The American Writers Museum (AWM) is excited to announce its new special exhibit and programming series American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture, supported by a $2.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative.
A groundbreaking AWM content initiative, American Prophets journeys through the pages of American history and both real and fictionalized spiritual practices to explore the profound ways literature reflects and influences our understanding of religion. An immersive exhibit opening at the museum in November 2025 will showcase rare artifacts, interactive displays, and related creative works spanning literature, film, music, comedy and more. AWM invites visitors to discover how storytelling serves as a powerful lens for examining belief systems, personal identity and the ever-evolving relationship between religion and American culture.
Along with a variety of interactives, the exhibit will include a selection of unique objects of religious significance to writers that can be tied to their works. Examples include Flannery O'Connor's rosary, Ursula K. Le Guin's annotated copy of the Tao Te Ching, Samira Ahmed's amulet with a Muslim prayer, Louie Pérez’s statue of the Santo Niño de Atocha, Harold Ramis’ pocket-sized primer The Five-Minute Buddhist, and more.
American Prophets programming includes a public event series, field trip curriculum for students from elementary to high school, podcasts and additional online content. For more information, stay tuned to AmericanWritersMuseum.org.
"Because religion is a central theme in American literature, with so many writers influenced by their own and others’ religion or faith, we must explore religion to remain true to our mission,” says AWM President Carey Cranston. Cranston further emphasized the importance of showcasing the interconnectedness of beliefs through the words of great writers.
Next month AWM kicks off its programming for American Prophets with “Making New Gods,” a free event in partnership with the Chicago Public Library on Tuesday, April 22 at 5:15 p.m. at the Harold Washington Library Center (400 S. State Street, Chicago). Acclaimed and bestselling fiction authors N.K. Jemisin, Nnedi Okorafor, Nghi Vo and Matthew Kirby will talk about how they explore religious beliefs in their speculative fiction. They will cover topics such as drawing from personal traditions and invented theologies, the importance of considering socio-spiritual systems when world-building, and how these influence the ways their characters move through the worlds they create. Books will be available from Seminary Co-op to purchase on site, and a book signing will follow the program on a first-come, first-served basis. More information and registration for the April 22 program is available on the Chicago Public Library website HERE.
Additional American Prophets events with authors spanning genres will be presented May through November and into early 2026. Check the events calendar at AmericanWritersMuseum.org for updates on American Prophets programming.
AWM’s American Prophets initiative also includes a touring version of the special exhibit Dark Testament: A Century of Black Writers on Justice, which originally premiered at the museum in 2022. Inspired by a poem from a 20th-century human rights activist, legal scholar, feminist, author, poet, Episcopal priest, labor organizer, and multiracial Black, LGBTQ+ community member Pauli Murray, this exhibit explores the enduring impact of Black writers from the end of the Civil War through the Civil Rights era. Currently on view at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Dark Testament brings these powerful stories to life through art, multimedia, augmented reality, and interactive elements.
For more information, please visit AmericanWritersMuseum.org.
AUTHOR BIOS FOR “MAKING NEW GODS” PROGRAM
N. K. Jemisin is a fantasy author and 2020 MacArthur Fellow whose fiction has been recognized with multiple Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards. Most of her works have been optioned for television or film, and collectively her novels, including the Broken Earth trilogy, have sold over two million copies. Her speculative works range widely in theme, though with repeated motifs: resistance and oppression, loneliness and belonging, and Wouldn’t It Be Cool If This One Ridiculous Thing Happened. In her spare time, she’s into tabletop and video games, biking, fanfiction, and urban gardening. She lives and writes in Brooklyn, with her son and two cats.
Nnedi Okorafor is the author of multiple award-winning and New York Times bestsellers, including Death of the Author, the Binti trilogy, Who Fears Death, and Lagoon, currently in development at Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment. She has won every major prize in speculative fiction, including the World Fantasy, Nebula, and Eisner Awards; multiple Hugo Awards; and the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa. Born in Cincinnati to Igbo Nigerian immigrant parents, she now resides in Phoenix, Arizona, with her daughter, Anyaugo.
Nghi Vo is the author of the novels Siren Queen and The Chosen and the Beautiful, as well as the acclaimed novellas of the Singing Hills Cycle, which began with The Empress of Salt and Fortune. The series entries have been finalists for the Nebula Award, the Locus Award, and the Lambda Literary Award, and have won the Crawford Award, the Ignyte Award, and the Hugo Award. Born in Illinois, she now lives on the shores of Lake Michigan. She believes in the ritual of lipstick, the power of stories, and the right to change your mind. Her latest release is Don't Sleep With the Dead.
Matthew J. Kirby is the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of numerous books for young readers, including The Clockwork Three, Icefall, The Lost Kingdom, the Dark Gravity Sequence, the Assassin’s Creed series Last Descendants, A Taste for Monsters, and Star Splitter. He has also written adult titles for the Assassin's Creed and Diablo video game franchises. He has won the Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery, the PEN Center USA award for Children’s Literature, and the Judy Lopez Memorial Award.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN WRITERS MUSEUM
The American Writers Museum is the first museum of its kind in the United States. The mission of the American Writers Museum is to excite audiences about the impact of American writers — past, present and future — in shaping our collective histories, cultures, identities, and daily lives. The museum is located at 180 N. Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60601, and offers something for every age group including permanent exhibits and special galleries highlighting America’s favorite works and the authors behind them. Tickets to the museum are $16 for adults, $10 for seniors, students, and teachers. Free for members and children ages 12 and under. To inquire about discounted rates for groups of 10 or more, including adults, student travel groups, and University students, visit AmericanWritersMuseum.org/visit/groups/ or call 312-374-8765. Museum hours are Monday, Thursday—Sunday, 10 AM—5 PM. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. For more information visit AmericanWritersMuseum.org or call 312-374-8790. Follow AWM on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
ABOUT LILLY ENDOWMENT INC.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly, Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. Although the Endowment maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana, it also funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion. A principal aim of the Endowment’s religion grantmaking is to deepen and enrich the lives of Christians in the United States, primarily by seeking out and supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations and strengthen the pastoral and lay leadership of Christian communities. The Endowment also seeks to improve public understanding of diverse religious traditions by supporting fair and accurate portrayals of the role religion plays in the United States and across the globe.