Contemporary Issues Forum

Loudmouth: Emma Goldman vs. America (A Love Story)

SPEAKER:

Deborah Heiligman
Award-Winning Author

TOPIC:

Deborah Heiligman will tell us the inside story of Emma Goldman, the “fiery little anarchist” and “she devil” who fought to make her adopted country, which she loved, live up to its ideals. For three decades—starting when she was in her early 20’s, in 1892, E.G. spoke to tens of thousands of people around the country, about workers rights, birth control, free speech, anarchism, contemporary drama, free love, and more. She was dogged by the government and thrown into jail again and again. Although she finally was deported in 1919—by an ambitious young government man named J. Edgar Hoover—Goldman changed the landscape of political discourse in America forever.

Book Signing (following lecture): Loudmouth: Emma Goldman vs. America (A Love Story)

Speaker Bio:

National Book Award finalist Deborah Heiligman’s latest book, Loudmouth: Emma Goldman vs. America (A Love Story), was published September 16, 2025, and called a “masterclass” by Booklist. It was named a Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year, a New York Public Library Best Books of the Year: Top 10 Books for Teens, a Booklist Editors’ Choice, and a Jewish Women’s Archives Winter 2025 Book Club Pick.

Heiligman’s other books include: Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith, a National Book Award finalist, Michael L. Printz Honor winner, and inaugural YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award winner; Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers, a Printz Honor, YALSA winner, Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winner, and Golden Kite winner; and Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of “The Children’s Ship,” a YALSA finalist and Golden Kite winner.

Venue located on Chautauqua Institution grounds; a gate pass is required.