Assembling the Southwest: The History and Geography of a Region with Scott Warren

Pima County Public Library - Salazar-Ajo Branch 15 W Plaza ST #179, Ajo, AZ, United States

Our region is a diverse and contrasting patchwork of cultures, resources, and environments. So how did the Southwest and its cultural and natural icons become so distinctive in our collective imagination? In this richly illustrated presentation we will pull from the broad discipline of cultural geography to explore the historical processes that made the Southwest […]

FREE

The Underground and Overground Railroad with Tamika Sanders

Mohave County Library District - Lake Havasu City Branch Community Rooms A/B 1770 McCulloch Blvd, Lake Havasu City, AZ, United States

Using storytelling, historical artifacts and songs, this presentation will depict the ingenuity and resiliency used by those involved in the Underground Railroad to help over 100,000 enslaved people escape to freedom between 1810 and 1850. We’ll then fast forward to the Jim Crow era and explore the Overground Railroad created by the Green Book which […]

FREE

The Road to Inequity: Understanding the Wealth Gap with Matthew Whitaker

Pima County Public Library - Salazar-Ajo Branch 15 W Plaza ST #179, Ajo, AZ, United States

We often hear about the widening wealth gap in the United States. If we look back through history, federal policies and discriminatory practices, from redlining to the current gender wage gap, have contributed to lasting social and economic inequities. Who holds the wealth now? How was that wealth acquired? Can we move toward a more […]

FREE

Climate Conversations: Connections to Natural Material: Native Culture Today and Tomorrow with Yolanda Hart Stevens

Arizona Humanities 1242 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ, United States

From birth to death, the mesquite tree is an integral part of life for many who call the desert home. The mesquite tree is just one of many holistic materials, elements of our natural environment, that are vital to sustaining Native culture and practices. But climate change and environmental degradation are changing the landscapes of […]

FREE

They Beat the Heat: How Arizonans Survived the Desert Heat in the Days Before Air Conditioning with Christine Reid

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

Drawing from multi-cultural influences of the variety of people who helped build Arizona, discover how creative adaptations in lifestyle, architecture, building materials, town planning and even humor all contributed to surviving intense desert temperatures. What have we forgotten and what can we learn from the wisdom of those who came before as climate becomes a […]

FREE

Specters of the Past-Ghost Towns That Built Arizona with Jay Mark

San Tan Historical Society Museum 20425 S. Old Ellsworth Road, Queen Creek, AZ, United States

In addition to an entertaining, visual display of the communities, towns and settlements that contributed to the early growth of the state, this presentation also focuses on respect for these diminishing historic resources. Most of the photographs represent a comprehensive exploration of Arizona ghost towns made by Mr. Mark in the 1960’s and 1970’s. This […]

FREE

Writers of The Purple Sage with Jim Turner

Cochise College Benson Center 1025 S. Highway 90, Benson, AZ, United States

This presentation covers five Arizona novelists: Zane Grey spent his honeymoon at the Grand Canyon and went on to be one of the first and most famous Western writers of all time; Harold Bell Wright came to Tucson with lung problems and became a bestseller from 1900 to 1930. University of Arizona writing professor Richard […]

FREE

Chiles & Chocolate: Sweet and Spicy Foods in the American West with Christine Glenn/Sandy Sunseri

Verde Valley Archaeology Center 460 W Finnie Flat Road, Camp Verde, AZ, United States

Come have a taste of the rich and savory history of these food favorites, explore how early peoples used them, and how they have evolved and spread to all corners of the world. Food is a portal into culture and can convey a range of cultural meaning including occasion, social status, ethnicity, and wealth depending […]

FREE

More than Pocahontas and Squaws: Indigenous Women Coming into Visibility with Laura Tohe

Tempe Public Library-Desert Willow Program Room 3500 South Rural Road, Tempe, AZ, United States

This visual presentation shows how Indigenous American women have contributed service to Arizona and the US, yet were stereotyped in films and remain invisible in the media. Nevertheless, they have been honored in all areas of public service—law, medicine, literature, military and activism with awards such as, the Presidential Freedom, the McArthur (genius award), the […]

FREE

What Music Can Do for Your Well-Being: The Latest Research with Janice Jarrett

Oak Wood Country Club 24218 S Oakwood Blvd, Sun Lakes, AZ, United States

What can we do to enhance quality of life? What can we do to sharpen cognitive capability and function, cope, and age better? Music Therapy has a long tradition, and the range of effective music-related therapies for pain relief and healing injuries are still growing. Studies that confirm music’s range of benefits appear in scientific […]

FREE

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