Robert Penn Warren Center

As the new academic year approaches, Vanderbilt’s faculty heads of house are revealing some things about themselves in this special portrait series. Get to know Elizabeth Meadows, associate director of the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities, senior lecturer in English and faculty head of East House. Read More

Vanderbilt professor and author Holly Tucker will teach an online summer course focused on pandemics, thanks to a new partnership between the Robert Penn Warren Center and OLLI at Vanderbilt. Read More

Before the COVID-19 outbreak necessitated the move to online and alternative learning earlier this spring, undergraduate students Barton Christmas and Miranda Cross traveled to Washington, D.C., and with guidance from the Office of Federal Relations, advocated for robust federal support for the National Endowment for the Humanities. Read More

The Robert Penn Warren Center keeps humanities scholars connected during the coronavirus outbreak through online events that include weekly virtual happy hours. Read More

A conversation with Jaquira Díaz, whose March talk on campus for the Harry C. Howard Lecture was canceled, has been moved online April 16 by the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities. Read More

Author Jaquira Díaz will read from her memoir, "Ordinary Girls," and discuss its writing on Thursday, March 12, as part of the annual Harry C. Howard Jr. Lecture hosted by the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities at Vanderbilt. Read More

Throughout 2020, Vanderbilt University will mark the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees women’s constitutional right to vote. Vanderbilt will recognize the anniversary through a new website, educational programming, lectures, community events, historical exhibits, art displays and more. Read More

James Grossman, executive director of the American Historical Association, and Paula M. Krebs, executive director of the Modern Language Association, will discuss "Humanities for the Next Generation" on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 4:10 p.m. at the Vanderbilt Central Library Community Room. Read More

An exhibition bringing together 20 artists to interpret an extraordinary but lost "Book of Paintings" created by Afro-Cuban activist José Aponte opens Thursday at the Fine Arts Gallery. Read More

Feminist activist and award-winning writer Gloria Steinem is hopeful about the future of feminism and its critical role in shaping society and policy around the world, she told a full house of Vanderbilt community members gathered at Central Library on Nov. 1. Read More

John W. Janusek, an Andean anthropologist whose interests ranged from the development of complex societies in South America to the history of beer and brewing, died Oct. 22. Read More

All are invited to the Vaughn Home for treats and scary stories, including tales of the building's resident ghosts, on Wednesday, Oct. 30, from 5 to 7 p.m. Read More

Vanderbilt faculty, staff and alumni will be part of this weekend’s free Southern Festival of Books downtown at War Memorial Plaza and the Nashville Public Library. Read More

The Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center, in partnership with the Chancellor’s Lecture Series, will host Gloria Steinem, an award-winning writer, feminist activist and co-founder of "Ms." magazine, for a conversation on Nov. 1. Tickets for the event are available at the Sarratt Box Office to those with a Vanderbilt ID. Read More

An Oct. 7 panel discussion will explore the connections between the women’s suffrage movement and current voting rights activism. The panel is free and open to the public and will take place from 4:10 to 5:30 p.m. in the Great Room of E. Bronson Ingram College. Read More

Jon Parrish Peede, BS’91, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, will deliver the 2018-19 Harry C. Howard Jr. Lecture at Vanderbilt's Central Library April 2. Read More

Holly Tucker, a professor of French and acclaimed author who has embraced the trans-institutional culture of learning at Vanderbilt, has been named director of the Robert Penn Warren Center. Read More

During its January meeting, the University Staff Advisory Council welcomed Robert Penn Warren Center Executive Director Mona Frederick and learned about the fascinating ties between the center’s office space and Stella Scott Vaughn, an important figure in Vanderbilt University history. Read More

A documentary on Robert Penn Warren—a distinguished writer, critic and Vanderbilt alumnus—will be screened on campus Jan. 23, followed by a Q&A with Tom Thurman, the film director. Read More

Mona Frederick, who has played a leading role at the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities since its founding, has announced that she will retire in June 2019. Read More