National

Shortly after Ernest Hemingway’s death in 1961, his widow, Mary Hemingway, was contacted by the owner of Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West, asking her to retrieve the materials that Hemingway had stored there since he moved to Cuba in 1939. With the aid of Hemingway’s longtime Key West friends Toby and Betty Bruce, Mary sorted through mountains of papers and belongings, took what she wished, and left the rest to the Bruces in gratitude for their help.

C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. Lewis wrote more than thirty books, reaching a vast audience and attracting thousands of new readers every year.

2024 marks the 150th birth anniversary of Sir Winston Churchill with events planned throughout the year which celebrate and explore his remarkable public service and enduring legacy. Brian E. Krapf, is recognized internationally as an authority on the memorabilia made during Sir Winston’s public service, which spanned over 65 years. Mr. Krapf has recently published A Churchill Treasury, which is the first book to utilize period memorabilia to document Sir Winston’s public service in a biographical format. Mr. Krapf will discuss his book, A Churchill Treasury, and give us a rare tour of some of the Churchill pieces in his collection, many of which have not been shown in public.

An overview of the life and legacy of Margaret Tobin Brown, activist, WWI volunteer in France, philanthropist, and suffragist whose 1889 home, shown above, is an historic museum in downtown Denver, CO.

Her birth in 1533 came as a result of one of the most controversial marriages in royal history, that of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Little Princess Elizabeth lost her status as legitimate heir to the throne before she was three years old when her father moved on to another wife. When Elizabeth became Queen of England at age 25, public debate immediately turned to the prospect of her own marriage. From Parliament to the Privy Council in England, and from monarchs and ministers throughout Europe, many lobbied for their choice as the world waited for the queen to make a decision. Enter the world of royal romance, where the personal is political and marriage is a matter of public debate. While Elizabeth I had many eager prospects, in the end she was the only English monarch to rule as an adult and never marry.

Poetry tugs at our emotions and affects each of us differently. Listening to versus reading poetry can create different images and thoughts even for the same poem. Join this special ESU Happy Hour when we bring four award-winning poets together to share their love of poetry—Karen Karpowich, Susana Case, Meredith Trede, and Peter Nickowitz. Our poets will be reading their own poems in a round-robin program covering topics such as love, aging, film, travel, art, family, food, and elegy. These poems will inspire us, give us emotional strength and perspectives on our lives. This is a Happy Hour you will want to share with the whole family. Invite your friends to this extraordinary ESU Happy Hour program.

Are you a New York City educator looking to bring the Bard to life in your classroom? The ESU is thrilled to announce this professional development workshop open to teachers participating in the National Shakespeare Competition, TLab, or any of the ESU's education programs. Led by renowned Shakespeare scholar Dr. Nick Walton live via Zoom from Stratford-upon-Avon, this online session will help educators find fresh, engaging ways to introduce Shakespeare to students. 

During this Christmas season, Christmas carolers bring the holiday season to life. Join this special Happy Hour and learn how this Christmas tradition began and changed over time. Beginning with Roman times, carols emerged from songs sung during the four seasons. During the Middle Ages, minstrels played carols. The Tudor period, brings a rich Tudor feast described in one carol. Carols were suppressed during the Cromwellian period. The eighteenth century saw many more carols written and composed. In the nineteenth century, many carols came to England from the continent. Our guest speaker, Adrienne Hesketh, will perform her own carol with the Baptist Church band. 

Katherine Carter, longstanding curator of the Churchill family's country home, will present her pivotal new account of Churchill’s activities during the 1930s, highlighting how Chartwell, his rural residence, became the epicenter of his anti-Nazi endeavors. During the 1930s, as Europe edged closer to conflict, Winston Churchill was politically sidelined. However, it was during this period that his home, Chartwell, in Kent, transformed into the command center for his crusade against the rise of Nazi Germany. He convened with esteemed colleagues and sources, such as Albert Einstein and T.E. Lawrence, who bolstered his efforts while he diligently warned of the looming war.