The American Writers Museum (AWM) continues its special program series for American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture this summer with events in June and July featuring acclaimed authors and comedians spanning genres and faiths.
In “Faith is Funny: Comedy Writers on God and Religion” on Monday, June 23 at 6 p.m. at the Studebaker Theater (410 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago), leading comedians Negin Farsad, Hari Kondabolu and Kate Sidley talk with “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!” host Peter Sagal about why religion is so hilarious and how their faiths—Jewish, Hindu, Catholic and Muslim—inform their jokes. From Sister Act to The Book of Mormon, The Righteous Gemstones to Groundhog Day, religion has been a fertile ground for funny writers, getting serious ideas about American culture across with a laugh. Event tickets are $26, with discounts for students and seniors, at fineartsbuilding.com/events/american-prophets-faith-is-funny.
“Divine Love” offers a lively discussion about the intersection of religion and romance on Thursday, July 10 at 6 p.m. at the American Writers Museum (180 N. Michigan Avenue, 2nd Floor, Chicago) with acclaimed romance authors Sajni Patel, Scarlett St. Clair and Helene Wecker. They will talk about incorporating religion into their work in the genre, retelling myth and tradition, and dealing honestly with their characters' spiritual beliefs. Books will be available for purchase from The Last Chapter Book Shop on site, and the authors will sign books following the program. Tickets are $12.51, with discounts for students and seniors, at eventbrite.com/e/divine-love-in-person-an-american-prophets-program-tickets-1367399160699. This event will also be livestreamed.
The new American Prophets: Writers, Religion, and Culture exhibition opens at AWM on November 21, 2025. Additional American Prophets events with authors spanning genres and faiths will be presented throughout 2025 and into early 2026. Check the events calendar at AmericanWritersMuseum.org for programming updates.
American Prophets journeys through the pages of American history and both real and fictionalized spiritual practices to explore the profound ways literature reflects and influences our understanding of religion. The immersive exhibit opening at the American Writers Museum in November will showcase rare artifacts, interactive displays, and related creative works spanning literature, film, music, comedy and more. AWM invites visitors to discover how storytelling serves as a powerful lens for examining belief systems, personal identity and the ever-evolving relationship between religion and American culture.
American Prophets is supported by a $2.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative.
WRITER BIOS
Negin Farsad was named one of 50 Funniest Women by Huffington Post, named one of the 10 Best Feminist Comedians by Paper Magazine, and was selected as a TEDFellow for her work in social justice comedy. Her docu-comedy film The Muslims are Coming! received an Audience Award from the Austin Film Festival. She is the author of the recently released How To Make White People Laugh, a memoir-meets-social-justice-comedy manifesto which was nominated for the Thurber Prize for Humor and recommended by Oprah Magazine.
Hari Kondabolu is a comedian, writer & podcaster based in Brooklyn, NY. He has been described by The NY Times as “one of the most exciting political comics in stand-up today.” He has performed on The Late Show with David Letterman, Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live, John Oliver’s NY Stand-Up Show, @Midnight & has his own half-hour special on Comedy Central. A former writer & correspondent on the Chris Rock produced FX TV show “Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell.” In 2017, he released his critically acclaimed documentary “The Problem with Apu” on truTV.
Peter Sagal is the host of NPR’s Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!, the most listened-to hour on public radio. A playwright, screenwriter and journalist, he is also the author of The Book of Vice: Naughty Things and How to Do Them and The Incomplete Book of Running, a memoir about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and other adventures while running long distances. On TV, Peter has made appearances on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and other shows, and hosted Constitution USA with Peter Sagal for PBS and National Geographic Explorer for the NatGeo Channel.
Kate Sidley is a comedy writer and performer originally from Cleveland, Ohio. She writes for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and her work can be seen in the New Yorker, McSweeney's, and Reductress. Kate has multiple Emmy-nominations, a Peabody Award, a Writers Guild Award and, thanks to her years of Catholic school, a visceral aversion to plaid wool skirts. Her forthcoming book is called How to Be a Saint: An Extremely Weird and Mildly Sacrilegious History of The Catholic Church's Biggest Names.
Sajni Patel is an award-winning author of romance and young adult novels and is perhaps best known for her debut, The Trouble with Hating You. Her works have appeared in numerous Best of the Year and Must-Read lists from Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue, Apple Books, Audiofile, Tribeza, Austin Woman, NBC, Insider, and many others. Her critically acclaimed YA dark fantasy, A Drop of Venom, from Disney Hyperion/Rick Riordan Presents fuses the Medusa myth with Indian mythology in what Booklist calls "a furious, action-packed fantasy" and Publisher's Weekly calls "urgent and vital."
#1 New York Times bestselling author Scarlett St. Clair is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation and the author of the Hades X Persephone Saga, the Adrian X Isolde series, fairytale retellings, and When Stars Come Out. She has a master’s degree in library science and information studies and a bachelor’s in English writing. She is obsessed with Greek mythology, murder mysteries, and the afterlife. Her newest book is Terror at the Gates.
Helene Wecker is the author of The Golem and the Jinni and The Hidden Palace. Her books have appeared on The New York Times and San Francisco Chronicle's bestseller lists, and have won a National Jewish Book Award, the VCU Cabel Award, the Harold U. Ribalow Prize, and a Mythopoeic Award. She currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN WRITERS MUSEUM
The American Writers Museum is the first museum of its kind in the United States. The mission of the American Writers Museum is to excite audiences about the impact of American writers — past, present and future — in shaping our collective histories, cultures, identities, and daily lives. The museum is located at 180 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60601, and offers something for every age group including permanent exhibits and special galleries highlighting America’s favorite works and the authors behind them. Tickets to the museum are $16 for adults, $10 for seniors, students, and teachers. Free for members and children ages 12 and under. To inquire about discounted rates for groups of 10 or more, including adults, student travel groups, and University students, visit AmericanWritersMuseum.org/visit/groups/ or call 312-374-8765. Museum hours are Monday, Thursday—Sunday, 10 AM—5 PM. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. For more information visit AmericanWritersMuseum.org or call 312-374-8790. Follow AWM on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.