NOVEMBER 2015
GRATITUDE 
Hundreds of people and organizations contribute to Nevada Humanities every year and help bring meaningful humanities moments to every corner of the Silver State. Many, many people have told me how Nevada Humanities programs have helped them gain perspective about the Silver State, have helped them understand their place in Nevada's history, have rooted them in Nevada's landscape, and - in short - have made them Nevadans. At Nevada Humanities we are continually amazed at the outpouring of support that we receive every day. These are people who believe that what we do is critical to the health of our communities, and who share our belief that the humanities are fundamental to what it means to be human, as we engage with all forms of thought, interest, and expression in dynamic ways. Please consider joining this wonderful group of dedicated people and making a gift to Nevada Humanities on #GivingTuesday, December 1st. You make a difference, and we are incredibly grateful for your support. 

Have a warm and joyful Thanksgiving, 
Christina Barr
Executive Director

Nevada Humanities is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in the great state of Nevada. Your gift stays in Nevada and serves Nevadans. Thank you!
BESTSELLING AUTHOR JESS WALTER  :: 2015  Robert Laxalt Distinguished Writer
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17 / NOON & 7 PM
Jess Walter Beautiful Ruins book cover
New York Times bestselling author Jess Walter comes to Reno on Tuesday, November 17, to speak at two free public events. Walter is the 2015 Robert Laxalt Distinguished Writer, as selected by t he University of Nevada, Reno and Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism, in partnership with Nevada Humanities. He is the author of eight books, most recently the No. 1 New York Times best-selling novel Beautiful Ruins, also named Esquire's Book of the Year. 
 
The Power of a Good Story: A Conversation with Jess Walter
Tuesday, Nov. 17 / 12 - 1 pm
Sundance Books and Music, located at 121 California Ave, Reno.
Moderated by Christopher Coake, associate professor of English at the University of Nevada, Reno. Presented by Nevada Humanities.
 
Then You Read: Of Writers and Empathy
Tuesday, Nov. 17 / 7 - 8 pm
University of Nevada, Reno's Joe Crowley Student Union Theatre
Sponsored by the Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism. 

LAS VEGAS PROGRAM GALLERY  :: 
A Nevada Collection: Poetry & Art
CLOSES WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25
In celebration of the 14th annual Vegas Valley Book Festival, 
Nevada Humanities presents the exhibition A Nevada Collection: Poetry and Art, featuring artwork, poetry and stampwork created by more than 20 artists and poets.  
 
A Nevada Collection features works by eleven poets: Becky Bosshart, Keith Brantley, James Joseph Brown, Shaun Christensen, Harry Fagel, Jeffery Bennington Grindley, Andrew Clark Hall, Shaun Leonard, Joan Robinson, Vogue Robinson, and Elizabeth Quiñones-Zaldaña; and twelve artists: Diane Bush, JW Caldwell, Gig Depio, Susanne Forestieri, Stewart Freshwater, Yobi Graciano, Anne Hoff, Kim Johnson, Sylvester Collier/Left of Center Gallery, Su Limbert, Gary Mar, and Ron Maras.

The  Nevada Humanities Program Gallery  is located at 1017 S. First Street, #190, Las Vegas, in the Art Square Garden Courtyard downtown within the 18b Arts District. The Program Gallery is open Monday through Friday, from 1 - 5 pm, and open late until 9 pm on Preview Thursdays and the first Friday of each month for First Friday events.

NEVADA HUMANITIES SALON  ::
Boots on the Ground/Bots in the Sky: How 21st Century Technology Has Changed the Way We Think About and Wage War
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 / 6 PM
The recent advances in satellite reconnaissance and armed drones have changed modern warfare. Does war waged on video screens with combat missions flown remotely from trailers in the Nevada desert somehow make us more distant and detached from the real consequences? Does this make us more willing to have permanent global military presence? Join us at Sundance Books and Music, 121 California Ave. in Reno, for a panel discussion on the realities and ethics of contemporary warfare and its effects on soldiers and citizens in the modern American era. 

The Salon is always free and open to the public. 
The Salon is made possible through a partnership with Sundance Books and Music, and with financial support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Marilyn R. Melton Endowment for the Humanities at the Community Foundation of Western Nevada, and The Nightingale Family Foundation.
ONE  ::  A STORY OF ENCOUNTERS
Exploring more than 150 years of interactions between members of Nevada's native tribes and the non-native population. 
The story of encounters between the indigenous communities and non-native inhabitants of Nevada is complex and varied. Within decades of the first recorded meetings of Euro-American explorers and the native tribes of the Great Basin, Nevada became a U.S. territory and then a state. Very quickly, its native peoples faced a rapidly changing environment in which it became a challenge to continue their traditional way of life.

Images (Top to Bottom): Red Rock Canyon, Christina Barr / Nevada Humanities; Mark Maynard signing books at Sundance Books and Music in Reno, Nevada. Photograph courtesy of Scott Goodin/Nevada Humanities;  Beautiful Ruins cover art, Jess Walter; Poetry feeds the Soul, Yobi Graciano; section of Aerial Footprints, Julian Kilker;  Grounded poster, Good Luck Macbeth Theater; Women sitting, Photograph courtesy of UNLV Special Collections.


GRIND BY MARK MAYNARD: 2015 Nevada Writer's Hall of Fame Silver Pen Award Recipient
by Karen Wikander

In the fall of 2012 I was wandering the hallways of Truckee Meadows Community College after teaching a class when I ran into Mark Maynard, who had also just finished lecturing. He handed me a proof-copy of his new book,  Grind.
Now, Mark isn't just a random colleague from TMCC - he was one of my closest friends growing up in our small, peculiar, gorgeous Lake Tahoe hometown of Incline Village. The emotions when he handed me his book were complicated...
 
SAVE THE DATE: Opening December 3, 2015
Nevada Humanities Program Gallery Presents  Julian Kilker,
Aesthetic Evidence: Place, Context, and Process in the Southwest 
Join us for our newest exhibition featuring works by photographer and researcher Julian Kilker that explores visual evidence in an age of extensive visual manipulation and data analysis. How do we interpret photographs in an age of big data? How is visual information emphasized or disguised? Themes from photojournalism and data analysis are explored together, informed by Kilker's experiences using the southwest region as a visual laboratory. 
The Nevada Humanities Program Gallery is located at 1017 S. First Street, #190, Las Vegas, in the Art Square Garden Courtyard downtown within the 18b Arts District. The Program Gallery is open Monday through Friday, from 1 - 5 pm, and open late until 9 pm on Preview Thursdays and the first Friday of each month for First Friday events.

GRANTEE EVENTS
Saturday, November 21 / 1 pm
Boots on the Ground: A Life-Writing Workshop
Local author Mark Maynard hosts a creative writing craft talk and workshop designed to give your personal stories momentum, energy, and purpose.
Using literature by and about veterans, participants will discuss the elements of craft, and work on writing prompts and exercises designed to create stories and poetry grounded in life experiences. The workshop is supported by Nevada Humanities, and is in conjunction with Good Luck Macbeth Theatre Company's production of George Brant's Grounded, which runs from November 11th - 28th.  
The free workshop is open to the public, and is for writers of all levels.
Reserve your spot by calling 775-322-3716 or email at chris@goodluckmacbeth.org.
The workshop will be held in the Good Luck Macbeth Theater at 713 South Virginia Street in Reno. 


  
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