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Humanities Now
April 2022
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Without question the COVID-19 pandemic impacted everyone.
What we are still learning about is how. The impact has not been the same for everyone. This is especially true for children. Children missed school. Children missed school. They were trying to learn remotely outside the classroom. They missed seeing their teachers and friends face to face. They missed playing and laughing together at lunch time. And some of them missed school altogether. They fell behind. They dropped out. Many children were already behind. They call them the “gap” kids.
We talk to teachers about what they need, and what children need right now. They need support. We were shocked to learn that some teachers have not purchased new books for eight years. They spend their annual book allocation on tape and glue to hold the old books together. They need books and school supplies to encourage reading.
It matters when kids cannot read. Reading improves vocabulary and writing. Reading improves comprehension, thinking skills, and memory. Reading improves social skills and confidence. Reading is exercise for the mind and much, much more. Reading broadens our horizons, our participation in life and work, and our dreams and hopes for the future.
With your help we can make sure that children’s dreams are not limited by their resources. “When you change the world for the small of us, you change the world for all of us.”
Brenda Thomson
Executive Director
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Please join us in welcoming our newest board member Christine Coe!
Christine is currently the Director of Enterprise Hosting at Intel Corporation where she leads a global infrastructure organization. Christine has been with Intel for twenty-one years in a variety of positions and is a recent transplant to Arizona. We are delighted that she has joined the board and look forward to the talent and energy she brings. She is not only passionate about problem-solving, but is also a champion for accessibility, and equality.
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2022 Humanities Awards Nomination Deadline Extended to April 8th at 11:59 PM MST | |
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Help Us Honor our Humanities Heroes by Submitting Nominations!
Every year, Arizona Humanities honors and celebrates outstanding contributions to the humanities in our state. The Humanities Award categories are: Humanities Public Scholar, Friend of the Humanities, Humanities Rising Star, and Outstanding Speaker.
Award nominations for all categories are welcome from organizations, institutions, community partners, and patrons of Arizona Humanities. Nominations require two (2) letters of recommendation for each award category. To read the complete criteria for each award category and to begin the nomination process, click here.
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"The State of Democracy and The Pursuit of Justice" with Masha Gessen
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Join us for the 22nd John P. Frank Annual Memorial Lecture
at April 11 at 6:30 PM MST
One of the most trenchant observers of modern democracy, Masha Gessen is a journalist, activist and bestselling author of the National Book Award-winning The Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia. They have covered political subjects from Russia, autocracy, L.G.B.T. rights, Vladimir Putin, and Donald Trump, among others, and their understanding of the events and forces that have wracked Russia in recent times is unparalleled.
This event is hosted by the ASU School of Social Transformation in partnership with the ASU Center for the Study of Religion and Conflict and Arizona Humanities.
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Register for Upcoming Events! | |
Science & Storytelling: Talking with Author and Scientist Darcie Little Badger | |
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April 14th at 4 PM MST
Virtual Event
From extreme weather disasters to shrinking wildlife habitats, climate change is impacting us now…and shaping a new future. These environmental themes appear throughout the work of Lipan Apache writer and earth scientist, Darcie Little Badger. Drawing upon her background in climate science and Lipan storytelling, Dr. Little Badger imagines alternate futures and parallel worlds with magic and monsters in her short stories and books for young adults. In her most recent, award-winning novel, A Snake Falls to Earth, the story is told through the perspective of a Lipan girl living in a futuristic Texas threatened by natural disasters and invasive monster species. How does the natural world inspire new genres in literature? How can literature influence a young generation of readers inheriting the challenges of the climate crisis? Join us for a lively conversation with Darcie Little Badger about writing fiction in a time of climate change.
And enter the Book Giveaway!
Arizona Humanities is giving away 20 copies of A Snake Falls to Earth! ENTER HERE for a chance to receive your copy of Darcie Little Badger's latest award-winning novel. Winners will be chosen at random after the program.
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About the Speaker:
Darcie Little Badger is a Lipan Apache writer with a PhD in oceanography. Her critically acclaimed debut novel, Elatsoe, was featured in Time Magazine as one of the best 100 fantasy books of all time. Elatsoe also won the Locus award for Best First Novel and is a Nebula, Ignyte, and Lodestar finalist. Her second fantasy novel, A Snake Falls to Earth, received a Newbery Honor and is on the National Book Awards longlist. Darcie is married to a veterinarian named Taran.
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Watch the recording of past events here! | |
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History in Real Time: Asian Americans Fight Back in the Age of COVID
with Renee Tajima-Peña
Did you miss the live event? No worries! Join Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker and activist Renee Tajima-Peña as she connects the rise of anti-Asian violence with the history of Asians in the United States: facing hate, fighting for justice, and shaping the American story. Learn more about the untold stories of the Asian American experience with Renee and Arizona Humanities by watching the recording below!
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ASU to honor 23 Social Work Month Award recipients in March | |
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Includes 21 students, faculty, staff, alumni; 2 community organizations
Students, faculty, staff and alumni of the Arizona State University School of Social Work and noteworthy community organizations who demonstrated outstanding achievement during the past year will be honored with the school’s annual Social Work Month Awards.
The school will pay tribute to 21 individuals and two organizations in a ceremony during March, which is Social Work Month. Each year, the month commemorates the contributions of social workers. It also calls attention to how the services social workers provide are needed more than ever as the nation addresses economic inequality, systemic racism, the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges.
You can learn more about the social workers by reading here.
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AZ Humanities Project Grants are Now Open!
Arizona Humanities supports innovative, community-based public programs that use humanities disciplines to connect Arizonans to the cultures, peoples, and histories of the state and beyond. Project Grants are competitive grants supporting public programming in the humanities. Organizations may request up to $10,000 to support their program implementation.
The Intent to Apply Form is due May 1, 2022 with the full application due June 15, 2022. All applicants must complete an Intent to Apply form in order to access the full application.
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...And Mini Grants are still Open!
Mini Grants are small grants of up to $2,000 available year-round to support innovative public programs that increase understanding of the human experience.
Interested in Learning More?
To learn more about both grant opportunities, please visit our website and read our Grant Guidelines. Questions should be directed to Grants Manager Samantha Anderson at sanderson@azhumanities.org.
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Funding Available for K-12 Educators! | |
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Arizona Humanities believes that building strong literacy skills at an early age is crucial for building a just and civil society. With funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP), Arizona Humanities is excited to announce a new initiative to launch innovative and engaging literacy programs in K-12 schools in Arizona in partnership with educators. We invite program proposals from teachers, school librarians, and administrators that foster literacy in the humanities through active engagement.
You can learn more about the new program by visiting our website here or watching the webinar below!
Deadline for submissions is April 30th, 2022.
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Arizona English Teacher Association’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee is forming an Educator Book Club this Summer 2022. The book club aims to provide a space for Arizona teachers and pre-service teachers from diverse communities to network across schools and to have generative book-based discussions about challenges we face in and out of the classroom. Arizona Humanities will provide books to participants at no cost. Learn more at the survey link below! | |
Welcome our New FRANK Talks Facilitator, Sarah Porter! | |
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Sarah Porter is Director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy
Before leading the Kyl Center, Porter served as the Arizona state director of the National Audubon Society and led the Western Rivers project, a multi-state initiative to protect and restore important river habitats in the Intermountain West. As deputy directory of Audubon Arizona, Porter was a key team member in the effort to launch the Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center, a nature education center located in a restored riparian habitat in South Phoenix. Learn more about her events by reading below!
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"Water Policy in Arizona: Who Has Access?"
Access to water is important to ensure prosperity and stability in communities across the state. So where does our water come from? Who controls water resources? Rural, urban, and industry constituents all compete for access to water. Who benefits from current water policies and who is burdened? Can present-day water policies or potential reforms create a more sustainable, equitable and secure water future for everyone? Join us for a timely conversation about water policy and water certainty in a time of climate change and growing water shortages.
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"Growing Arizona: Water for the Future"
Water has played a vital role in the long history of thriving agriculture in Arizona. For generations, agricultural production was the linchpin of the state’s economy, and cotton, cattle and citrus production had a significant influence on how Arizona communities grew. Water continues to support farming, ranching, and more recently, urban population growth. As Arizona adjusts to a hotter and drier climate, what is the future of water for agriculture and urban communities? Can Arizona continue to grow with increased competition for water and shrinking resources? How can we grow and sustain water resources? Join us for an important conversation about water, growth, and our future.
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Humanities Programs in the Community | |
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The Trolley Quarterly
The Trolley Quarterly Vol 3 Num 1, is published by the Phoenix Trolley Museum for those having an interest in the history of Phoenix or Arizona in general. If you do find the Trolley Quarterly something you would like to continue receiving, please follow this link for a free subscription.
https://www.phxtrolley.org/trolley-quarterly
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[ih-maj-in] : Artists’ Books from PaperWorks
From April 5 until June 24th
To imagine is to dream, fantasize, hope, fear, evoke, and evolve. Our imaginations embrace curiosity and wonder, possibility and impossibility as they spark our individual and collective futures into being. Join us for an exhibition of artists’ books that engage with the imagination, presented in cooperation with PaperWorks, the Sonoran Collective for Paper and Book Artists. Juried by book artist Barbara Tetenbaum, this exhibit explores how artmakers enliven their creative visions across diverse book forms, varied techniques, and the interplay of image and text. Venture into the space of each book to explore the world of your own imagination. Learn more here.
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Tribal Perspectives on Borderlands Issues
April 9 at 10 AM MST
The Arizona State University Social Work Program in Tucson is partnering with the Tohono O’odham Community College to host an educational experience centered around the border. The goal is to learn from leaders and individuals who represent tribal-specific initiatives and programs addressing U.S. / Mexico border issues in the context of tribal sovereignty, cultural preservation, and community action. Learn more here.
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UA Main Library: Poetry from Around the World
April 15 at 5:30 PM MST
Calling all international students at UArizona for an open mic night! Join us at the CATalyst Studio in the Main Library from 5:30-7 PM, and bring a favorite poem or a poem of your own to share. Poetry Center Library Director Sarah Kortemeier will give a brief overview of the Center and share some poems. Learn more here.
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America Talks
April 21 and 23
In April 2022, thousands of Americans will match with those who have different backgrounds and beliefs from all corners of the country to connect face-to-face on video. Each conversation will provide a repairing stitch to America’s frayed social fabric, as participants shift perspective from “us versus them” to “you and me.” Learn more here.
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“Third Thursday Food for Thought” program featuring “The Mimbres Twins and the Rabbit in the Moon” presentation by archaeologist Marc Thompson, PhD
April 21 at 7 PM MST
This presentation documents illustrations from Classic Mimbres Black-on-white ceramic bowls (1000-1130 CE) depicting the Panamerican apologue of the Hero Twins saga. These motifs account for about 12% of Mimbres figurative bowls and can be arranged in a narrative sequence from birth, trials, tests, death, and resurrection of the Hero Twins, to apotheosis as the sun and the moon. In this saga, the Hero Twins survive the tests, trials, and ballgame challenge through guile, cunning feats, and as tricksters of legerdemain. This tale, the characters, and the basic plot are known throughout North, Central, and South America. The deep, fundamental basis of the story revolves around dualities as in two sides of the same coin; they include life and death, dark and light, and male and female. Cognate Hero Twins motifs, both graphic and recorded, are documented on Classic Maya ceramics (200-900 CE), in the 16th century Twins’ saga of the Popol Vuh book of the Maya, and in US southwestern traditional tales. Comparing these similar, but ethnically distinct accounts allows for a fuller comprehension of these emblematic, evocative, heroic figures. Learn more here.
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Tastes, Toasts & Tales
April 26 at 5 PM MST
Join us for an evening under the stars with eight of Arizona’s top Chefs: Chris Bianco, Silvana Esparza, Christopher Gross, Vincent Guerithault, Mark Tarbell, Eugenia Theodosopoulos, Alessandro Stratta and Charles Wiley. Enjoy an array of hors d’oeuvres prepared by each celebrity chef, along with wine and lively conversation. Master of Ceremonies is Barbara Fenzl, former owner of Les Gourmettes Cooking School, PBS television personality and cookbook author. Learn more here.
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Día De Los Niños, Día De Los Libros 2022
April 29 at 10 AM MST
At the event, Palabras Bilingual Bookstore founder Chawa Magaña will receive the Flores Family Award, which is named in honor of ASU Día founder Tracey Flores, for advocacy in support of family literacy, cultural celebration, books, kids and reading. El Día is hosted by the Department of English at ASU with support from ASU’s Office of the President, ASU’s Office of the Provost, The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and its Humanities division, Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, and Center for Indian Education. Learn more here.
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Humanities Across the Nation | |
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NEH Statement on FY2022 Congressional Appropriation
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, approved by Congress and signed into law by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. on March 15, 2022, provides funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities at $180 million, an increase of $12.5 million over the agency’s Fiscal Year 2021 appropriation. Learn more here.
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Thank You to Our March Donors | |
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Jill Ginsburg
Eshé Pickett
Jana D. Selk
Rodo Sofranac
Martin Stamat*
American Online Giving Foundation, Inc.
*Board Member
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Humanities Now is published monthly by Arizona Humanities.
About Arizona Humanities
Arizona Humanities is a statewide 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the Arizona affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Since 1973, Arizona Humanities has supported public programs that promote the understanding of the human experience with cultural, educational, and nonprofit organizations across Arizona.
Mission
Arizona Humanities builds a just and civil society by creating opportunities to explore our shared human experiences through discussion, learning and reflection.
To request this or any other agency publication in an alternative format, contact Arizona Humanities at (602-257-0335) or email info@azhumanities.org
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