Fall already? It's like someone flipped a switch--suddenly nights are cooler and longer, everyone is back to school, and we're late with this issue of the Humanities magazine. As a friend of the humanities we would like to call your attention to a few articles of particular relevance to Utah Humanities' work across the state.

In St. Louis's First Black Detective we learn about Ira L. Cooper whose story reminds us of a recent Utah Works audio snippet on James Gillespie from the Ogden police department. Both Gillespie and Cooper were successful law enforcement officers who loved their jobs, and the positive changes they were able to make during their long and varied careers. Want to hear more Utahns share their work stories? Visit www.upr.org/programs/utah-works.

 

In Kay Boyle Knew Everyone and Saw It All we delve into the life of Kay Boyle whose literary career spans a breadth of genres. If she were around today, she would be able to engage a wide range of individuals with her poetry, children's literature, fiction, or essays during our annual Book Festival. Catch all the events starting in late September. Details can be found on the Book Festival portion of our website.

 

In Frederick Douglass and the Meaning of Heroism we find out how Douglass was inspired to write his only work of fiction, The Heroic Slave. This article reminds us of the Speaking Volumes | Transforming Hate exhibit that has been on display at Ogden Union Station Museums through September 3rd. Both address issues around human rights, slavery, and racism in America. Visit our Speaking Volumes page for more details.

 

In Roots Music we learn about a unique program which uses Silvestre Revueltas' music, "whose gritty material comes from his own life and times and, and the reflections on the search for a usable past, all of this material is intended to engage the audience in a certain way: to make them think about the music." Much like our Venture and Clemente programs that aim to engage adults and high school students in the humanities through immersive education that helps them reflect on their own life experiences and to think differently. Get more details on website at Center for Educational Access.

 

In A Decade of Digital we learn how the internet and digital technologies help bring the humanities to the American people where they are. Much like UH's Center for Local Initiatives which uses an online application for organizations to submit grant applications to fund local programs.  Want to apply for a grant? Visit our Grants Application page  for more details.

 

In Around the Nation both the Arizona Humanities and the Louisiana Humanities highlight their current display of the Smithsonian's Water/Ways, an exhibit that will tour Utah starting in 2020. Humanities Councils in Alabama, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Tennessee mention their participation in their state's History Day an event that Utah Humanities has supported Utah History Day since its inception in the 1980s.

 

Humanities magazine is a publication of the National Endowment of the Humanities. If you enjoyed this issue and want to read more, visit neh.gov/humanities.