Chicago, Illinois, March 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the first and only U.S. museum dedicated to the history and impact of American writers, the American Writers Museum (AWM) engages with themes of independence and equality throughout its permanent exhibits, spanning more than 400 years of American writing. In AWM’s Nation of Writers gallery, founding-era figures and former presidents appear alongside writers including Frederick Douglass, women’s suffrage advocates, and Native Americans who challenged and expanded the nation’s ideals with their powerful words.
This year, AWM presents programming commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence as an official partner of Illinois America 250—a statewide effort to bring together Illinoisans’ diverse perspectives about our history and future, as part of the nationwide America250 celebration. AWM programs explore the themes of the Declaration through the perspectives of American writers across genres and generations, highlighting voices from the museum’s exhibits and beyond.
For updates on AWM’s America250 programming, visit americanwritersmuseum.org/america250.
In special pop-up exhibit Declarations: 250 Years of Writing Toward Independence, open at AWM from Thursday, June 18 to Monday, September 7 (Labor Day), the museum will display an 1823 William Stone print of the Declaration of Independence, as commissioned by then Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, along with a 1776 British first edition of Common Sense by Thomas Paine advocating for the independence of the U.S. colonies. The exhibit will also invite visitors to reflect on works by writers throughout American history that are thematically related to the Declaration, including President Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harvey Milk and Martin Luther King Jr. Interactive elements will include a Declaration of Independence erasure poetry section, allowing visitors to edit the founding document into their own words.
“The United States was a country founded on the written word. How those words spread—how they impacted history and the world—is the essence of what the American Writers Museum is about: the power of writers to shape the world, to influence our history, our culture and our daily lives. We are excited to explore those ideas this year and every year,” says AWM President Carey Cranston.
A sampling of AWM’s expansive American Voices permanent exhibit and additional educational materials are available online at NationofWriters.org. The website enables visitors worldwide to travel through the literary history of the United States, from Native American storytelling traditions through the explosion of new American voices in the 20th Century. Organized by chronological eras of literary innovation spanning more than 400 years, the exhibit highlights select authors who each played a role in creating the unique character of American writing.
Additional America250 programs will be presented by AWM during its 3rd annual American Writers Festival, a free daylong event hosted in partnership with the Chicago Public Library at Harold Washington Library Center on Sunday, June 7 from 10 a.m.–5 p.m., including an event with professor Anna O. Law about her new book Migration and the Origins of American Citizenship. AWM’s monthly Get Lit program at the museum on Tuesday, July 7 from 5:30–7:30 p.m. will be themed around the museum’s pop-up exhibit. For program updates, visit americanwritersmuseum.org/america250.
John Estey Student Writing Competition invites young writers in grades K-12 to reflect on themes of the Declaration of Independence
AWM’s 7th annual John Estey Student Writing Competition invites students to consider the prompt “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” from the Declaration of Independence, with cash prizes for winners at the elementary, middle school and high school grade levels. Students can use the entire quote or portions of it to write a fiction or nonfiction story, poem, song, scene, short monologue or other form of writing. Submissions must be 1,000 words or less regardless of format.
Participation forms are open for teachers to register their students now through May 29, 2026, with final submissions due by June 3. Students at schools within the U.S. and internationally are eligible to enter with the support of a teacher. Homeschooled students in the U.S. are also eligible.
Complete rules for the John Estey Student Writing Competition and related educational resources for teachers are available at americanwritersmuseum.org/writing-competition.
Press kit and images available HERE>>
The American Writers Museum (AWM) is the first museum of its kind in the United States. The mission of AWM 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 Avenue in 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 a.m.–5 p.m. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. For more information visit AmericanWritersMuseum.org or call 312-374-8790. Follow AWM on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.
Karie McGahan American Writers Museum 312-374-8764 mcgahan@americanwritersmuseum.org Elizabeth Neukirch Elizabeth Neukirch PR 815.751.5844 elizabeth@elizabethneukirchpr.com
