I Just Keep Talking: Art, History, and A Glorious Life

Join us for an evening of deep insight and reflection with renowned historian, artist, and public intellectual Nell Irvin Painter, Edwards Professor of American History, Emerita at Princeton University. As the author of landmark works such as The History of White People, Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol, and Old in Art School: A Memoir of Starting Over, Painter has profoundly shaped how we understand race, identity, and the American experience.

In this special event, Painter will discuss her latest book, I Just Keep Talking: A Life in Essays (Doubleday, 2024), a compelling collection that weaves together decades of scholarship, personal narrative, and creative reinvention. Reflecting on a life devoted to rigorous inquiry and bold self-expression, Painter offers wisdom on the intersections of art and history, aging and authorship, and the evolving role of the scholar in public life.

A Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, former president of the Organization of American Historians, and a practicing visual artist with degrees from Rutgers and RISD, Painter exemplifies a life of fearless intellectual exploration.

This is a rare opportunity to learn from one of our most distinguished thinkers—a conversation not just about history, but about how a life of the mind can remain vibrant, creative, and gloriously unfinished.

Presented in partnership by the UT Austin Department of History and the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, this program is part of the esteemed Littlefield Lecture Series. This conversation with be moderated by Dr. Peniel Joseph, director of CSRD.