Events › Documentary Club: American Oz

Explore fascinating stories and engage in thought-provoking discussions at our monthly Documentary Club. Each month features a different film, broadening our understanding of our community and the world around us.

Explore the life and times of author L. Frank Baum, the creator of one of the most beloved, enduring and classic American narratives. By 1900, when The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was published, Baum was 44 years old and had spent much of his life in restless pursuit of success. With mixed results he dove into a string of jobs — chicken breeder, actor, marketer of petroleum products, shopkeeper, newspaperman and traveling salesman — Baum continued to reinvent himself, reflecting a uniquely American brand of confidence, imagination and innovation. During his travels to the Great Plains and on to Chicago during the American frontier’s final days, he witnessed a nation coming to terms with the economic uncertainty of the Gilded Age. But he never lost his childlike sense of wonder and eventually crafted his observations into a magical tale of survival, adventure and self-discovery, reinterpreted through the generations in films, books and musicals.

*Due to the historic nature of the Simmons Library, the building is not equipped with a ramp for entrance. This event is downstairs and requires the use of a spiral staircase.

Suitable for Adults 19+, No Registration Required.