In this lighthearted lecture, we will “read behind the lines” of some of America’s greatest writing to discover the sometimes amusing, often inspiring, and always fascinating stories that accompany American writers and their works.  Meet Emily Dickinson, whose idiosyncratic, enigmatic poems would have to wait decades before finding an audience.  Eavesdrop on the witty (and sometimes savage) conversations of Dorothy Parker, Ernest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.  Learn what inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe to write her powerful novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, how Truman Capote distilled years of research into the gripping “nonfiction novel” "In Cold Blood," and how the eccentric savant Thomas Wolfe magically churned out piles of prose in a single sitting (or standing).  In the end, you will come away with a richer understanding of not only the writers, but also their works and the art of writing.