The Georgia Circuit
Coming in 2026! A new way to bring the humanities to your community.
The Georgia Circuit connects communities with storytellers, scholars, artists, and culture bearers for free and engaging public programs. We’ll cover the speaker fees, you provide the audience
What is the Georgia Circuit?
Modeled after a traditional speakers bureau—but broader in spirit and more dynamic in form—the Georgia Circuit brings storytellers, scholars, artists, musicians, culture bearers, and community leaders to towns and cities across Georgia to share their knowledge, spark conversation, and inspire civic imagination.
The Georgia Circuit provides free public programs to libraries, schools, museums, historical societies, arts centers, civic clubs, and other community partners. Whether you’re planning a lecture, a musical performance, a story circle, or a panel discussion, the Georgia Circuit can help you bring high-quality, engaging humanities programming directly to your audience—at no cost to your organization.
How It Works
- Hosts choose from a curated roster of presenters beginning in late 2025
- Presenters offer flexible formats: talks, performances, workshops, dialogues, exhibits, and more
- Georgia Humanities covers the speaker’s honorarium
- All programs must be free and open to the public
2026 Theme
By the People: Georgia Stories of Belonging and Becoming
As part of the nationwide commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Georgia Circuit’s inaugural roster will reflect a central civic question: What does it mean to belong to a democracy?
Presenters will explore this question through a range of approaches, including:
Who are “We the People”?
How do individual stories and identities contribute to our collective civic life?
Stories in the Landscape
How do our natural and built environments hold the memory of who we are—and who we hope to be?
The Practice of Democracy
How do Georgians keep democracy alive in everyday acts of care, culture, dialogue, and expression?
We’re now accepting proposals for By the People programs. Applications are due September 25.
Get Involved
Calling all scholars, artists, musicians, storytellers, and community leaders. Join our roster of Georgia Circuit presenters to share your expertise with audiences across the state.
We provide:
- $300 honorarium per presentation
- Distance-based travel stipend
- Statewide promotional platform
Want to join our roster for 2026? See our current Call for Proposals »
We’re looking for organizations that bring people together around shared ideas and experiences through free public programming. If your organization hosts lectures, workshops, cultural events, or community gatherings, you’re a perfect fit for the Georgia Circuit.
Ideal hosts include:
- Public libraries and library systems
- K–12 schools and colleges
- Museums, archives, and cultural centers
- Historical societies and civic organizations
- Arts councils and community-based nonprofits
Coming Soon: Host applications and our presenter roster will be available in late 2025.
Stay Connected
For questions about the Georgia Circuit, please contact Mary Wearn and sign up for our newsletter to receive updates about application cycles.
