Indiana Humanities to host award-winning writer Timothy Egan

National Book Award winner and author of “A Fever in the Heartland” to visit three Indiana cities this November.

Join award-winning author Timothy Egan and Indiana Humanities for a three-city tour on November 14 and 15. During this tour, Egan will discuss his most recent book, A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan’s Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them in Indianapolis, Kokomo and Muncie.

Egan will be in conversation with local journalist Adam Wren about the history of the Klan in Indiana, the brave individuals who stood up to its influence and the implications of this history for Hoosiers today. 

“Through his writing, Egan demonstrates how critical it is to remember the not-so-distant past,” said Megan Telligman, director of programs at Indiana Humanities. “I’m excited to see what his conversations with Adam Wren will uncover and the dialogue this programming will spark with Hoosiers across the state.”

A Fever in the Heartland chronicles the rise of the 1920s Klan in Indiana, including the notorious figure D.C. Stephenson, who spurred the Klan’s growth from his home in Indianapolis. Egan’s powerful storytelling describes the conditions that allowed the Klan to gather influence, while also identifying those who resisted—a reporter from Muncie, an African American publisher, a single prosecutor and Madge Oberholtzer, whose deathbed confession would bring down Stephenson and eventually the Klan.

All events are free and open to the public. Seating is limited, however, and registration is required. Egan will appear with Wren at the Irvington Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis on Nov. 14 at 6:30pm. On Nov. 15, they are scheduled to appear at the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library in Kokomo at noon. On the same day, Egan and Wren will also be in conversation at the Art and Journalism Building at Ball State University in Muncie at 6pm. 

Book sales will be provided at all events, with book signings following each program. If you have accommodation requests or questions about accessibility, contact Megan Telligman at mtelligman@indianahumanities.org.

This program is made possible with the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities’ United We Stand initiative, which supports local programming that helps communities counter the destructive effects of hate-fueled violence on our democracy and public safety.