Gertrude Stein's America: A Conversation with Phoebe Stein

Gertrude Stein scholar and cousin Phoebe Stein will be joined by Gabrielle Dean, curator of Gertrude Stein in Circles: Spheres of Life and Writing, to discuss Stein’s geographically distant, but psychologically deep-rooted, relationship to her native United States.

Gertrude Stein (1874-1946), who attended the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in one of the first classes to admit women, developed her pioneering literary career in Paris, but always centered her American identity. She was less explicit about her Jewish heritage and queer sexuality, yet lived openly with the woman she considered her wife, Alice B. Toklas. From her favorite U.S. President, to her native nationalism, to her heroic wartime experiences and deeply troubling allegiances, to her cheeky takes on movie stars and famous artists, Stein’s politics, prejudices, and perspectives on American culture in her time have surprising relevance today.

Program

• 5:30 PM Doors open
• 6:00 PM Program with Q&A
• 6:45 PM Reception and exhibition viewing
• 7:30 PM Event ends

About the Exhibition

Showcasing the Sheridan Libraries’ Robert A. Wilson Collection of rarely exhibited first editions, drafts, correspondence, photographs, and ephemera linked to Gertrude Stein, Gertrude Stein in Circles: Spheres of Life and Writing documents how the pioneering American writer fostered avant-garde connections throughout her lifetime and explores Stein’s ongoing legacy as a beacon for artists, writers, and LGBTQ+ communities.
 

Photo credit: Carl Van Vechten, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons