre
October 24, 2 pm
Juliet’s Nurse: Riffing on Romeo and Juliet to Share Research on Medieval and Renaissance Women’s
University of Toronto
October 24, 7 pm
IFOA - Creemore
Creemore, Canada
October 22, 7 pm
IFOA - Woodstock
IFOA at Knox Presbyterian Church
September 26-28
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association
Tacoma, WA
I love indie bookstores, and that's why I cherish the chance to meet NW booksellers in person.
September 26, 12 pm
Celebration of Authors
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association
Tacoma, Washington
September 25
Eagle Harbor Books
Eagle Harbor Books
157 Winslow Way E
Bainbridge Island, WA
Reading and book signing.
September 24
Third Place Books
Third Place Books
17171 Bothell Way NE
Lake Forest Park, WA
(Seattle)
September 23
JULIET’S NURSE book release / reading
Powell's City of Books
1005 W Burnside
Portland OR
Happy birthday to my new book! Please come celebrate and hear me read at Powell's Books, Inc. on Burnside. We sold out the store for the kickoff reading of THE SECRETS OF MARY BOWSER, let's see whether you love William Shakespeare as much as you love the Civil War.
September 9, 2 pm
Author2Author
Blog Talk Radio
Want a sneak-peek, or rather, sneak-listen, about JULIET'S NURSE?
Tune in for this live interview, or listen online anytime after 2pm.
Thanks to the Pacific Northwest Writers Association for inviting me!
June 21, 2014
Oregon Historical Society
Join me for this discussion of Abraham Lincoln, Mary Bowser, and historical fiction, presented in conjunction with OHS' Lincoln exhibit.
May 9, 2014
Faking It
The 49th International Congress on Medieval Studies
Western Michigan University
I'm thrilled to be joining a roundtable of medievalists (HRH Medieval King Arthur did come up with the whole roundtable idea, didn't he?) to discuss how novel writing allows me "fake" (i.e. sneak in without anyone notice) some lessons introducing 21st-century readers to medieval life.
May 10, 2014
“An I should live a thousand years”: JULIET’S NURSE and Medieval Women’s Lives
International Congress on Medieval Studies
Western Michigan University
A presentation detailing some of the medieval and Renaissance history behind my new novel, JULIET'S NURSE.
April 21-27
Putting the “Where” into “Wherefore Art Thou”
Shakespeare 450
The Société Française Shakespeare
Paris, France
April 3, 2014
What Happens Between the Covers: Writing Premodern Desire
Framing Premodern Desires: Between Sexuality, Sin and Crime
Turku Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies
Finland
I've been invited to do a kickoff talk for this amazing conference. I'll be speaking about sexual and maternal desire in my forthcoming novel JULIET'S NURSE. Should be hot as a Finnish sauna!
February 25, 2014
Author Talk and Book Signing
University of Oregon
February 5, 2014
Visible and Invisible Meanings of Blackness: Mary Bowser as Slave, Spy, and Subject of History
Universidad de Costa Rica
January 17, 2014
MLK Day Keynote Talk
Roosevelt High School
December 5, 2013
Visiting Writers
Hamilton College
October 9, 7:30 pm
Portland State University Civil War Roundtable
Cramer Hall Rm 494
PSU
October 3
Linfield College
Visiting Writers Program
September 9, 2013 through October 22, 2013
Pageturners at Multnomah County Library
Guest speaker at 10 Multnomah County Branch Libraries
Monday, September 09, 6:30 pm at St. Johns Meeting Room
Wednesday, September 11, 6:30 pm at Belmont Meeting Room
Tuesday, September 17, 6:30 pm at North Portland Meeting Room
Thursday, September 19, 6:30 pm at Hollywood Meeting Room
Tuesday, October 08, 2013, 6:45 pm at Capitol Hill Meeting Room
Thursday, October 10, 2:00 pm at Gresham Library
Monday, October 14, 6:30 pm at Troutdale Meeting Room
Tuesday, October 15, 6:30 pm at Kenton Meeting Room
Wednesday, October 16, 1:00 pm at Midland Library
Tuesday, October 22, 6:30 pm at Fairview-Columbia Meeting Room
July 12-14, 2013
American History Weekend
Josephine Community Library
June 5
Nook Farm Author Talk and Book Club
Harriet Beecher Stowe Center
77 Forest Street, Hartford, CT
May 23, 6 pm
Meet the Author
Newberry Library
Chicago
May 15, 6:30 pm
Learning from History: a conversation with Lois Leveen, educator and author
Allen Temple CME Church (co-sponsored by City Club of Portland, the Urban League, and First Unitarian Church of Portland)
4236 NE 8th Ave, Portland, OR
The Secrets of Mary Bowser is based on the true story of a woman born into slavery, freed and educated in the North, who returned to the South and became a Union spy in the Confederate White House. Named one of the top 10 books of 2012 by The Oregonian, the novel is introducing readers across the country to little known aspects of American history, and to a real-life African American heroine. In this conversation, author and education expert Lois Leveen will discuss how the history behind the novel offers important lessons for the twenty-first century, particularly how Mary Bowser's journey from slavery to freedom can serve as a model as we work to achieve educational equity for all young people in Portland.
There is no need to read the book before the program, although copies are available at area bookstores and will be on sale at the event. The event is appropriate for middle school and high school students as well as for adults. Advanced RSVPs are appreciated but not required --Call City Club's Reservation Line 503-228-7231, Ext. 110
April 20, 2013
Kalama Word Catcher
Featured author
Kalama, Washington
I'm delighted to participate in this benefit for the Kalama Public Library
April 12, 2013
June Key Delta Community Center
Fundraiser for a wonderful Portland group.
April 8, 5:00 pm
Telling Secrets: Mary Bowser, Race, Gender, and American History at VSU
Virginia State University
April 8, 11:30 am
Telling Secrets: Mary Bowser, Race, Gender, and American History
Randolph-Macon College
April 6, 2013
The Future of Richmond’s Past
The Museum of the Confederacy
I'll be joining President of the University of Richmond Ed Ayers and Elizabeth Varon, author of *Southern Lady, Yankee Spy* the definitive biography of Bet Van Lew, for a discussion at the former White House of the Confederacy (aka the Gray House).
April 4, 11, 18, and 25
Do You See What I’m Saying? Carrie Mae Weems and Her Literary Sisters
Portland Art Museum
I'm delighted to be leading this program in conjunction with a major retrospective of Carrie Mae Weems. Born and raised in the heart of Portland’s African American community, Carrie Mae Weems is one of the most significant artists working today. In this four session series, participants will explore themes of race, family, and history in Weems’ art, and in work by contemporary black women writers.
April 3, 7 pm
Whose Civil War? Black History, Women’s History, and the Becker Collection Drawings
Reed College
Vollum Lecture Hall
Portland, Oregon
March 28, 2013, 6:30 pm
Women Hold Up Half the Sky
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
50 East Freedom Way
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati celebrates Women's History Month with a tribute to Mary Bowser.
As the country marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (NURFC) invites members of the public to a fascinating Women's History Month program about Mary Bowser, a Union spy who posed as a slave in the Confederate White House during the Civil War. Lois Leveen, author of THE SECRETS OF MARY BOWSER (HarperCollins/William Morrow) will share this little known history as part of NURFC's "Women Hold Up Half the Sky" exhibition, which tells stories of women from around the globe who have changed their lives through education, economics, and self-determination.
March 21, 2013
University of Portland
Departments of English and History
March 20, 7 pm
Sigma Tau Delta International Convention
International English Honor Society
I'm honored to be the kick-off speaker welcoming 900 faculty and student members of the international English honor society to their annual convention.
March 7
First Novel Panel
Pacific University
February 26, 4 pm
March 12, 4 pm
April 2, 6:30 pm
April 16, 6:30 pm
Civil War 150: A Community Comes Together to Understand a Nation Torn Apart
Canby Public Library
I'll be leading a series of community discussions about the Civil War and its legacy.
February 26, 2013
Luncheon Lecture
Oregon Area Jewish Committee
$15/person includes lunch and drinks
$5/person includes drinks only
The Law Offices of Miller Nash, LLP
111 SW Fifth Ave, 34th Floor, Portland, OR 97204
Parking Validation Provided
February 23, 2013, 3:00 pm
Orca Books
Olympia, Washington
February 21 1pm-3pm
Bonneville Power Administration
Learning from Mary Bowser: Workplace Diversity Talk
February 18, 2013
Giving Voice to Black History
Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana
February 12, 7 pm
University of Detroit-Mercy
Black History Month event
January 28, 4 pm
Telling Secrets: Mary Bowser, Race, Gender, and American History
DePaul University
Rosati Room 300, Richardson Library 2350, North Kenmore Ave., Chicago IL
January 23, 2013
Loyola University
Departments of English and Women's Studies
Chicago, IL
January 18, 2013
Pritzker Military Library
Pritzker Military Library
Chicago, IL
Lunchtime talk on Mary Bowser and Civil War espionage
Wednesday, January 16, 2013, 7:30 pm
What Difference Does Difference Make? Race, Social Justice, and Jewish American Literature
Temple Beth Israel
Skokie, Illinois
This talk is part of Temple Beth Israel's yearlong exploration of the theme "Making a difference, one day at a time, one act at a time."
December 18, 4-7 pm
Oregon Humanities
The Cleaners/Ace Hotel
1022 SW Stark Street
Friday, November 30, 2012
Historical Fiction in the Pacific Northwest
Salem Public Library
November 17, 2012
LiveWire!
Featured guest on LiveWire! radio program.
November 9, 2012
From Academia to the End-Cap at Target: Putting Your Ph.D. to Work by Bringing Humanities Research
George Washington University
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Lost and Found Stories: African Americans in Northern Virginia
George Mason University
Keynote speaker at the annual symposium on black history in Northern Virginia. This event is open to the public as well as the campus community.
November 1, 2012
Jewish Book Month Speaker
Three Creeks Community Library
800-C NE Tenney Road
Vancouver, WA
Thursday, October 25, 2012, 7 pm
Northwest Voices
Longview Public Library
Library talk open to the public, 7:00
October 25, 2012, 3:30-5:00
Writing So Good You Can Taste It
Lower Columbia College
Thursday, October 18, 2012, 7 pm
Seaside Library
Seaside, Oregon
October 13
Wordstock
Wordstock is the Pacific Northwest’s premier venue for writers, books, and storytellers
Panel, There's Nothing Like Your First, 11:00 AM on the Faceout Studios Stage
Reading, 2:00 PM on the Work for Art Stage
Panel, Lives of Others, 4:00 PM on the McMenamins