HM Celebrates 40th Anniversary in Great Falls

We turn forty in 2012, and it's a fine occasion to celebrate a history of providing humanities programs and grants all over our great state—and to anticipate many more years of service. Our first major celebration takes place January 26 at the Ursuline Centre in Great Falls. Join us at 5:30 for a free reception honoring Humanities Heroes. Local heroes will share stories of how the humanities changed their lives. This event precedes the Humanities Montana board of directors' winter meeting, January 27-28 at the La Quinta Inn.

Nominate Your Humanities Hero—Deadline Extended

Humanities Montana is seeking nominations for Humanities Heroes, to be recognized throughout 2012 as we celebrate our 40th anniversary. Humanities Heroes are individuals who have excelled in their support of the humanities in Montana by presenting engaging programs, hosting many humanities events, composing important books and articles about humanities topics, donating funds to sustain humanities work, and more. We especially encourage nominations for youth and young adults. Recipients of the Governor's Humanities Award are not eligible for this recognition. If you would like to nominate an individual, submit a letter summarizing the individual's contributions to info@humanitiesmontana.org or 311 Brantly, Missoula, MT, 59812. Please include contact information for the nominee. The deadline for nominations has been extended to December 16, 2011.

Inspire a Student

"Dear Ms. Jhumpa Lahiri...This is how your book saved my life. Reading your book—looking at my situation, my circumstances, and my family from an outside point of view, allowed me to really think about what was important to me." — Akash Kar

Students in fourth through twelfth grade are invited to submit a letter to an author of a book they engaged with on a personal level. Letters About Literature, a national reading promotion program of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, is presented in partnership with Target and the Montana Center for the Book. While young readers can enter as individuals, teachers across Montana use the program in their classrooms as well. For more information, teacher resources, examples from previous winners, and submission instructions, go to Letters About Literature. The deadline for submission is Friday, January 6, 2012.

Constitutional Conversations, April 20-21, Helena

How are individual rights defined in the Montana and U.S. Constitutions? What do these constitutions say about the sovereignty and rights of Native Americans? What is Montana's relationship to the federal government? Talk about these and other issues during "We the People: Conversations on the Montana and U.S Constitutions," April 20-21 at Carroll College. Visit our website for more information. Special thanks to our partners and sponsors on this project.

In Memoriam: Chris Pinet

We are sad to share the news that Chris Pinet, French professor extraordinaire and advocate for the humanities in Montana, has passed away. Chris served as chair of the (then) Montana Committee for the Humanities for two years, and he often expressed his pride in that role. He remained an enthusiastic supporter of our work, sending encouraging e-mails from places near and far (occasionally from Paris). Please see this article for a much fuller telling of his wonderful life. Chris will be missed. Our condolences to his family and friends.

Grants Awarded, October-November 2011

• "Children's Festival of the Book," Bozeman Public Library, Bozeman, $1000. The Bozeman Public Library presents the fourth annual Children's Festival of the Book with award-winning children's book authors David Shannon, Marla Frazee and Liz Garton Scanlon on November 4 and 5, 2011.
• "Helena Festival of the Book," Myrna Loy Center, Helena, $800. The tenth annual Helena Festival of the Book is an intimate literary event where readers can hear Montana and Western writers read and discuss Montana literature on November 12, 2011.
• "Tripping," Havre-Hill County Library, Havre, $808.45. The library holds these reading and discussion groups focused on the theme of travel every other Thursday from January 26 through March 22.
• "Broadus Friends of Literacy Book Discussion," Broadus Friends of Literacy, Broadus, $500. Jean Nelson leads book discussions on Montana novels and bestsellers at the Henry Malley Memorial Library on the fourth Monday of November and January.
• "Class Guest Speakers," Montana State University-Northern, Havre, $1000. This project brings four guest speakers into the university class "Montana Indians: Cultures, Histories and Contemporary Issues." All funded sessions will be open to the public.
• "Great Falls Festival of the Book," Great Falls Public Library, Great Falls, $1000. The twelfth annual Great Falls Festival of the Book brings six Montana authors, a writers' group, workshop and Word Meister competition to celebrate the written word in the month of March.

Apply for Fellowship, Book Subvention, Major Grants

The next deadline for major, fellowship, and book subvention grants is December 20. Humanities Montana is especially interested in proposals focused on the 40th anniversary of the Montana Constitution and the 150th anniversary of Montana Territory. Full information on grant guidelines and deadlines is available at Grants.

December Calendar

To find out about Humanities Montana-sponsored events, visit our online Calendar.

Thanks to our Generous Supporters—November 2011

Organizations
Barnes and Noble

Individuals
Kay and Jim** Driscoll, in memory of Donald C. Robinson
Karen Henderson
Martha Kohl
Lael Morgan

*Current Board and Staff Members
**Former Board and Staff Members

HM on Facebook, YouTube

We have a new Facebook page! Keep up on the latest news and share your stories, photos, and articles of interest with fellow humanists by liking us on Facebook If you were a friend of our former site, you may need to re-like since we rebooted our Facebook profile.

Also, check out our YouTube channel to revisit major humanities events, including the Butte Digital Film Project and a provocative conversation on "The State of Montana" with Pat Williams and Lorents Grosfeld.

For More Information...

Humanities Montana strives to enrich the lives of all Montanans by fostering inquiry and stimulating civil and informed conversations about the human experience. Much more information on Humanities Montana and its many programs and services is available on our website. Write us at 311 Brantly, Missoula, MT, 59812-7848, or info@humanitiesmontana.org, or call us at 406-243-6022, toll-free in Montana, 1-800-624-6001.