Humanities Tennessee
Programs
Budget
$575,000.00
Description
The Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written Word is among the oldest literary festivals in the country, annually welcoming approximately 250 authors and 25,000 visitors each October. The Festival is free, and includes three performance stages and more than 60 publishers and booksellers. Each author on the program offers a solo reading/talk or takes part in a panel discussion, followed by book signing. Parnassus Books of Nashville is our onsite bookseller. Recent participants include: Karen Abbott, Margaret Renkl, Geraldine Brooks, Pat Conroy, Kevin Henkes, Greg Iles, Emily St. John Mandel, Ayanna Mathis, Ann Patchett, and Paul Theroux, among many others. Festival information is available on the website at: HumTN.org, on iPhone or Android apps at: sofestofbooks, on Facebook as Southern Festival of Books, and on Twitter and Instagram as: sofestofbooks. The Festival's outdoor component includes three performance stages: performing arts, music, and children's programs.
Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities - Literature
Beneficiaries
General Public
Adults
Children and Youth (0 - 19 years)
Long-term Success
Since the Southern Festival of Books began 32 years ago, we have developed strong relationships with publishers that are vital to the success of the Festival and all of HT's literary programs. Staff go to NYC annually for publisher visits, belong and contribute to a Festival director discussion list, and keep apprised of books published by Tennessee authors through regular publisher communication and catalogs. HT staff are also sought after for expertise and advise by other organizations seeking to start festivals and literary programs. The Festival is the foundation for all other literary programs for which HT is the primary planner or partner.
Program Areas Served
None
$575,000.00
Description
The Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written Word is among the oldest literary festivals in the country, annually welcoming approximately 250 authors and 25,000 visitors each October. The Festival is free, and includes three performance stages and more than 60 publishers and booksellers. Each author on the program offers a solo reading/talk or takes part in a panel discussion, followed by book signing. Parnassus Books of Nashville is our onsite bookseller. Recent participants include: Karen Abbott, Margaret Renkl, Geraldine Brooks, Pat Conroy, Kevin Henkes, Greg Iles, Emily St. John Mandel, Ayanna Mathis, Ann Patchett, and Paul Theroux, among many others. Festival information is available on the website at: HumTN.org, on iPhone or Android apps at: sofestofbooks, on Facebook as Southern Festival of Books, and on Twitter and Instagram as: sofestofbooks. The Festival's outdoor component includes three performance stages: performing arts, music, and children's programs.
Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities - Literature
Beneficiaries
General Public
Adults
Children and Youth (0 - 19 years)
Long-term Success
Since the Southern Festival of Books began 32 years ago, we have developed strong relationships with publishers that are vital to the success of the Festival and all of HT's literary programs. Staff go to NYC annually for publisher visits, belong and contribute to a Festival director discussion list, and keep apprised of books published by Tennessee authors through regular publisher communication and catalogs. HT staff are also sought after for expertise and advise by other organizations seeking to start festivals and literary programs. The Festival is the foundation for all other literary programs for which HT is the primary planner or partner.
Program Areas Served
None
Budget
$187,025.00
Description
Humanities TN makes funding investments in all three Grand Divisions of the state to support the efforts of cultural, educational and community-based organizations providing public humanities programs. General grants are awarded through an annual competition. Any nonprofit, institution, or government agency may apply. Opportunity grants are designed to help nonprofits, with budgets less than $150,000 annually, strengthen their work in communities. Grant recipients typically leverage grant dollars at a 4:1 ratio, securing cash and in-kind contributions at the local level. These opportunities also result in additional partnerships at the community level. HT also awards scholarships to the TN Association of Museums Conference (TAM). Scholarships for TAM are available to volunteers of small or emerging organizations without paid professional staff. Since 2003, we have awarded scholarships to 302 individuals from 115 organizations.
Program Areas Served
None
$187,025.00
Description
Humanities TN makes funding investments in all three Grand Divisions of the state to support the efforts of cultural, educational and community-based organizations providing public humanities programs. General grants are awarded through an annual competition. Any nonprofit, institution, or government agency may apply. Opportunity grants are designed to help nonprofits, with budgets less than $150,000 annually, strengthen their work in communities. Grant recipients typically leverage grant dollars at a 4:1 ratio, securing cash and in-kind contributions at the local level. These opportunities also result in additional partnerships at the community level. HT also awards scholarships to the TN Association of Museums Conference (TAM). Scholarships for TAM are available to volunteers of small or emerging organizations without paid professional staff. Since 2003, we have awarded scholarships to 302 individuals from 115 organizations.
Program Areas Served
None
Budget
$89,300.00
Description
Chapter16.org is a literary website dedicated to reviewing and sharing the work of Tennessee writers, and to covering literary events happening across the state. The site was founded in 2009 and is the only one exclusively dedicated to the literary life of the state. Newspaper partnerships provide book-related content to the Nashville Scene, Memphis Commercial Appeal, and Knoxville News Sentinel, allowing them to cover local authors and events, to provide critical publicity and to help maintain the visibility of the active literary community in the state. Chapter16.org has interviewed everyone from Loretta Lynn to David Sedaris, and occasionally offers advance looks at works in progress by Tennessee writers, including Alan Lightman and Ann Patchett. The site posts fresh content every weekday: review of new books, author interviews, essays, and poetry. A weekly newsletter is available, and the site is Chapter16 on Facebook and Twitter.
Program Areas Served
None
$89,300.00
Description
Chapter16.org is a literary website dedicated to reviewing and sharing the work of Tennessee writers, and to covering literary events happening across the state. The site was founded in 2009 and is the only one exclusively dedicated to the literary life of the state. Newspaper partnerships provide book-related content to the Nashville Scene, Memphis Commercial Appeal, and Knoxville News Sentinel, allowing them to cover local authors and events, to provide critical publicity and to help maintain the visibility of the active literary community in the state. Chapter16.org has interviewed everyone from Loretta Lynn to David Sedaris, and occasionally offers advance looks at works in progress by Tennessee writers, including Alan Lightman and Ann Patchett. The site posts fresh content every weekday: review of new books, author interviews, essays, and poetry. A weekly newsletter is available, and the site is Chapter16 on Facebook and Twitter.
Program Areas Served
None
Budget
$50,000.00
Description
Humanities Tennessee facilitates statewide tours of traveling exhibitions from the Smithsonian's Museum on Main Street (MoMS) program, as well as smaller, state-specific exhibits. We provide these exhibits to host organizations at no cost. We are pleased to currently offer TENNESSEE WATERS: SHAPING OUR LAND, OUR LIVES, AND OUR FUTURE. This state-specific exhibit was developed in partnership with the Tennessee Historical Society and the Albert Gore Research Center. The next MoMS exhibit tour will be CROSSROADS: CHANGE IN RURAL AMERICA, beginning in 2019.
Program Areas Served
None
$50,000.00
Description
Humanities Tennessee facilitates statewide tours of traveling exhibitions from the Smithsonian's Museum on Main Street (MoMS) program, as well as smaller, state-specific exhibits. We provide these exhibits to host organizations at no cost. We are pleased to currently offer TENNESSEE WATERS: SHAPING OUR LAND, OUR LIVES, AND OUR FUTURE. This state-specific exhibit was developed in partnership with the Tennessee Historical Society and the Albert Gore Research Center. The next MoMS exhibit tour will be CROSSROADS: CHANGE IN RURAL AMERICA, beginning in 2019.
Program Areas Served
None
Budget
$31,500.00
Description
The Neighborhood Story Project (NSP) enables Tennessee residents to research and share the histories - and have a voice in the future - of the places they call home. HT began this program in 2017 with three projects in Nashville: Cleveland Park, Edgehill, and Stratford High School. The program continued in 2018-2019 with four additional projects in Pulaski, Jefferson City, Lewisburg, and Martin. Participants report an increased attachment to place, broadened social ties, strengthened civic engagement, and a sense of having built community with others. In addition, 70% of participants were age 60-87. Several described feeling proud of the work they were leaving for future generations. The next cohort is scheduled to begin in March 2020 with facilitator training (postponed due to coronavirus.)
Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities -
Beneficiaries
General Public
Seniors
Families
Program Areas Served
Tennessee
$31,500.00
Description
The Neighborhood Story Project (NSP) enables Tennessee residents to research and share the histories - and have a voice in the future - of the places they call home. HT began this program in 2017 with three projects in Nashville: Cleveland Park, Edgehill, and Stratford High School. The program continued in 2018-2019 with four additional projects in Pulaski, Jefferson City, Lewisburg, and Martin. Participants report an increased attachment to place, broadened social ties, strengthened civic engagement, and a sense of having built community with others. In addition, 70% of participants were age 60-87. Several described feeling proud of the work they were leaving for future generations. The next cohort is scheduled to begin in March 2020 with facilitator training (postponed due to coronavirus.)
Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities -
Beneficiaries
General Public
Seniors
Families
Program Areas Served
Tennessee
Budget
$85,000.00
Description
YWP comprises two residential writing workshops for students taught by a faculty of published authors, and include evening activities with writers and musicians: Appalachian Young Writers' Workshop (AYWW) for grades 7-12 at Lincoln Memorial U. and TN Young Writers' Workshop (TYWW) for grades 8-12 at UT Martin. Students present their works at the Southern Festival of Books and HT publishes an anthology. Student Reader Days bring young readers and writers together with the goal of offering good literature, critical thinking, and discussion opportunities to TN school classrooms. Authors present to a class with ~3,000 children participating annually. All receive a free book by their visiting author.
Program Areas Served
None
$85,000.00
Description
YWP comprises two residential writing workshops for students taught by a faculty of published authors, and include evening activities with writers and musicians: Appalachian Young Writers' Workshop (AYWW) for grades 7-12 at Lincoln Memorial U. and TN Young Writers' Workshop (TYWW) for grades 8-12 at UT Martin. Students present their works at the Southern Festival of Books and HT publishes an anthology. Student Reader Days bring young readers and writers together with the goal of offering good literature, critical thinking, and discussion opportunities to TN school classrooms. Authors present to a class with ~3,000 children participating annually. All receive a free book by their visiting author.
Program Areas Served
None
Budget
$15,000.00
Description
Humanities TN matches authors with schools and provides free books to students to underscore the importance of literacy and literature in young people's lives and encourage young people to read for pleasure and personal growth. For many student - from middle to high school - this is the first they've ever met an author. Authors who have participated in past Student Reader Day events include: Kristin Tubb (A Dog Like Daisy); Shannon Greenland (Scouts);Ted Chiang (Exhalation); Alice Faye Duncan (Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968); Andrew Maraniss (Strong Inside: Young Readers Edition); Mohsin Hamid (Exit West); Cressida Crowell (The Wizards of Once: Twice Magic); Kate Beasley (Lions and Liars); Molly Brooks (Sanity and Tallulah); Tom Angleberger (The Strange Case of Origami Yoda); Paolo Bacigalupi (Ship Breaker); Kelly Barnhill (The Mostly True Story of Jack); Tracy Barrett (Dark of the Moon); Gitty Daneshvari (School of Fear); and more.
Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities -
Beneficiaries
Adolescents
Program Areas Served
Tennessee
$15,000.00
Description
Humanities TN matches authors with schools and provides free books to students to underscore the importance of literacy and literature in young people's lives and encourage young people to read for pleasure and personal growth. For many student - from middle to high school - this is the first they've ever met an author. Authors who have participated in past Student Reader Day events include: Kristin Tubb (A Dog Like Daisy); Shannon Greenland (Scouts);Ted Chiang (Exhalation); Alice Faye Duncan (Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968); Andrew Maraniss (Strong Inside: Young Readers Edition); Mohsin Hamid (Exit West); Cressida Crowell (The Wizards of Once: Twice Magic); Kate Beasley (Lions and Liars); Molly Brooks (Sanity and Tallulah); Tom Angleberger (The Strange Case of Origami Yoda); Paolo Bacigalupi (Ship Breaker); Kelly Barnhill (The Mostly True Story of Jack); Tracy Barrett (Dark of the Moon); Gitty Daneshvari (School of Fear); and more.
Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities -
Beneficiaries
Adolescents
Program Areas Served
Tennessee
Budget
$100,000.00
Description
Humanities TN annually contributes staff time and/or funding to organizations doing public humanities programs throughout the state. These investments ensure that communities can participate in programs related to history, culture, literary and cultural arts. Together, we can accomplish more and reach more members of the community than any one organization may do alone. 2020 Partner Programs include: March to the 19th (Chick History); Children's Festival of Readying (Knox County Public Library); My Family, My Community, My World (East Nashville Hope Exchange); Our Muslim Neighbor Conference (Faith & Culture Center); Spoken Word Poet Residencies (Southern Word, Inc.); Teach TN History Workshops (East TN Historical Society); TN History Day (TN Historical Society); Turn The Page Literacy Initiative (Southern Lit Alliance.) Salon@615 and NashvilleREADS, detailed separately, are also partner programs for which HT is a lead partner.
Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities -
Program Areas Served
Tennessee
$100,000.00
Description
Humanities TN annually contributes staff time and/or funding to organizations doing public humanities programs throughout the state. These investments ensure that communities can participate in programs related to history, culture, literary and cultural arts. Together, we can accomplish more and reach more members of the community than any one organization may do alone. 2020 Partner Programs include: March to the 19th (Chick History); Children's Festival of Readying (Knox County Public Library); My Family, My Community, My World (East Nashville Hope Exchange); Our Muslim Neighbor Conference (Faith & Culture Center); Spoken Word Poet Residencies (Southern Word, Inc.); Teach TN History Workshops (East TN Historical Society); TN History Day (TN Historical Society); Turn The Page Literacy Initiative (Southern Lit Alliance.) Salon@615 and NashvilleREADS, detailed separately, are also partner programs for which HT is a lead partner.
Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities -
Program Areas Served
Tennessee
Description
Humanities Tennessee co-founded the Salon@615 series in 2011 as a response to the closing of Nashville's independent bookstore, Davis-Kidd Booksellers. As the primary center for author events throughout the year, Salon@615 endeavored to keep Nashville drawing diverse authors through free public events at the Nashville Public Library. The series features approximately 24 authors annually. Recent participants include: Richard Ford, Elizabeth Gilbert, Carl Hiaasen, Jon Meacham, and Amy Tan, among many others. Program partners who work collaboratively on this initiative include: Parnassus Books, Nashville Public Library, Nashville Public Library Foundation, and BookPage.
Program Areas Served
None
Humanities Tennessee co-founded the Salon@615 series in 2011 as a response to the closing of Nashville's independent bookstore, Davis-Kidd Booksellers. As the primary center for author events throughout the year, Salon@615 endeavored to keep Nashville drawing diverse authors through free public events at the Nashville Public Library. The series features approximately 24 authors annually. Recent participants include: Richard Ford, Elizabeth Gilbert, Carl Hiaasen, Jon Meacham, and Amy Tan, among many others. Program partners who work collaboratively on this initiative include: Parnassus Books, Nashville Public Library, Nashville Public Library Foundation, and BookPage.
Program Areas Served
None
Description
HT is a founding partner on the Nashville Reads program, which annually encourages a community-wide read and discussion of a particular book, to include an opening or closing event with the author. Nashville Reads engages diverse groups across the city for discussions, art projects, film showings and creative events to celebrate particular books. The 2020 Nashville Reads selection is "Dreamers" by Mexican author Yuyi Morales.
Program Areas Served
None
HT is a founding partner on the Nashville Reads program, which annually encourages a community-wide read and discussion of a particular book, to include an opening or closing event with the author. Nashville Reads engages diverse groups across the city for discussions, art projects, film showings and creative events to celebrate particular books. The 2020 Nashville Reads selection is "Dreamers" by Mexican author Yuyi Morales.
Program Areas Served
None
CEO/Executive Director/Board Comments
| Humanities Tennessee serves some 500,000 people of all ages each year in our state. We focus on rural and urban communities alike with these programs. Most of our programs are free of charge with the exception of our residential writers' workshops which have scholarships to help students who wish to participate to afford the opportunity. We welcome support at all levels and have wonderful programs and events all year long to engage donors and those who are interested in getting involved with support. |
