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Free online lectures: Explore a world of ideas

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Margaret Mitchell House & Museum

The Margaret Mitchell House & Museum was founded in 1990 to save and preserve the house where Margaret Mitchell lived and wrote the book Gone With the Wind. On August 1, 2004, the Margaret Mitchell House merged with the Atlanta History Center (AHC). As a result, the AHC oversees the operation of the two-acre site which includes the Margaret Mitchell House, Gone With the Wind Movie Museum, Visitors Center, Museum Shop and The Center for Southern Literature. Tours of the exhibits tell the story of Margaret Mitchell beyond the book and movie, including her journalism career, philanthropy and family history. The Center for Southern Literature, the programming division of the MMH, preserves the legacy of Margaret Mitchell through weekly literary author programs, creative writing classes for adults and youth, and the administration of the PEN/Faulkner Writers in Schools Program.

http://www.gwtw.org

Elizabeth Strout: Olive Kitteridge

Mon, Apr 21, 2008

Elizabeth Strout discusses her latest book, *Olive Kitteridge*, a series of 13 interlocking tales that present a portrait of ordinary coastal Mainers. Strout creates a world that represents the entire human drama, the highs and lows of life.

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Margaret Mitchell House & Museum
The Warrior: A Mother's Story of a Son at War

Thu, Apr 24, 2008

Frances Richey discusses her book of poetry, *The Warrior: A Mother's Story of a Son at War*, a personal exploration of the daily feelings a mother experiences while her child goes off to war and a family's struggle to overcome ideological differences in the face of a greater cause.

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Margaret Mitchell House & Museum
A Voyage Long and Strange: From Columbus to Plymouth Rock

Wed, May 14, 2008

Tony Horwitz discusses *A Voyage Long and Strange*, in which he attempts to understand what happened in the Americas between Columbus' arrival and the Mayflower's landing on Plymouth Rock. During this time, vikings, conquistadors, French voyageurs, among others, roamed the unknown continent in search of grapes, gold, converts, and even a cure for syphilis. Though most failed to locate their treasure, their adventures and exploits left an indelible impression on those they met, peoples who would eventually come face to face with the English settlers.

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Margaret Mitchell House & Museum
Pearl Cleage: Seen It All and Done the Rest

Tue, Mar 18, 2008

Pearl Cleage reads and discusses her latest book, *Seen It All and Done The Rest*.

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Margaret Mitchell House & Museum
Alice Walker: We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For

Tue, Nov 14, 2006

Speaking in the spirit of her latest book, We are the Ones We have been Waiting For, Alice Walker lectures at the Margaret Mitchell House in Atlanta, Georgia. Walker's We are the Ones We have been Waiting For brings us a collection of meditations that draw equally on her spiritual grounding and her progressive political convictions. Essay-style chapters conclude with a suggested meditation on patience, compassion, and forgiveness not only for ourselves but for our foes as well. Taking on some of the greatest challenges of our times, Walker encourages readers to have faith that despite the overwhelming situations we find ourselves in, we are prepared to create positive change. **Alice Walker** is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Color Purple and one of the most prominent novelists of her generation. Walker is also a bestselling non-fiction writer whose work has been widely praised.

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Margaret Mitchell House & Museum
French Women for All Seasons

Thu, Jan 11, 2007

Mireille Guiliano, author of the best seller, French Women Don't Get Fat, discusses her newest book French Women for All Seasons: A Year of Secrets, Recipes, and Pleasure. French Women for All Seasons: A Year of Secrets, Recipes, and Pleasure is a guide, showing how to savor all life's moments in moderation, in season, and, above all, with pleasure. Brimming with fresh advice and seasonal stories, Guiliano's latest focuses on food bien sur (more than 100 delicious new recipes) but also on many other aspects of living that should bring us pleasure, such as picking a wine, dressing well, and even arranging flowers. **Mireille Guiliano** was born and raised in France. President and CEO of Clicquot, Inc (LVMH), she splits her year between New York and Paris. Her first book, French Women Don't Get Fat, has appeared in 37 languages.

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Margaret Mitchell House & Museum
Hank Klibanoff: American Awakening and the Race Beat

Thu, Dec 7, 2006

Hank Klibanoff, lecturing from his book *The Race Beat*, tells the story of how America awakened to its race problem, of how a nation that longed for unity after World War II came instead to see, hear, and learn about the shocking indignities and injustices of racial segregation in the South, and the brutality used to enforce it. Klibanoff discusses how the nation's press, after decades of ignoring the problem, came to recognize the importance of the civil rights struggle and turn it into the most significant domestic news event of the 20th century.

Civil Rights Movement Series

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Margaret Mitchell House & Museum
How Religion Poisons Everything

Wed, May 16, 2007

Christopher Hitchens makes a case against religion. With a close reading of major religious texts, he documents the ways in which religion is a man-made wish. In God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, Hitchens frames the argument for a more secular life based on science and reason, in which hell is replaced by the Hubble Telescope's awesome view of the universe, and Moses and the burning bush give way to the beauty and symmetry of the double helix. Christopher Hitchens, a widely published polemicist and frequent radio and TV commentator, is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair. Hitchens debates Timothy P. Jackson, Associate Professor of Christian Ethics at Emory University's Candler School of Theology; the debate is moderated by Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial page editor Cynthia Tucker. Co-sponsored by The Center for the Study of Law & Religion at Emory University

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Margaret Mitchell House & Museum
Alice Hoffman: Skylight Confessions

Wed, Jan 24, 2007

Alice Hoffman reads from her new novel *Skylight Confessions*, about three generations of a family haunted by love. Arlyn Singer believes in destiny and in love. But fate seems to be playing a trick on the night when John Moody knocks on her door to ask for directions. Opposites who cannot understand each other, they are drawn to one another even when it is clear they are bound to bring each other grief. Their marriage is dangerous territory, tracing a map that no one should follow.

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Margaret Mitchell House & Museum
Cassandra King: Queen of Broken Hearts

Wed, Jun 6, 2007

Cassandra King, the national bestselling author of *The Same Sweet Girls* and *The Sunday Wife*, discusses her new novel, *Queen of Broken Hearts*. It is not easy being the queen of broken hearts. Just ask Clare, who has assumed the mantle while her career as a divorce coach thrives. Now she's preparing to open a home for the retreats she leads, on a slice of breathtaking property on the Alabama coast. When Clare's marriage ends in tragedy, her work becomes the sole focus of her life. While she has no problem helping the men and women who seek her advice to mend their broken hearts, healing her own is another matter entirely. Falling in love again is the last thing Clare wants. When Lex, a charismatic, charming, burly sea captain, moves to town to run the marina, Clare insists they remain friends and nothing more. But even though she fights it, she begins to fall for him. *Queen of Broken Hearts* is a memorable story infused with all the flavors, textures, and intrigues of a small Southern town.

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Margaret Mitchell House & Museum