2025-26 Theme: Myth
Check back soon for our event schedule!
Events
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2024-25: Space
September
Technology and the Narrative of the Self
A conversation with Ted Chiang
Sept. 3, 2024 at 7:30 p.m., Lorton Performance CenterThe 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 ArcherJoin 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 ArcherJoin 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 ArcherWhat 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 ArcherA 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 ArcherThe 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 CenterIn 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 ArcherIn 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 ArcherCome 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 ArcherExplore 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 ArcherLearn 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 ArcherThe 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.
February
Tracing Ancient Journeys into Underground Space
with John Hawks (National Geographic)
Feb. 6, 2025 at 7 p.m., 101 ArcherHuman ancestors entered the underground world millions of years ago. Yet only recently have scientists realized the extent that our early relatives stretched their activities into the dark spaces beneath us. Starting from his own work in the Rising Star cave system of South Africa, Dr. John Hawks follows a track connecting extinct human relatives like Homo naledi with Neanderthals and early people in the caves of Africa, Europe, and Asia. The talk explores the long connections of ritual and art with underground space, through a consideration of the psychological and sensory effects of dark.The Superhumanities: Altered States and the Future of Knowledge
with Jeffrey Kripal (Rice University)
Feb. 13, 2025 at 7 p.m., 101 ArcherThis talk advances the idea that the humanities as a set of disciplines are often generated or inspired by remarkable altered states of consciousness and embodiment, which can sometimes be re-experienced by a deep engagement with the texts and artworks themselves. Hence many a teaching or pedagogical moment. Hence some of the furthest reaches of the intellectual life. The humanities, in short, are often the superhumanities. Critical theory and altered states often go together and cannot be thought apart.101 Unplugged III: Cinematic
in partnership with Tulsa Symphony Orchestra
Feb. 14, 2025 at 7 p.m., 101 Archer101 Unplugged returns with a special Valentine’s Day concert. Listen to the symphony play sounds of the cinema at 101 Archer. Buy your tickets today.
The Professor was a Spy: Norman Holmes Pearson in the American Century
with Greg Barnhisel
Feb. 17, 2025 at 7 p.m., 101 ArcherNorman Holmes Pearson might have looked like the tweedy Yale professor he was, but he was one of the most consequential figures in twentieth-century American literature; an architect of the Cold War collaboration between academia and cultural diplomacy; and a high-ranking spy in the OSS and one of the shapers of the CIA. Greg Barnhisel will give an overview of Pearson’s unique career as a spymaster, cultural diplomat, and literary fixer, and reflect on whether the unlikely combination that Pearson represented might have been a secret weapon for the U.S. in the Cold War.Moral Panics and Media Production: How Space-Age Cartoons Beget “Scooby Doo, Where Are You!”
with Kevin Sandler
Presented with the Kendall College of Arts &Sciences
Feb. 27, 2025 at 7 p.m., 101 ArcherThe creation of “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” (1969-1971) was the result of efforts by production companies, network executives, and advertisers to replace the violent action-adventure space fantasies on Saturday morning with comedic and musical cartoons after the moral panic of 1968. Cultural discourses on media violence, industrial strategies on cross-media marketing, and musical trends like bubblegum pop all came together to inform the production of what became the most spun-off series in U. S. television history.March
Sound of Hope – a live performance
with Patricia Wolf and OCH Fellow Brad Rose
March 6, 2025 at 7 p.m., 101 Archer“Sounds of Hope” is an ecologically inspired work of field recordings and ambient music that celebrates the remaining natural spaces near the artist’s home in North Portland. These songs trace the perilous migrations of the Northern Red-legged frog, express the power and beauty felt within one of the last stands of old growth forest in the Portland area, and say farewell to a superfund site just blocks from her house that is now being restored after 70 years of industrial pollution to make way for a nature park for native species of plants and animals. Patricia will share the hidden sounds from these spaces that she has gathered with her various microphones and will perform music to accompany them that honors the existence of the many living beings who have called this area home for millennia. These compositions are made with the intention of inspiring people from all over the world to look and listen to the unique natural environment around where they live and seek out ways to protect and restore their local habitats so that all living creatures can thrive.
Too Close Reading: On American Miniaturism
with Merve Emre (The New Yorker)
March 10, 2025 at 7 p.m., 101 ArcherThis talk argues that American miniaturism, as represented by contemporary forms like “flash fiction” or “the short-short story,” emerges as the primary aesthetic strategy for foregrounding the disciplined study of grammar over figuration. Too close reading, or reading at the smallest scale possible, brings these practices to the fore and shows how they produce a hyper-disciplined, minimally individualized variety of pleasure.Creating Space through Art and Collaboration: A Conversation with Kelsey Karper and Erin Shaw
March 27, 2025 at 7 p.m., 101 ArcherArt has the power to create meaningful spaces for connection and community. Join Chickasaw-Choctaw artist Erin Shaw as she discusses her work, which draws inspiration from and responds to her community, and the role of storytelling in her practice. She’ll be joined by Kelsey Karper, curator and founder of Factory Obscura, for a conversation on how creative collaboration can amplify the impact of art.
April
History Hidden in Plain Sight
Discussion with historian W. Jacob Cornwell, moderated by Bret M. Spears
April 3, 2025 at 7 p.m., 101 ArcherLearn about the history of Negro league baseball in Tulsa!Join cultural historian W. Jacob Cornwell, for a free gallery talk. Cornwell created the Oklahoma Baseball Archive, which is currently on display in the exhibit “BLACK GOLD IN OIL TOWN” – now on view at 101 Archer. If you liked what you saw during the March First Friday, you’ll enjoy this event.Choosing Life: Affirming a Human Future in an Imperfect World
presented with the Honors College
April 8, 2025 at 7 p.m., 101 ArcherRachel Wiseman and Anastasia Berg join us at 101 Archer to discuss their book, “What Are Children For? On Ambivalence and Choice.” The book analyses the increasing ambivalence about having children and explores the philosophical resources available to overcome it. Peeling back the layers of resistance, “What Are Children For?” argues that when we make the individual decision whether or not to have children we confront a profound philosophical question, that of the goodness of our form life itself. How can we justify perpetuating human life given the catastrophic harm and suffering of which we are always at once both victims and perpetrators? To meet this challenge we must, we argue, uncover a capacity to grasp the fundamental goodness of human life—not only theoretically but practically in the actual lives we lead today.
Serenity in Structure: The Towers of Minoru Yamasaki
April 10, 2025 at 7 p.m., 101 ArcherLeonid Furmansky explores the work of Minoru Yamasaki and his skyscrapers across America, beginning with his discovery of Rainier Tower in Seattle, Washington, a moment that sparked a deeper photographic journey into Yamasaki’s architecture. From there, his work has taken him to landmarks such as the quarter-scale replica of the World Trade Center Towers in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Through architectural photography commissions, Leonid continues to find himself in front of another of Yamasaki’s iconic buildings. Over time, he has carefully documented these structures, building a body of work that preserves the architect’s legacy.This ongoing photographic essay is a long-term effort to capture all of Yamasaki’s towering projects, with the ultimate goal of creating a book. As part of this project, an artist talk will feature Shane Hood and Leonid Furmansky, discussing Yamasaki’s work and legacy, offering insight into his lasting impact on architecture and the built environment.New Voices at TU: TAF Mentorship Reading
April 16, 2025 at 7 p.m., 101 ArcherJoin the Department of English, the Oklahoma Center for the Humanities, and the Tulsa Artist Fellowship for an evening featuring the talents of UTulsa students! Five creative writing students will showcase the work they have created under the guidance of TAF mentors. This event is free and open to all!
Ellmann’s Joyce: The Biography of the Masterpiece and its Maker
April 17, 2025 at 7 p.m., 101 ArcherJoin us to celebrate Zachary Leader’s new book, “Ellmann’s Joyce: The Biography of the Masterpiece and its Maker.” Reception with beer and wine to follow. Leader is Emeritus Professor of English Literature at the University of Roehampton.101 Unplugged presentes Mozart
Co-sponsored by Tulsa Symphony Orchestra
April 25, 2025 at 7 p.m., 101 ArcherThe 101 Unplugged Series continues with music from the Symphony’s Brass Quintet. They will perform Malcolm Arnold’s lively Quintet for Brass and other selections. Buy your tickets here.
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2023-24: Movement
Fall 2023
September
Turning Red Screening & Panel
September 14, 2023, 6 p.m. at the Lorton Performance CenterWatch 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. ArcherHelp 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. ArcherHeller 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. ArcherHelp 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 ChurchThis 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 CenterDanielle 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. ArcherThe 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. ArcherThe 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. ArcherOCH 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. ArcherThe 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. ArcherTo 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. ArcherAn 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 BallroomThis 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. ArcherIn 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. ArcherIn 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. ArcherTU 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. ArcherIn 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. ArcherDirector, 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 HallLearn 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-TulsaUrban 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. ArcherJoin 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. ArcherIn 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. ArcherJoin 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 HallImposter 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. ArcherHow–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. ArcherIn 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. ArcherJoin 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 CenterWhile 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. ArcherThe 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. ArcherNational 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. ArcherActivism 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. ArcherThe 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. ArcherFive 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. ArcherA 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. ArcherJoin 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 LibraryTo 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. ArcherThe 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 GardenBloomsday 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 CenterJoin 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 HallAn 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 HallUniversity 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 CenterA 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 HallA 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 HallCult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Ranger
Nov. 11, 2022 at 5:30 p.m., Zarrow CenterDoug 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 CenterA 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 CenterGoodkin 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 CenterAnthropologist 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 CenterAcclaimed 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 CenterThe 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 CenterAnker 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.
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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 MoreDr. 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 MoreOur 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 MoreAll 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 MoreNovember
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 MoreWho 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 MoreSpring 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 hereComing 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.***
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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, 2018Join 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 TulsaIn 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 MuseumPulitzer-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 CreativityWhat 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, 2019THE 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 ArtComposer 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, 2019From 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, 2019As 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 TulsaJoin 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 Restaurantoin 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., FlyloftJoin 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 ContemporaryFrom 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 ArtJoin 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, 2018Deeply 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 MuseumPresented 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 CinemaHome 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 MuseumWhat’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 TavernOn 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., ChimeraA 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 ArtA 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 CenterA 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 CenterBook 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 EmunahA 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, 2017Lectures, 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 ContemporaryA 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 ContemporaryWe 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.
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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 LibraryAs 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 MuseumOur 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, 2016Please 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, 2016And 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 CenterSATURDAY NIGHT MUSIC, MOVIE – THE BIG LEBOWSKI
7 to 11 at Guthrie GreenJune
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!
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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 CinemaJoin 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 GreenMusic, Reading, and Drinking in the Brady Arts DistrictReading 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.