2007 Speakers
- Mark Russell
- James McPherson
- History and Future of the American Penny
- Joshua Wolf Shenk
- Gore Vidal
- Sarah Vowell
In recognition of the opening of Lincoln Hall, West Virginia University’s new residential college, the 2007 Festival
of Ideas series will focus on America’s 16th president, Abraham Lincoln—the man, the myth, the martyr and American hero.
Throughout an eight-week period from February to April, a wide array of experts will come to WVU to discuss why Lincoln
matters and examine Lincoln as a politician, historical figure, leader and cultural icon.
JOSHUA WOLF SHENK
Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness
Drawing on seven years of research and Shenk’s passion for the study of mental health and psychology, Lincoln’s Melancholy tells the full story of Lincoln’s lifelong depression, how he harnessed it, and how it inspired his great work. The book was named one of the best books of 2005 by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, and has won awards from the Abraham Lincoln Institute, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and the National Mental Health Association.
Lincoln’s Melancholy was preceded by Shenk’s cover stories in both Time magazine and Atlantic Monthly. He served as chief consultant for a forthcoming History Channel film The Other Side of Abraham Lincoln and consulted for Time’s “Making of America” series.
Shenk’s essays and articles have also appeared in Harper’s Magazine, The New Yorker, GQ, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. He was also a contributor to the national bestseller Unholy Ghost: Writers on Depression. He is a former editor of The Washington Monthly and has been a correspondent for The New Republic, The Economist, and U.S. News & World Report.
Shenk teaches writing at the New School University and serves as vice chair on the board of directors of Stories at the Moth, the urban storytelling series. He is also a member of the advisory council to the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and a fellow in nonfiction literature at the New York Foundation for the Arts. His other honors include the Rosalynn Carter fellowship in mental health journalism at the Carter Center, the Frank Whiting scholarship at the Bread Loaf Writer’s Conference, and residencies at Yaddo, MacDowell, and the Blue Mountain Center.