Sept. 1: National Treasure with Michael Auslin
The first complete history of our founding document, from 1776 to the 21st century, “National Treasure” is a celebration of how the Declaration of Independence became the supreme expression of the American Ideal and unity while guiding us along the often-bumpy road on the way to a more perfect Union. It is also a thrilling adventure story and a fond look at the marriage of civics and commerce that has kept the Declaration in the hearts and minds of Americans.
An award-winning historian, Michael Auslin takes us from the boarding house in Philadelphia where Thomas Jefferson put quill to paper to the Declaration’s long, harrowing, and ultimately hallowed afterlife. Through war and peace, expansion and urbanization, and demographic change and social reform, the Declaration has remained, in the words of President Gerald R. Ford, the “Polaris of our political order—the fixed star of freedom.”
As Jefferson had hoped, the principles enshrined in the Declaration became a beacon to the world. But what lessons should we take from it today? Can this statement of ideals in whose name the signers pledged their lives and sacred honor bring a disparate nation together? As we gather to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founders’ bold experiment in democracy, Auslin reminds us that this enduring document was not just a call for freedom and equality but an eloquent statement of the principles that bind us together.
Michael Auslin is the Payson J. Treat Distinguished Research Fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. Previously, he was an associate professor of history at Yale. He wrote National Treasure as a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Library of Congress’s John W. Kluge Center and an American Heritage Partners Fellow at the Society of the Cincinnati’s American Revolution Institute. He writes a Substack, The Patowmack Packet, on Washington, DC, past and present, and lives in Virginia.
To watch our livestreams of these events, go to the Lunch With Books Facebook Page or the Lunch With Books YouTube page and look for the live link, which typically appears about five minutes before each program. The programs typically remain on these same sites as recordings (and on the library calendar pages) that can be watched at your convenience.
Sept. 8: Project Banjo with Enzo Chiodo
Project Banjo—An exploration of the banjo’s place in American music,” is a reimagining of traditional Americana and Bluegrass music through an exploration of the banjo’s place within contemporary song-writing and nimble instrumentation. Accompanied with drum and bass, Project Banjo will shake your impression of what “banjo music” can be by breathing new life into old favorites while celebrating all the many ways the banjo has shaped American music and popular culture throughout history.
To watch our livestreams of these events, go to the Lunch With Books Facebook Page or the Lunch With Books YouTube page and look for the live link, which typically appears about five minutes before each program. The programs typically remain on these same sites as recordings (and on the library calendar pages) that can be watched at your convenience.
Sept. 15: Walt Whitman in Wheeling
Few people would associate the poet Walt Whitman (1819-1892) with West Virginia, yet in 1848 he briefly crossed the Appalachian mountains and visited the Wheeling on his way to New Orleans, writing about the city for a southern newspaper. Dr. Stefan Schöberlein (Texas A&M University–Central Texas), will present Whitman’s writings about Wheeling and West Virgina, and discuss the city’s role as an important hub for Northern travelers in route to the major cities of the South. He will also introduce the captain of the steamboat that carried not only Whitman down the Ohio, but also President Zachary Taylor: Wheeling’s own Samuel Mason, now buried at Greenwood Cemetery.
To watch our livestreams of these events, go to the Lunch With Books Facebook Page or the Lunch With Books YouTube page and look for the live link, which typically appears about five minutes before each program. The programs typically remain on these same sites as recordings (and on the library calendar pages) that can be watched at your convenience.
Sept. 19: (Sat., 1-3:30 PM) The National Road
In partnership with Wheeling Heritage, the Fort Henry Chapter of the S.A.R., and the Wheeling D.A.R., author Brady Crytzer will discuss his new book, The National Road: George Washington and America’s First Highway West. The book is the first narrative history of the federal project—begun decades before the nation itself was born and ranging through the 1830s—that connected the United States across the Alleghenies and into the western frontier. Starting with a young Washington’s dream of uniting the Potomac and Ohio Rivers, historian Crytzer traces the political rivalries and engineering marvels that created an artery bringing settlers, ideas, and commerce deep into the American interior.
Sept. 22: Inaugural Dr. Hossein “Doc” Yassini Lecture
Introducing the Dr. Hossein “Doc” Yassini Lecture Series in Science and Medicine, a stimulating new annual program devoted to thoughtful dialogue, captivating subjects, and lifelong learning. The program is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Hossein Yassini, a revered physician and civic figure who touched countless lives with grace and humility over more than six decades. The series will bring internationally known subject-matter experts to explore breakthroughs touching on modern science, medical, and technological advancements. Our first guest will be Dr. Yassini’s nephew, Dr. Rouzbeh Yassini-Fard, entrepreneur and author known internationally as “the Father of the Cable Modem.” He will explore his book, The Accidental Network: How a Small Company Sparked a Global Broadband Transformation. (WVU Press, 2025). He will discuss the intersection of broadband networks and advancements in remote medical diagnosis/connected healthcare that have become critical in the wake of the 2020 Covid crisis. Don’t miss this engaging, direct-from-the-source discussion about a technical revolution that continues moving forward at astonishing speed.
Sept. 29: The Beasts of the East
Author Andrew Moore will discuss his new book, The Beasts of the East: The Fall and Rise of America’s Eastern Wilderness. The book is a celebration of the extraordinary lost natural wonder of the eastern U.S.—an astonishingly abundant landscape that was once the center of American wildness before its despoliation—and a revelatory journey through recent efforts to return elk, bison, wolves, and other creatures to their native landscapes. Moore is the author of Pawpaw: In Search of America’s Forgotten Fruit, which was a James Beard Foundation Award nominee in Writing & Literature. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and The Daily Yonder. He lives in Pittsburgh.
To watch our livestreams of these events, go to the Lunch With Books Facebook Page or the Lunch With Books YouTube page and look for the live link, which typically appears about five minutes before each program. The programs typically remain on these same sites as recordings (and on the library calendar pages) that can be watched at your convenience.
