Iconic Conversations: Jim Merkel, author of ‘The Making of an Icon’

Join us each month for a thought-provoking speaker series that brings St. Louis history to life. Gateway Arch National Park and Jefferson National Parks Association are proud to host compelling talks by local authors and other knowledgeable guests who will explore a variety of topics relevant to the St. Louis region. You might learn about our city’s early beginnings, its architecture, our prominent leaders, the rise of the Gateway Arch, our civil rights struggles, and the best things to do around town. Book discussions will be followed by an author signing opportunity. 

All programs are free and no reservations are needed. They will be held at 2:00 p.m. on the second Sunday of the month in the rotunda of the historic Old Courthouse (11 N. 4th Street, St. Louis, MO 63102). The building is fully accessible, and a sign language interpreter will be on hand for each presentation. 

Jim Merkel grew up in Des Peres and Webster Groves and has been a journalist in the St. Louis area for three decades. His previous books for Reedy Press were Hoosiers and Scrubby Dutch: St. Louis’s South Side; Beer, Brats, and Baseball: St. Louis Germans; The Making of an Icon: The Dreamers, The Schemers, and The Hard Hats Who Built The Gateway Arch; and The Colorful Characters of St. Louis. He lives in the Bevo Mill neighborhood of St. Louis with his wife, Lorraine.