English is a rich but crazy language. Discover malapropisms, eponyms, portmanteaus, oxymorons, and other words about words in an hour celebrating the English language. Joining Emily Auerbach is self-proclaimed lexophile Marshall Cook, Emeritus Professor in the Division of Studies and author of 30 books of fiction and non-fiction.

His upbringing was unlikely to produce a writer with an international reputation. His education was limited and traumatic. But Hans Christian Andersen became known throughout Europe for stories such as The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, and The Snow Queen. How was he able to turn simple ideas into stories for the ages? And were those stories, so popular in Disney films, really for children? Andersen expert Scott Mellor will tell us about the breaks, good and bad, that elevated Andersen to the ranks of celebrated authors.

Dexter Gordon’s widow, Maxine Gordon, explores her award-winning biography Sophisticated Giant: The Life and Legacy of Dexter Gordon.

He was a catalyst for a religious revolution and he remains controversial today. Five hundred years ago, an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther began questioning some of the fundamental practices and beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church. Historian Lee Wandel will take us through Luther’s thinking about buying forgiveness, the papal interpretation of scripture, celibacy, and nonbelievers. We’ll find out how Luther was able not only to survive, but to flourish at a time when heresy could be fatal. We’ll also look at some famous stories about Luther that are “fake news.”

Revolutionary medieval mystic Julian of Norwich penned what’s thought to be the first book in English written by a woman. She dared to suggest that God was both father and mother. Professor Sherry Reames explores the life, writings, and legacy of a courageous medieval anchoress and author.

What was it like to be a knight at the time of the crusades? Historian Elizabeth Lapina will tell us how the crusades began, what the crusaders were trying to achieve and how successful were they? Along the way, we’ll find out how the experiences of crusaders in the Holy Land affected the high moral standards of knighthood in Western Europe. We’ll look at the relationship between the Muslim and Christian inhabitants of the Middle East. And we’ll hear about some of the principal players—popes and kings—who shaped the crusades.

Nandini Pandey, UW Professor of Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, shatters myths and misconceptions and shows how Ancient Rome embraced cultural diversity in surprising ways.

From the time of the Revolutionary War to the Star-Spangled Banner to the songs of Stephen Foster, the Civil War, and innovators of the early twentieth century, American song has accompanied the development of the nation. Pianist Trevor Stephenson and a quartet of singers will give us an idea of what the tunes originally sounded like.

Historian Erika Janik, author of Pistols and Petticoats: 175 Years of Lady Detectives in Fact and Fiction, traces the exploits of real and imaginary female police officers and detectives in the burgeoning metropolises of America and England.

Pamela Oliver, Professor Emerita of Sociology, discusses racial patterns in incarceration.