Great Lives

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The Great Lives Lecture Series at UMW returns in 2027, bringing history to life with more top biographers. FREE & PUBLIC. Held at 7:30 p.m. The William B.

on most Tuesdays & Thursdays in Dodd Auditorium, featuring Q&As and book signings. Biography is the most intimate approach to history, and the most entertaining. Crawley Great Lives lecture series at the University of Mary Washington reveals how extraordinary people – some born to privilege and power, others from modest backgrounds – shaped art, literature, science, government, and the human experience. Great Lives lectures are held most Tuesdays and Thursdays during the Spring semester, from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Dodd Auditorium on the UMW campus. Lectures are free.

10/18/2026

Curiosity doesn’t have office hours.

There is always another question to ask, another story to explore, and another life to discover.

Keep exploring with Great Lives at umw.edu/greatlives, and join us when lectures return in 2027.

10/16/2026

Today, we celebrate the birthday of Oscar Wilde, whose wit, writing, and distinctive voice made him one of the most enduring figures in English literature.

Discover more about Wilde’s life and legacy by watching the Great Lives lecture from February 28, 2017.

Watch the lecture at umw.edu/greatlives, and discover more Great Lives when the series returns in 2027.

10/13/2026

History is more meaningful when we explore it together.

For more than two decades, Great Lives has brought people together to learn about remarkable lives, ask questions, and consider the many ways individuals have shaped history.

Explore past lectures at umw.edu/greatlives, and join us as Great Lives returns in 2027.

10/11/2026

Every story offers a new perspective.

At Great Lives, we explore the people behind history and the stories that help us see the past in new ways.

Discover past lectures at umw.edu/greatlives, and continue exploring with us when Great Lives returns in 2027.

10/08/2026

History is more than dates and events. It is shaped by people.

Discover the lives behind history with Great Lives.

Explore our collection of past lectures at umw.edu/greatlives, and join us for a new season when Great Lives returns in 2027.

10/07/2026

Today, we celebrate the birthday of Edgar Allan Poe, one of America’s most influential writers.

From poetry and short stories to mystery and the macabre, Poe left a lasting mark on American literature.

Explore his life and legacy by watching the Great Lives lecture from March 28, 2024.

Watch the lecture at umw.edu/greatlives, and join us when Great Lives returns in 2027.

10/04/2026

At Great Lives, we explore the lives of people who have shaped history, culture, ideas, and the world around them. But a great life is not necessarily a perfect one.

To us, a great life is a life worth exploring. A life that raises questions, challenges assumptions, and gives us a deeper understanding of the past and ourselves.

Now we want to hear from you. What makes a life “great” in your eyes?

Share your answer in the comments, and discover more about Great Lives at umw.edu/greatlives.

Great Lives returns in 2027.

10/01/2026

More than 400 lectures. More than 400 lives explored.

For more than two decades, Great Lives has brought remarkable stories, ideas, and conversations to the University of Mary Washington and the Fredericksburg community.

And the story continues.

Great Lives lectures return in 2027. Until then, explore our collection of past lectures at umw.edu/greatlives.

09/22/2026

Our final lecture recording of 2026 now available!🎬

Missed our 2026 season finale on John Wiliams? Author Tim Greiving's March 31 talk is now available to watch online!

John Williams is one of the most important film composers of all time, having almost singlehandedly revived the Hollywood symphonic scoring tradition and helped restore the livelihood of American orchestras through the popularity of film music programming. Williams wrote the memorable scores and hummable themes for a staggering number of popular touchstones across multiple generations—among them Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, and Harry Potter—and earned more Oscar nominations than any individual artist in the history of the Motion Picture Academy. In "John Williams: A Composer’s Life," the first biography of the composer, author Tim Greiving offers an engaging account of a man whose body of work is well-known but whose personal life has consistently remained very private.

Watch now: https://www.umw.edu/greatlives/lecture/john-williams/

09/17/2026

Recording now streaming!🎬

Did you miss our 2026 lecture on Barbara Jordan? Author Mary Ellen Curtin's March 26 talk is now available to watch online!

During her keynote speech at the 1976 Democratic Party convention, Barbara Jordan of Texas stood before a rapt audience and reflected on where Americans stood in that bicentennial year. “Are we to be one people bound together by a common spirit, sharing in a common endeavor, or will we become a divided nation? For all of its uncertainty, we cannot flee the future.” The civil rights movement had changed American politics by opening up elected office to a new generation of Black leaders, including Jordan, the first Black woman from the South to serve in Congress. Though her life in elected politics lasted only twelve years, in that short time, Jordan changed the nation by showing that Black women could lead their party and legislate on behalf of what she called “the common good.” In "She Changed the Nation: Barbara Jordan’s Life and Legacy in Black Politics," biographer Mary Ellen Curtin examines the life and significance of a groundbreaking figure regarded as one of the greatest orators of modern America.

Watch now: https://www.umw.edu/greatlives/lecture/barbara-jordan/

Address

Dodd Auditorium, University Of Mary
Fredericksburg, VA
22401

Website

http://www.umw.edu/greatlives/

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