New hours, events, exhibits at American Writers Museum

Kicking off its second year, the American Writers Museum (180 N. Michigan Ave.) announced its new hours and a calendar full of upcoming specials. The museum will be closed on Mondays, and will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every other day, except Thursdays, when it will be open until 6 p.m. After hours events launched on Jan. 25, starting a series of evening events.

The museum, which opened last May, is the first of its kind in the nation, and aims to “educate, enrich, provoke, and inspire” visitors, and is geared toward children and adults alike.

Six exhibits are currently on display, including the Wintrust Chicago Gallery, an exploratory exhibit celebrating Chicago based authors who served as “visionaries and troublemakers” and “agents of change” throughout our country’s history.

To test your skills as a writer, stop by the “Mind of a Writer” exhibit to add your own line to a story collectively written by all the visitors to the museum that day.

Or for a more visual experience, check out the Meijer Gallery of photographs of famous American writers like Nelson Algren and James Baldwin, captured by black-and-white photographer Art Shay.

Free event programming throughout the winter season combines children’s story times with film screenings and writing workshops to ensure there is something for every writer, at every skill level.

General admission to the museum is $12 for adults, $8 for seniors and $8 for students. Children 12 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased online.

For a full listing of upcoming programs and exhibits at the museum, visit americanwritersmuseum.org