Double Down - A Blog

Mark Maynard signing books at Sundance Books and Music in Reno, Nevada. Photograph courtesy of Scott Goodin

“The elder statesmen Bill Harrah and Harvey Gross had been dead for many years. The Mapes had been demolished and paved over. The big players, card counters, cheats, crime bosses, and small-time operators had all left town. The once glowing hotel towers, glass-walled ramparts that stood guarding the casinos hidden in their bowels, had been converted into artist lofts and condominiums. Many of these now sat empty, awaiting the next come-out roll in the never-ending craps game that used Virginia Street as its green felt table.”...

Nevada Humanities's newest member of staff, Rachel Hopkin, on a visit to the Valley of Fire State Park.

As this is only my second blog for Nevada Humanities, I feel I should introduce myself before going any further: I’m Rachel Hopkin, I’m a folklorist and a radio producer by training, and I’m Nevada Humanities’ newest member of staff, having only joined the organization just a few months back.

Since taking up the role of Program Manager here, I’ve been repeatedly asked to explain what exactly Nevada Humanities is and what we do, so I thought I’d use this post to address that question.

Nevada Humanities is...

It's always exciting to attend the programs Nevada Humanities supports with partnerships and grants, and the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering - held in Elko each year - is no exception. Nevada Humanities has been supporting the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering since 1984, when the first Gathering was being planned. The Gathering has grown enormously since then, and we're proud to have been part of the group that helped plant the seed.

This year I had the pleasure of joining cowboy poet and rancher Randy Rieman in welcoming attendees to a special Nevada Humanities funded session on Evidence Based Horsemanship. Neurobiologist Dr. Stephen Peters and horse trainer and clinician Martin Black introduced us all to a deeper understanding of the relationship between the science of...

Nevada Humanities is proud to launch Double Down, a new online forum for the exploration of creative ideas. Nevada Humanities staff, board members, and friends will be posting regularly about issues that cross their paths and catch their attention. At Nevada Humanities we believe in the power of dynamic humanities programs to inspire engagement and deepen a collective sense of place and belonging for us all, and we're willing to bet the house on that. Watch this space for creative ideas, challenging thoughts, and inspiring observations about the Silver State and beyond.