The Folger Spotlight
What’s On at the Folger


About 'Twelfth Knight'
Introductory information on the April 2025 Folger Book Club selection, Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth.

Collection Connections: Flora Carr’s 'Tower' and the Real Wives (and Maids) of Lochleven
We revisit Elizabeth Zeman Kolkovich’s March 2025 presentation as part of our Folger Book Club discussion of Flora Carr’s The Tower. Explore Folger collection items that relate to the novel.

Q&A: Peggy O'Brien on The Humanities Lab: Shakespeare 101
In this interview, Peggy O’Brien, the Folger’s Founding Director of Education, shares a first look into the new lineup of adult classes offered through The Humanities Lab program.

'The Tower' Resource Guide
On March 6, 2025 the Folger’s virtual book club continues with a discussion of The Tower by Flora Carr. To prepare for the discussion, we have pulled together a list of resources related to women in Shakespeare and Mary Queen of Scots.

About 'The Tower'
Introductory information on the March 2025 Folger Book Club selection, The Tower by Flora Carr.

Q&A with Karen Ann Daniels
Karen Ann Daniels discusses her hopes for what will happen during the Reading Room Festival’s open rehearsal of her play, a musical exploration of the songs in Much Ado About Nothing and the comedy’s hero, Beatrice.

'Symphony of Secrets' Resource Guide
To prepare for Folger Book Club’s February discussion of Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb, we have pulled together a list of resources related to resources related to Shakespeare, opera, and Morgiane, the first known opera by a Black American composer.

About 'Symphony of Secrets'
Introductory information on the February 2025 Folger Book Club selection, Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb.

Q&A with Reynaldo Piniella
Hamlet co-adaptor Reynaldo Piniella, who also plays the titular role, reflects on how the play has evolved, how the bilingualism fosters a sense of intimacy and connection, and hopes for the play’s future.

Q&A with Julissa Contreras
Dramaturg Julissa Contreras shares more about working with a bilingual translation of a play by Shakespeare’s contemporary Ana Caro Mallén de Soto, the joys of expanding the canon beyond Shakespeare, and the gendered issues of the play that still resonate today.

Anglo-Spanish Relations in Leigh Bardugo’s The Familiar: Snapshots of Exile, Race and Nation in the Early Modern World
We revisit Dr. Zainab Cheema’s December 2024 presentation as part of our discussion of Leigh Bardugo’s The Familiar.

'The Familiar' Resource Guide
To prepare for Folger Book Club’s December discussion of The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo, we have pulled together a list of resources related to resources related to Golden Age Spain, the inquisition, and Love’s Labor’s Lost.