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2024-25 Theme: Space

September

Technology and the Narrative of the Self
A conversation with Ted Chiang
Sept. 3, 2024 at 7:30 p.m., Lorton Performance Center

The University of Tulsa welcomes author Ted Chiang for the 2024-25 Common Read Lecture.
Chiang will give a brief talk that focuses on the themes of his story “The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling” from his collection Exhalation. Afterward, he will join TU Professor Sean Latham for a conversation about other stories featured in his collection and then open the floor for audience Q&A. This event is free and open to all. To learn how to reserve a spot, click here.

Pärlā Creative Festival: Wellness Day
Sept. 16, 2024 at 6:30 p.m., 101 Archer

Join us for Wellness Day at the Pärlā Citywide Creative Festival. This day is dedicated to nurturing both body and mind with a range of activities designed to promote wellness within our community. Participate in community walks in partnership with Grow Daily, experience the calming effects of yoga, and immerse yourself in the soothing vibrations of sound bowl meditations. Learn more here.

101 Unplugged presents Death and the Maiden
Co-sponsored by Tulsa Symphony Orchestra
Sept. 20, 2024 at 7 p.m., 101 Archer

Join us for the first concert of Tulsa Symphony Orchestra’s new 101 Unplugged Series at 101 Archer! TSO’s String Quartet will perform Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden” and other selections. Light bites and a drink ticket will be provided. Buy tickets here.

On Close Reading with John Guillory
Sept. 26, 2024 at 7 p.m., 101 Archer

What is close reading and where did it come from? Literary critic John Guillory gives a fascinating lecture about this and the future of “English” as a discipline. Learn more here.

October

Robot Roundtable
Oct. 3, 2024 at 7 p.m., 101 Archer

A look at the history, culture and science of robots and how they’re changing the world. Join TU Professors Aliçan Camci, John Hale, Ben Peters and Joshua Schultz to learn about everything from golems and puppetry, to animation and opera, and TU’s initiative with Boston Dynamics! Magic City Books will be on site selling sci-fi smash hits that you’ll want to add to your bookshelf. And, Riffraff Tulsa’s Artistic Director Meagan Mulgrew will talk about the world-premiere adaptation of Capek’s groundbreaking and prophetic play, R.U.R., which will be staged at 101 Archer the following week. All attendees will be entered into a raffle to win some robot-themed prizes!

First Friday Fall Bash: A Taste of the Arts District
Oct. 4, 2024 at 6 p.m., 101 Archer

The popular event returns for a second year. Join us at 101 Archer during the October First Friday Art Crawl for a celebration of art! Students, faculty and staff get access to a VIP lounge on the second floor with free food and entertainment. Students who attend get to go home with an exclusive, free tee shirt, screen printed on site by Flash Flood Prints. More information coming soon!

Presidential Lecture Series – Jad Abumrad
Oct. 8, 2024 at 7:30 p.m., Lorton Performance Center

In this innovative and timely talk, Jad Abumrad explores the art of conversation. For the last year, he’s been deep diving into the art of interviewing. Not just how journalists in his industry do it, but how do therapists do it? Salespeople? Hostage negotiators? Social workers? What are the techniques we can all steal and use in our own lives when having difficult conversations with fellow humans? This event is free but attendees are encouraged to pre-register ahead of time. Learn more here.

R.U.R. (or Rossum’s Universal Robots)
presented in partnership with Riffraff Tulsa
Oct. 9-12, 2024 at 7 p.m., 101 Archer

In Capek’s 1920 sci-fi, which first introduced the word “robot” to the world, robots are designed to serve mankind. They do not feel, do not care, and do not love. They have one purpose: to work. Manufactured by Rossum’s Universal Robots, they have become a billion dollar enterprise and have completely revolutionized the labor force. But when some units begin to show signs of autonomy, things go dangerously awry for R.U.R and its employees. In this world-premiere adaptation of Capek’s groundbreaking and prophetic play, R.U.R examines the nature of humanity and the advancement of artificial intelligence with a distinctly satirical lens, highlighting issues that are as relevant today as they were 100 years ago.

Riffraff is offering a special pay-what-you-can preview performance on Oct. 9 (with a minimum of $5.00). Regular performances at standard ticket price run Oct. 10-12.

Learn more here.

Consuming Anxieties Book Launch
Oct. 17, 2024 at 7 p.m., 101 Archer

Come celebrate the publication of Dr. Dayne C. Riley’s first book, Consuming Anxieties: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Trade in British Satire, 1660-1751. Riley will give a brief talk that discusses the Gin Craze, a period of extreme moral panic, that lasted from 1725-1751. This strange historical era—often compared to the 1980s crack-cocaine epidemic—greatly impacted the discussion of alcohol during the eighteenth century, helping to usher in a more modern view of alcohol abuse. Through this historical lens, Riley considers The Beggar’s Opera, a fun subversive play that mocks, questions, and (at times) reinforces the anti-gin fervor of the period.

Stay for a reception after the event with light snacks and an open bar. Magic City Books will be onsite selling copies of Dr. Riley’s book as well. Learn more here.

Hellerween
presented in partnership with Heller Theatre Company
Oct. 24-26, 2024 at 7 p.m., 101 Archer

Explore the caverns of 101 Archer at Heller Theatre’s Halloween-themed short play festival! Wear your best costume and enjoy six horror and suspense plays. All plays are written by local playwrights and staged by local actors and directors. More information coming soon.

November

The Life of Sanora Babb with Iris Dunkle
Nov. 7, 2024 at 7 p.m., 101 Archer

Learn about one of history’s forgotten women writers whose novel on migrant farmers during the Dust Bowl was cancelled after the publication of Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath. Presented in connection to our new exhibit, Steinbeck: West of Eden, debuting on Nov. 1, 2024 during the First Friday Art Crawl. More information coming soon.

101 Unplugged presentes Mozart
Co-sponsored by Tulsa Symphony Orchestra
Nov. 22, 2024 at 7 p.m., 101 Archer

The 101 Unplugged Series continues with music from the Symphony’s Woodwind Quintet. They will perform Mozart’s Quintet in E-flat for Winds and Piano and other selections. Light bites and a drink ticket will be provided. Buy your tickets here.

  • 2023-24: Movement

    Fall 2023

    September

    Turning Red Screening & Panel
    September 14, 2023, 6 p.m. at the Lorton Performance Center

    Watch Turning Red ahead of the fall Presidential Lecture with Danielle Feinberg. Join us ahead of the screening for Pixar trivia, a costume contest and Chipotle. Stay after to hear from TU professors in film, psychology, computer science and game design, and art. Learn more here.

    What is Fantasy and Who Decides?
    September 20, 2023, 7 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    Help us celebrate Danielle Gurevitch and Elana Gomel’s new book, The Palgrave Handbook of Global Fantasy! Both Gurevitch and Gomel will participate in a panel about fantasy and their new book at 101 E. Archer. Arrive early and get a free Dungeons and Dragons dice set. Reception with food and wine to follow.

    Hellerween Auditions
    September 23, 2023, 12 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    Heller Theatre Company and the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities are proud to present the second year of the horror-themed short play program, “Hellerween: Shorts to Scare You Shortless!” Stop by 101 Archer to audition to be in this production! Auditions will be held on the second floor. Learn more here.

    Burning Biographer: Living with D.H. Lawrence
    September 26, 2023, 7 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    Help us welcome frequent New York Review of Books contributor Frances Wilson to Tulsa. Wilson will talk about the art of biography, her new book Burning Man: The Trials of D.H. Lawrence,and the research she is doing on novelist Muriel Spark in McFarlin Library’s Special Collections. Learn more here.

    Deep Greenwood Community Read Event #1
    September 28, 2023, 6:30 p.m. at All Souls Unitarian Church

    This conversation will explore the politics of Tulsa before the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and the echoes of those politics we see in our national issues today. The event will cover chapters 1-8 of Built From the Fire. Learn more here.

    October

    Fall Presidential Lecture – Danielle Feinberg
    October 3, 2023, 7:30 p.m. at the Lorton Performance Center

    Danielle Feinberg began her career at Pixar Animation Studios in February 1997, and since then, she has worked on 14 of Pixar’s feature films. She cut her teeth on early films like A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc. and the Academy Award®-winning Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. Feinberg was the director of photography-lighting for the Academy Award®- winning features WALL•E, Brave, and Coco. Most recently she completed her work as the visual effects supervisor on Turning Red, released on March 11, 2022. Learn more here.

    First Friday Fall Bash
    October 6, 2023, 6 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    The Oklahoma Center for the Humanities is celebrating fall with a big bash for TU students during the October First Friday Art Crawl. Along with the usual food spread, live music and cash bar in our gallery, we will have free sno cones from Josh’s Sno Shack, yard games in our garden, and face painting. All students are welcome to the third floor balcony for a glo party and visit with Goldie! Don’t have a car or a ride? No worries – TU will have free shuttles running from Bayless Plaza on campus to 101 Archer and back from 4:45 – 10 p.m. Learn more here.

    Graphic Design Activism
    October 19, 2023, 7:00 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    The Oklahoma Center for the Humanities is welcoming renown graphic designer and curator of “The Tolerance Poster Show” – Mirko Ilić. Ilić will give an encompassing lecture, detailing his many samples of pro-bono work for different organizations and why he decided to create the Tolerance Project. Originally from Bosnia, he is currently based in New York City and works as a graphic designer and illustrator. Learn more here.

    Tarot and the Motion of Fate
    October 23, 2023, 7:30 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    OCH will host a series of Halloween-themed events at 101 Archer, beginning with the haunting mysticism of tarot. What does a random card draw tell us about synchronicity? How can engagement with medieval symbolism enrich our modern lives? And how can we preserve our sense of free will while facing fateful factors beyond our control? T. Susan Chang will explore the tarot deck’s evolution over six centuries and the ways tarot acts as mirror and window for the cultures in which they appear. Learn more here.

    Hellerween 2023
    October 26 – 28, 2023, 7 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    The Oklahoma Center for the Humanities is proud to partner with Heller Theatre Company to present the second year of the horror-themed short play program, “Hellerween: Shorts to Scare You Shortless!” The three-day festival features short horror and suspense themed plays written by local playwrights. The plays will be staged all throughout the building, giving guests the chance to explore the abandoned floors of 101 Archer. Buy tickets here.

    November

    FLOW State with Richard Huskey
    November 7, 2023, 7 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    To continue this year’s theme of Movement, the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities will host Richard Huskey—a leading researcher in communications & cognitive science—to discuss flow states. Huskey is Assistant Professor of Communications and Cognitive Science at UC Davis. His work investigates the state of “flow” experienced by athletes, composers, writers, engineers, and more. Along with a group of researchers, Huskey published a recent article in the Journal of Communication that attempts to locate states of flow within brain network dynamics. Learn more here.

    Aldous Huxley Reading Group
    November 8 & 15, 2023, 6:30 p.m., 101 E. Archer

    An open discussion of Huxley’s The Doors of Perception. Open to all TU students, faculty and staff.

     

    Deep Greenwood Community Read #2
    November 11, 2023, 4 p.m. at the Big 10 Ballroom

    This event will cover chapters 9-15 of Built From the Fire. The North Tulsa venue that once hosted Ray Charles, Etta James and B.B. King is back and better than ever. Hear from Greenwood musicians and artists who remember the neighborhood as a cultural mecca, then enjoy a live band performing the 1950s hits that once dominated the Big 10 stage. Learn more here.

    Aria Yoga
    November 14, 2023, 6 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    In partnership with Oklahoma Center for the Humanities, Tulsa Opera will be offering Aria Yoga every second Tuesday from November 2023 to March 2024 at 101 Archer from 6:00 – 6:45 pm. Bring your mat and join us for FREE all-levels yoga sessions set to operatic hits!

     

    December

    Aria Yoga
    December 12, 2023, 6 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    In partnership with Oklahoma Center for the Humanities, Tulsa Opera will be offering Aria Yoga every second Tuesday from November 2023 to March 2024 at 101 Archer from 6:00 – 6:45 pm. Bring your mat and join us for FREE all-levels yoga sessions set to operatic hits!

    The Secret Psychedelic History of Tulsa
    December 14, 2023, 7 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    TU community join Oklahoma Center for Humanities for an enthralling one-hour talk with journalist Michael Mason, founding editor of This Land magazine, and recipient of the Tim Ferris Psychedelic Journalism Fellowship. Dive into “The Secret Psychedelic History of Tulsa,” a journey through the city’s clandestine connection to America’s psychedelic movement. Michael Mason is a science journalist and author of Head Cases: Stories of Brain Injury and Its Aftermath. In 2010, he founded the award-winning Oklahoma media company, This Land Press. His writings have appeared in Discover magazine, The Believer, NPR, The New York Times and elsewhere. Learn more here.

    Spring 2024

    January

    Aria Yoga
    January 9, 2024, 6 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    In partnership with Oklahoma Center for the Humanities, Tulsa Opera will be offering Aria Yoga every second Tuesday from November 2023 to March 2024 at 101 Archer from 6:00 – 6:45 pm. Bring your mat and join us for FREE all-levels yoga sessions set to operatic hits!

    Acting: The Art of Being Human with Isaac Butler
    January 25, 2024, 7 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    Director, contributor at “Slate” and “The New Yorker” and theatre history and performance teacher Isaac Butler joins Dr. Justin Rawlins for a conversation about method acting, in celebration of Rawlins’ new book Imagining the Method: Reception, Identity, and American Screen Performance. This conversation will explore the history of method acting and its impact on the twentieth-century stage and screen. Butler is the author ofThe Method: How the 20th Century Learned to Act. He received the 2022 National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction and is the co-author of The World Only Spins Forward: The Ascent of Angels in America which NPR named one of the best books of 2018. Learn more here. Learn more here.

    The Conspiracy Singularity: COVID, QAnon, and the Merging of Communities of Suspicion
    January 30, 2024, 7 p.m. at Tyrrell Hall

    Learn about the history of conspiracy theories in the United States. Anna Merlan is a senior staff writer for VICE and author of Republic of Lies: American Conspiracy Theorists and Their Surprising Rise to Power. Merlan specializes in subcultures, alternative communities, conspiracy theories, crime, belief, death, sexual violence and women’s lives. She was previously a reporter at the Special Projects Desk, an investigative division within Gizmodo Media Group, a senior reporter at Jezebel, and a staff writer at the Village Voice and the Dallas Observer. Her work has also appeared in Rolling Stone, BBC Travel, Topic, and on the op-ed page of the New York Times. She has been accused of being both a lizard person and a CIA agent, but never at the same time. Learn more here.

    February

    Deep Greenwood: The Lingering Legacies of Urban Renewal
    February 1, 2024, 7 p.m. at OSU-Tulsa

    Urban renewal radically changed Tulsa’s landscape in the 1960’s and ’70’s in ways that many residents were deeply opposed to. Author Victor Luckerson and Greenwood photographer Don Thompson will discuss the personal and policy impacts of urban renewal, juxtaposing visuals from government sources (redlining and urban renewal maps) with Thompson’s on-the-ground photography of how Greenwood residents experienced those tumultuous years. Learn more here.

    Why Liberalism Failed with Patrick Deneen
    February 8, 2024, 7 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    Join us for a discussion with the University of Notre Dame’s Patrick J. Deneen about the history of liberalism. In his book, “Why Liberalism Failed”, Deneen argues liberalism is built on a foundation of contradictions: it trumpets equal rights while fostering incomparable material inequality; its legitimacy rests on consent, yet it discourages civic commitments in favor of privatism; and in its pursuit of individual autonomy, it has given rise to the most far-reaching, comprehensive state system in human history. He offers a warning that the centripetal forces now at work on our political culture are not superficial flaws but inherent features of a system whose success is generating its own failure. Learn more here.

    Aria Yoga
    February 13, 2024, 6 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    In partnership with Oklahoma Center for the Humanities, Tulsa Opera will be offering Aria Yoga every second Tuesday from November 2023 to March 2024 at 101 Archer from 6:00 – 6:45 pm. Join us in February for couples yoga! Bring your mat and join us for FREE all-levels yoga sessions set to operatic hits!

    Recovering Forgotten Books: A Double Book Launch for Don James McLaughlin and Stephanie Peebles-Tavera
    February 15, 2024, 7 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    Join us for a conversation between the University of Tulsa’s Don James McLaughlin and Texas A&M Corpus Christi’s Stephanie Tavera for a conversation about literary recovery projects and the medical humanities. This event is in celebration of McLaughlin’s new critical edition of Sarah Orne Jewett’s 1885 novel “A Marsh Island” and Tavera’s new edition of Annie Nathan Meyer’s 1892 novel “Helen Brent, M.D.” Learn more here.

    Imposter Syndrome with LaShawnda Fields
    February 22, 2024, 7 p.m. at Tyrrell Hall

    Imposter syndrome is describe as a behavioral health phenomenon where high-achieving individuals lack the ability to recognize their success and doubt their skills and accomplishments. How do we work to combat this? Dr. LaShawnda Fields joins us from the University of Arkansas’s School of Social Work for a one-hour talk that will help people at every stage of life – whether you’re a freshman, graduating senior, young professional, or well into your career. Learn more here.

    Genetics and the Peopling of the Americas with Jennifer Raff
    February 29, 2024, 7 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    How–and when–did people first come to the American continents? In the last two decades, models to answer this question have been rapidly evolving. As researchers have worked to construct and test new models for the initial peopling of the Americas, they have increasingly incorporated evidence from the genomes of ancient peoples, which provide an archive of human population history. Ancient DNA has revealed a complex story of migrations, isolation, and adaptation, one which is still unfolding as more genomes are studied every year. In this talk, Jennifer Raff will examine the latest genetic and archaeological evidence for the origins of the First Peoples. Learn more here.

    March

    Aria Yoga
    March 12, 2024, 6 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    In partnership with Oklahoma Center for the Humanities, Tulsa Opera will be offering Aria Yoga every second Tuesday from November 2023 to March 2024 at 101 Archer from 6:00 – 6:45 pm. Bring your mat and join us for FREE all-levels yoga sessions set to operatic hits! Join us in March for a special live opera performance after the class!

    Book Launch for Jennifer Croft
    March 12, 2024, 7 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    Join us for a celebration for TU President’s Professor Jennifer Croft and her new book “The Extinction of Irena Rey.” From the International Booker Prize-winning translator and Women’s Prize finalist, an utterly beguiling novel about eight translators and their search for a world-renowned author who goes missing in a primeval Polish forest. Publisher’s Weekly has called it “mirthful,” “energetic,” “wickedly funny,” “absurdly entertaining,” “juicy,” “twisty,” and “poignant.” Learn more here.

    “There is No AI” Spring Presidential Lecture – Jaron Lanier
    March 26, 2024, 7 p.m. at the Lorton Performance Center

    While he is at the very center of AI developments, Jaron Lanier also has a radically different take on AI.  He doesn’t think AI is a thing in itself, but is instead a new kind of social collaboration.  AI as we know it today combines the expressions of real humans in new and useful ways.  A chatbot borrows from things real people have said before and recombines them, for instance.  This perspective opens up more useful ways to think than the usual science fiction framing, which treats the programs as mysterious, potentially scary creatures.  Instead of using hard-to-define terms like “safety” or “fairness” to improve AI, we can ask whose input was important to a given output.  That concreteness suggests ways to spread both lines of responsibility and opportunity.  Instead of asking who will be put out of work by AI, we can ask who should be incentivized and rewarded for offering better data to go into AI programs.  Lanier is also one of the few scientists working in the field who is good at explaining how the programs work to non-technical audiences. Learn more here.

    Acrolife: Creative Socioeconomic Alliances of Marginalized Young Men in Kenya
    March 28, 2024, 7 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    The University of Tulsa’s Office of the Provost, Henneke Center and Oklahoma Center for the Humanities are thrilled to welcome Nina Berman to Tulsa to talk about her project, which looks at the lives of acrobats in Kenya. This presentation highlights the complexities of the lives of Kenyan acrobats and explores their experience in the context of Kenya, but also with an eye toward the situation of uneducated young men globally. Learn more here.

    April

    Ned Blackhawk
    April 1, 2024, 7 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    National Book Award Winner Ned Blackhawk talks about his book, The Rediscovery of America: Native People and the Unmaking of U.S. History, which tells American history through the lives and cultures of Indigenous peoples. Blackhawk (Western Shoshone) is a Professor of History and American Studies at Yale. Learn more here.

    Deep Greenwood: A People’s History of Protest in Tulsa
    April 11, 2024, 7 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    Activism in Greenwood stretches back to the 1910’s and it’s never let up since. This event will look at the long legacy of activism in Greenwood and Tulsa as a whole, from protests against mob violence in the 1910s to the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War in the 1960s to the George Floyd protests in 2020. Learn more here.

    EGSA Keynote: Brycchan Carey
    April 13, 2024, 3 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    The English Graduate Student Association invites the public to welcome Dr. Brycchan Carey to TU. Carey will give a talk about literature and natural history. Dr. Carey teaches at Northumbria University, UK. Learn more here.

    Tulsa Artist Fellowship Mentorship Reading
    April 17, 2024, 7 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    Five creative writing students from the University of Tulsa read the pieces they have worked on this past semester under the mentorship of TAF fellows.

    Carlo Rotella
    April 18, 2024, 7 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    A talk that considers how boxing and country music challenge writers to find the words to describe themselves and what they might mean. Rotella is a scholar and veteran writer for the New York Times Magazine and other publications. Learn more here.

    Stylus Awards
    April 30, 2024, 7 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    Join us at 101 Archer to celebrate TU students and their creative works! An evening of art, performance, poetry, readings and more!

    May

    Imaginings: The Future of Greenwood
    May 30, 2024, 7 p.m., Rudisill Library

    To coincide with the anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, this event will consist of a panel discussion about Greenwood’s future. The talk will focus less on policy and more on vision – how do community leaders hope initiatives will reshape Greenwood’s landscape? The panel will explore how the neighborhood could be transformed if ambitious efforts like removing I-244 come to pass. Learn more here. 

    June

    STS Keynote: Layli Long Soldier
    June 6, 2024, 7 p.m. at 101 E. Archer

    The Oklahoma Center for the Humanities (OCH) and Society for Textual Scholarship (STS) are pleased to welcome National Book Award finalist Layli Long Soldier to give an artist talk at 101 Archer. She will interweave her poetry, art, and stories of her creative process in a free presentation that is open to the public. Learn more here.

    Bloomsday Brunch
    June 16, 2024, 11 a.m. at 101 E. Archer Garden

    Bloomsday returns to Tulsa! Join us for an Irish-themed Father’s Day Brunch with Guinness, Bloody Marys, and mimosas! Music by local Irish band Cairde na Gael and dramatic readings of Ulysses performed by local actors. Ticket link coming soon. In the meantime, to reserve a spot, email humanities@utulsa.edu.

    To stay up-to-date on all of our upcoming events, follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Or visit the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities blog for more information.
  • 2022-23: Freedom

    Fall 2022

    September

    Food Instagram: Identity, Influence & Negotiation – Book Launch
    Sept. 2, 2022 at 5 p.m., Zarrow Center

    Join us then for an enlightening (and delicious!) evening with editors Zenia Kish and Emily Contois as we wine and dine through the complications of food Instagram, aesthetics, and tastes.

    The Limits of Freedom: Seeking a Better Balance in American between Liberty, Equality and Fraternity
    Sept. 8, 2022 at 7 p.m., Tyrrell Hall

    An enlightening lecture with Victor Tan Chen, Associate Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, on the dangers of this disenchantment in modern-day American politics. Learn more here.

    It Isn’t Easy Being Free: The Promise and Peril of Knowledge for All
    Sept. 15, 2022 at 7 p.m., Tyrrell Hall

    University of Pittsburgh’s Professor Michael Madison gives an exciting lecture on the complications of freedoms in the information age. Learn more here.

    On the Side of the Road: Lucinda Williams, Lead Belly, and American Fiction
    Sept. 23, 2022 at 5 p.m., Zarrow Center

    A live musical performance and talk on rock and its roots, led by Nashville-born, North Carolina-based independent musical artist Florence Dore. Learn more here.

    The Cold War and Queer Liberation
    Sept. 29, 2022 at 7 p.m., Tyrrell Hall

    A conversation with GerShun Avilez, associate professor of English at the University of Maryland, as he explores how the Cold War conflict between the U.S. and the Soviet Union led to a tremendous reorganization of how Americans thought about identity, especially queer identity. Learn more here.

    Musical Legacies of the Dustbowl Symposium
    Oct. 7-8, 2022, Tyrrell Hall

    Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Ranger
    Nov. 11, 2022 at 5:30 p.m., Zarrow Center

    Doug Swanson talks about separating myth from reality by discussing the complex 200+ years of the Texas Rangers. Learn more here.

    More Than Shelter From the Storm Book Launch
    Nov. 17, 2022 at 7 p.m., Zarrow Center

    A conversation with Danielle Macdonald (University of Tulsa) and Brian Andrews (Rogers State University) as they discuss their recently edited book, More Than Shelter From the Storm: Hunter-Gatherer Houses and the Built Environment. Learn more here.

    December

    Blues of Achilles: A Musical Performance by Joe Goodkin
    Dec. 1, 2022 at 7 p.m., Lorton Performance Center

    Goodkin performs his 17-song adaptation of the Iliad steeped in ancient and modern war literature. Learn more here.

    Spring 2023

     January

    Soviet Punk and the Formation of Modern Ukrainian Identity
    Jan. 19 at 7 p.m., Zarrow Center

    Anthropologist and musician Maria Sonevytsky shares her research on a curious cassette album that circulated in the last years of the USSR on the streets of Kyiv: Tantsi (Dances), by the punk quartet Vopli Vidopliassova (known by fans as VV). Learn more here.

    Music From Free Ukraine
    Jan. 20 at 7 p.m., Zarrow Center

    Acclaimed poet and translator Boris Dralyuk will host a wide-ranging discussion (and musical performance) on the sonic messages which launch out as—in the words of “ethno-chaos” band DakhaBrakha—”musical ambassadors from free Ukraine.” Learn more here.

    No Turning Back: An Evening with Maxim Osipov
    Jan. 24 at 7 p.m., Zarrow Center

    The OCH is excited to host Maxim Osipov who will read from Kilometer 101 and discuss literature and politics with Boris Dralyuk, Presidential Professor of English at the University of Tulsa, the book’s editor and co-translator. Learn more here.

    Ugly Freedoms
    Jan. 26 at 7 p.m., Zarrow Center

    Anker explores the political rhetoric surrounding “freedom” and the instability of that term. Learn more here.

    February

    The Rhyme and Rhythm of Democracy

    Feb. 2 at 7 p.m., Tyrell Hall

    Featuring acclaimed historian and author, Siva Vaidhyanathan. Learn more here.

    In the Kingdom of Shadows: Book Launch

    Feb. 10 at 5 p.m., Zarrow Center

    TU Prof. Nicole Bauer will be in conversation with Jennifer Davis. Learn more here.

    An Evening with Susan Briante

    Feb. 16 at 7 p.m., Tyrell Hall

    Briante will talk with TAF and OCH fellow, author Kaveh Basiri, about her newest book, Defacing the Monument. Learn more here.

    The All-Black Towns of Oklahoma: Conference

    Feb. 18 at 101 Archer

    The accompanying gallery exhibition runs January 6-February 25 at the Zarrow Center downtown. To register for the conference or to learn more, click here.

    Freedom in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

    Feb. 22 at 7 p.m., Zarrow Center

    Blaine Greteman writes, “As our lives are increasingly guided by artificial intelligence, what are the implications for the humanities, and for human freedom itself?” Learn more here.

    Becoming Disabled: Book Launch

    Feb. 23 at 7 p.m.,  Zarrow Center

    TU Prof. Jan Wilson will be in conversation with Sara Beam. Learn more here.

    March

    Reproductive Rights and Freedom Symposium

    March 4 at 101 Archer

    For more information and/or to register, click here.

    Freedom Machine or Death Trap? The Dilemmas of Driving

    March 9 at 7 p.m., 101 Archer

    “Automobiles have always been… the great American ‘freedom machines.’ But for too many of us, they have become vehicles of unfreedom.” Learn more here.

    April

     

    Pandemic Politics and the Viral Underclass

    April 6 at 7 p.m., 101 Archer

    “A theory of the viral underclass can serve as a framework for understanding how vulnerability is manufactured… and how viruses spread through society more broadly.” Learn more here.

    An Evening With Mohsin Hamid

    April 9 at 7 p.m., Sharp Chapel

    Mohsin Hamid is the award-winning author of Exit West, TU’s 2022 Common Read selection. Hamid will give a keynote address followed by a moderated Q&A. Learn more here.

    Publishing in Mainstream Venues

    April 15 at 3:30 p.m., 101 Archer

    Dr. Kevin Dettmar in conversation with Ted Genoways

    Are We Losing Our Capacity for Freedom?

    April 19 at 7 p.m., 101 Archer

    Join us in welcoming author, essayist, and literary critic, Bill Deresiewicz, as he discusses his newest book, The End of Solitude. Learn more here.

  • 2021-22: Renewal and Recovery

    Fall 2021

    November

    Speculation: Fictions, Frenzies, Futures and Failures
    Nov. 11, 2021 at 7 p.m.

    From religious introspection to contemplation of the future to frenzied gambling, the idea of “speculation” harbors a rich tapestry of meanings. Now, as computers and AI speculate for us, and as speculative and science fiction universes abound, these meanings take on another valence. During our conversation with Rogers, we will explore the history of word “speculation,” along with its uses and relevance today. Learn more here.

    Spring 2022

    January

    Evidence of a Queer Past: Recovering Willa Cather and Edith Lewis’s Creative Partnership
    Jan. 27, 2022 at 7 p.m.

    In this lecture, Professor Homestead will give a brief overview of her recent book recovering Cather and Lewis’s domestic partnership and literary collaboration, “The Only Wonderful Things: The Creative Partnership of Willa Cather and Edith Lewis.” Learn more here.

    February

    Ecology and Toni Moarrison
    Feb. 17, 2022 at 7 p.m.

    In this lecture, Dr. Althea Tait will explore the connections between hunger, agency, and ecology in the works of Morrison. Learn more here.

    March

    Meeting the Challenge of Burnout
    March 3, 2022 at 7 p.m.

    Join us for a virtual discussion with Professor Christina Maslach, a leading researcher in the field of occupational burnout. Learn more here.

    Indigenous Histories: The University of Tulsa and the Presbyterian School for Indian Girls
    March 4, 2022 at 5 p.m.

    TU Professors Laura Stevens and Sara Beam, Muscogee (Creek) Nation Oral Historian Midge Dellinger, and TU students Lizy Bailey (Cherokee Nation, Choctaw) and Lexie Tafoya (Cherokee Nation) will give a talk on their research on the history of the founding of The University of Tulsa and its early identity as the Presbyterian School for Indian Girls.

    Hip Hop and the 1992 L.A. Uprising
    March 24, 2022 at 7 p.m.

    Dr. Eric Harvey will delve into the history of hip-hop, the 1992 Los Angeles uprising and how rappers acted as a counterforce to television news coverage of the event. Learn more here.

    Return of the American Bison: A Conservation Success Story
    March 26, 2022 at 2 p.m.

    Join us in the Zarrow Center downtown for a screening of film-maker and three-time Heartland Emmy Award winner Mary Anne Andrei’s feature, “Return of the American Bison.” Learn more here.

    April

    New Voices from TU
    April 7, 2022 at 7 p.m.

    We are excited to host “New Voices from TU,” a creative writing showcase presenting the work of the 2021-22 TU creative writing mentees. Each year TU creative writing students are paired with artists from the Tulsa Artist Fellowship (TAF) to collaborate and receive feedback on their work. Learn more here.

    Lessons from the Cherokee Print Shop: How Printers Used Christian Pamphlets to Fight Indian Removal
    April 14, 2022 at 7 p.m.

    Join the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities for an enlightening conversation with Sonia Hazard, Ph.D., about her work on two editions of a Cherokee-language evangelical tract titled Poor Sarah. Learn more here.
  • 2020-21: Cou/Rage

    Fall 2020

    September

    A Bound Woman is a Dangerous Thing: An Evening with Author DaMaris Hill
    Sept. 17, 2020 at 7 p.m.

    Online Event

    Join us for a virtual talk with Dr. DaMaris Hill, author of the award-winning book, “A Bound Woman is a Dangerous Thing.” From Harriet Tubman to Assata Shakur, Ida B. Wells to Sandra Bland and Black Lives Matter, black women freedom fighters have braved violence, scorn, despair, and isolation in order to lodge their protests. In A Bound Woman Is a Dangerous Thing, DaMaris Hill honors their experiences with at times harrowing, at times hopeful responses to her heroes.***30 free copies of Dr. Hill’s book and Humanities Center bookmarks will be given away to participants as part of this event** Learn More

    Dr. Jennifer Freyd: Addressing Sexual Violence with Institutional Courage
    Sept. 24, 2020 at 7 p.m.

    Online Event

    Dr. Jennifer Freyd is an American researcher, author, educator, and speaker who has published widely on betrayal trauma, institutional betrayal, and institutional courage. In this virtual lecture, Jennifer Freyd will explore the power of institutions to act with institutional courage and the importance of accountability and transparency in these critical moments. She will explain her concepts of betrayal trauma, betrayal blindness, DARVO, and institutional betrayal – and how these ideas and her research findings led to her work on institutional courage. Freyd will suggest concrete steps for both individuals and institutions to address sexual abuse through a lens of institutional courage. Learn More

    October

    Laughable Testimony: When Women Discuss Health
    Oct. 8, 2020 at 7 p.m.

    Online Event

    Melanie A. Kiechle is an associate professor of history at Virginia Tech, and author of “Smell Detectives: An Olfactory History of Nineteenth-Century Urban America” (Washington University Press, 2017). Smell Detectives looks at the relationship between the construction of scientific expertise, on the one hand, and “common sense”―the olfactory experiences of common people―on the other. She researches and teaches at the intersections of science, medicine, lay experience, and the environment in the nineteenth century. Join us for a talk with Dr. Kiechle about the history of public health as a way of providing some context and depth of understanding to our current pandemic. Specifically, Kiechle will focus on the role women play/have played in public health. Learn More

    Our History is the Future: Standing Rock and the Long History of Indigenous Resistance
    Oct. 15, 2020 at 7 p.m.

    Online Event

    Dr. Nick Estes, a citizen of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe and Assistant Professor in the American Studies Department at the University of New Mexico, will discuss the long tradition of settler violence and indigenous resistance in the U.S. Estes is the author of the book Our History Is the Future: Standing Rock Versus the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Long Tradition of Indigenous Resistance (Verso, 2019) and he co-edited Standing with Standing Rock: Voices from the #NoDAPL Movement. In 2014, he co-founded The Red Nation, an Indigenous resistance organization. ***30 free copies of Dr. Estes’ book and Humanities Center bookmarks will be given away to participants as part of this event*** Learn More

    All the Rage: The Culture of Online Anger
    Oct. 29, 2020 at 7 p.m.

    Online Event

    Anger and fear seem to pervade online culture in our current times–and liberals and conservatives are both susceptible. Join us for a virtual discussion with Dr. Dannagal Goldthwaite Young and A.J. Bauer about the culture and psychology of online political outrage. Young is an Associate Professor of Communication and Political Science at the University of Delaware where she studies the content, audience, and effects of political humor. Her research on the psychology and influence of political entertainment has been widely published. Her book Irony and Outrage examines satire and outrage as the logical extensions of the respective psychological profiles of liberals and conservatives. Bauer is a writer and former journalist based in New York. His work has appeared in The Daily Texan, the Austin American-Statesman, the Texas Observer, The Patriot Ledger, the Boston Globe, Social Text Periscope and The Guardian. He researches contemporary and historical right-wing movements and conservatism in the United States. He is visiting Assistant Professor at NYU and co-editor of the recent book News on the Right. He will start as Assistant Professor at the University of Alabama in 2021. Learn More

    November

    Hope in Times of Trauma: A Discussion with Dr. Chan Hellman
    Nov. 5, 2020 at 7 p.m.

    Online Event

    Dr. Chan Hellman is internationally renowned for his work on building a hope-centered response to trauma. Hellman is a professor in the Anne & Henry Zarrow School of Social Work and Founding Director of the Hope Research Center. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and Department of Pediatrics for the OU College of Medicine and the Department of Health Promotion Science for the OU College of Public Health. With over 150 scholarly publications and countless workshop in the areas of child maltreatment, domestic violence, homelessness, etc., Chan has focused his work on sharing the science and power of hope in our ability to overcome trauma and thrive. If you’re interested in ways to build a hope-centered approach to trauma, then you won’t want to miss this discussion. Learn More

    Who Watches the Watchmen? Race and Representation in Speculative Fiction
    Nov. 12, 2020 at 7 p.m.

    Online Event

    Join us for a virtual conversation between Dr. André Carrington and Dr. Rebecca Wanzo on representations of race in The Watchmen–and beyond. From comic books to science fiction, our acknowledgement of the significance of blackness in twentieth-century American literature, television, and culture is more important than ever. Carrington is a scholar of race, gender, and genre in Black and American cultural production. His first book, Speculative Blackness: The Future of Race in Science Fiction (Minnesota, 2016) interrogates the cultural politics of race in the fantastic genres through studies of science fiction fanzines, comics, film and television, and other speculative fiction texts. Rebecca Wanzo is a professor and chair of the Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. Her most recent book, The Content of Our Caricature: African American Comic Art and Political Belonging (NYU Press, 2020) examines how Black cartoonists have used racialized caricatures to criticize constructions of ideal citizenship, as well as the alienation of African Americans from such imaginaries. Learn More

    Spring 2021

    January

    Dying to Belong: Racism, Public Health, and the Law
    Jan. 28, 2021 at 7 p.m.

    Online Event

    In this talk, Montrece McNeill Ransom, JD, MPH, public health expert and belonging strategist, will define and characterize belonging, highlight its impact on human potential and health disparities, and describe how our legal system can serve as a facilitator and barrier to a sense of belonging for marginalized populations. She will also offer tips on steps we can all take to cultivate cultures of belonging in the places where we live, learn, work, play, and worship. Read more here

    February

    White Rage: A Community Discussion
    Feb. 4, 2021 at 7 p.m.

    Online Event

    Join us for an essential and timely discussion about white rage in America. Copies of Carol Anderson’s book White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide will be distributed prior to the event by our partners at Fulton Street Books in Tulsa. Read more here

    BorderX: A Crisis in Graphic Detail
    Feb. 25, 2021 at 7 p.m.

    Online Event

    Join us for a conversation with Mauricio Alberto Cordero, editor of BorderX: A Crisis in Graphic Detail. BorderX is a comic anthology about the crisis on the southern border. It includes work by dozens of artists who have created a series of exhibits, narratives, posters, and ruminations. This collaborative work creates a prism of different views on the cruelty of American policies at the border and their far-reaching effects on immigrants and asylum seekers. Read more here

    March

    Immigration, Justice and Courage
    March 11, 2021 at 7 p.m.

    Online Event

    We’re delighted to welcome Reverend Daniel Groody, author of “Globalization, Spirituality, and Justice: Navigating the Path to Peace,” for a discussion about immigration, justice, and courage. This talk is designed not as another report on the crisis at the border but as a discussion about reshaping how we understand the people and events there. Read more here

    Coming of Age at the End of the World: An Existential Toolkit for the Climate/COViD Generation
    March 18, 2021 at 7 p.m.

    Online Event

    Join Sarah Ray, the author of “A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety,” for a discussion about letting go of eco-guilt, resisting burnout, and cultivating resilience while advocating for climate justice. Copies of her book will also be given away to a limited number of participants. Read more here

    Zombies, Seances, and the Unrestful Dead: Art after the Pandemic
    March 25, 2021 at 7 p.m.

    Online Event

    Elizabeth Outka is the author of Viral Modernism: The Influenza Pandemic and Interwar Literature, a work about literary and artistic responses to the early 20th century Flu Pandemic and the ways in which it shaped modern culture. In her talk she will discuss pandemics featured in art and literature, connecting 1918 to 2020 and focusing on the flu’s surprising connection to zombies, spiritualism, and poems like T. S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land.”
  • 2019-20: Play

    Fall 2019

    September

    Book Launch: Voices from the Heartland II
    Sept. 5, 2019, 7 p.m.

    Join us for excerpt readings, conversation with editors and writers, and audience Q&A. Books will be for sale onsite.

    Book Launch: Frankenstein, Doubt and Despair
    Sept. 12, 2019, 7 p.m.

    Join us in celebrating the publication of TU professor Jennifer Airey’s new book: Religion around Mary Shelley.

    From Page to Play: Translating Thoreau’s Walden into a Videogame
    Sept. 16, 2019, 7 p.m.

    Game designer Tracy Fullerton has spent the last decade translating Henry David Thoreau’s classic text Walden or, Life in the Woods into a videogame about Thoreau’s experiment in living at Walden Pond. The result, Walden, a game is an open world experience that immerses players in Thoreau’s writings and ideas through its system, world and narrative design, providing an open-ended experience where players make their own choices about how to live a live of simplicity and balance.

    Book Launch: Modernism & the Law
    Sept. 26, 2019 at 7 p.m.

    In celebration of his new book Modernism and the Law, please join us for a reception and conversation with professor Robert Spoo about how law has shaped, enabled, and often deformed the creation and reception of modern literature. We will explore a range of topics including intellectual property, informal norms, piracy, obscenity, defamation, and more.

    October

    Redeeming Uncle Tom: the Josiah Henson Story
    Oct. 2, 2019 at 7 p.m.

    Please join the History Department as we welcome documentary filmmaker, Jared Brock, for a screening and discussion of his documentary film, Redeeming Uncle Tom: the Josiah Henson Story. This ground-breaking documentary will restore a hero of the abolitionist movement to his rightful place in history. Josiah Henson overcame incredible odds to escape from slavery with his wife and children. His life inspired the lead character of Uncle Tom in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s famous novel which has been recognized as one of the sparks that ignited the Civil War. Critically acclaimed actor Danny Glover narrates the voice of Josiah Henson in the film. Co-sponsired by the Departments of History and English, the Association of Black Collegians, and TITAN.

    Monstrous Perspective: Experience of Renaissance Space
    Oct. 8, 2019 at 5 p.m.

    In this talk, drawn from her recent book, Gender, Space and Experience at the Renaissance Court, Professor Maria Maurer analyzes the relationships between 16th-century beholders and the spaces they inhabited.

    Hush: Media and Sonic Self-Control
    Oct. 10, 2019 at 7 p.m.

    Join us for a talk by Mack Hagood, author of the book Hush: Media and Sonic Self-Control. Co-sponsored by the Department of Media Studies.

    Big Ideas at TU: Killers of the Flower Moon
    Oct. 17, 2019 at 7 p.m.

    In advance of David Grann’s Presidential Lecture, the OCH will host a public discussion forum about his book Killers of the Flower Moon. 

    November

    Woke Gaming: Hyper Visible Bodies
    Nov. 7, 2019 at 7 p.m.

    Join us for a talk by professor Kishonna Gray, author of Race, Gender, & Deviance in Xbox Live. Gray will discuss the reality of women and people of color in the gaming community.

    The Art of Network Sports Television
    Nov. 15, 2019 at 5 p.m.

    Professor Travis Vogan will talk about the popular and critically-derided artist LeRoy Neiman’s appearances on ABC’s sports television programming during the 1970s. It explores how these cameos helped to create Neiman’s polarizing image in the art world while contributing to ABC’s codification of sports television’s creative and commercial ambitions. And it argues that these strange convergences produced a televisual sports art and an artful sports television.

    Grey Matter: An Evening with Poetic Justice
    Nov. 21, 2019 at 7 p.m.

    Join us for an evening devoted to the important work being done by Poetic Justice. We will screen the 24-minute 2017 Grey Matter documentary about Poetic Justice. Following the film, Ellen Stackable, one of the founders of Poetic Justice, will interview one of the graduates of the workshops and discuss how it has impacted her life. Co-sponsored by the English Department and TU Women and Gender Studies.

    December

    Opening Doors: An Undergraduate Creative Writing Showcase
    Dec. 5, 2019 at 7 p.m.

    A showcase of the student writing from this program, organized by Tulsa Artist Fellow and TU Creative Writing instructor Simon Han, and co-hosted by the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities and the Tulsa Artist Fellowship. Students will read excerpts from their work and TAF mentors will discuss their experience with this exciting new initiative!

    Spring 2020

    January

    The Birth of Loud: The Guitar Rivalry That Shaped Rock-n-Roll
    Jan. 30, 2020 at 7 p.m.

    Ian S. Port is an award-winning writer and music critic whose work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Village Voice, The Threepenny Review, and The Believer, among others. Join us for his talk. Co-sponsored by Magic City Books and the TU Institute for Bob Dylan Studies.

    February

    Creativity and Play: Zachary Leader
    Feb. 6, 2020 at 5 p.m.

    Leader will talk about the role of play in the life and work of his biographical subjects, Kingsley Amis and Saul Bellow. Leader will also chat about the role of play in Blake’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience, the subject of his first book.

    Gaming the Museum
    Feb. 8, 2020 at 1 p.m.

    Join us for an event focused on the role of play and games in museum spaces. Saturday’s symposium at the Helmerich Center for American Research is ideal for museum professionals, Museum Studies students, and art-lovers alike.

    Watching Watchmen: Race and Responsibility in Tulsa
    Feb. 19, 2020 at 7 p.m.

    Sean Latham, Director of the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities, will frame a discussion about Race and Responsibility in Tulsa around the HBO series, Watchmen with Nehemiah D. Frank, founder and editor of The Black Wall Street Times.

    TU Symphony Orchestra Presents: The Games Musicians Play
    Feb. 24, 2020 at 7:30 p.m.

    “Games Musicians Play” will feature music that illustrates numerous aspects of musical ‘play’.

    Play in the Fantasy Realm: Imaginary Friends
    Feb. 27, 2020 at 7 p.m.

    Join us for an evening with Tracy Gleason, a developmental psychologist studying relationships, real and imagined, with a focus on young children’s imaginary companions. Dr. Gleason will talk about the ways in which children interact with imaginary friends and how this has the potential to illuminate how young people think about and form social relationships in general.
    This talk is part of The Judy O. Berry Honorary Lecture Series, which features topics related to risk and resilience in children and families.
    In partnership with the University of Tulsa Department of Psychology and TITAN, The University of Tulsa Institute of Trauma, Adversity and Injustice.

    March

    J. Donald Feagin Visiting Artist Luba Lukova: Designing Justice
    March 6, 2020 at 5 p.m.

    Opening reception and artist talk.

    The Art of the Short Story: Panel Discussion
    March 9, 2020 at 2 p.m.

    Have you always wanted to learn more about the nuances of short fiction? Do you have questions about publishing in literary journals and putting stories together to form a collection? In collaboration with the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, Magic City Books, the University of Tulsa’s English Department will host a discussion featuring acclaimed short story writers. TU visiting assistant professor Simon Han will moderate the discussion.

    The Art of the Short Story: A Reading
    March 9, 2020 at 7 p.m.

    Have you always wanted to learn more about the nuances of short fiction? Do you have questions about publishing in literary journals and putting stories together to form a collection? In collaboration with the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities, Tulsa Artist Fellowship, Magic City Books, the University of Tulsa’s English Department will host a discussion featuring acclaimed short story writers. TU visiting assistant professor Simon Han will moderate the discussion.

    **Trivia Night: Words on Play, Finding our Voices, AI, Creativity and Copyright, and Adventure Quest: An Immersive Theatrical Experience were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The center hosted four virtual Humanities Happy Hours on Thursdays in April instead.***

  • 2018-19: Memory

    Fall 2018

    September

    Poetry, Tyranny & Memory: A Conversation with Meryl Natchez
    Sept. 6, 2018 at 7 p.m.

    The Oklahoma Center for the Humanities will launch its year-long focus on memory by exploring the ways in which art and poetry resist even the most oppressive tyranny by preserving our fundamental connection to the past. Join us for reading and conversation with Professor Jake Howland from the University of Tulsa and poet Meryl Natchez as they explore the power of poetry not just to describe a world gone wrong but to carve out new space for human freedom and possibility.

    Star Connect Lucie Arnaz, Laurence Luckinbill Performance
    Sept. 17, 2018

    Join us for the inauguration of the Star Connect Mentor Program at TU. Lucie Arnaz and Laurence Luckinbill, 2018-2019 Star Connect Mentors, will present a short performance of some of their work followed by a reception. Hosted by the Department of Theatre and Musical Theatre and sponsored by the Feagin Guest Artist grant and the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities.

    James Frey: Life and Fiction
    Sept. 19, 2018, Living Arts of Tulsa

    In partnership with the Oklahoma Center for Humanities yearlong exploration of MEMORY, we’ll explore fiction, memoir, the meaning of truth, and more with writer, James Frey. Don’t miss a wide ranging conversation about his past, his new novel “Katerina”, and what’s to come.

    Undocumented: Pulitzer Prize Winner Jose Antonio Vargas
    Spet. 23, 2018 at 7 p.m., Gilcrease Museum

    Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, who has been called “the most famous undocumented immigrant in America,” tackles one of the defining issues of our time. He joins us to share his explosive and deeply personal memoir “Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen.” All guests will also enjoy free admission to the new Gilcrease show, AMERICANS ALL!, which will be open prior to and following the talk.

    October

    On Trauma and Literature: A Night with Novelist Aminatta Forna
    Oct. 4, 2018 at 7 p.m.

    J. Donald Feagin Visiting Artist Aminatta Forna will give a reading
    from her latest novel, HAPPINESS, recently selected as a Best Book of 2018 by the Washington Post.

    Star Wars as the Wild West
    Oct. 11, 2018 at 5:30 p.m., TCC Center for Creativity

    What does Star Wars have to do with Oklahoma? Kenneth Cohen, Curator of American Culture at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, will explore how the Star Wars story – right down to its marketing and memorabilia — builds on a long history of rebel alliances that date back to the nineteenth-century Wild West Shows and dime novels rooted in a galaxy not so far away.

    Memory, the Self and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
    Oct. 25, 2018 at 7 p.m.

    Dr. Jennifer J. Vasterling gives a talk on her research which has centered on furthering understanding of the neurocognitive and emotional changes that accompany war-zone deployment and posttraumatic stress responses.

    November

    Classics II: Britten’s War Requiem
    Nov. 11, 2018 at 2:30 p.m.

    Guest conductor James Bagwell passionately interprets one of the great defining masterworks of the 20th century, Benjamin Britten’s powerful War Requiem. This performance features the artistic collaborations of the Tulsa Oratorio Chorus, The University of Tulsa Chorale and Symphony Orchestra with support from the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities.

    A Conversation with Mackenzi Lee
    Nov. 29, 2018 at 7 p.m.

    Mackenzi Lee holds a BA in history and an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Simmons College. She is the New York Times best-selling author of the historical fantasy novels This Monstrous Thing and The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue (HarperCollins), as well as the forthcoming The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy and Semper Augustus (coming in 2019 from Flatiron/Macmillan).

    December

    Anna Badkhen: Making Memoirs
    Dec. 4, 2018 at 7 p.m.

    Anna Badkhen, Tulsa Artist Fellow and author of six books of literary nonfiction, will read excerpts from her works. The evening will also feature readings from students enrolled in her undergraduate memoir-writing class at The University of Tulsa.

    Spring 2019

    January

    Young Heroes of the Soviet Union: A Memoir by Alex Halberstadt
    Jan. 17, 2019 at 7 p.m.

    A reading and discussion of Alex Halberstadt’s new family memoir, Young Heroes of the Soviet Union.

    TU 2019 Cadenhead – Settle Memorial Lecture featuring Scott Wong
    Jan. 24, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.

    Wong is the author of “Americans First: Chinese Americans and the Second World War.” His talk will address the politics of Asian Americans serving in the American military from World War II through the war in Iraq. The lecture will examine the power of the memory from the all-Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team to the efforts of Dan Choi to challenge Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

    February

    White Rabbit Red Rabbit
    Feb. 1-3, 2019

    THE PLAY YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE IS SEALED INSIDE AN ENVELOPE. The actor about to perform has never seen it. In fact, there is a new actor every performance, and they’ve only been told what is absolutely necessary. Featuring the local talents fo David Blakely, Machele Miller Dill and Jessica Davenport.

    Poetry & Dementia: A Reading with Lauren Camp
    Feb. 7, 2019 at 7 p.m.

    Lauren will be reading from her original works and talking about learning to deal with Alzheimer’s and dementia through poetry.

    Mending Masculinity: Spoken Word Tour
    Feb. 8, 2019 at 7 p.m.

    Mending Masculinity is a collaborative spoken word tour featuring Kavi Ade & Vision. Through performance poetry, generative writing workshops, and critical dialogue the duo utilizes their separate lenses (as a Transgender Queer person and as a Cisgender Heterosexual person) to cultivate a conversation that encompasses all forms of masculinity, the performance of gender, and the inherent toxicity of gendered binaries in a patriarchal world.

    Paths of Glory: Screening & Discussion
    Feb. 19, 2019 at 6 p.m.

    A free screening of Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory, one of the most powerful antiwar films ever made, followed by a discussion with Professor David A. Davis.

    Sea Breeze Academy: The Concert Reading
    Feb. 26, 2019 at 7 p.m.

    Concert reading, by TU Theatre students, of the beginning to the satiric script/novel hybrid Sea Breeze Academy by TU senior Bryant Loney. Featuring an opening reading by student Alex Isaak.

    Reenactments: A Night of Poetry with Hai-Dang Phan
    Feb. 28, 2019 at 7 p.m.

    Join Phan on his visit to Tulsa to celebrate a new collection of poetry titled Reenactments about the legacy of the Vietnam War and his own experience as a refugee. Writer and Tulsa Artist Fellow Mark de Silva will host this evening of discussion and poetry with Phan.

    March

    Bruce Adolphe: “Memories of a Possible Future”
    March 1, 2019 at 6 p.m., Philbrook Museum of Art

    Composer Bruce Adolphe lectures on music and memory, followed by a performance of his piano quintet “Memories of a Possible Future”, which features the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra.

    Alternative Archives
    March 8 – 9, 2019

    From fashion and found photos to recipes and oral histories, what is worth remembering? How do we choose what we save? This event will explore the ways we remember, create meaning, and tell stories through the ephemera we keep and leave behind.

    An Evening with the Tulsa Artist Fellows
    March 14, 2019, 7 p.m.

    Join us on Thursday, March 14th at 7pm in Adelson Auditorium (Tyrrell Hall, TU Campus) as graphic novelist Melanie Gillman and writer and filmmaker Laurie Thomas present their work. Thomas will screen and discuss her short documentary, “Black Girl Magic,” about the life of a young Black female artist. She will also discuss issues of visual/film representation of and by Black women, what draws her to her work, and her ongoing projects in Tulsa working with women’s stories. Both Gillman and Thomas are currently serving as TU Creative Writing instructors. Free and open to the public.

    The Politics of Popular Culture in the Digital Age
    March 28, 2019 at 5:30 p.m.

    This talk draws from Anne Helen Peterson’s most recent book, Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman (Plume, 2017), making connections to her recent writing on pertinent issues like Millennial burnout, the student debt crisis, and the politics of popular culture and celebrity in the digital age.

    Memory, Memorials and Community
    March 29-30, 2019

    As part of its year-long focus on the theme of memory, the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities in partnership with Gilcrease Museum and the University of Tulsa History Department will explore the energizing, solemn and often contentious roles that memorials play in the civic and social life of our city.

    April

    Jean Rhys: The Biographer as Literary Detective
    April 4, 2019 at 4 p.m.

    Join author and biographer Miranda Seymour while she’s at the University of Tulsa visiting the Jean Rhys archive. Seymour will chat about her work on Rhys as well as more generally about the art of researching and writing biographies.

    Big Ideas at TU Book Discussion: The Girl Who Smiled Beads
    April 10, 2019 at 12 p.m.

    A group discussion of Clemantine Wamariya’s New York Times Bestseller, The Girl Who Smiled Beads. Moderated by Layla Mortadha from TU Global Studies.

    Big Ideas at TU: The GIrl Who Smiled Beads
    April 11, 2019 at 7 p.m.

    Join us for a talk by Clemantine Wamariya: storyteller, human rights advocate, and author of The Girl Who Smiled Beads, her memoir about the human side of war.

    Reimagining the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
    April 18, 2019 at 7 p.m.

    Join songwriter and playwright Ronvé O’Daniel and novelist Jen Latham (author of Dreamland Burning) as they discuss the role that art, fiction, and music play in helping us remember the past–in particular the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

    Workshop: The Art of Visual Storytelling
    April 27, 2019 at 3 p.m., AHHA Tulsa

    Join us for a three hour, multi-facilitator workshop on the art of storytelling. After listening to the artist-facilitators explain how they use their unique medium to tell stories, participants will then choose which specialized workshop they would like to attend. Participants will have about 2 hours of assisted creation time. During the final 30 minutes, participants will come back together to talk and share as a group.

    June

    Bloomsday Tulsa 2019
    June 16, 2016 at 2 p.m., Duet Restaurant

    oin us for our annual celebration of James Joyce and all things Irish in the heart of Tulsa’s Arts District. Irish music by Cairde na Gael, readings by local actors, drinks, and all kinds of giveaways! It’s all free and takes place downstairs in the jazz club at Duet Restaurant.
    Co-sponsored by the GKFF, James Joyce Quarterly, Theatre Tulsa, and Magic City Books.
  • 2017-18: Homelands

    Fall 2017

    September

    Another View of the Tulsa Riot: A Lecture by Herb Boyd
    Sept. 12, 2017 at 7 p.m.

    Herb Boyd is an award-winning journalist and the author of twleve books on topics in black history and activism including biographies of James Baldwin and Sugar Ray Robinson as well as a history of African-American life and politics in Detroit. His talk will look at the Tulsa Race Riot in the context of American civil disorder and will draw on Harry Haywood’s eyewitness account of the event as a member of the African Blood Brotherhood. Free and open to all.

    Cadenhead-Settle Memorial Lecture on the Russian Revolution
    Sept. 18, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.

    Distinguished Professor of Russian History Donald J. Raleigh will deliver the lecture, “Russia 1917: Some Reflections on the 100th Anniversary.”

    LaDonna Harris: Indian 101
    Sept. 20, 2017 at 7 p.m.

    Indian 101 is a documentary film about LaDonna Harris, who’s led an extensive life of Native American political and social activism. She will accept the third annual Oklahoma Changing World Prize on Sept. 24 at the Woody Guthrie Center.

    Beyond the Headlines: A Conversation about Immigration
    Sept. 28, 2017 at 7 p.m.

    In this lecture, Ali Noorani will discuss the powerful role of culture and values in America’s immigration debate, and how a diverse range of communities are working to make America a welcoming place for long-established citizens and new arrivals alike.

    October

    From Gossip Girls to Cultural Critics
    Oct. 2, 2017 at 7 p.m.

    Though they never became household names, two women journalists — Lillian Roxon and Joan Scott — taught Americans how to write about, and how to listen to, rock. Kevin Dettmar tells their story.

    Cowboys & Commies: High Noon
    Oct. 5, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.

    A discussion and book signing with Pulitzer Prize Winner Glenn Frankel, author of High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic, followed by a screening of the film High Noon. 

    Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan: Narratives of the Wounded and Dead
    Oct. 9, 2017 at 7 p.m.

    Stories about war rely on graphic accounts of wounded bodies, which often stand in stark contrast to the cold medical description of a ravaged body. In this talk, Professor Zeitlin will use works by Ernest Hemingway, Stephen Crane, and others to explore the differences between these two kinds of description. Medical language, he argues, contains its own unexpected force capable of resisting the romance and mystification of violence so common in war literature.

    All the Single Ladies: A Talk by Rebecca Traister
    Oct. 19, 2017 at 7 p.m.

    Rebecca Traister is writer at large for New York Magazine and the author of the New York Times best-seller All The Single Ladies, which was named a Notable Book of 2016 by The New York Times. Her previous book, Big Girls Don’t Cry, was a Times Notable Book of 2010 and the winner of the Ernesta Drinker Ballard Book Prize.

    November

    Growing up Palestinian: Healing the Wounds of War
    Nov. 2, 2017 at 7 p.m.

    Award-winning Palestinian-American author, poet, translator, artist, and educator Ibtisam Barakat was born in Beit Hanina, East Jerusalem and grew up in Ramallah, Palestine. She is the author of the memoirs Tasting the Sky and Balcony on the Moon, about her childhood and adolescence in Palestine. Her work centers on healing social injustices, especially in the lives of young people.

    Streetscapes: Imagining Tulsa from a Human Perspective
    Nov. 9, 2017 at 7 p.m.

    Join us for a moderated, interactive discussion with visionary artists and designers who are imagining the future of Tulsa streets and neighborhoods – Unity Heritage Neighborhood Designs Workshop, R.I.S.E., The Tulsa Foundation for Architecture, Coalescent Community Development Corporation, and exhibiting artist Mark Lewis.

    Why Bob Dylan Matters
    Dec. 6, 2017 at 7 p.m.

    Harvard University professor Richard F. Thomas joins us to dive into why Bob Dylan matters. Don’t miss this fascinating exploration of the legend, the myth, and the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.

    Spring 2018

    January

    The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of Segregation
    Jan. 25, 2018 at 7 p.m.

    In this talk, Richard Rothstein will be exploring the explosive, alarming history that finally confronts how American governments in the twentieth century deliberately imposed residential and racial segregation on metropolitan areas nationwide.

    Fridays in the Loft Chamber Series: Bartok, Beethoven, Harbinson
    Jan. 26, 2018 at 7 p.m., Flyloft

    Join the Tulsa Symphony for a Chamber Performance and a special lecture by TU professor Danny Arthur, PhD on the ways folk music is integrated into classical music.

    February

    Shelter: An Exploration of Alternative Dwellings
    Feb. 24, 2018 at 1:30 p.m., 108 Contemporary

    From tiny houses to temporary emergency shelters, explore how our conception of home is changing. This special exhibit will feature a variety of practical, real-life solutions for housing that are designed to be quick, temporary, and portable. Sean Anderson, associate curator of architecture and design at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, will discuss issues surrounding designing shelter for displaced populations and talk about some of the groundbreaking initiatives by designers to improve living situations faced by refugees.

    March

    Atlantic Bonds: An Odyssey from America to Africa
    March 1, 2018 at 7 p.m.

    Join us for a lecture by Lisa Lindsay as she explores the extraordinary story of a man who fled slavery in South Carolina only to be taken hostage in Africa and then lead a revolt against white racism. This odyssey leads from the antebellum South through Liberia and into present-day Nigeria and explores how one person shed the bonds of oppression to discover his own freedom.

    Songs America Loves to Sing
    March 10, 2018 at 9 a.m., Philbrook Museum of Art

    Join us March 10th at Philbrook’s Second Saturday event for music from The Tulsa Symphony, dancing with Portico Dance Company, art, and activities for the whole family! Featuring a special interactive performance of John Harbison’s “Songs Americans Loves to Sing.”

    Symposium: Dislocations and Migrations
    March 30-31, 2018

    Deeply rooted in history and manifested across the globe, displacements and migrations uniquely characterize all human experience. But migrations are not all alike, nor are their causes and consequences easily described, much less understood.
    Gathering in Tulsa at the Helmerich Center for American Research, “Displacements and Migrations” coordinates university and community scholar/activists, archivists, curators, and librarians to consider these many questions from a variety of perspectives.

    Oklahoma!
    March 30-31, 2018, Gilcrease Museum

    Presented as a Little Big Musical at Gilcrease Museum on March 30 and 31, this show will feature an all-black cast with minimal stage production. Presented as part of a year-long exploration of the theme Homelands, the show will offer a unique perspective on the state’s complicated racial history and the thriving black communities that have too often been written out of our histories and popular culture.

    April

    Tulsa’s Inaugural Home Movie Festival
    April 5, 2018 at 6:30 p.m., Circle Cinema

    Home Movie Fest will celebrate these underappreciated films. This festival will feature home movie excerpts contributed by community members like you! In addition, we’ll have a few surprises including games and a peek at some special home movies drawn from local archives.

    Native American Cuisines: Traditions and Contemporary Contexts
    April 13-14, 2018, Gilcrease Museum

    What’s the connection between cultural wellness and bodily health? Can a change in what people eat change not only the way they feel, but also the way they understand their history, their heritage and their future? This special symposium at Gilcrease Museum will draw together native chefs, filmmakers, food historians, healthcare experts, and activists to explore the cultural and health effects of indigenous cuisines.

    June

    Bloomsday Irish Street Brunch
    June 16, 2018 at 11 a.m., the Tavern

    On Saturday, June 16th, The Oklahoma Center for the Humanities, Booksmart Tulsa, The Tavern restaurant, the James Joyce Quarterly, and the Guthrie Green will host a Bloomsday Irish Brunch in the Brady Arts District.
    The event will take place in the cultural corridor (alleyway) behind Prairie. Enjoy free nibbles, drinks, live Irish music, theatrical performances, readings, prizes and giveaways, and the official unveiling of the new Bloomsday mural. Join us in commemorating and celebrating the life and work of James Joyce!
  • 2016-17: Food

    Fall 2016

    September

    More Than a Trend: Local Food and the Farmers Who Grow It
    Sept. 8, 2016 at 7 p.m.

    Tulsa native Emily Oakley owns and operates Three Spring Farm, a certified organic family operation in Cherokee County, Oklahoma. Oakley and her partner, Michael Appel, will talk about their decision to start the farm, the foundation of the Cherry Street Farmer’s Market and how locally grown food affects the health of bodies, our communities and our planet.

    Food & Power: How Corporations Shape What We Eat and Drink
    Sept. 22, 2016 at 7 p.m.

    Please join us for a talk by Philip Howard, Professor of Community Sustainability at Michigan State University. Using the examples of beer, soytmilk, and bagged salads, he will explore how big corporations increasingly shape what and how we eat.

    October

    Gallery Talk: Green Country’s Local Food Movement
    Oct. 12, 2016 at 7 p.m.

    Join the editors of Edible Tulsa as they discuss an exhibition of photos from their pages that highlights the beauty and diversity of the region’s local food movement.

    Creating Food Sustainability in Tulsa
    Oct. 19, 2016 at 5:30 p.m.

    A screening of the 2013 documentary Fed Up, followed by a talk about the Farm-to-School lunch program at Tulsa Public Schools. Organized and co-sponsored by the University of Tulsa Women’s and Gender Studies Program.

    The Julia Child Experience
    Oct. 24, 2016 at 7 p.m.

    A reading and book signing by Julia Child’s biograper Alex Prud’homme that explores how the legendary chef returned from France to transform American cuisine.

    A Proper Drink with New York Times Expert Robert Simonson
    Oct. 25, 2016 at 7 p.m., Chimera

    A talk and book signing by Robert Simonson, the drinks editor at the New York Times, about the revivial of the American craft cocktail.

    November

    Craft Beer Culture: A Symposium and Tasting
    Nov. 4, 2016 at 7 p.m.

    A symposium exploring the history, business, culture, and chemistry of the craft beer movement. With a special tasting sponsored by Marshall’s Brewery. Free, but registration required. Must be 21.

    La Revue de Cuisine: A Feast for the Senses
    Nov. 12, 2016 at 10 a.m., Philbrook Museum of Art

    A special musical performance and jazz ballet by Tulsa Symphony in cooperation with Portico Dance Theatre. Part of Philbrook Museum of Art‘s Second Saturday.

    Having a Taste for Beethoven
    Nov. 17, 2016 at 7 p.m.

    Chamber Music Tulsa and the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities present a special lecture by Dr. Sanna Pederson on the development of “taste”–both flavorful and aesthetic–in Beethoven’s times and music.

    Spring 2017

    January

    Beethoven’s World: Society & Culture in a Changing Europe
    Jan. 17, 2017 at 7 p.m.

    A panel discussion of Beethoven’s world featuring Dr. Jason Lavery, Professor of History at OSU, and Dr. Allen Scott, Professor of Music History at OSU.

    Indians Illustrated: A Talk by Prof. John Coward
    Jan. 19, 2017 at 7 p.m.

    A book talk by John Coward, TU Professor of Communication, exploring how the American popular press used visual images to shape changing perceptions of native peoples.

    February

    Children of the Civil Rights: Screening and Discussion
    Feb. 2, 2017 at 5 p.m., Greenwood Cultural Center

    A documentary screening about the group of school kids who led sit-ins that successfully integrated Oklahoma City’s segregated lunch counters. After the film, some of original participants will talk about their experiences with racism and nonviolent protest.

    Misquoting Jesus: A Lecture by Prof. Bart Ehrman
    Feb. 2, 2017 at 7 p.m.

    A Phi Beta Kappa lecture by Professor Bart Ehrman from the Univ. of North Carolina exploring the many changes that monks and scribes made to the New Testament–changes that profoundly shaped different understandings of Jesus and his divinity.

    Creating White Freedom by Hunting Enslaved Africans
    Feb. 6, 2017 at 7 p.m.

    The Department of History at the University of Tulsa presents a lecture by Dr. Edward Baptist, Professor of History at Cornell University and author of The Half that Has Never Been Told. He will explore how digital tools provide provide radical new insights into how runaway slaves laws helped reinforce a common identity for whites.

    A Free Press vs Autocrats: How to Preserve Media Freedom
    Feb. 9, 2017 at 12 p.m.

    Please join us for a lecture by Mahir Zeynalov, the journalist and free press advocate who rose to prominence amid the Turkish government’s crackdown on reporters. He appears regularly on CNN, BBC, and NBC and is an expert on both Turkey and Syria. He will talk about global struggles to defend a free and open press.

    The Goody Body by Eve Ensler
    Feb. 12, 2017 at 7 p.m.

    A dramatic performance of a new work from the author of “The Vagina Monologues” that explores how women struggle with the ideal of a “good body.”

    Cookbooks as Art: Seven Centuries of Visual Feasts
    Feb. 16, 2017 at 7 p.m.

    Lecture and conversation with Williams College Professor Dara Goldstein on how and why cookbooks changed from dull instructional manuals to beautiful art objects.

    Dreamland Burning
    Feb 22, 2017 at 7 p.m., Greenwood Cultural Center

    Book launch and signing for Dreamland Burning, the latest novel from Tulsa novelist Jennifer Latham. Through an interwoven series of plot lines, it explores the 1921 Tulsa race riot and raises important questions about the state of race relations in the US today.

    Big Ideas at TU: Dietland
    Feb 28, 2017 at 7 p.m.

    A group discussion of Sarai Walker’s best-selling novel Dietland, moderated by Professor Jan Wilson. Fifty free copies will be given away in advance.

    March

    Kosher USA
    March 2, 2017 at 7 p.m., Congregation B’nai Emunah

    A lecture by Dr. Roger Horowitz, author of “Kosher USA: How Coke Became Kosher and Other Tales of Modern Food.”

    Dietland: A Talk and Reading by Sarai Walker
    March 6, 2017 at 7 p.m.

    Join us for a reading and lecture by Sarai Walker, author of the best-selling novel, Dietland–a book one critic describes as “Fight Club meets Margaret Atwood.” Free to all. Signing will follow. Made possible with the support of the Ann Beth Colmar Fund.

    Food Writing: A Workshop & Symposium
    March 24-25, 2017

    Lectures, readings and workshops on the art and craft of food writing, featuring Sasha Martin, Nina Mukerjee Furstenau and a host of local writers.

    Time for Chocolate
    March 25, 2017 at 8 p.m.

    The premier of an original play set in an Aztec-era community centered around the power, pleasure and mystery of cacao. Written by Bruce Dean Willis, and directed by David Blakely.

    April

    Cripping and Fattening Food Movements
    April 5, 2017 at 7 p.m.

    A lecture by Jan Wilson, associate professor of history at TU, about the intersection of food and disability.

    The End of History and the Rise of New Media
    April 13, 2017 at 12 p.m.

    A lecture by Andrew Lison from the University of Kansas that explores the rise of new media in the 1990s amid the fall of the Berlin Fall and the influential arguments that western liberal capitalism was the apex of human history.

    The Collector’s Passion: Of Tea and Teacups
    April 13, 2017 at 7 p.m., 108 Contemporary

    A lecture by Laura Miller, journalist, critic, and co-founder of salon.com. In conjunction with the Steeped show at 108 Contemporary, she’ll discuss the curious passions of collectors and her own dogged pursuit of art deco teacups.

    The Soviet Internet: Beyond the Book
    April 18, 2017 at 7 p.m.

    A timely and important talk by Dr. Ben Peters, Assistant Professor of Media Studies at the University of Tulsa, about Russia and the internet.

    The Practice and Resistance: Gandhi & King
    April 20, 2017 at 7 p.m.

    A lecture by Dr. Karuna Mantena, Chair of South Asian Studies at Yale University and an expert on modern political theory. She will discuss the practice of nonviolent resistance as understood by its two most important practitioners.

    TU Arts and Humanities Festival
    April 25, 2017 at 10 a.m.

    A celebration of the arts and humanities at The University of Tulsa, featuring music, art, dance, printmaking, and much more. Free and open to the entire community. Food trucks will be on site, so drop by on your lunch break to catch a short concert or make a day of it and see all that’s on offer.

    Tea: Myth and Medicine
    April 29, 2017 at 1:30 p.m., 108 Contemporary

    We are joining with 108 Contemporary to host a talk by TU Professor of Nursing Merry Kelly on the use of tea as medicine. We’ll look at different cultural traditions and explore what modern science tells us about the health benefits of tea. This event features a set of tastings sponsored by All About Cha.

    June

    Bloomsday Pub Crawl
    June 16, 2017 at 5 p.m.

    Join us for our annual Bloomsday Pub Crawl through the Brady Arts District as we drink a little, read a little and drink a little more in order to celebrate both the work of James Joyce and the many pleasures of city life. Performances by Theatre Tulsa, art exhibtions, drink specials, music, dancing and a closing concert on Guthrie Green by a U2 tribute band.

  • 2015-16: Humor

    Fall 2015

    August

    Final Friday: The Humor of Humans
    Aug. 28, 2015 at 12 p.m.

    We launch our new Final Fridays series in Tyrrell Hall with a gallery talk by John Clanton, curator of “The Humor of Humans,” a special exhibition of funny photographs from the archives of The Tulsa World.

    September

    What Are You Going to DO with that Humanities Major?
    Sept. 17, 2015 at 7 p.m.

    Join us for the inaugural lecture in our new Humanities at Work series. Anne Krook received her doctorate in English then taught at the University of Michigan for seven years before starting work at amazon.com. She held numerous executive positions and now writes and lectures about how humanities students can translate their skills into jobs.

    Final Friday: Jazz Performance
    Sept. 25, 2015 at 12 p.m.

    To wrap up September, we’re sponsoring a jazz performance that features students from TU’s School of Music.

    October

    Literary Death Match: Tulsa
    Oct. 14, 2015 at 7:30 p.m.

    Booksmart Tulsa, in partnership with the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities and the Tulsa Voice, presents an evening of literary mayhem. Focused on our theme of humor, this event will pit local writers against one another as they face judgement by some of the city’s most talented writers. This year’s judges include novelist and TU faculty member, Keija Parssinen, state poet laureate Ben Meyers, and comedian Peter Bedgood. Stick around for drinks after the dust settles.

    Victor Hugo and the Guillotine
    Oct. 22, 2015 at 6 p.m.

    A lecture by Dr. Stephanie Boulard (Georgia Tech) on Hugo and the death penalty. Co-sponsored by the departments of Languages and English. Free and open to everyone.

    Internet Trolls: Humor and Cruelty in the Digital Age
    Oct. 29, 2015 at 7 p.m.

    Join us for a lecture by Dr. Whitney Phillips on internet trolls that will explore why cruelty and snark have become so important a part of comedy in the digital age. Phillips teaches at Mercer University and is the author of This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things (MIT Press). Her work has been featured in the Atlantic, Fast Company, and TED talks.

    Final Friday: Scaring Up a Crowd
    Oct. 30, 2015 at 12 p.m.

    Join us for our next Final Friday as we open the doors of the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities to offer free Halloween-themed treats as well as a program of spooky readings and short films. The highlight will be a dramatic reading of “The Raven” by David Cook, the voice of TU’s commencement ceremony and an emeritus professor of Theatre.

    November

    Humor and Music: An Evening with Bruce Adolphe
    Nov. 14, 2015 at 7 p.m.

    Our exploration of humor continues with a lecture and performance by Bruce Adolphe, the witty composer and pianist best known for his “piano puzzlers” on NPR. This lecture is part of a larger cluster of events the culminates in a Sunday family concert by the Tulsa Symphony titled “Tough Turkey in the Big City.”

    Spring 2016

    January

    Poetry and Humor: A Reading by Suzanne Cleary
    January 19, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

    The Oklahoma Center for the Humanities at the University of Tulsa in conjunction with Nimrod and the Program in Creative Writing welcome award-winning poet Suzanne Cleary for a reading and lecture on humor and poety.

    The Vaudeville Museum
    Jan 22-23, 2016 at McFarlin Library

    As part of its focus on humor, the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities at The University of Tulsa presents, Vaudeville Museum, a lively throwback performance that will feature comedy routines, red hot mamas, female impersonators, and other routines. Directed by Machele Miller-Dill, the show features several Tulsa celebrities including Adrian Alexander and Rebecca Ungerman. It runs Friday Jan 22 and Saturday Jan 23 with a special wine reception and talk-back following the Friday performance.

    Book Launch: The Unraveling of Mercy Louis
    Jan. 26, 2016 at 7 p.m.

    Please join the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities at the University of Tulsa as we help Keija Parssinen, Assistant Professor of English at The University of Tulsa, launch the paperback version of The Unraveling of Mercy Louis. After a reading and conversation, a reception and book signing will follow.

    February

    Book Launch: Prof. Kristen Ortel’s Biography of Harriet Tubman
    Feb. 4, 2016 at 7 p.m.

    Please join us as we help launch an exciting new biography of Harriet Tubman by Dr. Kristen Oertel, Mary Frances Barnard Professor of History at the University. She will give a brief talk and answer questions about her research into one of America’s greatest humanitarian activists.

    Children of the Civil Rights: Screening and Discussion
    Feb. 11, 2016 at 7 p.m.

    In 1958, a group of Oklahoma City high school students began some of the first lunch counter sit-ins in the United States–powerful protests designed to end segregation and focus attention on racial discrimination. Please join us as we present a new documentary film about these events and convene a panel that includes current civil rights leaders as well as the original protestors. This event is co-sponsored with the Social Science Interest Group.

    Wimmin Troubles: Humorous Images of Women in American Magazines
    Feb. 26, 2016 at 12 p.m.

    Please join us for a gallery talk by Hannah Covington and Annie Page, the curators of an exhibit featuring ads, cartoons, and illustrations exploring the radically changing roles of women in early twentieth-century America.

    March

    An Evening with the 1491s
    March 8, 2016 at 7:30 p.m., Gilcrease Museum

    Our exploration of humor contiues as we join with Philbrook Museum of Art, Gilcrease Museum, and Tulsa Indigenous Studies Alliance to present An Evening with the 1491s. This sketch comedy group is based in the wooded ghettos of Minnesota and buffalo grass of Oklahoma – a gaggle of Indians chock-full of cynicism and splashed with a good dose of indigenous satire.

    Funny, Not Funny: Thomas Nast’s Struggle to Defend Humor in Politics
    March 20, 2016 at 7 p.m.

    Thomas Nast, father of the modern political cartoon, wrestled with his editor at Harper’s Weekly over whether mockery and satire had a role in American politics. Nast won the debate and changed the way we see and relate to our government. Please join us for a lecture by Fionna Deans Halloran, the author of a new biography of Nast, as we set out to explore the role of humor in American politics.

    Gallery Talk: The Art of Politics
    March 25, 2016 at 12 p.m.

    Please join us for our March Final Friday event at the Henry Zarrow Center for Art and Education in the Brady Arts district. Dr. John Coward, Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Tulsa, will discuss the representation of native peoples in American political cartoons from Thomas Nast to the present day.

    Woody Guthrie as Political Humorist
    March 26, 2016 at 7 p.m.

    Dr. Mark Jackson, an expert on Woody Guthrie’s life and work, will talk about the singer-songwriter’s distinctive sense of humor, tracing it through his music and writing as well as the hundreds of political cartoons he drew. Organized in cooperation with the Woody Guthrie Center.

    Inside the Mind of Mike Luckovich
    April 8, 2016 at 8 p.m.

    Please join us for an entertaining evening of politcal art and humor featuring Pultizer-Prize winning cartoonist Mike Luckovich. This free event will kick off “Giving Offense: Humor and Stereotype in Political Cartoons”–a one-day symposium at Gilcrease Museum.

    Giving Offense: Humor and Stereotypes in Political Cartoons
    April 8-9, 2016

    Please join us for a two-day symposium on the role of humor and stereotype in American political cartoons. The event begins with a keynote address by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Mike Luckovich on April 8 at 8:00pm and continues with panel discussions at 9:00am on April 9 at Gilcrease Museum featuring internationally recognized cartoonists Clay Bennett, Bruce Plante, and Scott Stantis as well as local civil rights leaders and activists. All events are free and open to everyone.

    Big Ideas at TU:  A Touch of Sin
    April 14, 2016 at 6 p.m.

    The Chinese film A Touch of Sin, winner of the Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival, was inspired by four shocking, true events that forced the world’s fastest-growing economy into a period of self-examination. Please join us for a screening of this masterpiece followed by a panel discussion featuring TU faculty from Languages, History, Film, and Business.

    TU Arts and Humanities Festival
    April 15, 2016 at 10 a.m.

    Please join us for the third annual TU Arts & Humanities Festival. Events will be scattered all over campus and include an art exhibition and concerts in Lorton Performance Center, print-making in Phillips Hall, film screenings in Tyrrell, and even a booth in front of McFarlin where our campus creative writers will craft a custom poem for you. Food trucks will be parked on the main green during lunch, so come spend the day or just an hour or two.

    The Arts Abide: A “Big” Lebowski Celebration
    April 21-23, 2016

    And here’s how the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities at The University of Tulsa is bringing its year-long focus on humor to the perfect ending! In parternship with AHHA, Booksmart Tulsa, the Dust Bowl and John Hammer. Please come out for a terrific set of springtime events.
    THURSDAY NIGHT BOWLING and COSTUME CONTEST
    6 to 10 at the the Dust Bowl (21+)
    FRIDAY NIGHT ART OPENING and SCRIPT READING
    6 to 10 at AHHA-Hardesty Arts Center
    SATURDAY NIGHT MUSIC, MOVIE – THE BIG LEBOWSKI
    7 to 11 at Guthrie Green

    June

    Bloomsday 2016
    June 16, 2016 at 6 p.m.

    Tulsa’s third annual Bloomsday event will take place at the Mainline Art Bar this year. Join us for a raucous celebration of James Joyce and all things Irish. Music, costume contest, giveaways, readings, speciality cocktails, a surprise performance, and more!

  • 2014-15: Privacy

    Fall 2014

    September

    A Brief History of the Modern Bookstore
    Sept. 18, 2014 at 5 p.m.

    Shakespeare and Company. The Gotham Book Mart. City Lights. These independent books shops have played a crucial role in developing, publishing, and distributing some of world’s most important literary work. Professor Andrew Thacker from DeMontfort University in the UK will explore the history of these shops and discuss the uncertain future they face.

    The Zuckerberg Files: Why Making Everything Mark Zuckerberg Says Public Can Protect Your Privacy
    Spet. 24 at 5 p.m.

    Michael Zimmer, an expert on digital privacy, will discuss Facebook and the way it’s changing our ideas about privacy.

    October

    Bombed Churches: Faith, Modernism, and the Second World War in Britain
    Oct. 30, 2014 at 7 p.m.

    A Lecture by Allan Hepburn, James McGill Professor at McGill University and author of Intrigue: Espionage and Culture.

    November

    The War to End All Wars: From the Trenches to the Homefront
    Nov. 1, 2014 at 5 p.m.

    A performance written and directed by Steven Marzolf and Machele Miller Dill. Free and open to the public.

    Spring 2015

    January

    New Disciplinary History
    Jan. 22, 2015 at 5:30 p.m.

    A lecture by Rachel Buurma (Swarthmore College) and Laura Heffernan (U of North Florida) on the history of English literature as told through the reading lists, assignments, and exams of famous teachers.

    February

    What Are the Digital Humanities and Why Should I Care?
    Feb. 18, 2015 at 5 p.m.

    An interdisciplinary panel discussion at the University of Tulsa featuring Jeff Drouin (English) and Diana Folsom (Gilcrease Museum)

    March

    Public Selves/Private Selves: A Talk and Book Signing by New York Staff Writer, DT Max
    March 24, 2015 at 7 p.m.

    DT Max, author of Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story: A Life of David Foster Wallace, will explore why we are so interested in the private lives of writers by looking into the complicated lives of two of the twentieth century’s most important writers–James Joyce and David Foster Wallace.

    April

    Big Ideas @ TU: Privacy, Technology, and The Circle
    April 6, 2015 at 5 p.m.

    A discussion of Dave Eggers’ novel The Circle led by TU Professor of English Bob Jackson.

    Cache, a Film Screening and Discussion
    April 10, 2015 at 7 p.m.

    The Oklahoma Center for the Humanities will sponsor a free public screening of the award-winning 2005 film, Caché–a suspenseful, enigmatic mediation on surveillance, privacy and secrecy. Associate Professor of French Karl Pollin will then lead a discussion of the movie and the many questions it raises.

    CITIZENFOUR Film Screening and Discussion
    April 17, 2015 at 7:30 p.m., Circle Cinema

    Join us at the Circle Cinema for a screening and panel discussion of the Academy Award-winning documentary CITIZENFOUR. The panel will feature TU professors John Hale (Computer Science) and Tamara Piety (Law), as well as Tulsa World editorial pages editor Wayne Greene.

    Lapse America Poetry Reading
    April 21, 2015 at 7 p.m.

    Oklahoma’s new poet laureate Benjamin Myers will be joined by youth laureates reading from their works. The event will include books sales and signing as well as refreshments.

    Second Annual Arts and Humanities Festival at TU
    April 28-29, 2015 at 10 a.m.

    Join us all day for rotating exhibitions and performances featuring art, music, dance, drama, lectures, film screenings, poetry readings and much more as we celebrate arts and humanities at the University of Tulsa. All events are free and open to the public! Food trucks will be on campus for lunch and we’ll conclude with a wine and cheese reception. A key note address celebrating the 50th anniversary of the National Endowment for the Humanities will kick off festival day beginning at 10 a.m.

    June

    Writing the City: a Fiction Class
    June 15, 2015 at 7 p.m.

    A free workshop featuring Maya Lang, author of The Sixteenth of June, and Jennifer Latham, author of Scarlett Undercover.

    2nd Annual Bloomsday Pub Crawl
    June 16, 2015 at 5:30 p.m., Guthrie Green

    Music, Reading, and Drinking in the Brady Arts District

    Reading and Book Talk with Maya Lang
    June 16, 2015 at 6 p.m.

    A reading and talk by Maya Lang, author of The Sixteenth of June. Her novel, inspired by James Joyce’s Ulysses, will have its paperback premier in Tulsa as part of our 2nd Annual Bloomsday Pub Crawl.