A monthly serving of illuminating programs for all Granite Staters!
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A monthly serving of illuminating programs for all Granite Staters
Please join us for one or both of our upcoming Humanities@Home programs. Invite a friend!
Rethinking the U.S. National Parks
Friday, Jan. 24, 5 pm on Zoom
In the famous words of Wallace Stegner, “National parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst." But are National Parks truly “democratic”? This interactive program explores the history of U.S. National Parks—as myths, symbols of democratic ideals, and colonial spaces—alongside today’s common National Park activities (and some uncommon ones, including selfie deaths).We cannot talk about enjoying the National Parks without asking how the parks are affected by a changing climate and how their special status affects how we think about our own neighborhoods.We will consider these questions nationally and in our own state—home to the White Mountain National Forest.
Presented by Abby Goode, Associate Professor of English and Sustainability Studies at Plymouth State University. Read more about Abby HERE.
Are We What We Eat
Stories About Food & Ourselves
Friday, Feb. 28, 5 pm on Zoom
We all have a story about food, whether it is sharing a meal, memories of learning a recipe, or foods we might avoid due to negative associations. During this program, Shanta Lee will discuss her project, Foodstories - We Are What We Eat: Intersections Between Food, Memory, Identity and Our Stories, and participants will be welcome to share their own stories, culminating in a multimedia exhibition. The final project will feature Foodstories from the community through audio, images, and text paired with an original soundscape designed by another artist.Foodstoriesis designed to explore the idea that food can be a bridge to who we are as individuals and as a human collective while also creating community. VisitShantalee.com/foodstories.
Presented by Shanta Lee, award-winning author, visual artist, and scholar. Read more HERE.
If you weren't able to join us for the October 2024 Annual Celebration of the Humanities at the Tupelo Music Hall, New Hampshire Humanities is thrilled to announce that through our partnership with NHPBS, the interview with Gregory Maguire, bestselling author of Wicked: The Life & Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, along with author and professor Jaed Coffin, will be broadcast throughout the month of January. Don’t miss this captivating program produced by our friends at NHPBS in Durham!
If you missed December's Humanities@Home about the phenomenon from New Hampshire known internationally as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, enjoy this recent presentation by Daniel Yesbick.
Enjoy these virtual programs from the warmth of your own living room!
Last fall, New Hampshire Humanities and Vermont Humanities'joint traveling exhibit, Crossroads: Change in Rural America, was hosted in St. Albans, VT and traveled most recently to Claremont, NH. In February this Smithsonian Museum on Main Street program will cross the river once again as the Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph, VT opens the doors to their Crossroads exhibit. See the exhibit in any of the remaining locations through this fall:
Feb. 8 – Mar. 23: Chandler Center for the Arts, Randolph, VTDetails Mar. 29 – May 11: Jefferson Historical Society, Jefferson, NHDetails May 31 - Aug. 9: Museum of the White Mountains, Plymouth, NHDetails Aug. 25 - Sept. 28: Old Stone House Museum, Brownington, VTDetails
Crossroads: Change in Rural America is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution, New Hampshire Humanities, and Vermont Humanities. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress.
BLACK HERITAGE TRAIL OF NH 2024 Elinor Williams Hooker Tea Talks The Art of War: Conflict and African American Philosophy As the country approaches the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, marginalized communities have voiced concerns about the celebrations. BIPOC communities seek a more honest reckoning with the past, especially regarding the impact of colonization, enslavement, and other historical injustices. Using principles found in Sun Tzu’s book, The Art of War, the series offers four public panel discussions in February (and two in the fall) about how African philosophies of war, strategy, resilience, and collective action have shaped African American history. All programs, except where noted, are at 2:00-3:30 pm at the Portsmouth Public Library.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2: PANEL 1
Things They Carried: An African Philosophy on War, Surviving Enslavement & CitizenshipRSVP
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9: PANEL 2
Hopes and Impediments: War and Strategies for BelongingRSVP
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, PANEL 3 The Great Migration: Military Service and the Shaping of aDiversified New HampshireRSVP
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23: PANEL 4
Eyes on the Prize: Protests, Movements & the Road AheadRSVP
THEATRE KAPOW Expanding the Canon 5
The fifth Expanding the Canon play reading circlewill focus on the works of Latiné playwrights and begins this month, curated by Jorge Donoso, a Colombian-born, New York City-based performer and community organizer. Participants read the play and materials on their own and gather once a month over Zoom for a lively and enriching conversation. Participation in this program is FREE. All events take place at 2:00 pm.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, PLAY 1: Anna InThe Tropicsby Nilo Cruz
A poignant and poetic play set in Florida in 1929 in a Cuban–American cigar factory, where cigars are still rolled by hand and “lectors” are employed to educate and entertain the workers.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, PLAY 2: Somewhereby Matthew López
It’s 1959 and the new musical West Side Story is a smash hit on Broadway. In their tiny family apartment in the San Juan Hill neighborhood of Manhattan, the young Candelaria siblings dream of glamorous careers in show business.
SUNDAY, MARCH 9, PLAY 3: In the Heightsby Lin-Manuel Miranda & Quiara Alegría Hudes
Set over the course of three days and centers on a variety of characters living in the largely Dominican American neighborhood of Washington Heights, on the northern tip of Manhattan.
SUNDAY, APRIL 13, PLAY 4: Native Gardensby Karen Zacarías
In this brilliant new comedy, cultures and gardens clash, turning well-intentioned neighbors into feuding enemies.
SATURDAY, MAY 10, PLAY 5:Glock 17 by Vero Villalobos
Set in El Paso, Texas, Loui grapples with the harsh reality of what it is to be Mexican in 2019 America. On a road to self discovery through understanding her religious, immigrant dad, she turns to a podcast to anonymously share her thoughts. "What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in the moments that you know you shouldn't be?"
For more information or to RSVP for the play reading circles, click here.
Upcoming deadlines for Community Project Grants:
MAJORGrant Deadlines Major Community Project Grant draft proposals are due March 15, 2025; final applications are due April 15, 2025. For more information and to access the application materials, click here.
MINI Grant Applications Applications for Mini Grants (up to $2K) are accepted on a rolling basis.Details
Did you know that 37 % of our gifts were $50 or less last year?
Hundreds of generous Granite Staters support New Hampshire Humanities through regular contributions because they believe our programs make a difference in their lives – from Humanities to Go programs through their local organizations to ensuring New Americans have access to literacy programs. Some people feel that their gifts will not make a difference, but together, they do! We hope you will make a difference by giving today.
Welcome, Molly!
New Hampshire Humanities welcomes Molly Lunn Owen of Concord to its esteemed Board of Directors. A major gift officer at the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics at UNH, Molly serves as a philanthropic advisor co-creating meaningful opportunities to advance public education. She previously served as founding executive director of 603 Forward and The Forward Foundation, organizations focused on building civic engagement among working-age Granite Staters. Recognized as one of New Hampshire's 40 Under Forty by the New Hampshire Union Leader in 2023, Molly is an alumna of Leadership Greater Manchester and a Hoffman-Haas Fellow. She served on the Manchester planning board before moving to Concord with her husband, Alex Owen, and their two daughters. Molly first spent time in New Hampshire as a volunteer winter hiking trip leader with the Appalachian Mountain Club. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government from St. Lawrence University.
STAFF PICK Recommended by Katie Malloy, Program Coordinator
SMALL GAME, by Blair Braverman
What happens when a game show becomes a fight for your life? In this short but engaging novel, a survival-themed reality television show pits contestants against the wilderness and each other, until the stakes change, and the game turns deadly. An exploration of personal growth, transformation, and the strength and fragility of human connections, the story follows protagonist Mara on her journey of survival. A skilled wilderness expert who grew up off-grid, Mara embarks on what she hopes is a life-changing adventure in front of the cameras. What she experiences is in fact life-changing – but not in the way she expected. Thank you, Katie!
Read more about our work in the Winter 2025 edition of our quarterly newsletter, Engage!
PARTNER NEWS
NH Historical Society On Saturday, January 25 from 2:00-4:00 pm, the public is invited to Kids Do Family History, where kids can explore their family’s roots. Introducing kids to genealogy basics, such as creating a family tree, researching family records, and preserving family memories, the program is geared for kids ages 10–13, but all ages are welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult, and admission is free. Pleaseregister through Humanitix.comor by calling 603-228-6688.
UNH Center for the Humanities You can register now for the February 11 Sidore Master Class lecture and demonstration, “Wargaming in the Classroom,” on Tuesday, February 11, 9:30 am – 4:00 pm, supported by the UNH Center for the Humanities. All are welcome. For more information, pleaseclick here.
The American Association for State and Local History A virtual summit, Activating Environmental Care and Strength at Museums and Historic Sites, will focus on learning how to make your museum more sustainable, how to interpret and educate about the environment, how to prepare your organization for a disaster, how to communicate about the climate and the environment, and more. Register for two half-days on January 28-29. Learn more and register.
UNH Center for the Humanities An educator workshop funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, From the Fragments: Places and People in Colonized New England, will focus on colonial history in New Hampshire and will be held July 7-11 or July 14-18. The deadline to register is in early March. Details here
Thank you to the following Annual Partners who provide year-round support for our work:
New Hampshire Humanities appreciates your help in growing engagement on all our platforms! Join our community of those who are passionate about the humanities by sharing this content by email or on social media, and thank you!
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