VISITOR EXPERIENCE CHRIS ABANI EDWARD ABBEY ABIGAIL ADAMS HENRY ADAMS JOHN ADAMS LÉONIE ADAMS JANE ADDAMS RENATA ADLER JAMES AGEE CONRAD AIKEN DANIEL ALARCÓN EDWARD ALBEE LOUISA MAY ALCOTT SHERMAN ALEXIE HORATIO ALGER JR. NELSON ALGREN ISABEL ALLENDE DOROTHY ALLISON JULIA ALVAREZ A.R. AMMONS RUDOLFO ANAYA SHERWOOD ANDERSON MAYA ANGELOU JOHN ASHBERY ISAAC ASIMOV JOHN JAMES AUDUBON JOSEPH AUSLANDER PAUL AUSTER MARY AUSTIN JAMES BALDWIN TONI CADE BAMBARA AMIRI BARAKA ANDREA BARRETT JOHN BARTH DONALD BARTHELME WILLIAM BARTRAM KATHARINE LEE BATES L. FRANK BAUM ANN BEATTIE HARRIET BEECHER STOWE SAUL BELLOW AMBROSE BIERCE ELIZABETH BISHOP HAROLD BLOOM JUDY BLUME LOUISE BOGAN JANE BOWLES PAUL BOWLES T. C. BOYLE RAY BRADBURY WILLIAM BRADFORD ANNE BRADSTREET NORMAN BRIDWELL JOSEPH BRODSKY LOUIS BROMFIELD GERALDINE BROOKS GWENDOLYN BROOKS CHARLES BROCKDEN BROWN DEE BROWN MARGARET WISE BROWN STERLING A. BROWN WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT PEARL S. BUCK EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS OCTAVIA BUTLER ROBERT OLEN BUTLER TRUMAN CAPOTE ERIC CARLE RACHEL CARSON RAYMOND CARVER JOHN CASEY ANA CASTILLO WILLA CATHER MICHAEL CHABON RAYMOND CHANDLER JOHN CHEEVER MARY CHESNUT CHARLES W. CHESNUTT KATE CHOPIN SANDRA CISNEROS BEVERLY CLEARY BILLY COLLINS INA COOLBRITH JAMES FENIMORE COOPER HART CRANE STEPHEN CRANE ROBERT CREELEY VÍCTOR HERNÁNDEZ CRUZ COUNTEE CULLEN E.E. CUMMINGS MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM RICHARD HENRY DANA JR. EDWIDGE DANTICAT REBECCA HARDING DAVIS HAROLD L. DAVIS SAMUEL R. DELANY DON DELILLO TOMIE DEPAOLA PETE DEXTER JUNOT DÍAZ PHILIP K. DICK JAMES DICKEY EMILY DICKINSON JOAN DIDION ANNIE DILLARD W.S. DI PIERO E.L. DOCTOROW IVAN DOIG H.D. (HILDA DOOLITTLE) JOHN DOS PASSOS FREDERICK DOUGLASSOur THEODORE Mission DREISER ALLEN DRURY W.E.B. DUBOIS ANDRE DUBUS II PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR STEPHEN DUNN RICHARD EBERHART JONATHAN EDWARDSThe JENNIFER mission EGAN of LOREN the American EISELEY T.S. WritersELIOT RALPH Museum ELLISON is RALPH to WALDO EMERSON LOUISE ERDRICH MARTIN ESPADA JEFFREY EUGENIDES JAMES T. FARRELLengage WILLIAM the public FAULKNER in celebrating EDNA FERBER F.American SCOTT FITZGERALD writers ROBERT and FITZGERALD LOUISE FITZHUGH MARTIN exploring their influence on our history, our identity, FLAVIN JOHN GOULD FLETCHER HORTON FOOTE JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER ESTHER FORBES RICHARD FORD BENJAMIN FRANKLIN JONATHAN FRANZEN our culture, and our daily lives. CHARLES FRAZIER IAN FRAZIER BETTY FRIEDAN ROBERT FROST WILLIAM GADDIS ERNEST J. GAINES RUTH STILES GANNETT CRISTINA GARCIA WILLIAM GASS THEODORE SEUSS GEISEL ELLEN GILCHRIST CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN ALLEN GINSBERG ELLEN GLASGOW SUSAN GLASPELL JULIA GLASS LOUISE GLÜCK WILIAM GOLDMAN PAUL GOODMAN JAIMY GORDON ULYSSES S. GRANT SHIRLEY ANN GRAU ZANE GREY JOHN GRISHAM DAVID GUTERSON A.B. GUTHRIE JR. JESSICA HAGEDORN ALEX HALEY DONALD HALL ALEXANDER HAMILTON DASHIELL HAMMETT LORRAINE HANSBERRY PAUL HARDING MICHAEL S. HARPER BRET HARTE NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE ROBERT HAYDEN SHIRLEY HAZZARD LAFCADIO HEARN ANTHONY HECHT LARRY HEINEMANN JOSEPH HELLER LILLIAN HELLMAN ERNEST HEMINGWAY ALEKSANDAR HEMON PATRICK HENRY JOHN HERSEY JUAN FELIPE HERRERA OSCAR HIJUELOS ROBERT HILLYER CHESTER HIMES EDWARD HIRSCH DANIEL HOFFMAN OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES KHALED HOSSEINI RICHARD HOWARD FANNY HOWE IRVING HOWE JULIA WARD HOWE WILLIAM DEAN HOWELLS LANGSTON HUGHES ZORA NEALE HURSTON JOHN IRVING WASHINGTON IRVING SHIRLEY JACKSON HARRIET JACOBS JOSEPHINE JACOBSEN HENRY JAMES WILLIAM JAMES RANDALL JARRELL THOMAS JEFFERSON GISH JEN SARAH ORNE JEWETT HA JIN ADAM JOHNSON CHARLES JOHNSON CROCKETT JOHNSON DENIS JOHNSON JAMES WELDON JOHNSON JOSEPHINE WINSLOW JOHNSON EDWARD P. JONES JAMES JONES ERICA JONG NORTON JUSTER DONALD JUSTICE MACKINLAY KANTOR ALFRED KAZIN EZRA JACK KEATS WILLIAM KENNEDY JACK KEROUAC KEN KESEY FRANCES PARKINSON KEYES TRACY KIDDER MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. STEPHEN KING BARBARA KINGSOLVER MAXINE HONG KINGSTON JAMAICA KINCAID GALWAY KINNELL CAROLYN KIZER JOHN KNOWLES YUSEF KOMUNYAKAA E.L. KONIGSBURG JERZY KÓSINSKI ALEX KOTLOWITZ There’s a story that needs to be told: the story of the extraordinary men and women who have created the written works that have shaped our society since its inception and have both inspired and entertained us. Welcome to the American Writers Museum, the first and only museum of its kind in the United States. Opening in Chicago in early 2017, this vibrant, interactive museum will celebrate the lives and works of America’s great writers, and their influence on our history and our culture. • Permanent exhibits will feature your favorite works and tell the story of your favorite writers, whether they wrote non-fiction or fiction, plays or poetry. • Special galleries will showcase exhibits and artifacts on loan from our nation’s historic writers’ homes, joining with our museum to tell the behind-the-scenes stories of our great writers. • Diverse educational programs and special events will promote literacy and foster a love of reading and writing. In the pages that follow, you can explore the concept design for the museum. We invite you to join in the celebration. Amazon.com CHAPTER 1. Loomings. CALL ME ISHMAEL. Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off—then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship. There is nothing surprising in this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me. Table of Contents Visitor Experience 4 Where Will it Be? 6 Writers Hall 7 Writing Across America 8 American Identity 9 Surprise Bookshelf 10 Word Waterfall 11 Readers Hall 12 The Mind of a Writer 13 A Writer’s Room 14 Featured Works 15 Word Play 16 Chicago: A City of Writers 17 Children’s Gallery 18 Changing Exhibits Gallery 20 Advocates 22 Curating Team 23 National Advisory Council 24 Affiliated Author Home Museums Business Plan 28 Exhibit Floor Plan 29 Attendance Projections 30 Leadership 32 Partners 33 Financials 36 Fundraising Plan 37 Your Opportunity 38 Naming Opportunities 40 Project Strengths WEST DIVISION STREET WEST ELM STREET NORTH LASALLE STREET W HOBBIE ST NORTH ORLEANS STREET EAST OAK STREET NORTH LAKE SHORE DRIVE W OAK ST EAST WALTON STREET Washington Square EAST DELAWARE PLACE Museum of Contempory Art CHICAGO AVE. CLARK ST. Northwestern WEST SUPERIOR ST. MICHIGAN AVE. University WEST HURON ST. WEST ERIE ST. Olive Park E. ONTARIO ST. WEST ONTARIO ST. E. OHIO ST. Where Will it Be? WEST OHIO ST. E. GRAND AVE. W. GRAND AVE. Navy Pier AWM will be located in the E. ILLINOIS ST. heart of downtown Chicago W. KINZIE AVE. on one ofNORTH HALSTEDSTREET the busiest blocks Marina EAST WACKER DRIVE City S. CLINTON ST. of famed Michigan Avenue.S. CANAL ST. Millennium Park, a magnet N. WABASH AVE. W. LAKE ST. for Chicago residents and Goodman Theatre CHICAGO visitors from all over the W. RANDOLPH ST. E. RANDOLPH ST. CULTURAL CENTER N. MICHIGAN AVE. world, is one block away. E. WASHINGTON ST. W. WASHINGTON ST. “ I enthusiastically support the N. FRANKLIN ST. J. Pritzker Other cultural attractions Civic N. STATE Pavillon efforts to place a national writers Opera E. MADISON ST. House W. MADISON ST. museum in Chicago. Such a Millennium in the area include The Park museum will complement the rich E. MONROE ST. Art Institute of Chicago, W. MONROE ST. ART offerings of the City’s theaters, S. FRANKLIN ST. W. MARBLE PL. INSTITUTE CHICAGO S. STATE Sears OF CHICAGO museums, libraries and musical E. ADAMS ST. SYMPHONY S. WABASH AVE. Tower W. ADAMS ST. Chicago Symphony Center, CENTER activities and adds significantly Pritzker Military Museum W. QUINCY ST. to Chicago’s vitality.” E. JACKSON ST. W. JACKSON ST. and Library, and theS. DES PLAINES ST. Grant Park – RAHM EMANUEL E. VAN BUREN ST. MAYOR, THE CITY OF CHICAGO CHICAGO Chicago Architectural ARCHITECTURE S. MICHIGAN AVE. W. CONGRESS PKWY. FOUNDATION Foundation. The theatre Buckingham Fountain district lies two blocks to the W. HARRISON ST. west. The AWM will be just E. HALBO DR. S. LAKE SHORE DR. a short walk away from a S. COLUMBUS DR. W. POLK ST. S. WELLS ST. MUSEUM SITE number of Chicago’s major S. CLARK ST. NEARBY CULTURAL SITES hotels. NEARBY HOTELS S. CLINTON ST. Roosevelt Park S. CANAL ST. John G. Shedd E. ROOSEVELT RD. Aquarium Park Field Adler Planetarium DAN RYAN EXPRESSWAY 479 Museum S. JEFFERSON ST. E. 13TH ST. E. 14TH ST. 12th Street Beach S. INDIANA STREET 4 OCTOBER 2015 AMERICAN WRITERS MUSEUM Soldier WEST 14TH PLACE Field Coliseum Cotton Park Tail Park S. HALSTED S. WEST 16TH STREET Ping Tom Memorial WEST 17TH STREET Park EAST 18TH STREET WEST 18TH STREET Northerly Island Park Womens Park & Gardens S. CANALPORT AVENUE CERMAK AVENUE Writing Across America American Identity Children’s Gallery Readers Hall Writers Hall Chicago: A City of Writers The Mind of a Writer AMERICAN WRITERS MUSEUM OCTOBER 2015 5 Writers Hall Step into Writers Hall and experience your first AWM surprise: a face-to-face encounter with a writer from your hometown. What to See and Do: • Learn about the American Writers • Great writers come from all corners Museum’s broad network of author- of the country, including where you home museum affiliates.