All events are free unless otherwise noted.
Wednesdays at 7 pm from September 5 through November 14 (no speakers on September 12 or November 7)
Fireside Chats Host Technology Entrepreneurs
LOCATION: Hiram College, East Hall Forum
Join Hiram College’s Center for Integrated Entrepreneurship to hear from current start-ups and entrepreneurs working in the technology field about their innovative and exciting research and products.
Tuesday, September 11 — 7 p.m. | Keynote Speaker
Sporting with Life: Frankenstein and Technology
LOCATION: Hiram College, Kennedy Center Ballroom
Lester Friedman, emeritus professor in the Media and Society Program at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, discusses how technological innovations nourish the Frankenstein family tree. He suggests that our constant need for Frankensteins tells us not how far we have come, but how little we have managed to balance the complex contradictions raised by our technological capabilities.
Thursday, September 13 — Noon
Annual Ethics Teach-In
LOCATION: Hiram College, Campus Green (Rain Location: Dining Hall)
Engage in fascinating informal conversations with Hiram College faculty and staff members on a range of topics related to Frankenstein and technology.
All-you-can-eat lunch is available for $6.
Tuesday, September 18 — 5 p.m.
Book Discussion
LOCATION: Garrettsville Library
Join the Garrettsville Book Club for a lively discussion of Frankenstein, including a conversation with Hiram College Professor of Biomedical Humanities Erin Lamb about its legacy in contemporary ethical debates about biomedicine and biotechnology.
Thursday, September 27 — 6:30 p.m.
Movie
LOCATION: Reed Memorial Library
See the 1931 movie based on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, featuring Boris Karloff’s iconic portrayal of the tragic monster.
Monday, October 1 — 7 p.m. | Keynote Speaker
Rebuilding Books: Why Paperbacks Replaced Hardcovers
LOCATION: Hiram College, Kennedy Center Ballroom
Historian Molly Guptill Manning discusses how publishers designed miniature “wartime edition” paperbacks that fit inside a uniform pocket and provided entertainment to American troops in World War II. When the book industry only printed hardcovers, this trailblazing technology proved the utility and demand for a more convenient book format.
Wednesday, October 3 — 4:15 p.m.
Three Perspectives on Frankenstein
LOCATION: Hiram College Library, Pritchard Room
Join Hiram College Professors Paul Gaffney, Kirsten Parkinson, and Janet Pope as they present four different views on Frankenstein. You’ll come away with new literary and historical perspectives on Mary Shelley’s classic novel.
Wednesday, October 3 — 6 p.m.
It Was a Dark and Stormy Night: The Life of Mary Shelley and the Origins of Frankenstein
LOCATION: Garrettsville Library
Author Mary Shelley’s life was almost as dramatic as the stories she wrote. Join Hiram College Professor of English Kirsten Parkinson to learn about Shelley’s upbringing and the exciting events that led to her writing Frankenstein—as a teenager.
Thursday, October 4 — 7 p.m.
FrankenEthics
LOCATION: Kent Free Library
Hiram College Professor of Biomedical Humanities Erin Lamb offers an exploration of Frankenstein’s legacy in contemporary ethical debates about biomedicine and biotechnology. To register, contact the Information Desk at 330.673.4414.
Tuesday, October 9 — 6:30 p.m.
Monstrous Progeny?: The Science and Ethics of Cloning
LOCATION: Aurora Memorial Library
Building on Frankenstein’s exploration of scientific creation, Hiram College Professor of Biology Nick Hirsch provides an overview of the science and ethics of cloning.
Thursday, October 11 — Noon
Book Discussion
LOCATION: Hiram College, Kennedy Center Brown-Fall Room
Join Hiram College Professor of English Willard Greenwood for a riveting discussion of Frankenstein.
Thursday, October 11 — 6:30 p.m.
Movie
LOCATION: Kent Free Library
This 2017 film (rated PG-13) directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour tells the story of Mary Shelley and her fiery relationship with Percy Bysshe Shelley. At Lord Byron’s house party on Lake Geneva, guests engage in telling ghost stories, and Shelley creates her famous character, who impacts literature and popular culture for centuries to come.
Monday, October 15 — 7 p.m.
Modern Prometheus or Last Renaissance Magus?
LOCATION: Reed Memorial Library
Why did early scientists think they could turn metal into gold? Donald Fleming from Hiram College’s History Department will explore the links between Frankenstein and Early Modern alchemy and occult philosophy.
Tuesday, October 16 — 7 p.m. | Keynote Speaker
Resurrection Men: Life and Death at the Limits of Tech
LOCATION: Hiram College, Kennedy Center Ballroom
Death is the one leveler of human experience, and much science and technology aim toward staving off the inevitable. What are the consequences of technological change? Do we ever over-reach? Where are the limits of what science can—and should—accomplish? Author and historian Brandy Schillace looks at three stories: an 18th-century battle over frogs, a 19th-century fascination with grief, and a 20th-century brain surgeon’s “mad” idea. Each reveals the alternating desire and dread of life at the limits. Come meet the “real” Frankensteins.
Tuesday, October 16 — 7 p.m.
Book Discussion
LOCATION: Kent Free Library
Join the Read the Classics Book Club for a lively and engaging discussion of Frankenstein. Stop by the Check Out Desk for a copy of the book.
Thursday, October 18 — 7 p.m.
Selections from Frankenstein’s Bride
LOCATION: Hiram College, Hayden Auditorium
Listen to the script writers and song writers, actors, and vocalists of the original musical theatre production Frankenstein’s Bride discuss and deliver their work prior to the show’s world premiere on Saturday, October 27. This performance will be a multi-genre evening of original rock, rap, ballads, and “stripped” acoustic songs.
Tuesday, October 23 — 6:30 p.m.
Frankenstein and the Spark of Life
LOCATION: Burton Public Library
In Hollywood, Frankenstein’s monster is brought shambling to life by a bolt of lightning. But how does your body really use electricity? In this talk by Hiram College Professor of Chemistry Steven Romberger, discover how you really use “the spark of life.”
Wednesday, October 24 — 10 a.m.
Book Discussion
LOCATION: Burton Public Library
The staff at the Burton Public Library will host an engaging discussion of Frankenstein. We have limited copies of the book available at our front desk. The book is available to download a free online. Refreshments will be served. Call 440.834.4466 to register.
Wednesday, October 24 — 2 p.m.
Book Discussion
LOCATION: Aurora Memorial Library
The Aurora Memorial Library staff will lead an engaging discussion of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Thursday, October 25 — 6:30 p.m.
The Scientific History of Frankenstein
LOCATION: Burton Public Library
Frankenstein taps into concerns about the dangers of science and the overreach of human knowledge. Hiram Professor of English Kirsten Parkinson will discuss the science of Mary Shelley’s era and its influence on Frankenstein.
Thursday, October 25 — 7 p.m.
Book Discussion
LOCATION: Reed Memorial Library
Join the Reed Memorial Library staff for a compelling discussion of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Friday, October 26 — 4 p.m.
Franken-Toys
LOCATION: Reed Memorial Library
Bring broken toys back to life by splicing them together to form something crazy. Bring your own broken toys. We will provide the tools and supplies to take them apart and put them back together. We’re also accepting donations of old dolls or action figures to use for this project. Grades 6-12. Registration required.
Saturday, October 27 — 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Frankenstein Laboratory and Trick or Treat
LOCATION: Reed Memorial Library
Stop by for treats at each of our service desks, and complete ghoulish science experiments and crafts in our Storytime room.
Saturday, October 27 — 7 p.m.
Frankenstein’s Bride
LOCATION: Streetsboro High School
Thrive presents Frankenstein’s Bride: a world premiere, musical theatre production. Thoughtful dialogue, rock, rap, emotional ballads, elaborate staging and striking special FX will take attendees on an ethical exploration of human potential, pride, and the possible pitfalls of invention, inspired by Mary Shelley’s classic novel. Tickets available for $12 each at http://www.thrivepro.org.
Monday, October 29 — 7 p.m.
Movie
LOCATION: Hiram College, Alumni Heritage Room, Teachout-Price Hall
See the 1931 movie based on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, then engage in a riveting discussion about the film with Hiram College students and faculty members.
Tuesday, October 30 — 6:30 p.m.
Movie
LOCATION: Reed Memorial Library
Join us for the 1994 film (rated R) inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein starring Robert De Niro, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hulce, and Helena Bonham Carter. Director Branagh provides an emotionally complex and terrifying movie.
Tuesday, October 30 — 7 p.m.
Story Slam: “I Am Not a Monster!”
LOCATION:Kent Free Library
“Was I, then, a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and whom all men disowned?”
—The Creature, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Have you ever been misunderstood? Your motives misinterpreted? Have you been judged? Or have you been the one whose perception of another was way off? Maybe you were even responsible for someone’s behavior or very being, although you couldn’t quite recognize the person they’d become. Come prepared to share a true, personal story, 5 – 10 minutes long on the theme of I Am Not a Monster! Stories and language should be appropriate for a general audience. As many story tellers as time allows will get to tell their story. Listeners are welcome. No registration is required
Saturday, November 3 — 7 p.m.
Frankenstein’s Bride
LOCATION: Streetsboro High School
Thrive presents Frankenstein’s Bride: a world premiere, musical theatre production. Thoughtful dialogue, rock, rap, emotional ballads, elaborate staging and striking special FX will take attendees on an ethical exploration of human potential, pride, and the possible pitfalls of invention, inspired by Mary Shelley’s classic novel.
Tickets available for $12 each at http://www.thrivepro.org.
