February 15, 2022
Top Abraham Lincoln scholar to discuss president’s character, eloquence
CARBONDALE, Ill. – Douglas Wilson, one of the United States’ leading Abraham Lincoln scholars, will join Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute next week for a conversation about Lincoln’s character and writing.
John Shaw, institute director, will host the discussion with Wilson, titled “The Character and Eloquence of Abraham Lincoln.” The conversation will focus on two of Wilson’s books: “Lincoln’s Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words,” which primarily deals with Lincoln’s writings, and “Honor’s Voice: The Transformation of Abraham Lincoln,” which is about Lincoln’s character. Both books earned Wilson the Lincoln Prize.
The event will be held via Zoom at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 21. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required to access the webinar. Visit paulsimoninstitute.org/events to register.
Wilson is a professor emeritus at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, where he taught English. He is the co-founder and co-director of the school’s Lincoln Studies Center. His writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and the Atlantic, and he worked as a consultant on Steven Spielberg’s 2012 biopic “Lincoln.”
Wilson in 2009 received the Order of Lincoln from the Lincoln Academy of Illinois, the state’s highest honor.
“Professor Wilson is a painstaking researcher, creative scholar and masterful writer who is able to bring Abraham Lincoln to life in his full complexity,” Shaw said. “We look forward to learning from Professor Wilson how Lincoln developed into a world-class statesman and one of the most original and powerful writers in American history.”
The conversation is part of the institute’s Illinois Authors series of discussions with the writers who bring the Prairie State to life.
Attendees are encouraged to submit questions for Wilson before the event. Questions may be submitted on the registration form or emailed to paulsimoninstitute@siu.edu.