Events at the Kislak Center

Jul 31

• Workshop

Open to the Public

Coffee with a Codex: Astronomical Texts (Two fragments from the same original manuscript)

For Coffee With A Codex on July 31, Curator Dot Porter will bring out two fragments of a number of astronomical texts in Middle English, written in England circa 1496.

• July 31, 2025
• 12:00pm - 12:30pm
• Online

Aug 14

• Workshop

Open to the Public

Coffee with a Codex: The Voynich Manuscript (Facsimile)

On August 14, Curator Dot Porter will bring out a facsimile of Beinecke Library MS 408, aka The Voynich Manuscript. This is a realistic facsimile that looks exactly like the real thing!

• August 14, 2025
• 12:00pm - 1:00pm
• Online

Sep 04

Open to the Public

Made (By Hand): Reflections on Running a Press

Celebrate the opening of Made (By Hand) in the Midwest: The Contre Coup Press, 1979-2019 with a talk by Jessica Peterson, Director of the Common Press.

• September 4, 2025
• 4:30pm - 7:30pm
• Class of 1978 Orrery Pavilion, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, sixth floor; Main Lobby and Kamin Gallery, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, first floor

Sep 12

• Symposium

Open to the Public

Making the Medieval Archive: Celebrating Elizabeth A.R. Brown at Penn

This day-long symposium will commemorate Elizabeth (Peggy) A. R. Brown’s extraordinary legacy in the field of Medieval Studies and will mark the official launch of the Elizabeth A. R. Brown Medieval Historians’ archive.

• September 12, 2025
• 10:00am - 7:00pm
• Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts & Online

Sep 16

• Workshop

Open to the Public

Reimagining Illumination: Illuminated Manuscripts

On Tuesday, September 16, Schoenberg Curator of Manuscripts Nick Herman will talk about the practice of illumination in premodern manuscripts, showing us a variety of manuscripts from Penn's collections.

• September 16, 2025
• 2:00pm - 3:00pm
• Kislak Center Vitale II (Room 623), Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, 6th Floor

Sep 17

• Workshop

Open to the Public

Manuscript Studies Interest Group: Contemplating the Cosmos

The theme for September is Contemplating the Cosmos and will include manuscripts focused on cosmology, astronomy, and astrology.

• September 17, 2025
• 2:00pm - 3:00pm
• Kislak Center Vitale II, Rm 623, 6th Floor

Sep 19

• Lecture

Open to the Public

Pages of Stars: Case Studies in the History of the Astral Sciences from the Lawrence J. Schoenberg Collection

Michael Zellman-Rohrer offers a progress report on a larger project to place manuscripts on the astral sciences (astronomy and astrology) from Europe and the wider Mediterranean world in social context and to bring these products of premodern science and their producers and users, in the fullness of their languages and faiths, into dialogue with social history and the history of science.

• Friday, September 19, 2025, 12:00 - 1:30 pm EDT
• 12:00pm - 1:30pm
• Virtual

Oct 03

Open to the Public

Reinventing Aristotle: Between Manuscripts and Printed Books

Join us to celebrate the opening of Reinventing Aristotle, a new exhibit exploring how perceptions of Aristotle have evolved over the centuries.

• October 3, 2025
• 4:30pm - 7:30pm
• Class of 1978 Orrery Pavilion, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, sixth floor

Oct 07

Open to the Public

2025 New Acquisitions Showcase: Across the Centuries, From Manuscript to Manifesto

Join us for this annual showcase of exciting new acquisitions made this past year by Kislak Center curators and colleagues.

• October 7, 2025
• 2:00pm - 6:00pm
• Class of 1978 Orrery Pavilion, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center, sixth floor