A monthly serving of illuminating programs for all Granite Staters

C E L E B R A T I N G  P O E T R Y  M O N T H

NEW DATE:
Friday, May 3 at 5:00 pm on ZOOM
Presented by Professor Joshua Bennett

What can poetry and children’s literature teach us about the way we see the future of our planet? Professor Joshua Bennett will focus on the environmental poetics of children’s book author and poet Lucille Clifton. Engaging with Clifton's life, poetry, and works of literature, Bennett will argue that what appears to be apocalypticism in her work is kind of an Afrofuturism– a willingness to take seriously the idea that any apocalypse is an opening to improvise a different way of sharing our planet. Clifton’s vast environmental imagination helped lay the groundwork for a Black ecological consciousness, rooted in a commitment to care for the Earth, for the 21st century and beyond.

Register today!

About the presenter: Joshua Bennett is Professor of Literature and Distinguished Chair of the Humanities at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of five books: The Sobbing School, Being Property Once Myself, Owed, The Study of Human Life, and Spoken Word: A Cultural History, named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Joshua has received fellowships and awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Whiting Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Society of Fellows at Harvard University. He lives in Massachusetts with his family.

Knit Democracy Together is spreading across New Hampshire!
(You can participate even if you're not able to attend an event)
Not just for knitters - all are welcome.

Knit Democracy Together founder Eve Jacobs-Carnahan has been engaging students and citizen crafters in schools, libraries, and community centers in building a collaborative sculpture of the New Hampshire State House, to be unveiled in Concord in June.

Can’t attend an event but still want to participate? The Elegant Ewe at 75 South Main Street in Concord has generously offered to collect knitted pieces to be contributed to the NH State House sculpture, OR you can mail them to NHH at 117 Pleasant Street, Concord, NH 03301. Click here for knitting instructions and more information about mailing your squares.  

(Squares will be collected until Tuesday, April 30)

Saturday, May 18, 10:00-4:00 pm (2-hour time slots), CONCORD

Help assemble the NH State House sculpture
The Elegant Ewe, 75 South Main Street  Register
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Thursday, June 13 at 1:00 pm, CONCORD
Knit Democracy Together Exhibit Opening
NH State Library, 20 Park Street

Knit Democracy Together is made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities' United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture initiative.

www.nhhumanities.org/Knit-Democracy-Together

Read the book and join the discussion!
Perspectives book discussions take place across the state and we invite you to attend one in your community or join us online! RSVP to the host organization to reserve your spot and your free Perspectives book prior to the discussion.

Tuesday, April 30 at 7:00 PM
The Humans by Matt Haig, presented by Alice Fogel
Gilsum Public Library, 650 Route 10, Gilsum  DETAILS

Thursday, May 2 at 6:30 PM
Deacon King Kong by James McBride, presented by Carrie Brown
Fuller Public Library, 29 School Street, Hillsborough
DETAILS

Thursday, May 16 at 7:00 PM
Samarkand by Amin Maalouf, presented by Mohamed Defaa
Abbie Greenleaf Library, 439 Main Street, Franconia
DETAILS

Monday, May 20 at 10:00 AM (VIRTUAL)
Samarkand by Amin Maalouf, presented by Mohamed Defaa
Randolph Public Library, Randolph
DETAILS

Learn more here!

Upcoming Grant-Funded Programs

Elinor Williams Hooker Tea Talk:
Envisioning the Future
Sunday, April 21, 2:00 pm
Hosted by the Black Heritage Trail NH at the Portsmouth Public Library
(In person and on Zoom)

On the eve of the passage of Great Society civil rights legislation in the mid 1960s, Martin Luther King addressed a vast audience of marchers from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. In his speech he referred to “the promissory note” owed to all Americans, guaranteeing that all would share the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Now, 60 years later, we ask if that debt has been paid. What constitutes a just society and how can we achieve that dream? DETAILS

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Humanities Scholar-in-Residence Series
Tuesday, May 14, 6:30 pm
Hosted by the Jaffrey Public Library
(In person and on Zoom)

Join our book discussion with our Humanities Scholar-in-Residence, Dr. Carrie Brown, featuring this month's title, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. Meet Harold Fry, recently retired. He lives in a small English village with his wife, Maureen, who seems irritated by almost everything he does. Little differentiates one day from the next. Then one morning a letter arrives, addressed to Harold in a shaky scrawl, from a woman he hasn’t heard from in twenty years. Queenie Hennessy is in hospice and is writing to say goodbye. But before Harold mails off a quick reply, a chance encounter convinces him that he absolutely must deliver his message to Queenie in person. RSVP

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William Treat Lecture: Social Media & Democracy
May 14, 4:30-5:30 pm, The Audi City Auditorium 
2 Prince Street, Concord

How does social media influence democracy in the United States? Lawrence Lessig, Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School, will reflect on the influence social media has on democracy in the United States and consider ways to honor our values in this changing landscape. This is a free event presented by NH Civics, NHPBS, the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications, and New Hampshire Humanities. 
Attend in person or by livestream

Upcoming deadlines for Community Project Grants:  

Major Community Project Grant draft proposals for the next round of grants are due June 15, 2024. For more information and to access the application materials, click here.

Mini Community Project Grant applications (up to $2K) are accepted on a rolling basis. Learn more here.   

Questions about our grant process? Join Agnes Burt, Program Director, on May 15 at 3:00 pm for a free, one-hour workshop about how to apply for a Community Project Grant. RSVP here.

Please check our online calendar for more upcoming events!

Have an idea for a new Humanities to Go presentation? 

PARTNER NEWS

Center for the Book at NH State Library received one of 75 grants awarded by the Library of America as part of its national humanities initiative, Latino Poetry: Places We Call Home. The initiative invites participants into a nationwide conversation about Latino poetry—its distinctive rhythms, candor, and lyricism and its visions of a nation enriched by the stories of immigrants, exiles, refugees, and their descendants. Read more here

Congratulations to Jennifer Militello of Goffstown, New Hampshire's new Poet Laureate, who will serve a five-year term beginning this month. The state’s honored Poet Laureate serves as an ambassador for all poets in New Hampshire and works to heighten the visibility and value of poetry in the state. Read more about Jennifer's work here.

The Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications promotes and defends the First Amendment and fosters interest, integrity, and excellence in journalism and other forms of communication. Classes cater to all levels, and most are free! Spaces are limited and pre-registration is required, so check out the Spring 2024 schedule and secure your spot today at www.loebschool.org/register.

Who Will Remain? A Holocaust Reflection: Literature, history, recollections, and music on the themes of life interrupted, fear, loss, resilience, and hope. Join the Greater Concord Interfaith Council and partners from across the state for a special program in recognition of Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) on Monday, May 6 at 7:00 pm at Temple Beth Jacob, Concord. Free and open to the public. Learn more 

Using literature to explore solutions to childhood hunger: NH Hunger Solutions presents author, TedX speaker, and CEO of the Santa Barbara Food Bank, Erik Talkin, who will be reading his children's book, "Lulu and the Hunger Monster" to schools around the state and speaking at a public event on May 2 at 5:30 pm at the Kimball Jenkins School of Art. Learn more

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New Hampshire Humanities would like 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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Thank you to the following partner sponsors who provide year-round support for our work: