Events Calendar

In local communities across Florida, humanities-rich programming is making a lasting impact in the hearts and minds of Sunshine State residents and visitors alike. Florida Humanities is proud to partner with local community champions to bring you high-quality public programming through Community Project Grants, Florida Talks, Museum on Main Street, and more.

Alert: Some events may be canceled or postponed. We work to ensure that our events calendar remains accurate. We strongly urge you to call the event contact for any program you are interested in to confirm that the event is still planned.

The Soul of Civility with Alexandra Hudson

Virtual/Online

The Village Square hosts "The Soul of Civility" with Alexandra O. Hudson and moderator Manu Meel on Zoom and Facebook Live. Hudson funds the challenges to today's civility dire, she thinks they are not new — and they are most definitely not about being more polite. Join Village Square for this inspiringly heartfelt and beautifully pitched argument that civility is not a luxury: it is necessary for the survival and

Marjory Stoneman Douglas and Rachel Carson: Their Books Changed the World

Virtual/Online

This program begins in 1941, when Marjory Stoneman Douglas was a journalist, writing her River of Grass book for money, not to save the Everglades. When Rachel Carson published Silent Spring in 1962, some of the United States' most beloved birds were well on their way to extinction due to pesticides. This program tells how Douglas restored the Everglades and Carson saved wildlife through their writings. Betty Jean Steinhouser has

Florida Talks Zoom-In Series: Florida Women, Advice, and Social Change

Virtual/Online

Newspaper advice columns started as lovelorn columns during Yellow Journalism as a way of showing that newspapers had a heart. These columns typically ran in the women's section of metropolitan newspapers, many in Florida, and included a mixture of content, from traditional to progressive. Learn how these columns affected Floridian women's lives and relationships in the 1950s and 1960s in this presentation. Kimberly Voss, PhD, is a professor of journalism

Florida Talks Zoom-In Series: Fabulous Fictional Florida

Virtual/Online

Douglas. Rawlings. Hurston. Hemingway. These are not simply the names of iconic authors; they are the names of iconic Florida authors. This lively program invites the audience to listen to interpretive readings of passages from great Florida books, learn the life stories of their creators, and come to love Florida literature through a lively analysis of what makes these stories come to life. Caren S. Neile, Ph.D., M.F.A., has taught

Good Day Sunshine State: The Beatles in 1964 Florida

Virtual/Online

Through dozens of primary interviews, letters, photographs, and court transcripts, Kealing chronicles the Beatles' travels in this presentation through the potboiler that was 1964 Florida. Bob Kealing is the author of five books on Florida history and culture. He is a six-time Emmy Award-winning retired reporter and two-time recipient of the Edward R Murrow Award. Also a historic preservationist, Kealing is the founder of Four Florida Heritage Sites, commemorating Jack

The Fragmentation of Everything with Jonathan Haidt

Virtual/Online

The Village Square hosts The Fragmentation of Everything with Jonathan Haidt, moderated by Thomas Whitley, Village Square Board Chair, via Zoom and Facebook Live. Dr. Jonathan Haidt delves into the profound impact of social media on democratic societies, dissecting the intricate web of challenges it poses to civic trust and civil discourse. Dr. Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist and professor of ethical leadership at NYU's Stern School of Business.

Virtual History Talks: Craig Pittman on Oh, Florida!

Virtual/Online

Some people regard Florida as nothing but the Punchline State because so many weird things happen here. Craig Pittman argues that is also the greatest state with the greatest impact on other states. In this presentation based on his hilarious and thought-provoking New York Times bestselling book Oh Florida!, Mr. Pittman explains how what he calls "The Most Interesting State" got to be the way it is. Craig Pittman is

Florida Talks Zoom In Series—Florida and the Untold Story of the Cuban Missile Crisis

Virtual/Online

In this presentation based on the book Above and Beyond, New York Times bestselling author Michael Tougias chronicles the 13 harrowing days of the Cuban Missile Crisis and outlines the steps President Kennedy made to reach a decision on a course of action. Special emphasis is given to the heroes of the crisis: the U-2 pilots that flew from Orlando to Cuba to secure proof of nuclear missiles. Michael J.

Picturing Paradise: From John James Audubon to the Florida Highwaymen

Virtual/Online

The Florida landscape has provided aesthetic inspiration to artists for centuries. Titian Ramsay Peale and John James Audubon came in search of native flora and fauna, followed by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Martin Johnson Heade, George Inness, Winslow Homer, and Henry Ossawa Tanner, who were lured by its natural beauty and warm climate. This presentation offers a succinct and engaging history of Florida's landscape painters. Keri Watson is an associate professor

Democracy Reignited: The Roots of Belonging + The Risks of Othering

Virtual/Online

Rachel Brown, the founder of Over Zero, shares her experience in preventing violence in global hotspots to the challenge of rising identity-based hatred around the world. Over Zero works in the United States, Central Europe, and East Africa providing assistance to a diverse set of partners, including civil society leaders and organizations, funders and large institutions, and other leaders within society. Rachel Brown is the author of Defusing Hate: A

Preserving Voices: Representations of Revolution

Virtual/Online

The Center for Jose Marti Studies Affiliate at the University of Tampa is hosting the second public program in the Preserving Voices series, bringing alive the tradition and showmanship of the "lector de tabaqueria," of the cigar factory reader. This panel looks at the significant articles from the Cuban emigre press of Key West and New York City during the 1880s as these communities conspired to gain independence from their

Weeki Wachee: City of Mermaids

Virtual/Online

When Newt Perry sank a theater into the edge of Weeki Wachee Springs in 1947, he had no idea his mermaids would become world-famous Florida icons. This presentation covers the fascinating history of Weeki Wachee Springs told through vintage photographs of the resident "mermaids" from their earliest days performing silent ballets to their pinnacle of popularity. Lu Vickers was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship for fiction as

Executive Director’s Book Club: “The Yearling”

Virtual/Online

Join Florida Humanities Executive Director Nashid Madyun for a discussion on Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings's book,  The Yearling. The novel won the 1939 Pulitzer Prize and went on to win multiple Academy Awards for its film adaptation in 1946. Set in Northern Florida, The Yearling is a coming-of-age story following Jody, a young boy and his struggles between his relationship with his family and the deer he is raising. Marjorie Kinnan

Democracy Reignited: Join or Die

Virtual/Online

Author and Harvard Professor Robert D. Putnam joins author Shaylyn Romney Garrett for a conversation on his groundbreaking sociological research "Bowling Alone" and subsequent book. Dr. Putnam discusses the decline of American community connections over the past half-century and how people can reconnect with one another across demographics. Dr. Robert D. Putnam is the author of 14 books, including Bowling Alone, that have been translated into 20 languages and focuses

Native America: In Translation Online Conversation

Virtual/Online

USF Contemporary Art Museum is hosting an online conversation in connection with the exhibit Native America: In Translation on view from August 25 through December 1, 2023. This exhibit assembles the wide-ranging work of nine Indigenous artists who pose challenging questions about identity, heritage, land rights, and histories of colonialism. In this conversation, curator Wendy Red Star and artists Marianne Nicolson and Koyoltzintli discuss concepts and approaches to Indigenous visual

Preserving Voices: Formations of Cuban Identity and Nationhood

Virtual/Online

The Center for Jose Marti Studies Affiliate debuts dramatic readings of three key articles taken from the Cuban émigré press of the late 19th century, as recorded by three scholars, followed by a panel discussion regarding the historical importance of each article in the larger context of the struggle for Cuban independence and the formation of Cuban immigrant communities in the U.S. The articles have been recorded in their original

Florida Talks Zoom In Series — Picturing Paradise: From John James Audubon to the Florida Highwaymen

Virtual/Online

The Florida landscape has provided aesthetic inspiration to artists for centuries. Titian Ramsay Peale and John James Audubon came in search of native flora and fauna, followed by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Martin Johnson Heade, George Inness, Winslow Homer, and Henry Ossawa Tanner, who were lured by its natural beauty and warm climate. This presentation offers a succinct and engaging history of Florida's landscape painters. Keri Watson is an associate professor

English for Families at Miami-Dade Public Library

Virtual/Online

Join the Miami-Dade Public Library System online every Monday from September 25 to December 4 for English for Families. English for Families is a multi-week series of interactive classes for families focusing on developing vocabulary and literacy skills through story reading. All are welcome but registration is required for all ten sessions. Participants will receive all ten Zoom links upon registering. This English for Families program is a partnership between

Voices from Florida: Documenting Miami’s Incorporations

Virtual/Online

Miami-Dade Public Library System presents the third program in the Voices From Florida speaker series. Participants can celebrate the history of Miami with the researchers and producers of Profiles in Black Miami as they delve into the lives of the men who signed the charter to incorporate the City of Miami in 1896. The presenters share their discoveries about these men and how these incorporators contributed to the civic growth

The Little Town that Unity Built

Virtual/Online

Punta Gorda has been described as a "unique sociology" because of its biracial settlement and development. In this presentation, Queen Andrews, an African-American pioneer describes the five factors that made Punta Gorda a model for interracial unity in the Jim Crow era of the early 1960s. Dr. Martha Bireda is the Director of the Blanchard House Museum of African American History and Culture of Charlotte County. For over 25 years,

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