Humanities = cover art

Humanities =

Humanities =

Written by: Federation of State Humanities Councils
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Real individuals, organizations, and communities making a real difference through the humanities. Tune in for hopeful and inspiring interviews with professionals and volunteers who are using the humanities to empower veterans to heal, boost childhood literacy and family bonding, improve the lives of people experiencing incarceration, turn teens into civic leaders, bring communities together through conversation, celebrate local history, and so much more. Humanities = is a production of the Federation of State Humanities Councils. There are 56 state and jurisdictional humanities councils in the US, one for every state, territory, and DC. These nonpartisan nonprofits were established in 1971 by Congress to make outstanding public humanities programming accessible to everyday Americans. Learn more and find your humanities council at statehumanities.org.© Federation of State Humanities Councils 2025 Art Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Higher Education for All
    Dec 16 2025

    Illinois Humanities believes education is liberatory and should be accessible to all. That belief led them, 25 years ago, to partner with The Clemente Course in the Humanities to offer free college courses to low-income adults in the Chicago area through a program called the Odyssey Project or Proyecto Odisea. In this episode, learn more about this program and how it changes lives. Our guests are Dulce Maria Diaz (Odyssey Project alumnus), Dr. Rebecca Amato (Director of Teaching and Learning, Illinois Humanities), and Dr. Aaron Rosen (Executive Director, The Clemente Course in the Humanities). Transcript and show notes available at statehumanities.org/podcast.

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    27 mins
  • Poetry in the Great Outdoors
    Dec 10 2025

    Does reading poetry make the world a better place? Are poetry readings better in the great outdoors? Every summer, Vermont Humanities hold a series of poetry readings in Vermont state parks called Words in the Woods, which connects participants with the state’s natural resources and its living literary legacy. Dive into the relevance of poetry in our modern world, the relationship between nature and poetry, and the importance of supporting living poets in this conversation featuring Jacob Pelletier, Community Programs Officer at Vermont Humanities, and Bianca Stone, Vermont Poet Laureate (and past Words in the Woods speaker). Transcripts, photos, and related content available at statehumanities.org/podcast.

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    20 mins
  • Empowering Teen Leaders
    Oct 22 2025

    It’s true that youth are the future, but we have to give them the tools and skills to make it a good one. In this episode, we’re taking a closer look at two programs using the humanities and public libraries to inspire and empower teens to speak up and play an active role in their communities. In Montana, the Democracy Project from Humanities Montana brings teens together via their local library to learn about civics and design a project to meet a need in their community. In Pennsylvania, PA Humanities’ Youth Led Humanities provides funding and support to libraries for humanities clubs and projects that let teens take the lead. Both these programs aim to give teens opportunities to lead, find their voice, and understand how much power they have to tackle problems and make positive change in their schools and communities. Transcripts, photos, and related content available at statehumanities.org/podcast.

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    34 mins
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