By Staff of Nevada Humanities
Once again, The Western Folklife Center in Elko keeps traditions alive and will host the annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering on January 30 - February 4, 2023. This will be the first in-person Gathering since 2020. Nevada Humanities has proudly supported the Gathering every year—now in its 38th season.
By Shaun T. Griffin
Marooned in the Rio, the drunks asleep at the tables,
a pit boss climbs the slow rope to obscurity,
and my friend hangs on his eggs at the bar. The southern
wind tosses the breath of books like sand. Would that they
be read like the two women stumbling the revolving door behind me,
a twelve pack of Miller Lite in their arms, the last refuge of pain
on Saturday night.
By Christina Barr
The New Year has begun in earnest - filled with meetings, emails, and deadlines - and I confess that I am having difficulty recovering from my holiday break of sloth-like pajama days filled with generations of traditions, friends, good food, board games, and puzzles. Autumn is my favorite time of year for being out and about, but winter is for delicious hibernation. In Reno, we've been subsumed with snow, which has helped create a sense of tucking in, but I'm actually very excited about the year ahead.
Wishing you and yours a season of curiosity, joy, and adventure in the loveliest place we know, Nevada. Warm holiday wishes from your friends at the Double Down Blog.
Read MoreBy Virginia Lucas
Lost City Museum: A Hidden Gem on Southern Nevada’s Arrowhead Trail exhibition, which is currently on display at the Nevada Humanities Program Gallery, invites visitors to take a step back to a time before Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam existed. Through a collection of historic photographs, this exhibit illustrates the founding and history of the Lost City Museum as well as the complex landscape that prompted the creation of the museum.
Staff of Nevada Humanities had the pleasure of attending the 2022 National Humanities Conference that was held on November 10-13, 2022, in Los Angeles. This year’s conference was held in person for the first time since the conference was held in Honolulu in 2019, providing staff the opportunity to connect with colleagues from across the country, listen and learn at workshops and sessions, and participate in cultural tours around Los Angeles. This blog post features reflections on our time at the conference in Los Angeles.
Read MoreBy Shannon Livingston-Harris
The desert plucked every cloud from the late spring sky. Standing next to my husband Cory, I’m fixated on the lithics he’s displaying in his open hand. The fragments shine in the proselytizing light of the mid-day sun—our only spectator in the Mount Irish Archaeological District.
From our home to yours
In a place where home means Nevada
We are thankful for you and wish you and yours
A Happy Thanksgiving from Nevada Humanities
By Shane Brant
Your finger's to my lips, silently smiling on me.
The world's enwhirled in wars between this word,
That world, the Word, our words and worlds,
And the windy whats and whens that whorl in whys.
Silence smiles on me.
By Staff of Nevada Humanities
KWNK Interviews Conducted by Vanessa Vancour
One day is not enough time to take in all the amazing stories featured at the Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl. In preparation for the event that took place in Reno on September 10, 2022, Nevada Humanities partnered with KWNK Radio to air several conversations with Literary Crawl panelists, artists, and contributors. Vanessa Vancour of Vancourage wrote and produced seven stories so that we could share a slice of the day with those who could not attend in person. Listen in!
By Kathleen Kuo
Take a moment and ask yourself, when was the last time you sat down for a true heart-to-heart? As we navigate the demands of our day-to-day lives, we often neglect to pause and leave ourselves space for reflection. It may be rarer still to find time for a serious and cathartic one-on-one conversation with a loved one or trusted friend, when you have the space to talk earnestly and honestly about what is on your mind, or to be there for them and listen as they share their own concerns with you.
By Shan Michael Evans
I’ve not once even seen our state’s bird, the mountain bluebird.
I suppose I should make an effort to resolve that.
The thing is, I scarcely go outside of my Maryland Parkway apartment anymore.
Redhead. Fair skin. The Las Vegas heat shows no compassion. I panic and complain, and I cry all summer. And the summers seem now to last forever.
By Antoinette Cavanaugh
Recently, I returned from a trip abroad, a journey beginning at the south of France through most of Spain. While meeting people along the way, they were curious about where I was from in the United States. The typical dialogue was as follows:
“What state are you from in America?”
“I’m from Nevada.”
With an air of recognition, the usual response was, “Oh! Las Vegas?!”
Being a life-time Nevadan, I gave the geography lesson I have committed to memory.
By Alycia Calvert
People are always surprised when I say I live in Las Vegas, like every time. People see Las Vegas as a one-stop shop for entertainment and excitement, and for the most part they’re right. We’ve got the lights, gorgeous hotels, roller coasters, and high-end dining, drive through wedding chapels, immersive art installations—oh and gambling if that’s your thing—all within walking distance.
By Bruce Isaacson
My friend Moniro Ravanipor is an author who is famous in Iran. She’s in touch with women protesting there now. Her books reach for freedom and a rooted sense of justice. She had relatives who were killed, jailed, she was jailed herself, and she was subjected to all kinds of sabotage in the United States by the Iranian government.
By Brooke Arita-Zamora
Familia
Artistas de vida.
Mi abuela pinta
Con sus manos,
En la cocina chiquitita.
Pollo con frijoles y arroz
Tortillas, tamales, pupusas
Todo con cafecito.
Ella y su hermana
Tia Elva
The Online Nevada Encyclopedia (ONE) is a free and easy to use online resource about Nevada history and contemporary culture. This multimedia educational resource explores the history, politics, and culture of the Silver State. If you have access to the internet, you can dig deeper into all things Nevada at onlinenevada.org.
Read MoreBy Michael Martone
At 11:30 pm Mountain Time the night before, I will catch Train 5, The California Zephyr, westbound, in Salt Lake City (I splurged on a sleeper) and ride through the night, over the famous Overland Route, to arrive in Reno, if I am on time (and there is a good chance I will not be on time) at 8:35 am Pacific Time to attend the Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl.
By David Michael Slater
Some consider the act of reading itself an escape. Diving into a good book, regardless of its content, can whisk us away from the trials and tribulations of daily life. Fantasy literature is typically considered, by definition, escapist, and no doubt that is why it’s such a popular genre. It’s hard to imagine a better way to leave the cruel world behind for while than by immersing oneself in an entirely different one.
By Robin McLean
I’ve always been a solo writer. Why? Read on… It started long before I’d written anything, as a potter in rural Alaska. No lights through the forest, no road sound as I spun my pots—it changed my midwestern, very urban mind.
“Probably your brain, rather,” my dad said (a neurologist).
“How’s that?” I argued.
He was a shy man, an introvert.
“Think of trees!” he said, as if he knew.
