Mark Twain House to welcome authors Gary Shteyngart, Gabe Henry, and Mark Hussey for summer events

New Shteyngart novel, a Portrait of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, and a book exploring the difficulties of simplifying english spelling

Hot on the heels of announcing June in-person author events with bestselling authors Ron Chernow and Joyce Carol Oates, The Mark Twain House & Museum (MTH&M) announced today a lineup of three in-person events scheduled for June and July 2025.

The programs include appearances by humorist Gabe Henry on Enough is Enuf: Our Failed Attempts to Make English Easier to Spell on June 24; Virginia Woolf scholar Mark Hussey on Mrs. Dalloway: Biography of a Novel on July 17; and acclaimed novelist and essayist Gary Shteyngart on his newest work of fiction, Vera, or Faith on July 23. All three events are scheduled for 7pm and will be held at The Mark Twain Museum Center located at 351 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, CT. Tickets are on sale at MarkTwainHouse.org/Events/.

Each discussion program will be followed by a book signing with the author. MTH&M Members can login to access free admission to the discussions and utilize their member discount when purchasing books at the events.

Enough is Enuf: Our Failed Attempts to Make English Easier to Spell

Mark Hussey, author of Mrs. Dalloway: Biography of a Novel. Provided photo.

A Trouble Begins Program with author Gabe Henry in conversation with Jennifer DiCola Matos

Tuesday, June 24 at 7pm

Join author and humorist Gabe Henry for a lively discussion of Enough Is Enuf: Our Failed Attempts to Make English Easier to Spell. Mixing history, humor, and linguistic curiosity, Henry dives into the comic—and sometimes tragic—history of spelling reform. From Noah Webster’s dictionary ambitions to our beloved Mark Twain’s strong support to George Bernard Shaw’s radical proposals, this book reveals the rebels who dared to suggest that thru should replace through and laf should stand in for laugh. Don’t miss this hilarious and insightful look at the quirks of the English language—because enuf is enuf!

Gabe Henry is the author of three books including the poetry anthology Eating Salad Drunk, a humor collaboration with Jerry Seinfeld, Bob Odenkirk, Mike Birbiglia, Margaret Cho, and other titans of comedy. Eating Salad Drunk was featured in The New Yorker in February 2022 (“A Smattering of Haiku for the Burnout Age”) and ranked one of Vulture’s Best Comedy Books of 2022.

Moderator Jennifer DiCola Matos is the Administrator at the Museum of Connecticut History housed within the Connecticut State Library.

Ticket & Book: $33; Discussion Only: $10

Mrs. Dalloway: Biography of a Novel

A Truths in Our Time Series conversation with author Mark Hussey and moderator Omar Acevedo

Thursday, July 17 at 7pm

Step into the world behind the novel as literary scholar Mark Hussey brings a modernist masterpiece to life. In Mrs Dalloway: Biography of a Novel, Hussey traces Woolf’s creative journey: from the first spark in her diary to the stunning prose that has captivated readers since 1925. Whether you’re encountering this classic novel for the first time or returning as a devoted fan, this event promises fresh insights into the novel’s writing, publication, reception—and its enduring legacy.

Mark Hussey is Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus at Pace University in New York. He is founding editor of Woolf Studies Annual and general editor of the Harcourt Annotated Edition of the Works of Virginia Woolf, for which he edited To the Lighthouse. His recent publications include Clive Bell and the Making of Modernism (2022) and Modernism’s Print Cultures (with Faye Hammill, 2016).

Moderator Omar Acevedo is the Literary Programs Coordinator of The Mark Twain House & Museum.

Ticket: $10

Vera, or Faith – A Novel

Gary Shteyngart, author of Vera, or Faith. Photo by Brigitte Lacombe

A Voices of Today Series conversation with author Gary Shteyngart and moderator Amy Brady

Wednesday, July 23 at 7pm

Bestselling author and humorist Gary Shteyngart returns for a lively exploration of his latest book: Vera, or Faith, a sharp-eyed, deeply moving novel that follows ten-year-old Vera’s clear, tender, and hilarious observations as her mixed-heritage family frays under the pressures of a rapidly unraveling America. Hear Shteyngart discuss Vera’s unforgettable narrative voice, the novel’s blend of biting satire and heartfelt tenderness, and his creative process in imagining a fractured yet hopeful future—and discover why Vera, or Faith is already one of 2025’s most anticipated and unforgettable reads.

Gary Shteyngart was born in Leningrad in 1972 and came to the United States seven years later. His debut novel, The Russian Debutante’s Handbook, won the Stephen Crane Award for First Fiction and the National Jewish Book Award for Fiction. His second novel, Absurdistan, was one of The New York Times Book Review‘s 10 Best Books of the Year. His novel Super Sad True Love Story won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize and became one of the most iconic novels of the decade. His memoir, Little Failure, was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. His books have been published in thirty countries.

Moderator Amy Brady is the author of Ice: From Mixed Drinks to Skating Rinks–a Cool History of a Hot Commodity, named a best book of 2023 by NPR and Scientific American.

Ticket & Book: $38; Discussion Only: $10

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Mark Twain House to welcome authors Gary Shteyngart, Gabe Henry, and Mark Hussey for summer events