Georgia Humanities

Revival: Lost Southern Voices
2021-03-24 13:00 - 2021-03-27 17:00 (America/New_York)
Revival: Lost Southern Voices is a celebration of lost or underappreciated southern writers’ work. During this free and virtual literary festival invited authors and scholars discuss writers whose literary voices no longer receive the attention and reading they deserve.
On March 24 former U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey gives a keynote address, followed by five additional sessions over several days. Register for the Trethewey event here:
On March 25th and 26th there will be presentations about William Gay, Ella Gerturde Clanton Thomas, Alice Walker, Padgett Powell, and many more.
On March 27, there will be an entire session devoted to James Baldwin’s work. To register for any or all of these events, go to the Revival: Lost Southern Voices Facebook page.

Democracy & the Informed Citizen: The Role of Local News
2021-03-25 19:00 - 20:00
In conjunction with Georgia Humanities’ Democracy and the Informed Citizen initiative, a special virtual panel will take place this Thursday, March 25 at 7p. This installment is hosted in partnership with WALB News in Albany. The one-hour discussion will focus on the important role that local news has played during the COVID-19 pandemic and the work being done by journalists to combat misinformation. Panelists include Jill Holloway, managing editor at the Post Searchlight (Banbridge), Marcus Howard, author of How Journalists and the Public Shape Our Democracy: From Social Media and “Fake News” to Reporting Just the Facts, and Alden Lisse, Valdosta native and student at UGA’s Grady College of Journalism. The panel will be moderated by Karla Heath-Sands, WALB News Anchor.
To register for this FREE panel event CLICK HERE.
This virtual event is part of a multiyear initiative, featuring a series of community conversations that explore the essential role that the humanities and journalism play in creating an informed citizenry, and in turn, a healthy democracy.

Georgia Humanities Grant Application Deadline
2021-03-30
Georgia Humanities Grant Application Deadline
March 30 (at 11:59pm Eastern) is the deadline for submitting grant proposals to Georgia Humanities for the spring 2021 grant cycle.

VIRTUAL EVENT—Wondrous Worlds Lecture Series: "Reflections of the Past in Modern Islamic Gardens"
2021-04-01 19:30 - 20:30
“Reflections of the Past in Modern Islamic Gardens”
D. Fairchild Ruggles, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will give a lecture on Islamic gardens from Spain to India, which were historically shaped by geometry, water, abstract ornament, color, and viewsheds, and how modern gardeners both reflect the past and offer reinterpretations of historic elements.
This event is held in conjunction with the Wondrous Worlds: Art and Islam Through Time and Place exhibition at the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University.
The event is free but you must register on Zoom to attend. Click HERE to register.
This program is made possible in part by Georgia Humanities.

Hyperlocal Summit
2021-04-07 14:00 - 15:00
Join The Atlanta Press Club for a roundtable discussion featuring the journalists and publishers filling the gaps and pushing the envelope in Atlanta media! This virtual event is free and open to the public. Register for the event here.

VIRTUAL SCREENING—Mark Morris Dance Group and Silkroad Ensemble's "Layla and Majnun"
2021-04-08 19:30 - 21:00
Mark Morris Dance Group and Silkroad Ensemble’s “Layla and Majnun”
Layla and Majnun, an ancient tale of forbidden love, is revered in many Middle Eastern and sub-continental cultures—Muslim, Sufi, Hindu, and secular—and the story has been popularized by Persian poets and many other writers. This virtual screening features a production of the story created in 2016 by choreographer Mark Morris and performed by members of the Mark Morris Dance Group. The dancers are joined by Azerbaijani mugham singers and musicians from the Silkroad Ensemble (founded by cellist Yo-Yo Ma) performing on traditional Eastern instruments combined with Western strings.
Dr. Aida Huseynova, of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, will give an introduction.
This event is held in conjunction with the Wondrous Worlds: Art and Islam Through Time and Place exhibition at the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University.
The event is free but you must register on Zoom to attend. Click HERE to register.
This program is made possible in part by Georgia Humanities.

VIRTUAL EVENT—Antonio Rocha: American by Choice, Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival
2021-04-16 09:00 - 11:00
“Antonio Rocha: American by Choice”
The opening event of the 2021 Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival will feature Antonio Rocha, award-winning storyteller and mime, sharing stories of his immigration to the United States from Brazil.
Dr. Amanda Lawrence, Georgia Mountain Storytelling Festival co-director and specialist in ethnic and immigrant literature, will provide historical and cultural context in her introductory remarks and moderation of the event.
Registration is $10 per household for the full festival; tickets are free for teachers and students.
“Antonio Rocha: American by Choice” is supported in part by a grant from Georgia Humanities.

Shakespeare and the Poetics of American Sign Language
2021-04-20 13:00 - 14:00
The UGA English Department and UGA Willson Center for Humanities and Arts are thrilled to announce a remote public presentation from Dr. Jill Bradbury, Professor and Chair of the English Department at Gallaudet University, on April 20th, 2021 at 1pm EST. Dr. Bradbury studies American Sign Language theatre companies that bring Shakespeare to Deaf, Deaf +, and hearing audiences. The 40 minute lecture and following Q&A will be transcribed and ASL interpreted. Join the conversation on Twitter at #ShaxASL.

Register to receive the zoom link at: tinyurl.com/ShaxASL.

VIRTUAL EVENT—Wondrous Worlds Lecture Series: UNESCO Living Treasure Mehmet Gürsoy
2021-04-22 12:00 - 13:00
Wondrous Worlds: Art & Islam Through Time and Place features beautiful Iznik tiles and plates from the late 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. Named after a town in western Turkey, Iznik ceramic art is known from the 15th century, reaching its height during the Ottoman Empire. Ottoman Sultans admired the vibrant cobalt and coral colors against the bright white base and covered the walls of Topkapi Palace with Iznik tiles.
With the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the tradition of Iznik ceramics was lost. Mehmet Gürsoy, has spent his life reviving this technique. Mr. Gürsoy studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Istanbul and has been working with ceramics for over 35 years. He has rediscovered traditional formulas for color and clay while integrating new patterns and motifs. In 2009 Gürsoy was designated a UNESCO Living Human Treasure, an award that recognizes experts of rare cultural traditions and encourages the transmission of this knowledge to younger generations.
Mr. Gürsoy will join us from his studio in Iznik, Turkey where he will explore the development of the Iznik ceramic tradition through historic works he has collected throughout his life, and his own remarkable work.
Mr. Gürsoy will speak in Turkish with translation by Riza Yeldrim, Ph.D. candidate in Emory’s Islamic Civilizations Studies Program.

River to Sea: History and Literature, Ecology, and Culture in Southeast Georgia, "Ecology of a Cracker Childhood": Lecture by Janisse Ray
2021-09-23 16:00 - 17:00 | The Learning Center of Senior Citizens, Inc., 3025 Bull Street, Savannah, GA, 31405, United States
Memoirist and nature writer Janisse Ray recounts and redeems her unique upbringing in a junkyard near the Altamaha River. Her book, Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, is the inspirational embrace of humble origins and has been celebrated as a classic of American writing.

River to Sea: History and Literature, Ecology, and Culture in Southeast Georgia, "Poetry of the Water": Lecture by Carlyn Bland
2021-09-30 16:00 - 17:00 | The Learning Center of Senior Citizens, Inc., 3025 Bull Street, Savannah, GA, 31405, United States
Poet and writing teacher Carlyn Bland explores the many and varied literary reactions to rivers and marshes, coastlines and beaches, islands and estuaries. Using Lanier’s “Marshes of Glynn” as a starting point, she leads a literary journey centering on the water.

River to Sea: History and Literature, Ecology, and Culture in Southeast Georgia, "Rivers of Power on Georgia's Coast": Lecture by Christopher Manganiello
2021-10-07 16:00 - 17:00 | The Learning Center of Senior Citizens, Inc., 3025 Bull Street, Savannah, GA, 31405, United States
Historian and policy expert Chris Manganiello demonstrates how through the centuries humans have exploited Georgia’s rivers to fit their needs. He shows that rivers can give or take away the power of humans, and how the human spirit adapts.

River to Sea: History and Literature, Ecology, and Culture in Southeast Georgia, "The Savannah: The Story of a River and Its City": Lecture by William Bryan
2021-10-14 16:00 - 17:00 | The Learning Center of Senior Citizens, Inc., 3025 Bull Street, Savannah, GA, 31405, United States
Environmental historian Will Bryan examines the history of the Savannah River from the pre-colonial era to European settlement and into the modern day. He also contextualizes the historic city of the banks of the Savannah that shares the river’s name.

"Three Palaces of Yalta: Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt"
2021-10-14 18:45 - 21:00 | Classic Center Pavillion, 440 Foundry Street, Athens, GA, 30601, United States
In each of the three acts, Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt respectively voice their plans, concerns, and aspirations. Of particular interest to them is the future of Poland, whose invasion by Germany in 1939 ignited the global war, and which has become a symbol of potential conflict in post-war Europe. The three palaces also represent Fear, Honor, and Hope, aspects of the motivations and character of the statesmen who occupy them.

River to Sea: History and Literature, Ecology, and Culture in Southeast Georgia, "The Tragedies of Ebo Landing": Lecture by Dionne Hoskins-Brown
2021-10-21 16:00 - 17:00 | The Learning Center of Senior Citizens, Inc., 3025 Bull Street, Savannah, GA, 31405, United States
The 1803 mass suicide of enslaved people at Glynn County’s Dunbar Creek is recounted by historian Dionne Hoskins-Brown. She reveals the desperation of slavery through lyrical motifs about the Back body, water, and life and death in coastal Georgia.

Common Good Atlanta: Breaking Down the Walls of Mass Incarceration with the Liberal Arts
2022-01-20 18:30 - 20:00 | Decatur First Baptist Church, 308 Clairemont Avenue, Decatur, GA, 30030
This Georgia Seminar will take a behind-the-scenes look at the nationally recognized prison education program, Common Good Atlanta (CGA), founded by Sarah Higinbotham of Oxford College and Bill Taft. Since 2008, an all-volunteer consortium of 70 faculty from six universities have taught the liberal arts in four prisons, plus a downtown course for prison-impacted people. The program received a 2019 Governor’s Award for the Arts & Humanities and was a 2019 finalist for the American Civic Collaboration Awards, which highlight outstanding initiatives working to collaborate across divides at the national, local and youth levels. At the heart of the program’s mission is that broad, democratic access to higher education for people affected by incarceration strengthens the common good of our communities.
The documentary film Common Good Atlanta: Breaking Down the Walls of Mass Incarceration, by Hal Jacobs, looks at the impact of the program on both students and instructors. Incarcerated students find an intellectual freedom that encourages growth and dignity, while instructors find an environment for the liberal arts that is stimulating and trans-formative. A talkback will follow the screening.

They Were Here: Preservation and Commemoration of the Macedonia African American Methodist Church Cemetery of Johns Creek
2022-01-27 17:00 - 19:00 | Johns Creek High School, 5575 State Bridge Road, Johns Creek, GA, 30022
The Tift College of Education of Mercer University (in partnership with the Johns Creek Historical Society) was awarded a Georgia Humanities grant for the project “They Were Here: Preservation and Commemoration of the Macedonia African American Methodist Church Cemetery of Johns Creek.” The grant was awarded to Johns Creek High School students in producing a series of documentaries about the history of the Macedonia African Methodist Church Cemetery of Johns Creek. The projects staff and participants are now excited to share the fruits of their labor. On January 27 the project will hold a Community Celebration four-part screening from 5pm to 7pm at Johns Creek High School. Check it out if you’re in the area!
For questions contact Dr. Katherine Perrotta at perrotta_ka[@]mercer.edu.

Common Good Atlanta: Behind the Scenes, Part 1 (Alumni)
2022-01-27 18:30 - 20:00 | Emory University Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry, 1635 North Decatur Road, Atlanta, GA, 30322
The seminar will bring together Common Good Atlanta alumni to share their experience s and the program’s impact on the community. The following topics are ripe for discussion: efforts of those in higher education to reach across the community, the detrimental effects of mass incarceration on the community, an American penal system that is more focused on retributive justice than restorative justice, and how scholarly learning can take a rigorous and creative approach to reaching nontraditional students.

Common Good Atlanta: Behind the Scenes, Part 2 (Founders)
2022-02-03 18:30 - 20:00 | Emory University Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry, 1635 North Decatur Road, Atlanta, GA, 30322
The seminar will bring together Jamil Zainaldin, Emory faculty, and Common Good Atlanta founders Sarah Higinbotham (Oxford College) and Bill Taft, to share their experience s and the program’s impact on the community. The following topics are ripe for discussion: efforts of those in higher education to reach across the community, the detrimental effects of mass incarceration on the community, an American penal system that is more focused on retributive justice than restorative justice, and how scholarly learning can take a rigorous and creative approach to reaching nontraditional students.

Common Good Atlanta: Behind the Scenes, Part 3 (Faculty)
2022-02-03 18:30 - 2022-02-10 20:00 | Emory University Fox Center for Humanistic Inquiry, 1635 North Decatur Road, Atlanta, GA, 30322
The seminar will bring together Common Good Atlanta faculty from Morehouse, Georgia State State University, and Georgia Tech to share their experience s and the program’s impact on the community. The following topics are ripe for discussion: efforts of those in higher education to reach across the community, the detrimental effects of mass incarceration on the community, an American penal system that is more focused on retributive justice than restorative justice, and how scholarly learning can take a rigorous and creative approach to reaching nontraditional students.

African-American Literary Voices of the 20th Century - Booker T. Washington: Up from Slavery
2022-04-06 15:00 - 16:00 | The Learning Center of Senior Citizens, Inc., 3025 Bull Street, Savannah, GA, 31405, United States
Join The Learning Center at Senior Citizens, Inc. as they present “African-American Literary Voices of the 20th Century,” a lecture series exploring the lives and work of African-American writers. This installment of the 8-part series will focus on Booker T. Washington.

A President in Our Midst: Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Georgia
2022-04-10 10:00 - 11:00
An airing of the documentary based on the Kaye Minchew book of the same title. Learn more here.

African-American Literary Voices of the 20th Century - A White Woman Reads W.E.B. Dubois
2022-04-13 15:00 - 16:00 | The Learning Center of Senior Citizens, Inc., 3025 Bull Street, Savannah, GA, 31405, United States
Join The Learning Center at Senior Citizens, Inc. as they present “African-American Literary Voices of the 20th Century,” a lecture series exploring the lives and work of African-American writers. This installment of the 8-part series will focus on W.E.B. Dubois.

Film: "Common Good Atlanta: Breaking Down the Walls of Mass Incarceration"
2022-04-14 19:00 - 20:30 | Georgia Museum of Art, 90 Carlton Street, Athens, GA, 30602
In 2008, Sarah Higinbotham, a Ph.D. student at Georgia State University, wanted to teach a literature class in a Georgia prison, but discovered that no college programs existed in Georgia prisons, so she started one. This documentary by Atlanta filmmaker Hal Jacobs looks at the impact of the program on students and instructors. Incarcerated students find an intellectual freedom that encourages growth and dignity, while instructors find a stimulating and transformative environment for the liberal arts. 2022, 58 minutes.
The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion including Jacobs; Bill Taft, academic director of Common Good Atlanta; and Common Good alumni and instructors.

African-American Literary Voices of the 20th Century: Zora Neale Hurston and the Spirit of the South
2022-04-20 15:00 - 16:00 | The Learning Center of Senior Citizens, Inc., 3025 Bull Street, Savannah, GA, 31405, United States
Join The Learning Center at Senior Citizens, Inc. as they present “African-American Literary Voices of the 20th Century,” a lecture series exploring the lives and work of African-American writers. This installment of the 8-part series will focus on Zora Neale Hurston.

Jelena Subotic on Holocaust Remembrance after Communism
2022-04-20 16:30 - 18:30 | Georgia State University College of Arts & Sciences Events Center, 25 Park Place NE, Atlanta, GA, 30303, United States
Georgia State University Humanities Research Center presents its next lecture series event featuring Georgia State University professor of political science Jelena Subotić. The lecture is based on her recent book about Eastern European remembrance of the Holocaust since the fall of communism. Yellow Star, Red Star has won multiple awards, including the Robert Jervis and Paul Schroeder Best Book Award from the American Political Science Association and the Harriman Rothschild Book Prize. The event is free and open to the public and will be offered in a hybrid format, both in-person at the College of Arts & Sciences Event Center and live-streamed over Zoom. Interested parties may register to attend the in-person event here. Those interested in the livestream event may register here.
This event is supported by a Georgia Humanities ARP grant.

Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist's Memoir of the Jim Crow South by Winfred Rembert
2022-04-21 18:30 - 19:30 | Auburn Avenue Research Library, 101 Auburn Avenue, N.E., Atlanta, GA, 30303, United States
Join Georgia Humanities and the Auburn Avenue Research Library for a discussion of the book Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist’s Memoir of the Jim Crow South, by Winfred Rembert and Erin I. Kelly. A professor at Tufts University, Erin Kelly will be in conversation with Patsy Rembert, widow of Winfred Rembert, who died in 2021.

African-American Literary Voices of the 20th Century - Langston Hughes: Poet for the Renaissance
2022-04-27 15:00 - 16:00 | The Learning Center of Senior Citizens, Inc., 3025 Bull Street, Savannah, GA, 31405, United States
Join The Learning Center at Senior Citizens, Inc. as they present “African-American Literary Voices of the 20th Century,” a lecture series exploring the lives and work of African-American writers. This installment of the 8-part series will focus on Langston Hughes.

African-American Literary Voices of the 20th Century - James Baldwin: Conscience of a Nation
2022-05-04 15:00 - 16:00 | The Learning Center of Senior Citizens, Inc., 3025 Bull Street, Savannah, GA, 31405, United States
Join The Learning Center at Senior Citizens, Inc. as they present “African-American Literary Voices of the 20th Century,” a lecture series exploring the lives and work of African-American writers. This installment of the 8-part series will focus on James Baldwin.

African-American Literary Voices of the 20th Century - Lorraine Hansberry on the Stage and in the World
2022-05-11 15:00 - 16:00 | The Learning Center of Senior Citizens, Inc., 3025 Bull Street, Savannah, GA, 31405, United States
Join The Learning Center at Senior Citizens, Inc. as they present “African-American Literary Voices of the 20th Century,” a lecture series exploring the lives and work of African-American writers. This installment of the 8-part series will focus on Lorraine Hansberry.
