Humanities Hotline
The toll-free Humanities Hotline delivers interesting short stories anytime, day or night. It’s simple: Dial 1-888-416-2018 and choose from a menu of humanities highlights, like a poem by Langston Hughes or the brief story of a presidential visit to Russell. These bite-sized micropresentations cover Kansas stories – both serious and light-hearted – and are researched and presented by experts across the state.
The Humanities Hotline provides an accessible alternative to today’s Zoom culture and encourages the people of Kansas to participate in lifelong engagement with the humanities.
Humanities Hotline topics change monthly. Call the toll-free number as often as you like. It’s free and available at the touch of a dial or the tap of a keypad. Call today!
New Opportunity! Become a Humanities Hotline Partner!
Humanities Kansas is launching the 2021 Humanities Hotline on February 1 and is seeking 15 community cultural nonprofit partners to help reach local and regional residents who would most benefit from positive connection and cognitive engagement during the pandemic. Deadline: January 18.
Current Humanities Hotline Topics
- Lona Reeves, Education and Community Outreach Director at the Kansas African American Museum, tells the story of Kwanzaa.
- Kim Perez, Associate Professor of History at Fort Hays State University, recounts the story of the Christmas Bird Count.
- Emily Ryan, Director of The Commons at the University of Kansas, talks about what we can learn from the wintering prairie.
- Pat Ackerman, freelance writer and Professor of Language Arts at Kansas State University, shares the history of holiday celebrations at Marymount College, Kansas’s first four-year college for women.
Humanities Hotline, December 1 - 15, 2020
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Eric Cale, Director of the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, talks about the history of the electric guitar. Listen here.
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Sheilah Philip, Professor Emerita of Theatre at Johnson County Community College, shares lessons about civil disobedience and moral courage from Sophocles’ Antigone. Listen here.
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Jordan Poland, President and CEO of the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, discusses Kansas’s long-time love of golf. Listen here.
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Lori Goetsch, Dean of Libraries at Kansas State University, shares the history of the restoration of the Overmyer murals in the historic Farrell Library. Listen here.
Humanities Hotline, November 15-30
- Gene Chávez, public scholar, shares the history of the tortilla and a recipe for tortillas or sopapillas. Listen here.
- Devon Mihesuah, Cora Lee Beers Price Professor in the Humanities at the University of Kansas, discusses the cultural importance of indigenous food. Listen here.
- Aaron Barnhart, public scholar, tells the story of Henry Clubb's Kansas Vegetopia of 1856. Listen here.
- Journalist Beccy Tanner talks about the history of Jell-O and shares a few of her favorite Jell-O salad recipes. Listen here.
Humanities Hotline, November 1 - 14
- Angela Bates, Executive Director of the Nicodemus Historical Society, shares the legacy of Nicodemus, Kansas. Listen here.
- Daniel Ireton, Associate Professor at Kansas State University, talks about the history of the board game. Listen here.
- Laura Moriarty, Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Kansas, reads from her 2012 novel The Chaperone, set in Wichita, Kansas. Listen here.
- Dawn Hammatt, Director of the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, talks about Eisenhower’s experience growing up in Abilene, Kansas. Listen here.
Humanities Hotline, October 15 - 31
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University of Kansas English Professor Giselle Anatol talks about the history of the vampiric “soucouyant.” Listen here.
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Washburn University Lecturer and Poet Dennis Etzel, Jr. shares “The Mystery of the Black Fans.” Listen here.
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McPherson College English Professor Kim Stanley discusses the role of ghosts in literature. Listen here.
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Emporia State University English Professor Emeritus Jim Hoy tells “The Legend of the Blue Light Lady” of Hays. Listen here.
Humanities Hotline, October 1 - 14
- University of Kansas English Professor Emeritus John Edgar Tidwell reads "Who but the Lord" a poem by Langston Hughes. Listen here.
- Audrey Coleman, Associate Director of the Dole Institute of Politics and Director of the Dole Institute Archives and Museum, tells the story of "A Picnic for a President--in 24 Hours or Less." Listen Here.
- Prisca Barnes, Founder and CEO of Storytime Village, recounts the story of the 1958 Dockum Drugstore Sit-in. Listen Here.
- Erin Raux, Curator at the Mid-America All-Indian Center, shares a little bit about the history of the Native American vote. Listen Here.
Humanities Hotline Survey
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