The Orphan Trains, Foundlings on the Frontier (Coolidge)

Coolidge Public Library 160 W. Central Avenue, Coolidge, AZ, United States

“The Orphan Trains-Foundlings to the Frontier” program informs and entertains audiences of all ages about the little-known chapter of the largest child migration in American and Arizona history. Programs incorporate live music, storytelling, historical photos, video interviews with survivors, and a Q&A." This program is supported by a grant from Arizona Humanities.

Free

African American Pioneers of Arizona (Phoenix)

Ocotillo Library & Workforce Literacy Center 102 W. Southern Ave., Phoenix, AZ, United States

Featuring compelling documentaries based on interviews, this presentation shares stories about prominent African Americans who contributed to the life and culture of Arizona.  Such luminaries include the late Dr. Eugene Grigsby, Betty Fairfax, Judge Jean Williams, Rev. Warren Stewart, Councilman Calvin Goode, and Carol Coles Henry.  Each individual’s life is contextualized using prominent events that […]

Free

You Are Where You Eat: How Dining Out Defines Arizona (Phoenix)

Agave Library 23550 N. 36th Ave., Phoenix, AZ, United States

When the first dining guide to the Valley of the Sun appeared in 1978, the authors had to explain what “sushi” was. Fast forward four decades, and Arizonans are munching rainbow rolls in shopping-mall food courts. The restaurant business in Arizona now brings in more than $11 billion a year. With stories, statistics and insider […]

Free

From Maiden Lane to Gay Alley: Prostitution in Tucson, 1880-1912 (Coolidge)

Coolidge Public Library 160 W. Central Avenue, Coolidge, AZ, United States

Prostitution was a main stay business of frontier communities and Tucson was no exception. From 1870 to 1910, Tucson prostitutes worked openly without local government interference. However, as Tucson shed its frontier label for respectable city, Tucson began slowly to condemn its ‘soiled doves.” The talk will examine the lives of Tucson’s prostitutes, their struggles, […]

Free

Wild, Weird, Wicked Arizona (El Mirage)

El Mirage Senior Center 14010 El Mirage Rd, El Mirage, AZ, United States

For a state that has been home to Geronimo, Wyatt Earp, César Chavez and Wonder Women, you would think Arizona earned some respect. Yet achieving statehood was a 50-year struggle, which finally ended on February 14, 1912. Jana borrows from both her work for True West Magazine and her work for Phoenix Magazine to put […]

Free

African American Pioneers of Arizona (Buckeye)

Buckeye Valley Museum 116 E Hwy 85, Buckeye, AZ, United States

Featuring compelling documentaries based on interviews, this presentation shares stories about prominent African Americans who contributed to the life and culture of Arizona.  Such luminaries include the late Dr. Eugene Grigsby, Betty Fairfax, Judge Jean Williams, Rev. Warren Stewart, Councilman Calvin Goode, and Carol Coles Henry.  Each individual’s life is contextualized using prominent events that […]

Free

A Story, A Story: African and African American Oral Tradition and Storytelling (Phoenix)

Cesar Chavez Library 3635 W Baseline Rd, Laveen Village, AZ, United States

When the African slave was brought to the Caribbean and North and South America, s/he brought her oral literature and performance style. This presentation focuses on the transfer of those oral traditions from African culture to African American culture. Such traditions can be heard in trickster stories, but also observed in the narration of myths, […]

Free

Arizona Goes to the Moon (Apache Junction)

Apache Junction Library 1177 N. Idaho Rd., Apache Junction, AZ, United States

Arizona played a key role in preparing to send humans to the moon in the late 1960s/early 1970s. The Apollo astronauts themselves traveled to the Grand Canyon and volcanic fields around the state to learn geology and practice their lunar excursions. Meanwhile, U.S. Geological Survey engineers worked with NASA staff members to develop and test […]

Free

Hellraising, Heroic and Hidden Women of the Old West (Florence)

Florence Community Library 778 N. Main St., Florence, AZ, United States

Although history tries to tell us ONLY men settled the Old West, that is shattered by Jana’s verbal tour through some of the amazing women who made all the difference. Any woman who came West in the 1800s had to be full of grit and spit to survive and Jana has collected the stories of […]

Free

Celebrities, Artists…and Good Places to Drink (Casa Grande)

Dorothy Powell Senior Adult Center 405 E. 6th St., Casa Grande, AZ, United States

Arizona has always been a geographical muse for writers, artists and composers, as well as a getaway for the rich and famous.  In this talk, learn about some of the people who have had adventures, weddings and unusual experiences here, while also learning about some of the places they lifted a glass, and why you […]

Free

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