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

Sedona Public Library 3250 White Bear Road, Sedona, AZ, United States

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 […]

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Arizona’s Vintage Signs: Lighting the Future with Marshall Shore

Velma Teague Library - (VTL Meeting Room) 7010 N 58th Avenue, Glendale, AZ 85301 7010 N 58th Avenue, Glendale, AZ, United States

Arizona has become a hotbed of preserving vintage signage and neon. No wonder, with the rise of Arizona and automobile travel in the 40s, 50s and 60s. Thousands of people were traversing the broad expanses of highways and byways across the Southwest. As the cars sped past, restaurants, motels, curio shops and gas stations needed […]

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

Chandler-Gilbert Community College 2626 E Pecos RD Chandler, AZ 85225 2626 E Pecos RD, 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 […]

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Women of the West: Untold Stories from American History with Jana Bommersbach

Red Mountian Library, Program Room 635 N. Power Road, Mesa, AZ, United States

Besides Calamity Jane and Annie Oakley, any Western women come to mind? Probably not—not because they weren’t just as important to settling the West, but because history was so focused on the goons and gunfighters, it forgot the women. So it’s a surprise that a 16 year-old Shoshone girl from Dakota Territory named Sacagawea would […]

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Women’s Resilience and Survival in the Holocaust with Björn Krondorfer

Tempe Public Library 3500 S Rural Rd., Tempe, AZ, United States

This talk will trace the lives of two women Holocaust survivors who both grew up in traditional Jewish families in Bedzin, Poland and later became residents of Arizona: Jane Lipski (Tucson) and Doris Martin (Flagstaff). They managed to survive the Nazi onslaught as adolescent girls. While Jane was able to escape the ghetto and join […]

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A Free Press: Cornerstone of Democracy with Gail Rhodes

Sedona Public Library in the Village, Si Birch Community Room 25 West Saddlehorn Road, Sedona

The first amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects press freedom. Freedom of the press is important because it plays a vital role in informing citizens about public affairs and monitoring the actions of government. But what happens when public trust in the media is eroded by sensationalism, foreign influences or bots, fake news, and business […]

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Our River Stories: The Gila and the Salt with Zarco Guerrero

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

Join Zarco for a series of stories that share the vibrant and tragic history of water and the River People, over a 2,000 year period. Beginning with the Toltec trade route that brought agriculture and corn to the Southwest. The history of the O’Odham before and after the expansion west is revealed. We learn about […]

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

Phippen Museum 4701 N Hwy 89, Prescott, 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 […]

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

Glendale Public Library - Foothills Library - Roadrunner Room 19055 N 57th Ave, Glendale, 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 […]

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Asian Americans in Film and Media, Then and Now with Karen Kuo

Mesa Public Libraries - Main Branch - Saguaro Room --- 64 E. 1st St., Mesa, AZ, 85201 64 E. 1st Street, Mesa, AZ, United States

Depictions of Asia and Asians in film and media have defined perceptions of Asian Americans in the U.S. since the early 20th century. We have seen the “model minority,” “asexual nerd,” “submissive mistress,” “tongue-tied immigrant,” and “kung-fu master” portrayals in movies, cartoons, books, and news for decades. These stereotypes reflect historical inaccuracies, and embody racist, […]

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