Monday, October 3 at 7pm EST - The American School for the Deaf and The MTH&M present Sara Novi? discussing TRUE BIZ – A Novel with ASD Executive Director Jeff Bravin (Virtual - presented with American Sign Language interpretation and closed captioning)

True biz (adj./exclamation; American Sign Language): really, seriously, definitely, real-talk

True biz? The students at the River Valley School for the Deaf just want to hook up, pass their history finals, and have politicians, doctors, and their parents stop telling them what to do with their bodies. This revelatory novel plunges readers into the halls of a residential school for the deaf, where they’ll meet Charlie, a rebellious transfer student who’s never met another deaf person before; Austin, the school’s golden boy, whose world is rocked when his baby sister is born hearing; and February, the headmistress, who is fighting to keep her school open and her marriage intact, but might not be able to do both. As a series of crises both personal and political threaten to unravel each of them, Charlie, Austin, and February find their lives inextricable from one another—and changed forever. 

FREE virtual event. LEARN MORE & REGISTER HERE.

Tuesday, October 4 at 7pm EST - THE UNITED STATES OF CRYPTIDS: A Tour of American Myths and Monsters with J.W. Ocker and B.J. Hollars (Virtual)

Welcome to the United States of Cryptids, where mysterious monsters lurk in the dark forests, deep lakes, and sticky swamps of all fifty states. From the infamous Jersey Devil to the obscure Snallygaster, travel writer and chronicler of the strange J. W. Ocker uncovers the bizarre stories of more than seventy of these creatures and investigates the ways in which communities embrace and celebrate their local cryptids.

Whether you believe in bigfoot or not, this fully illustrated compendium is a fun, frightening, fascinating tour through American folklore and history, exploring the stories we tell about monsters and what those stories say about us. 

FREE Virtual Event! LEARN MORE & REGISTER HERE. 

Thursday, October 6 at 7pm EST - MARK TWAIN'S 10 LESSONS FOR A HEALTHY DEMOCRACY: Keeping the Republic with U.S. Ambassador (Ret.) Donald Bliss and Steve Courtney (Virtual)

Don Bliss, in conversation with Steve Courtney, will explore Twain’s articulation of various threats to democracy—among them voter apathy and the lack of civic education, elected representatives who put loyalty to political party above loyalty to country, the influence of money in politics and the legislative process, the abuse of executive power, and human nature’s drift toward autocracy. 

FREE Virtual Event! LEARN MORE & REGISTER HERE. 

October's GRAVEYARD SHIFT GHOST TOURS of The Mark Twain House are on sale NOW! 

These hour-long journeys into the Twain House are filled with haunted family history, Victorian traditions surrounding Spiritualism and death, and stories of unexplained phenomena. Come discover where SyFy's "Ghost Hunters" did three investigations of this National Historic Landmark!

Our annual nocturnal tours of the Clemens Family's historic home always sell out, so be sure to book early. Graveyard Shift Ghost Tours run weekends starting September 30. RESERVE YOUR TICKETS HERE. 

Tuesday, October 11 at 7pm EST - New York Times Journalist Maggie Haberman on CONFIDENCE MAN: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America with Susan Campbell 

In-Person Event at the Immanuel Congregational Church, 10 Woodland Street, Hartford (across the street from The Mark Twain House & Museum) 

Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman joins Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and author Susan Campbell on Haberman’s highly-anticipated CONFIDENCE MAN: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America. 

Few journalists working today have covered Donald Trump more extensively than Maggie Haberman. And few understand him and his motivations better. Now, demonstrating her majestic command of this story, Haberman reveals in full the depth of her understanding of the 45th president himself, and of what the Trump phenomenon means.

Interviews with hundreds of sources and numerous interviews over the years with Trump himself portray a complicated and often contradictory historical figure. 

In-Person Event! Ticket $42 includes signed copy of the book; $37 for MTH&M Members. LEARN MORE & REGISTER HERE. 

Please note: The MTH&M is a non-partisan non-profit organization that presents significant authors in conversation on topics important to our time. This event is not an endorsement by the museum of any political point of view.

Friday, November 4 at 6pm: The Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award Celebration presented by David Baldacci and Bank of America. In-person event!

The 2022 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award honors an exemplary work of fiction from the previous calendar year that speaks with an “American Voice” about American experiences, much like Twain’s masterwork, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. From 60 eligible titles published in 2021 submitted for consideration this year, the winning work of fiction will be chosen this fall. You can see the four finalists here.

Join us on November 4th at our celebration dinner to recognize a modern voice that’s defining our current America. The award will be presented by bestselling author and former trustee of The Mark Twain House & Museum, David Baldacci, and excerpts of the winning book will be read by the author.

For ticket and sponsorship information, please contact our Development Office.

Book Your Visit!

Plan your visit to America's Best House Museum (Forbes Magazine, 2021) by CLICKING HERE.

Upcoming Events

V = Virtual Event; IP = In-Person Event

October 3 - True Biz with Sara Novi? (V)

October 4 - The United States of Cryptids: A Tour of American Myths and Monsters with J.W. Ocker (V)

October 6 - Mark Twain's 10 Lessons for a Healthy Democracy: Keeping the Republic with U.S. Ambassador (ret.) Donald T. Bliss (V)

October 11 - Maggie Haberman on Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America (IP)

October 13 - Over My Dead Body: The Hidden History of America's Cemeteries with Greg Melville (V)

October 18 - MTH&M & Connecticut Funeral Directors Association present All the Living and the Dead: From Embalmers to Executioners, an Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life's Work with Hayley Campbell (V)

 October 19 - Virtual Gallery Talk with Printmakers' Network of Southern New England (V)

October 20 - Classic Monsters Unleashed! with horror writer panel (V)

October 24 - Calling the Spirits: A History of Seances with Lisa Morton (V)

October 25 - Stay True - A Memoir by Hua Hsu (V)

October 27 - Tesla: Wizard at War -The Genius, The Particle Beam Weapon, and the Pursuit of Power with Marc J. Seifer (V)

 November 1 - MTH&M and Amistad Center present Beatrice's Ledger: Growing Up in the Jim Crow South with Dr. Ruth Martin and Dr. Vivian Martin (IP)

November 3 - Retail Gangster: The INSANE, Real-Life Story of CRAZY EDDIE with Gary Weiss (V)

November 4 - Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award Celebration (IP)

November 7 - My Government Means to Kill Me with Rasheed Newson (V)

November 8 - Virtual Gallery Talk with Printmakers' Network of Southern New England (V)

November 10 - H.W. Brands on The Last Campaign: Sherman, Geronimo and the War for America (V)

November 15 - This Victorian Life: Modern Adventures in Nineteenth-century Culture, Cooking, Fashion, and Technology with Sarah and Gabriel Chrisman (V)

November 17 - The MTH&M and the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum present a lunchtime conversation with Women of the American West with Katie Hickman and April White (V)

November 29 - Amistad Center & MTH&M present The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family with Kerri K. Greenidge (V)

December 1 - Amistad Center & MTH&M present Radical Lives: Four Abolitionists with Linda Hirshman and Lydia Moland (V)

December 7 - The Trouble Begins at Home: Susy Clemens' Final Years (V)

December 8 - Requiem for the Massacre: A Black History on the Conflict, Hope, and Fallout of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre with RJ Young (V)

December 12 - Peniel E. Joseph on The Third Reconstruction: America's Struggle for Racial Justice in the Twenty-First Century (V)

More to be announced soon!

To see all event information and registration, CLICK HERE.

To preorder books for our upcoming events, CLICK HERE. Signed books will be mailed after the event. Please note that we cannot ship outside of the U.S. at this time.

Your donation to The Mark Twain House & Museum helps us meet our mission to preserve the home and legacy of Mark Twain. Thank you for your generosity!

Support the House

Author programs at The Mark Twain House & Museum are sponsored by Connecticut Public Broadcasting and the Wish You Well Foundation. Virtual author programs are supported by Suzanne Hopgood in the memory of former MTH&M Trustee Frank Lord.

Programs at The Mark Twain House & Museum are made possible in part by support from CT Humanities; the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of the Arts; Ensworth Charitable Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee; the Greater Hartford Arts Council’s United Arts Campaign; The Hartford; The Mark Twain Foundation; The National Endowment for the Humanities; and Travelers.