Next year, Florida Humanities Council members will get cultural perspectives from Florida and from around the country. In addition to receiving our FORUM magazine in spring and fall---they will receive the excellent HUMANITIES magazine in summer and winter, published by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Become a member.

Teachers: Apply now to bring Poetry Out Loud to your high school. This nationwide poetry recitation contest starts in the classroom and advances to national championships. It provides poetry curriculum (and awards prizes). Learn more.

Local organizations: Bring Florida's new Poet Laureate Peter Meinke to your community. The remarkably talented, engaging Meinke has just joined our Speakers Bureau.

Here are a few highlights of hundreds of events we sponsor. For more, go to our Event Calendar:

• Sept. 11 at 6 p.m., Crealde School of Art, Winter Park: Learn about the cultural significance of quilting at "Unraveling Quilts: Roots and Wings."
• Sept. 12 at 7 p.m., Pinecrest Gardens, Pinecrest: Enjoy "Miami: One Hundred Years of History" with historian Paul George.
• Sept. 17 at 6 p.m., West Florida Public Library, Pensacola: Hear historian Dennis Montagna discuss "The African Burial Ground National Monument: A Forgotten History Comes to Light."
• Sept. 24 at 7 p.m., Family Service Center Annex, Arcadia: Enjoy Florida tales in "Short Takes: A Grab Bag of Old Florida Stories."

As the new school year begins, be sure to watch your email and our website for upcoming opportunities. If you're interested in a 2016 workshop tracing Florida's cultural roots in Spain, let us know.

Our thanks to the Saunders Foundation!

We appreciate the Saunders Foundation's generous sponsorship of our "Telling: Tampa Bay" program, featuring veterans telling their own personal stories on stage and in a public-television documentary. "Veterans-The Telling Project" will air in November, premiering on WEDU PBS.