OVER 30 SCHOLARS, WRITERS, ARTISTS, AND ACTIVISTS CHOSEN
TO GIVE FREE PUBLIC TALKS AROUND THE STATE
SEATTLE— Should we use technology to build “better” humans? How did a peace agreement between Indigenous tribes shape the United States Constitution? What are the implications when wealthy urbanites flock to rural parts of Washington?
With presentations ranging from the personal to the global, Humanities Washington has announced its new 2021-2023 Speakers Bureau participants. This slate of over 30 speakers began giving presentations on July 1st at libraries, museums, and other community venues. Speakers are chosen not only for their expertise, but for their ability to inspire discussion with people of all ages and backgrounds. Currently being held both online and in-person, all talks are free, open to the public, and last around an hour each. Anyone can find an event and register to attend at humanities.org/events.
Among the talks is a one of resilience and reconciliation by speaker Rais Bhuiyan, who was shot by a white supremacist. Yet not only did Bhuiyan forgive his attacker, he spent months trying to save him from death row. In her talk “Diamonds in the Rough,” professor Jennifer Sherman of Washington State University explores the way Washington's rural communities are rapidly changing. Formerly reliant on working-class industries, an influx of wealthy urbanites is looking for a different kind of experience and causing new inequalities in the process. In “A Nicer Kind of Murder,” author Matthew Sullivan examines the shifting role of the victim in detective novels over the past 150 years, and how crime fiction mirrors broader social changes—particularly around empathy. In “The Ancient Art of Madhubani Painting,” artist Deepti Agrawal discusses the fascinating history of a traditional form of painting native to Northeast India that is increasingly being adopted for commercial purposes.
View the full list of talks below or explore in-depth descriptions on Humanities Washington’s 2021-2023 Speakers Bureau page at humanities.org/programs/current-speakers.
Interested in bringing a speaker to your community? Speakers Bureau events are a great way to connect with your community, boost your local profile, and bring people together to explore fascinating topics. Review Humanities Washington’s host guidelines, resources, and funding options at humanities.org/programs/host-a-speaker.
2021-2023 Speakers Bureau talks:
This is the End: How Movies Prepared Us for the Apocalypse
Robert Horton, film critic and radio host
Humanity in Print: Literature and Human Rights
Richard Middleton-Kaplan, dean of arts & sciences, Walla Walla Community College
Tell Your Story: The Power of the Personal Essay
Kristen Millares Young, author and teacher
The Art of Rebellion: Social Justice and Chicana/Chicano Visual Arts
Jake Prendez, artist
Writing as Self-Love
Chelsey Richardson, poet
A Nicer Kind of Murder: The Evolution of Crime Fiction
Matthew Sullivan, author
An Appetite for Film: Food in the Movies
John Trafton, professor, Seattle University
Whiskey and Wiretaps: The Northwest's Rumrunning King
Steve Edmiston, historian
Understanding Israel
Nancy Koppelman, professor, The Evergreen State College
Hidden Histories: The South Vietnamese Side of the Vietnam War
Julie Pham, historian
American Democracy’s Indigenous Roots and Future
Fern Naomi Renville, storyteller
How Audio Technology Changed the World
Ross Reynolds, producer, KUOW
Double Crossed: The American Missionary Spies of World War II*
Matthew Avery Sutton, professor, Washington State University
Will the 2020s Roar like the 1920s?
William Woodward, professor, Seattle Pacific University
Drag Culture: Beyond Entertainment
Ceasar Hart, drag performer
What I Learned from My #MeToo Journey
Lauri Hennessey, CEO, League of Education Voters
Redefining Protest through Music
Ben Hunter and Joe Seamons, roots musicians
Hip-Hop and It Don’t Stop
King Khazm, artist and community organizer
Umoja (Unity): Sustaining African Cultural Arts
Afua Kouyaté, performing artist and teacher
Fighting for Love: Strong Women in Onscreen Romances
Allison Palumbo, professor, Big Bend Community College
The Samurai Code: How Bushido Changes Lives
Lori Tsugawa Whaley, author
Life After Prison: The Prison-to-School Pipeline
Omari Amili, author and community organizer
Diamonds in the Rough: The Gentrification of Rural Washington*
Jennifer Sherman, professor, Washington State University
How American Politics Got Uncivil (Again)*
Steven Stehr, professor, Washington State University
One Second of Hate: A Story of Forgiveness
Rais Bhuiyan, founder, World Without Hate
How Latina/Latino Representation Can Improve Democracy
Maria Chávez, professor, Pacific Lutheran University
Biased Code: Technology and Human Rights
Clyde Ford, author
Laughing Matters: Asian Americans, Comedy, and Inclusion
Michelle Liu, professor, University of Washington
Why Deny Science?*
Michael Goldsby, professor, Washington State University
Should We Build “Better” Humans?*
Bill Kabasenche, professor, Washington State University
Atomic Washington: Our Nuclear Past, Present, and Future
Steve Olson, author
After the Blast: Mount St. Helens 40 Years Later
Eric Wagner, author
The River that Made Seattle
BJ Cummings, author and environmentalist
The Ancient Art of Madhubani Painting
Deepti Agrawal, artist and instructor
* This talk is presented in partnership with The Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service.
ABOUT HUMANITIES WASHINGTON
Humanities Washington opens minds and bridges divides by creating spaces to explore different perspectives. As Washington State’s affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, we hold hundreds of free events around the state each year on everything from history to current social issues. For more about Humanities Washington, visit humanities.org.
Speakers Bureau is made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the State of Washington via the Office of the Secretary of State, and the Thomas S. Foley Institute of Public Policy and Public Service at Washington State University, and generous contributions from other businesses, foundations, and individuals.
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