About this Event
Tuesday, September 22 at 7pm
The Living Declaration: Pursuing Happiness, Then and Now
with Pico Iyer, Youngmi Mayer, Héctor Tobar, Gary Tyler, Ted Widmer
Co-presented with Library of America
Is “happiness” still an essential human right? 250 years after the Declaration of Independence was written, we are looking closely at what the “pursuit of happiness” means today. Does the promise still hold up in 2026? ALOUD and the Library of America present a program inspired by The Living Declaration: A Biography of America's Founding Text written by historian and former presidential speechwriter Ted Widmer.
We are bringing together a dynamic line-up of artists, activists, writers, and historians to explore the past, present, and future of this American ideal. The evening will feature live readings and be book-ended by a blues medley curated by Rob Stone, featuring world-renowned musicians.
Special thanks to our sponsors
ALOUD is made possible thanks to support from: Judith and Steve Krantz Foundation, Hearst Foundations, Humanities Endowment Fund, Gregory Peck Literacy Endowment, Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Sharon Oxborough Endowed Fund for ALOUD
Additional support generously provided by the Los Angeles Public Library and by donors and members of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles.
Event venue & nearby stays
Mark Taper Auditorium - Central Library, 630 W 5th St, Los Angeles, CA 90071, United States
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