Representation Matters – The Art of Drag

Burton Barr Central Library - Pulliam Auditorium 1221 N Central Ave, Phoenix, AZ, United States

The Art of Drag -- a performance of exaggerated gender expression intended to highlight the performative aspect of gender --has never been more popular or controversial than it is today. This program, presented by ASU faculty member and Drag Story Hour Arizona president David Boyles and local drag legend Felicia Minor, will discuss the history […]

FREE

Growing in the Desert: The History & Culture of the Tohono O’odham with Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan

Oro Valley Public Library 1305 W. Naranja Drive, Oro Valley, AZ, United States

Many Arizonans call the Sonoran Desert and its striking landscapes home. Long before our urban centers and city lights lit up the dark desert skies, the Tohono O’odham were cultivating and shaping the land with abundant agriculture—from squash and beans to corn and cotton. For generations they passed down their rich knowledge and culture grown […]

FREE

Set in Stone but Not in Meaning: Southwestern Rock Art with Allen Dart

Butterfly Lodge Museum's Applewhite Pavilion 4 county road 1126, Greer, AZ, United States

Ancient American Indian petroglyphs (symbols carved or pecked on rocks) and pictographs (rock paintings) are claimed by some to be forms of writing for which meanings are known. But are such claims supported by archaeology or by Native Americans? Archaeologist Allen Dart illustrates how petroglyph and pictograph styles changed through time and over different parts […]

FREE

Caretakers of the Land: A Story of Farming and Community in San Xavier with Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan with

Chandler Hamilton Library 3700 S. Arizona Ave, Chandler, AZ, United States

Farming has always been the way of life for the Tohono O’odham community in San Xavier, located just south of Tucson. Their way of life depended on access to the land and to the water, namely the Santa Cruz River, which nourished agriculture in the area for generations. But a history of division sown through […]

FREE

Era of Artificial Intelligence: What Is Research, and How Is Knowledge Created? with Andrea Christelle

Chandler Public Library - Hamilton Branch 3700 S. Arizona Avenue, Chandler

In today’s digital world, anyone can publish their writing. Anyone can make a movie. The democratization of knowledge or content creation has given a voice to untold stories. But there is a flipside. Who, or what, gets to create knowledge? Can AI systems create knowledge? When Chat GPT writes a student’s paper, is that original […]

FREE

Education in the News: What’s Happening in Classrooms Today? with Derek Keith

Mesquite Branch - Phoenix Public Library 4525 Paradise Village Pkwy N, Phoenix, AZ, United States

The debate over what happens in the classroom continues to escalate as politics creep into curriculum. What can be taught, what can be said, and what pronouns teachers can use are all in question. What are the new bills and school policies being introduced in Arizona? How is legislation in other states influencing the national […]

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He/She/They: Why Pronouns Matter with Erick Tanchez

Downtown Chandler Public Library- Copper Room South 22 S. Delaware St, Chandler, AZ, United States

There has been a lot of attention on pronouns in the news headlines recently—from state bills aimed at regulating pronouns in the classroom to social media platforms offering pronoun options. So, what is a pronoun? How are pronouns related to gender identity, such as cisgender, transgender, nonbinary? What are gender identities? Is there a difference […]

FREE

For the Love of Turquoise with Carrie Cannon

Pinetop Lakeside Town Hall, Council Chambers 325 W White Mountain Blvd., Pinetop-Lakeside, AZ, United States

Turquoise has a long standing tradition amongst Native cultures of the Southwest, holding special significance and profound meanings to specific individual tribes. Even before the more contemporary tradition of combining silver with turquoise, cultures throughout the southwest used turquoise in necklaces, earrings, mosaics, fetishes, medicine pouches, and made bracelets of basketry stems lacquered with piñon […]

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Voting Access: What If Voting Were Mandatory? with Mathew Nevarez

Foothills Library 19055 N 57th Ave, Glendale, AZ, United States

Voting is an essential part of the electoral process. How do we vote? Where do we vote? What is the process for voting? Join us for an interactive thought exercise: Imagine a scenario where all Arizonans are required to vote. You are responsible for voter turnout. How do you ensure you get voters to the […]

FREE

Desert Rats, River Runners, and Canyon Crawlers: Four Arizona Explorers with Gregory McNamee

Social Hall - R H Johnson Recreation Center 19803 N. R.H. Johnson Blvd, Sun City West, AZ, United States

Francisco Garcés, a Franciscan friar, arrived in what is now Arizona in 1768. Assigned to the church at San Xavier del Bac south of present-day Tucson, he traveled widely throughout Arizona and California, charting overland routes that later travelers would follow. Near where Garcés would meet his death in 1781, an American soldier named Joseph […]

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