now booking 2026 speaking and workshop dates
In Dialogue with America
A year-long reading & creative reflection project for America’s 250th year.
In 2026, the United States turns 250. In Dialogue with America is a year-long journey through books, art, and conversation to ask a simple, difficult question: Who have we been—and who are we becoming?
Each month, we’ll pair a novel, a work of history, and an artist to help us read the American story with more honesty, imagination, and hope.
Get early access when doors open, plus the reading list and project updates.
A year-long journey to
read, reflect, and rethink
the American story in 2026
As America approaches its 250th birthday, many of us are realizing that the stories we learned in school were incomplete and the conversations we’re having today feel too loud, too fast, and too divided to help us understand them.
In Dialogue with America offers an opportunity for people who want to read thoughtfully, explore history with fresh eyes, and reflect on who America has been, and who we want to become.
If you’re looking for a way to engage with this moment in history, this project is for you!
where creative literacy, reflection, and learning meet the American story.
A Quick Introduction to the Project
Why This? Why Now?
The Stories That Shape Us
The lead-up to America’s 250th birthday will be loud. There will be celebrations, slogans, and no shortage of arguments. But many of us are craving something different: space to slow down, listen, and think together about the stories we've told about ourselves as Americans—and the ones we want to write next.
In Dialogue with America is my attempt to create that space.
Over twelve months, we’ll explore how art, story, and history can help us:
Notice the myths we were raised on
Listen to voices we weren’t taught to hear
Grieve what needs grieving
Imagine more just, humane ways of belonging
It won't be a debate stage. It’s not a partisan project.
It’s intended as a guided, reflective journey for readers, makers, and communities who care about the American story and want to meet it with honesty and courage.
What is In Dialogue with America?
At its heart, this is a year-long, guided reading and reflection project for 2026.
Each month, we’ll explore one facet of the American story through three lenses:
a novel
to feel the story from the inside
a work of non-fiction
to ground us in history and context
the work of an artist
to respond through image, making, or creative practice
Together, they create a layered conversation between myth and memory, power and belonging, harm and repair, grief and possibility.
You can join as a reader, deepen your experience through guided conversations, or step into a creative cohort responding through art and making.
For now, the project is in pre-launch. I’m gathering an interest list, refining the reading list, and designing the conversations and creative prompts.
How the 2026 Project Will Work
The full details are coming soon, but here’s the simple shape of each month.
READ
Each month, you’ll receive a short guide introducing the month's topic and the chosen novel and non-fiction book.
You choose whether to read one or both selections.
REFLECT
You’ll also receive a set of monthly reflection prompts designed to help you connect the readings with your own experience.
They can be used for journaling, quiet thinking, or shared conversation.
RESPOND
For those who want to go further there will be:
Live online conversations exploring the month’s theme, and
An artist cohort with creative prompts and space to make work in dialogue with what we’re reading.
You can engage as lightly or as deeply as you need. This project is designed
to be thoughtful and sustainable, not another thing shouting for your attention.
Yes. And No.
Yes...
You can absolutely use the monthly reading list and discussion questions in any typical book club setting. Everything is designed to work beautifully for groups who simply want to read and talk together.
And No...
This project also includes elements you won’t find in a traditional book club. In the leader guides and online discussions, we’ll explore:
Two different types of texts each month: a novel and a work of history, which creates layers of learning and perspective you don’t get from reading one genre alone (you don't have to read both, group members share from the perspective they read)
Simple creative or reflective exercises that help you process what you’re reading in a slower, more thoughtful way
Guided conversation prompts designed to help groups move beyond opinions into meaning, story, and imagination
Optional creative invitations for makers, artists, or anyone who enjoys responding through journaling, sketching, stitching, or other hands-on approaches
These additions are simple, accessible, and completely optional, but they’re part of what makes In Dialogue with America a unique learning experience.
You can engage with the project at whatever level fits your group.
Who's This Perfect For?
Educators and librarians who care about how we teach history, story, and civic imagination
Thoughtful readers who want more than hot takes and headlines
Community leaders and facilitators who want structured, reflective resources for groups
Artists, makers, and creatives who process the world through image, stitch, music, movement, or words
Anyone who feels the American story is complicated and wants to explore it more deeply
If that sounds like you, add your name to the early interest list and I’ll keep you in the loop as details unfold.
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JANE AWESOME, ACME CO.
2026 Themes
Each month pairs cultural works with reflection & discussion.
One Novel
One Non-fiction work
One Artist (creative cohort)
JAN | ORIGINs
feb | Manifest destiny
mar | u.s.a. exceptionalism
APR | The self-made mYTH
may | Capitalism & cULTURE
jun | Patriarchy & Power
jul | Religion & Righteousness
AUG | Nationalism & Patriotism
Sep | RACE & REPRESENTATION
Oct | Land & Belonging
Nov | Who tells the story?
Dec | Becoming
January Preview: Origins
Here’s a taste of how each month works: story, history, and art
woven together to help us reconsider the America we think we know.
story
My Ántonia by Willa Cather
A vivid, nostalgic portrait of frontier life that explores memory, belonging, and the mythic narrative of settlement and “starting fresh.”
history
These Truths by Jill Lepore
A sweeping, accessible retelling of the American origin story that shows how the nation’s founding ideals were shaped, stretched, and contested from the beginning.
artist
Grant Wood
His iconic Regionalism helps us examine how early America imagined itself—simple, unified, pastoral, and noble—while revealing the tensions beneath that idealized story.
Reflection & Conversation
Topics We'll Explore
Where America’s origin stories come from
How myths of unity and innocence were created
The gap between the pastoral ideal and historical reality
Immigration, settlement, and the “fresh start” narrative
Who was included—and who was left out—of early American identity
Why origin stories shape everything that follows
Three Ways to Participate
When registration opens, you’ll be able to choose the level of involvement
that fits your season and capacity.
explore
Free Reading Path
Free
Reading list
Personal reflection prompts
Virtual discussion replays
Group starter kit and leader support
Weekly thought-provoking emails
Perfect if you want structure and companionship, without live events or creative expectations.
engage
Guided conversations
Paid - Info Coming Soon
Everything in Explore, Plus...
Live guided Zoom discussions
Add'l content and bonus materials
Replay archive of every discussion
Monthly takeaways
Think of it as a year-long book club and community circle rolled into one.
create
A creative cohort
Paid - Info Coming Soon
Everything in Engage, Plus...
Art content and context
Guided aesthetic response prompts
Live Zoom creative conversation
Potential year-end creative showcase
You do not have to be a professional artist. All are welcome. What matters is a willingness to reflect and respond creatively.
As we reflect together on who we’ve been and who we’re becoming, remember…
“We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it.”
Barack Obama
A Cultural Conversation for America’s 250th Year
The Stories That Shape Us
America turns 250 this year—an anniversary that invites not just celebration, but reflection.
In Dialogue with America is a year-long creative exploration of the stories, symbols, and myths that have shaped our shared imagination.
Each month pairs a work of fiction, a historical study, and an artist in conversation. Together, these voices trace the tension between who we believe we are and who we’ve yet to become.
Participants engage through reading circles, creative reflection, and guided aesthetic response, making meaning through dialogue, not debate.
This is not a project aligned with any particular political party or perspective. We will attempt to understand the readings in light of their context, but our focus will be on culture, memory, and imagination—the creative ways we make sense of who we are.
about the curator
Michelle Rene Hill is an educator, artist, and cultural facilitator whose work explores creativity as a form of human literacy. Through her teaching and consulting, she helps individuals and organizations rebuild connection, purpose, and meaning through creative practice. In Dialogue with America continues her mission to use art and story as tools for collective reflection and renewal.
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JANE AWESOME, ACME CO.
Media & Press
PRESS KIT
A full press kit with images, project overview, and key dates will be available soon. It’s designed to support journalists, educators, and partners who want to share In Dialogue with America with their audiences. The kit will include downloadable visuals, project background, curator bio, and sample stories that explore how creativity and reflection can help us see our shared history (and one another) more clearly.
PARTNERSHIPS & COLLABORATIONS
If your organization, university, or cultural institution would like to host a discussion, workshop, or exhibit connected to In Dialogue with America, we’d love to connect. Collaborative programming and local reading circles are key to expanding this national conversation in meaningful, community-based ways.
PRESS INQUIRIES
For media requests, interviews, or collaboration opportunities, please reach out to the project team. We welcome thoughtful coverage and partnerships that explore how creativity, history, and dialogue can deepen our shared understanding of the American story.
View My Portfolio of Work
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Creativity isn’t a luxury,
it’s a lifeline.
Creativity isn’t self-indulgence, it’s how we stay human.
It restores connection where culture has created distance, meaning where systems have reduced us to output, and hope where urgency has taken root.
When we create, we remember who we are — and what we’re capable of becoming.
© COPYRIGHT 2025 Michelle Rene Hill | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS AND CONDITIONS | CONTACT SUPPORT
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