Free Speech in Kansas
In 1922, William Allen White published “To An Anxious Friend,” an impassioned defense of the freedom of speech. For this he won the Pulitzer Prize honoring excellence in journalism, the first Kansan to do so. To celebrate 100 years of the Pulitzer Prizes and to commemorate White’s call to protect free expression, Humanities Kansas partnered with organizations across Kansas for The Pulitzer Project in Kansas: William Allen White and Freedom of Speech, a series of events exploring issues related to the freedom of speech, the life of William Allen White, and democracy today.
Community Writing Workshops
Kansas nonprofits can invite trained instructors to facilitate writing workshops in their communities. Just as William Allen White defended free speech, “by voice, by posted card, by letter, or by press,” participants are welcome to express themselves through essays, poems, letters to the editor, memoirs, fiction — any way they so choose. Writing workshops are available through December 2016. Find out how to bring a writing workshop to your community.
About the Pulitzer Project in Kansas
The Pulitzer Project in Kansas: William Allen White and Freedom of Speech is made possible by a Pulitzer Prizes Centennial Campfires Initiative grant. The Pulitzer Campfires Initiative is a joint venture of the Pulitzer Prizes Board and the Federation of State Humanities Councils in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Pulitzer Prizes. The initiative seeks to illuminate the impact of journalism and the humanities on American life today, to imagine the future, and to inspire new generations to consider the values represented by the body of the Pulitzer Prize-winning work.