A monthly serving of illuminating programs for all Granite Staters

Stay cool and join us for this month's Humanities@Home!

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn: Behind the Headlines

Friday, July 21, 5:00 pm (Zoom)

Presented by Lara Vapnek, Ph.D.

Who was “Rebel Girl” Elizabeth Gurley Flynn? This past spring controversy erupted when a historical marker at the site of her childhood home in Concord, NH was erected and removed following outcry that she was “anti-American.” Dr. Lara Vapnek will take us beyond the headlines to learn more about Elizabeth Gurley Flynn’s rich and varied career. A fierce orator, calling out injustices and fighting for the right to express dissenting opinions, and a prominent activist for workers’ and women’s rights, Flynn described herself as a “mortal enemy of capitalism” in a time when workers had limited rights and frequently died working in unsafe conditions. She also helped found the American Civil Liberties Union, worked as an organizer with the Industrial Workers of the World union and eventually joined the U.S. Communist Party. Join us as we locate the “Rebel Girl” in the context of her time. 

If you are not able to see the Register Here button above, click HERE to RSVP.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Lara Vapnek earned her Ph.D. in History at Columbia University. She is a professor at St. John’s University, in Queens, New York. She has written two books, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn: Modern American Revolutionary (2015) and Breadwinners: Working Women and Economic Independence, 1865-1920 (2009), and she is currently completing her third book, Mothers, Milk, and Money: A History of Infant Feeding with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Dr. Vapnek belongs to the editorial board of the Journal of American History, and she serves as a Distinguished Lecturer for the Organization of American Historians.

NH's Big Read, featuring

Andrew Krivak's The Bear!

If you haven't yet heard, New Hampshire Humanities is one of 62 organizations nationwide selected to receive a 2023-2024 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Big Read grant, an NEA initiative in partnership with Arts Midwest. In September through November 2023, NHH will bring more than 5,000 Granite Staters together to discuss a selected book, The Bear, by New Hampshire author Andrew Krivak. The Big Read will feature book discussions, public and virtual programs, and a public Q&A with Andrew Krivak, all free and open to the public, in all ten counties of the state. Learn more at www.nhhumanities.org/BigRead

Mark your calendars and help kick off our 50th anniversary year at the

2023 Annual Celebration

of the Humanities!

Wednesday, November 8 at 5 pm

The Palace Theatre, Manchester

(Reception at 5 pm / Program at 6:15)

Join us for a lively on-stage conversation between New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult and NH Poet Laureate Alexandria Peary as they discuss Picoult's long career as a virtuoso of the human story. Tickets will sell fast, so get yours soon!

If you are not able to view the Buy Tickets button, please click this link:

https://palacetheatre.org/events/2023-annual-celebration-of-the-humanities/

"I'm not going to tell a person how to think, don't believe in that. What I want to do, when I write these books, is just to say don't be so sure of yourself. Let me pull the carpet out from underneath you, and let's see if you can still find the footing."~ Jodi Picoult

A New Hampshire Humanities and Vermont Humanities partnership brings the Smithsonian's Crossroads: Change in Rural America to our two states! 

New Hampshire Humanities is partnering with Vermont Humanities and the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street program to bring a travelling exhibit, Crossroads: Change in Rural America, to small towns in New Hampshire and Vermont from August 2024 - August 2025. 

NHH seeks proposals from New Hampshire-based organizations to host the Crossroads exhibit. We will select three organizations who will each host the exhibit for six weeks during the exhibition tour. We particularly encourage organizations based in small, rural towns or the North Country to apply. Proposals are due by July 28.

To support these community-led efforts, NHH will provide grants of up to $3,000 as well as a subject matter expert who will help hosts develop programming around the exhibit. To learn more about Crossroads, host criteria, and the application process, visit www.nhhumanities.org/Crossroads.

Upcoming Grant-Funded Programs

Museum of the White Mountains:

Enduring Presence: The Old Man of the Mountain

Exhibit and Lecture Series

Museum of the White Mountains, 34 Highland Street, Plymouth and on Zoom.

Thursday, August 10, 7-8 pm

Geologic History of The Old Man of the Mountain:

A Remembrance, presented by Brian Fowler RSVP

Thursday, August 17, 7-8 pm

The Enormous Impact of Two Icons Upon NH Tourism: The Old Man of the Mountain & Dick Hamilton, presented by Mark Okrant RSVP

Thursday, August 31, 7-8 pm

The Birth of the Old Man:

A Geologic Tale of the Mountains, Volcanoes,

and Oceans, presented by Dr. Jill VanTongeren RSVP

For more information about the Enduring Presence exhibit

and lectures, visit www.plymouth.edu/mwm.

American Independence Museum 

33rd American Independence Festival 

Sat., July 15, 10:00 am, 1 Governor's Lane, Exeter

Celebrate the anniversary of the arrival of the Declaration of Independence to New Hampshire on July 16th, 1776 at the 33rd American Independence Festival. Visitors can experience life in colonial New Hampshire and celebrate the founding of the United States. More information

Hampton Falls Free Library

All Together Now! Community Read:

Braiding Sweetgrass

Wednesday, July 19, 2:00 pm, 7 Drinkwater Road, Hampton Falls

The town of Hampton Falls is reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (both adult and YA versions) and the picture book The First Blade of Sweetgrass by Suzanne Greenlaw to encourage reading for pleasure and to start conversations. Events will include book discussions around town led by Damian Costello, story times with Miss Leah, and the opening of the East School House exhibit, "Notkikad-akik Ederly: The Indigenous Archaeology of Hampton Falls," hosted by Hunter Stetz from the Hampton Falls Historical Society. Full event listing

UNH Community Literacy Center

Multilingual Book Group 

Thursday, July 20, 10:30am 

Thursday, July 27, 10:30 am 

Thursday, August 3, 10:30 am 

Thursday, August 10, 10:30am 

Geared toward students in kindergarten through third grade, this group will feature a different language each week, and will be led by educators from the UNH Community Literacy Center. There will also be an art activity based on the theme. Caregivers are not required to attend but are always welcome. Registration is required. RSVP

MacDowell 

Medal Day 2023 

Sunday, July 23, 12:15 pm, 100 High Street, Peterborough

Come and join arts and culture lovers from around the region as the 63rd Edward MacDowell Medal is presented to esteemed filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin during this free and open-to-the-public celebration. After a brief award ceremony, visitors will enjoy a picnic lunch before artists-in-residence open their studios to the public, giving attendees the unique opportunity to look behind the scenes of the nation’s oldest artist residency and speak with the creators about their work. More information

The projects listed above were supported by our Community Project Grants. Learn more about opportunities to fund a project in your community in the links below!

Upcoming Grant Deadlines

August 16, 3:00 pm: Grant Workshop: 

Learn how to apply for a Community Project Grant at this free one-hour workshop. RSVP

Mini Community Project Grants applications (up to $2K) are accepted on a rolling basis. Learn more here: www.nhhumanities.org/new-grants

September 15: Major Community Project Grant draft proposals are due.  

For more information and to access the application materials, click here.

October 15: Major Community Project Grant proposals are due.  

For more information and to access the application materials, click here.

An Eagle Times article based on New Hampshire Humanities' final Humanities Roadshow event held on June 28 in Plainfield, NH:

"A Backdrop for Perfection"

Photo and article by Mary Carter, Eagle Times Correspondent, July 8, 2023

PLAINFIELD — In the midst of mud season in 1915, Plainfield artist, actor and resident William Howard Hart decided that his beloved town deserved a theater. The townsfolk agreed, covering the cost of a foundation connected to their twice-moved, 1798 town hall. Hart gladly paid for the rest.

An opening was scheduled for as soon as September and a debut play, The Woodland Princess, was written for the occasion by local author Louise Saunders. Saunders was married to Scribner’s editor Maxwell Perkins who, a few years later, would discover and champion budding author F. Scott Fitzgerald. To set the scene for Saunders’ production, Hart turned to friend and fellow artist Maxfield Parrish. Read the full article

"Attending your programs makes me a better critical thinker, and thus a better citizen, partner, and person."

~ Attendee, Humanities@Home program

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Remembering John Gfroerer

New Hampshire Humanities remembers our friend and humanities presenter, John Gfroerer, who died last week. Our heartfelt sympathy goes to his family and all who were touched by his passion for history, community, and storytelling. He will be greatly missed by all of us at New Hampshire Humanities and all those who were fortunate to know him. Read more

STAFF PICK OF THE MONTH:

Black Metamorphoses

Recommended by Catherine Winters-Michaud, Ph.D.

In Black Metamorphoses, Shanta Lee Gander is in conversation with Ovid’s Metamorphoses as well as the intervening 2,000 years, especially the history and results of forced travel and enslavement of Black bodies. The poems do not retell or respond to Ovid’s poems but re-imagine those myths to question the Roman classic and our ideas of Western civilization, including notes that help the reader traverse the inspiration and materials of the poems. At times confrontational, the work highlights resilience and the importance of interrogating the stories we tell. The volume also features the artwork of illustrator Alan Blackwell responding to Gander’s poetry, layering onto the conversation between Gander and Ovid. I was introduced to this book by Gander, one of our Humanities to Go presenters, and found beauty in these poems addressing a difficult history.

Thank you, Catherine!

Put your passion to work and join our team at New Hampshire Humanities!

Are you or someone you know an energetic and creative professional with experience cultivating strong relationships with individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors? Bring your vision and spirit to our dynamic, highly-engaged team as our new Director of Development. Applications will be accepted until the position has been filled.

Job description and details

Thank you to our annual partners who

provide critical year-round support for our work:

Lead Humanities Partner:

Bronze Partner:

Media Partners: