04/15/2026
TOMORROW!
At 7pm, join us in Freeman Auditorium for the annual Ferguson Lecture: WHY POEâ AND THE HUMANITIESâ MATTER with Professor J. Gerald Kennedy.
This talk will offer a rapid tour of Poeâs key tales, emphasizing his uncanny foresight into our precarious modern world. Michael Capuzzo, writing for the Smithsonian in 2019, called Poe âthe most influential American author ever.â Thatâs a big claim, yet itâs arguably true. This talk explains why Poe still speaks to us so compellinglyâand how his work typifies the continuing importance of the humanities (and reading books!) in an age of AI, digital communication, and online work.
After the lecture concludes, weâll reconvene in Woodward Way for refreshments! See you there.