On Apr. 8, 2015, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP) had the pleasure of hosting a lively conversation as part of the event, Voicing the Absent: Crafting History.

The inaugural program in HSP’s two-year An Artist Embedded project, Voicing the Absent brought together playwrights, historians, filmmakers, and the public to explore the intersections of history and fiction, fact and truth.

Obie award-winning playwright Ain Gordon was on-hand, along with filmmaker Louis Messiah, and historian/novelist Jane Kamensky. Each brought a different perspective for interacting with the past, as well as working with different formats to present history and fiction: dramatic performances, written histories, and documentary films.

Where do their perspectives coincide? Conflict? Are their processes substantially different? How?

Major support for An Artist Embedded has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with additional support from HSP.