A monthly serving of illuminating programs for all Granite Staters

Join us next week as we kick off a brand-new,

three-part Humanities@Home series:

Since its founding, the United States has struggled to determine the extent of its role during international conflict. How much could–or should–the US get involved with conflicts in other parts of the world? And what is our individual responsibility as global citizens? We'll explore these issues in our new, three-part Humanities @ Home virtual series, "World War Free? Our Role in a Turbulent World." 

This virtual lecture series will seek to answer these questions as an extension of New Hampshire Humanities' initiative, A More Perfect Union, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Part I: International Conflict: Think Globally and Act Locally?

Friday, August 19, 5:00 pm, with Dr. Erik Cleven

Why should we care about conflicts in other parts of the world? Dr. Erik Cleven, Professor of Politics at Saint Anselm College, will give historical background for US involvement abroad and how global events impact Americans as well as those living in areas of conflict. He will explore how everyday citizens engage with the world through awareness of global events. Register 

Part II: Coming to America: Two Perspectives On Asylum

Friday, September 9, 5:00 pm, with Behishta Sadaat and Clement Kugugu 

Conflict often forces people to make the difficult decision to leave their homes and move to an unknown place. New Hampshire, like many places in the United States, is home to refugees and asylum seekers who leave their countries of origin to seek safety and a better life. This type of immigration is often in the news, but can feel like a distant problem. Who are these individuals? How can we support them once they become a part of our community? Join this conversation moderated by Dr. Melinda Negrόn-Gonzales of UNH Manchester. Register

Part III: A Conversation with Atifete Jahjaga, Former President of Kosovo

Friday, September 30, 5:00 pm  

Kosovo was part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia when Atifete Jahjaga was born in 1975. After living through the violence of the Kosovo War in the 1990s, Madam Jahjaga trained at the Kosovo Police Academy, rose to the rank of General Lieutenant Colonel, and served as the Deputy Director of the Kosovo Police. Later, as president of Kosovo, she worked to make the Office of the President more transparent, to empower women and support survivors of sexual violence during the war. After her presidency, she founded the Jahjaga Foundation that works towards peacebuilding in the region. The conversation will focus on Jahjaga's experience of violence and resilience, and is moderated by Dr. Graziella Parati, Dartmouth College. Register

Ukrainian Poetry Has Been Speaking to the Experience of War for Years

In Ukraine, poets are using sharp language to evoke the harsh realities of daily life, such as the destruction of the port city of Mariupol, pictured here. Read this article from the current issue of Humanities magazine from the National Endowment for the Humanities. READ

New Books, New Perspectives

Attend OR host a book discussion in your area!

Host a book discussion in your area!

New Hampshire Humanities' Perspectives book discussion program is spreading quickly across the state and we invite you to host a book group at your own library, book club, or community organization!

Easy to book and coordinate, Perspectives take place in virtual or in-person settings. We provide expert facilitators to lead the discussions and free copies of the book for all group members–you only need to provide the eager readers!

We've recently added new books and facilitators to our Perspectives offerings including titles related to our 2022 initiative, A More Perfect Union. Click here to learn more.

We look forward to partnering with you to support a culture of reading in the Granite State. Check out this updated list of books and scholar facilitators and sign up today to bring a Perspectives book discussion to your community.

Visit www.nhhumanities.org/Perspectives

or email us at bookgroups@nhhumanities.org.

Attend an upcoming book discussion!

RSVP to the host to reserve your spot and your free book, courtesy of NH Humanities.

8/16 at 5 pm, Dudley Tucker Library, Raymond: The Women with Silver Wings by Katherine Sharp Landdeck RSVP

8/17 at 6 pm, Barrington Public Library:

Hamnet: A Novel of the Plague by Maggie O'Farrell RSVP

8/23 at 6:30 pm, Cook Memorial Library, Tamworth: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants  by Robin Wall Kimmemer RSVP

9/1 at 6:30 pm, Fuller Library, Hillsboro:

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmemer RSVP

9/8 at 7 pm, Moultonborough Public Library: The Women With Silver Wings by Katherine Landdeck RSVP

9/29 at 7 pm, Abbie Greenleaf Library, Franconia: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmemer RSVP

Connections Workshops

Best Practices for Using Diverse Books

A Virtual Connections Workshop

for Facilitators and Teachers

Thurs., August 25, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm on Zoom

In this workshop, Virginia Dearani and Anne Sibley O’Brien from the Diverse BookFinder at Bates College will present current research and best practices around using diverse books in the Connections program and adult education classroom. This is a half-day, virtual workshop with breaks. We invite you to attend one or all of the sessions. REGISTER

Making Beauty:

Curriculum, Instruction, and Reflection

Through the Book Arts

Friday, September 23, 1:00 - 3:30 pm

In this workshop for Connections facilitators and teachers, Connections facilitator and scholar Emily Archer will introduce participants to hands-on book-making as a powerful tool for engaging and deepening literacy in the adult classroom. Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney will provide the core text for reading, hands-on book-making, writing prompts, and humanities ideas in the workshop.  DETAILS

NHH Grant-Supported Events

8/20, 10 am - 5 pm Family Saturdays:

The Five Freedoms 



Join the American Independence Museum for the next in a series of fun, family-friendly civic programs that explore the First Amendment's five freedoms. During the Freedom to Petition program, listen to the story "Mumbet's Declaration of Independence," write your own petition using a quill pen, and learn about how you can create a real petition about an issue important to you. Details

8/22, 5:30 pm

My Turn Opinion Writing Workshop

(back due to popular demand!)

Would you like to get more involved in local civic dialogue and share your ideas for your community with your neighbors? This workshop will show you how the opinion section operates, how to craft and submit your best idea, writing, and more. Be ready to share your ideas with the group, ask questions, listen to your fellow community members, and receive feedback on your writing. Details

9/17, 10 am

Dugout Canoe with Dan Shears

Join us as we explore our history through culinary connections. Rivers were the Abenaki highways used for trade, visiting relatives, and for places to grow food, so the ability to build and maintain canoes was an important part of the lives of the Abenaki. Dan Shears, Material Culture Advisor for the Nulhegan Abenaki Nation, along with tribe members Bill Gould and Darryl Peasley, will demonstrate traditional techniques used in the construction of a dugout canoe. Details

Don't miss these ongoing grant-funded exhibits & programs! 

One River Many Views Exhibit

Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park

Through October 30

This exhibit features commissioned wall labels written by ten members of the Upper Valley community who live, work, and otherwise engage with the Connecticut River. Contributors include creative writers, scholars and residents, as well as those from the Indigenous, agricultural, recreational, and other communities for whom the river is an important part of their daily lives. Their responses – reflective, celebratory, or interrogatory – will highlight the diverse natural and cultural histories and relationships with this imposing body of water. Details

History Alive: Travel Through 250 Years

Hillsborough Historical Society, Saturday and Sunday,

Aug. 20 - 21, 9 am

History comes to life during this annual interactive living history event, which is also part of the year-long 250th birthday celebration of Hillsborough, NH which focuses on changes in transportation through the centuries and its effect on the state.  Details

Imagine That! The Power of Picture Books 

Portsmouth Historical Society, 10 Middle St., Portsmouth, 10 am - 5 pm, through Sept. 25



Visit the Portsmouth Historical Society’s exhibit, Imagine That, which spans a century of creativity and features over hundred artworks by illustrators from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. More than a hundred illustrations offer a springboard for children and adults to explore the creative process of imagining new worlds and the pleasures of shared reading. Details

Come work with us!

New Hampshire Humanities is looking for two phenomenal team players with can-do attitudes and excellent communication and organizational skills. If you are energetic, organized, adore the humanities, and are interested in working for one of New Hampshire's most respected and beloved nonprofits, here are two great opportunities to join a small organization on a big mission! Learn more

What are we reading this summer?

Here are a few suggestions for summer reading from the NHH staff and Board of Directors! 

Between the World and Me by Ya-Nehisi Coates (Gary Bouchard) 

Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie (Monique Lowd)

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr (Christine A. Gustafson) 

 Girl by Edna O’Brien (Rebecca Boisvert) 

Independent People by Halldór Laxness (Andrea Williamson) 

Peyton Place by Grace Metalious (Mary Nolin) 

Small Town Big Oil: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Took on the Richest Man in the World by David W. Moore (Linda Patchett) 

Still Life by Sarah Winman (Marcia Kelly) 

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (Kathy Eneguess) 

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles (Patrick Hodgson) 

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner (Lynn Douillette)

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich (Michael Haley Goldman)

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (Marcia Schmidt Blaine) 

There, There by Tommy Orange (Rebecca Kinhan)

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (Catherine Winters) 

Ulysses by James Joyce (Tom Kealy) 

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (Zachary Camenker) 

"I like to travel in the summer, which is why I like to read."

Anonymous 

The next round of Major Community Project Grants (up to $10K) draft proposals are due on September 15.

Mini Grants (up to $2,000) are accepted on a rolling basis). Learn more about applying for either level of Community Project Grants HERE.

Staff pick of the month

We count on YOU.

As we continue to bring programs like these to thousands of Granite Staters and our many cultural institutions, your support is more critical than ever before. Please click the Give button to make a secure online donation.

Thank you – every gift matters!

Call for new humanities programs!

New Hampshire Humanities (NHH) invites proposals for new programs in our Humanities to Go (HTG) statewide speakers bureau. HTG presenters typically hold an advanced degree (M.A. or Ph.D.) in one of the humanities disciplines; however, NHH respects a variety of training and experience. We strongly prefer applicants who have public speaking or teaching experience, and subject matter expertise in their proposed program. HTG presenters receive a stipend for each presentation, which are hosted by libraries, historical societies, museums, and civic and community groups. Please upload a brief description of your proposed program and submit HERE by October 31, or contact programs@nhhumanities.org with questions.

Thank you to the following Partner Sponsors who

provide year-round support for our work:

LEAD PARTNER

BRONZE PARTNERS

MEDIA PARTNERS