This year's William Hammond Lecture on the American Tradition will feature Michael B. Gillespie, Associate Professor in the Department of Cinema Studies at NYU. He will present "What's Going On: Notes on Sonic Blackness and the Idea of 9/11 Music." Focused on a series of music recordings and performances, the talk centers on the sonic dimensions of the art of blackness. The talk considers the irreconcilable and generative ways that a distinct circuit of songs proffers an exquisite series of disputes regarding nation, citizenship, memorialization and pleasure. As a deliberate act of deep listening and arrangement, the talk will produce an alternate writing of a post-9/11 American history attuned to a range of rhythms and unfulfilled promises. FOR CREDIT: fill out this google form (https://forms.gle/3Ke7WmLvHpfFQgUi7)