CHICAGO, IL- August 29, 2013— Illinois is a state full of individuals and communities who are proud of their history, and with perpetually curious to learn new things. Starting today, thirty-one of Illinois’ most fascinating historians, story tellers, scholars, musicians and more are ready to answer this intellectual call all around the state.
The Road Scholars Speakers Bureau, a program of the Illinois Humanities Council (IHC) has announced a brand new roster of speakers and topics, ready to present to organizations statewide who are seeking affordable, entertaining, and thought-provoking humanities events for their communities. The speakers, hailing from 20 different towns and cities across Illinois, will be presenting topics in history, culture, literature, music, politics, law, science, and many more.
Since 1996, the IHC Road Scholars Speakers Bureau has been deploying speakers to present to audiences all over the state. For nonprofit organizations with small budgets, the program offers the opportunity to bring high-quality humanities programming for an affordable $75 processing fee.
The IHC hopes to tap into Illinois audiences’ natural curiosities through contemporary approaches to historical subjects. “All of our speakers were chosen because their topics are relevant in some way to the lives of people today,” says Mallory Laurel, the IHC’s coordinator for the program. “How are 19th century gospel hymns the basis for much of the music we listen to today? How can cemeteries build community? How do today’s blockbuster superhero films compare with the comics that spawned them in the 1940’s? Through the humanities, we can understand today’s world a little better, and these speakers are here to help us along the way.”
Nonprofit organizations that are interested in hosting a Road Scholars speaker should visit www.prairie.org, or contact Mallory Laurel, Program Coordinator, at (312) 422-5585, ext. 239, or by email at mal@prairie.org for directions on how to apply. Examples of eligible nonprofit organizations include—but are not limited to—historical societies, libraries, senior centers, museums, community colleges, professional groups, and community organizations.
The 2013-2014 Roster:
- Jon Austin (West Peoria) – Civil War Field Embalming: A Demonstration of Period Technique
- Jeanne Schultz Angel (Chicago) – The Anti-Slavery Movement in Black & White
- Joe Bean (Libertyville) – Adlai!
- Penelope Bingham (Chicago) Thanksgiving: The Great American Holiday
- Nancy Caldwell (Effingham) – A Soundtrack for Wartime: Songs of the Civil War
- Cynthia Clampitt (Arlington Heights) – Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum
- Pete Ellertsen (Springfield) – Swing Low: Dwight Moody, an Original Crossover Music Artist
- Brian “Fox” Ellis (Bishop Hill) – Black Jack Logan: Civil War General, Senator, King-Maker
- Leslie Goddard (Darien) – Never Lost: Amelia Earhart Before the Legend
- Barbara Gregorich (Chicago) – When Women Played Baseball
- Bucky Halker (Chicago) – Goin’ Down to Cairo: Folksongs in the Land of Lincoln
- John Hallwas (Macomb) – Cemeteries and Graves: American Historical and Literary Perspectives
- Dan Haughey (Moline) – Edgar Allan Poe’s Imagination
- Judith Heinemann & Daniel Marcotte (Chicago; Bolingbrook) – Grimm’s Grimmest: The Darker Side of Fairy Tales
- Erika Holst (Springfield) – Love’s Young Dream: Courtship and Weddings in the Lincoln Era
- William Iseminger (Collinsville) – Telling Time in Ancient North America
- Lasana Kazembe (Chicago) – Check the Rhime: The Cultural and Political Roots of Hip Hop
- Amy Levin (DeKalb) – The World Out There- Myanmar’s Journey from the Inside
- Paddy & Jon Lynn (Mundelein) – Selections from Edgar Lee Master’s Spoon River Anthology
- Larry McClellan (Crete) – Road Tripping: 100 Years of Named Highways and Good Roads
- Jon Musgrave (Marion) – The Warring 20’s: Bloody Williamson
- Pangratios Papacosta (Chicago) – Einstein’s Angels and Demons: The Man Behind E=mc2
- Stephen Parry (Chicago) – The Hayloft Gang: The Story of the National Bar Dance
- Donna Pierce (Chicago) – Meals on Wheels: Great Migration Recipes Ride the Rails North
- Brian Russell (Troy) – Superheroes and Patriots: Comic Book Propaganda Unveiled
- Jose Sandoval (Mt. Prospect) – The Spirit of Motown
- Ronald Solberg (Downers Grove) – Those Magnificent ‘Whizbang’ Travelling Salesmen of Illinois
- Dennis Stroughmatt (Albion) The Illinois French Season of Carnival: La Guillannee to Le Mardi Gras
- Chris Vallilo (Macomb) Parallel Paths: Sandburg and his Legacy
About the Illinois Humanities Council
The Illinois Humanities Council is an independent, nonprofit state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, dedicated to fostering a culture in which the humanities are a vital part of the lives of individuals and communities. The IHC creates programs and funds organizations that promote greater understanding of, appreciation for, and involvement in the humanities by all Illinoisans, regardless of their economic resources, cultural background, or geographic location. The IHC is supported by state, federal, and private funds.
Media Contact:
Carlos Velázquez
(312) 422-5580, x233
cav@prairie.org