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.

HK is partnering with 15 organizations to help spread the word throughout the state, including Abilene Public Library, ArtsConnect Topeka, Augusta Public Library, Clearwater Public Library, Dorothy Bramlage Public Library in Junction City, Emporia Public Library, Finney County Public Library in Garden City, Goddard Public Library, Hays Public Library, Lawrence Public Library, Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes in Fort Scott, Museum of World Treasures in Wichita, Norton Public Library, Ottawa Library, and Wamego Public Library. Visit them in person or follow them on social media for hotline updates and information.

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!

Apply to Tell Your Humanities Hotline Story

Humanities Kansas is looking for storytellers and humanities presenters interested in being on the Humanities Hotline. Hotline stories are intended to explore Kansas history, local and world literature, pop culture with a humanities twist, or ideas that spark conversations. Hotline storytellers should have an advanced degree in a humanities field or be a culture bearer for their community. Presenters selected for the hotline receive a $100 honorarium. Deadlines for story submissions are every other month, beginning March 1, 2021.

Humanities Hotline Application

Humanities Hotline Webinars

The February 17 webinar is full and registration is closed. Contact Sarah Bishop at sarah@humanitieskansas.org to be added to the waiting list or for information about future webinar dates.

Interested in submitting a story for the Humanities Hotline? Join HK for a Humanities Hotline webinar to learn tips on writing an effective and catchy telephone script and get details on how to submit your proposal for consideration. The selection of topics for the hotline is competitive and participating in the webinar does not guarantee selection.

Current Humanities Hotline Topics

Kansas scholar Eric Anderson shares the history of the Memorial Arch at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence
Aubrey Urban, professor of Theatre at Johnson County Community College, explores the stories behind old opera houses in Kansas.
Poet Laureate of Kansas Huascar Medina reads his poem “Mi Isla.”
Brad Penka, chairman of the Kansas Post Rock Limestone Coalition, discusses how innovative early Kansas pioneers used limestones as building materials that still shape Kansas architecture today.

Humanities Hotline Topics, March 2021

Mary Kohn, Associate Professor of Linguistics at Kansas State University, explores the ways in which Kansas dialects have shifted over the years. Listen here.
Valerie Mendoza, Director of the Title III Strengthening Institutions grant at Washburn University, tells the story of Hazel Gomez, a beloved leader of Topeka's Hispanic community. Listen here.
Author and historian Linda O'Nelio Knoll talks about the Amazon Army, a group of women who marched for coal miners' rights in southeast Kansas in 1921. Listen here.
Miranda Ericsson, Reader's Librarian for the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, reviews two books in honor of women's history month. Listen here.

Humanities Hotline Topics, February 2021

Poet, scholar, and author Mercedes Lucero talks about the connection between inspiration and craft. Listen here.
Dave Tell, Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas, tells the story of the struggle to memorialize Emmett Till. Listen here.
Jay Price, Director of the Public History Program at Wichita State University, discusses the role of the county in Kansas identity. Listen here.
Tom Prasch, Professor of History at Washburn University, reviews the recent film First Cow with a Kansas slant. Listen here.

Humanities Hotline, December 15 - 31, 2020

Lona Reeves, Education and Community Outreach Director at the Kansas African American Museum, tells the story of Kwanzaa. Listen here.
Kim Perez, Associate Professor of History at Fort Hays State University, recounts the story of the Christmas Bird Count. Listen here.
Emily Ryan, Director of The Commons at the University of Kansas, talks about what we can learn from the wintering prairie. Listen here.
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. Listen here.

Humanities Hotline, December 1 - 15, 2020

Eric Cale, Director of the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, talks about the history of the electric guitar. Listen here.
Sheilah Philip, Professor Emerita of Theatre at Johnson County Community College, shares lessons about civil disobedience and moral courage from Sophocles’ Antigone. Listen here.
Jordan Poland, President and CEO of the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, discusses Kansas’s long-time love of golf. Listen here.
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, 2020

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, 2020

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, 2020

University of Kansas English Professor Giselle Anatol talks about the history of the vampiric “soucouyant.” Listen here.
Washburn University Lecturer and Poet Dennis Etzel, Jr. shares “The Mystery of the Black Fans.” Listen here.
McPherson College English Professor Kim Stanley discusses the role of ghosts in literature. Listen here.
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, 2020

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

Please take a moment to take the Humanities Hotline survey. HK appreciates your feedback.

Take the Survey

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