Program Overview
Out of concern for the health of communities across the state, we and our partners are temporarily canceling all in-person Humanities Washington events. However, we will be holding online Speakers Bureau events with our partners. Find online events on our calendar, or learn how to host an online Speakers Bureau event here.
You don’t need to be a student or live near a college to hear an intriguing talk from a scholar or expert. In communities throughout Washington State, Speakers Bureau presenters give free public presentations on history, politics, music, philosophy, spiritual traditions, and everything in between.
Our roster of 34 Speakers Bureau presenters is made up of professors, artists, activists, historians, performers, journalists, and others—all chosen not only for their expertise, but also for their ability to inspire discussion with people of all ages and backgrounds. Hundreds of Speakers Bureau events take place each year. Each talk lasts about an hour.
To reach as many Washingtonians as possible, we partner with a wide range of organizations, including libraries, schools, museums, historical societies, retirement homes, community centers, and civic organizations. These organizations host and publicize the events.
Find a Speakers Bureau event near you. We also encourage nonprofit organizations to host a speaker.
Speakers Bureau is made possible with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the State of Washington via the Office of the Secretary of State, and the Thomas S. Foley Institute of Public Policy and Public Service at Washington State University, and generous contributions from other businesses, foundations, and individuals.
Upcoming Online Events
ONLINE: From Mexican to Mexican-American: A Family Immigration Story
As immigration has become more hotly debated in the United States, the arguments have become cartoonish, with one side often painted as naïve and another as xenophobic. What has become lost is the human story of immigration to America, with all its complexity, heartache, and hope. Professor Carlos Gil sought to understand immigration by tracing […]
- When
- 12:00 pm, Tuesday
December 1, 2020 - Join
- Click here to join
ONLINE: Heating Up: The Ethics of Climate Change
What if we could tell ourselves a new story about climate change—and, in doing, so, alter our relationship to our planet? With larger, longer wildfire seasons, accelerating species extinction, ocean acidification, and sea-level rise, it’s increasingly clear that climate change isn’t something that’s about to happen—it’s here. But while the laundry list of problems wrought […]
- When
- 5:30 pm, Tuesday
December 1, 2020 - Join
- Click here to join
ONLINE: Washington’s Undiscovered Feminists
In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, remember some of the remarkable, but often unsung, women of the Pacific Northwest. Writer Mayumi Tsutakawa presents five “woman warriors” in the arts and journalism whose inspiring stories reach back to the early years of our region. Meet the pioneering photographer Imogen Cunningham, Black American jazz […]
- When
- 7:00 pm, Wednesday
December 2, 2020 - Join
- Click here to join
ONLINE: Washington’s Undiscovered Feminists
In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, remember some of the remarkable, but often unsung, women of the Pacific Northwest. Writer Mayumi Tsutakawa presents five “woman warriors” in the arts and journalism whose inspiring stories reach back to the early years of our region. Meet the pioneering photographer Imogen Cunningham, Black American jazz […]
- When
- 11:00 am, Saturday
December 5, 2020 - Join
- Click here to join
ONLINE: Let It Not Happen Again: Lessons of the Japanese American Exclusion
In March of 1942, 227 Japanese Americans were forcibly removed from their homes on Bainbridge Island by the US Army. Starting with this small community, a national strategy began, with more than 120,000 Japanese American men, women, and children forcibly removed and incarcerated during World War II. Clarence Moriwaki shares the story of Bainbridge Island—the […]
- When
- 11:00 am, Monday
December 7, 2020 - Join
- Click here to join
ONLINE: Storm Warning: Historic Weather in the Evergreen State
Local broadcaster and historian Feliks Banel explores our region’s darkest weather days and most infamous storms. With archival photos, radio, and TV clips, Banel takes us back in time to hear stories of those who survived some of the worst Pacific Northwest weather in recorded history. Further, Banel explores how these storms can revive our […]
- When
- 1:00 pm, Monday
December 7, 2020 - Join
- Click here to join
ONLINE: Washington’s Undiscovered Feminists
In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage, remember some of the remarkable, but often unsung, women of the Pacific Northwest. Writer Mayumi Tsutakawa presents five “woman warriors” in the arts and journalism whose inspiring stories reach back to the early years of our region. Meet the pioneering photographer Imogen Cunningham, Black American jazz […]
- When
- 1:00 pm, Tuesday
December 8, 2020 - Join
- Click here to join
ONLINE: Sometimes Heroes: America’s Changing Relationship with Its Veterans
“Support our troops” is a common phrase, seen on lawn signs and bumper stickers across America. Veterans are welcomed home by enthusiastic crowds, and thousands of service organizations help veterans find jobs, secure housing, and heal from the experience of war. But it wasn’t always this way. Veterans returning from Vietnam were often greeted by […]
- When
- 6:30 pm, Tuesday
December 8, 2020 - Join
- Click here to join