Events

Known as the "Jackie Robinson of Journalism," Robert Churchwell, Sr. was the first Black American to write for a southern newspaper, joining the Nashville Banner in 1950. In this program, we will explore Churchwell's early life in Jim Crow Nashville, and the years that followed, including Pearl High School, World War II, Fisk University, his family life, and the challenges of life as a Black journalist during the twentieth century.

The program will include panelists: Robert Churchwell, Jr. (son), Marisa Churchwell Smith (daughter), and André Churchwell (son). In addition to serving as a panelist, Dr. André Churchwell, Senior Advisor to the Chancellor on Inclusion and Community Outreach for VU, will be the program moderator. Colleagues of Mr. Churchwell will also be present to share their remembrances of his time at the Nashville Banner: Pat Embrey (retired Banner reporter) and Dwight Lewis (former editorial page editor of the Nashville Tennessean).

This event is free and open to the public. Please register here.

"But there are some things I know for certain: always throw spilt salt over your left shoulder, keep rosemary by your garden gate, plant lavender for luck, and fall in love whenever you can." --Sally Owens, Practical Magic (1998)

Join Special Collections and University Archives on Tuesday, October 27 from 5:30-7:30PM for a spell jar workshop and pop-up exhibit inspired by the witchy romance film, Practical Magic. Learn about the history of casting spells and mixing potions from rare books and manuscripts preserved in Vanderbilt's collections, and then cast a spell yourself in a hands-on workshop in which participants will construct and seal their own spell jar (supplies provided) using herbs, spices, seeds, and more.

This event is free and open to the public, but you must register in order to get spell jar supplies. Limited spots available!

All attendees MUST register on Eventbrite to receive a spell jar and supplies.

Ayana Mathis is on the faculty of the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Hunter College, CUNY. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she became the first African American woman to become an assistant professor in that program. Her most recent novel, The Unsettled (Knopf, 2023), was named a New York Times and Washington Post Notable Book of 2023 and a Best Book of the Year by the New Yorker, Publisher’s Weekly, and Kirkus. Her first novel, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie (Knopf, 2012), was a 2013 New York Times Notable Book, NPR Best Book of 2013, and second selection for Oprah’s Book Club 2.0.

Program Schedule:

• 6:30 - Literary Salon, First Floor Lounge
• 7:00 - Reading, Second Floor Lecture Hall
• 8:00 - Book Signing

Free and open to the public. Vanderbilt students, faculty, and staff can RSVP on Anchor Link.

Several of artist Sam Maitin's poetry prints are currently on display in "Brighter and Brighter: The Poetry Prints of Sam Maitin," an exhibit at the Vanderbilt Special Collections Library. On Monday, November 9, Sam's daughter Ani will be at Special Collections to discuss her father's work and provide special insights from his archive, and the Vanderbilt MFA poets will read ekphrastic poems they've written in response to Maitin's work. Please join us for this special evening celebrating poetry, visual art, and the ways in which different forms of artistic expression can enrich one another.

VU faculty, staff and students can RSVP on Anchor Link.

Vanderbilt Museum of Art's current exhibition, Instead Of, explores artistic decision-making through materiality, scope, and scale. Featured artists Hannah Quinlan & Rosie Hastings have recently pulled inspiration from archival collections.

Join VUMA and Special Collections on Tuesday, November 10th at the archives (1101 19th Avenue South) for a discussion on Quinlan and Hastings' art process as well as a guided collage workshop using photocopied materials from Vanderbilt's archival collections. 

This event is free and open to the public. All collage materials will be provided, but please feel free to bring your own.