Join The Grolier Club for a talk by veteran Merriam-Webster editor Peter Sokolowski on "Englishing the World: Calepino to Elyot to Cawdrey." This lecture is part of a five-part series in conjunction with our "Hardly Harmless Drudgery" exhibition, on view through July 27.
Sokolowski started working for Merriam-Webster in 1994 as their first French-language editor, and has now risen to be their editor-at-large, becoming the 'public face' of the company as he works on the Word of the Day podcast, Ask the Editor videos, and short articles about word trends and etymologies, which he also presents on Twitter. In addition to giving talks on dictionaries at professional and academic conferences, he conducts workshops for teachers of English as a second language and on dictionaries and the English language for the U.S. State Department; and serves as pronouncer for spelling bees around the world.
His writing has appeared in Slate, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, and he is a frequent guest on national radio and TV. In fact, as a mean jazz trumpeter, he has also served as a substitute jazz host for New England Public Radio.
Registration
If you are a Grolier Club member, please register yourself and your guests via the Club website. Do not register via Eventbrite.
Support
We appreciate your interest in the Grolier Club’s programming on the art and history of the book. For more than 130 years we have offered our exhibitions and lectures to the public, free of charge. If you have enjoyed these offerings, and would like to support the continuance of that tradition, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Grolier Club.
Accessibility
An ADA-compliant lift from street level to the lobby is available to anyone with mobility issues. All desk staff should be ready and able to assist you in operating the lift, with or without advance notice.
A “T-Coil” assisted listening system is available to anyone attending a lecture in the Exhibition Hall. Visitors with hearing aids should turn their devices to the “T” setting in order to access the system; visitors without hearing aids may request a “loop receiver” with earphones.
Environment
The temperature and humidity in the exhibition hall are tightly controlled for the sake of the valuable items on display, and this may cause the room to feel chilly, particularly in warmer weather, to those coming in from outside. Members and visitors are advised to bring a light wrap when visiting an exhibition, or attending an event in the hall.
