A modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice? Sharing the ancient world with video games? Using theater to process a hundred-year-old trauma? There is so much to learn and explore at the 2022 Humanities for the Public Good (HPG) Symposium.
Over five days (Sept. 19-23), attendees will hear virtual conversations with scholars, artists and community collaborators — and gain insight and inspiration at interactive in-person events and workshops.
Join attendees on Sept. 20 at 1 p.m. for a virtual keynote conversation with Casper ter Kuile and Dwayne Betts. Kuile is author of The Power of Ritual and founder/former cohost of the podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text. Betts is a poet, lawyer, 2021 MacArthur Fellow, and is director of Freedom Reads, a first-of-its-kind organization that empowers people through literature to confront what prison does to the spirit. Both Kuile and Betts have unique and deeply felt relationships with reading, community and artistic practice. Tune in to get inspired.
Other virtual conversations include a deep dive into the Warren County 1921 Project on Sept. 19 and an introduction to the Save Ancient Studies Alliance on Sept. 21 at 11 a.m..
Attendees wishing to connect in person, can find friends (and light encouragement to network) at the HPG social on campus on Sept. 21 or at a special screening of Fire Island, co-presented with the Asian American Center and Jane Austen & Co, at the Varsity on Franklin Street on Sept. 22. There’s also “Humanities Markers,” an opportunity to break out the glitter and design your own educational plaque.
Friday rounds out the week with an opportunity to learn something in a free workshop. Get to know the issues facing undocumented students a UndocuCarolina’s first fall Ally training, take a minute to hone your Humanities Storytelling skills with alum Andrew Aghapour, or think through the possibilities in a workshop on bell hooks’ “Engaged Pedagogy.”
All events are free and open to the public.
Full schedule and link to register: hpg.unc.edu/symposium.
By Ashley Melzer, Humanities for the Public Good