Tag: humanities

Teen creativity on display as Rain Poetry expands to Kane

The following Rain Poetry participants are standing (back row) and seated (front row) Back from from left: Friends Memorial Library director Patty Kunicki, library support staff Brooke Lehman, library board of trustee Dani Newman, PA Wilds chief operating officer and PA Humanities board member Abbi Peters, library clerk and program director Anne Cleer, and Rain Poetry teaching artist and University of Pittsburgh at Bradford emeritus professor of writing Nancy McCabe. Front row from left: Rain Poetry poets Olivia Emer, Kya Haight, Aurora Forsythe, Allison Walters and Sophia Swanson at the Rain Poetry public reveal celebration in Kane.

Anne Cleer wanted to bring PA Humanities’ Rain Poetry project to Friends Memorial Library in Kane as a way to encourage young people to express themselves and also bring a little magic to the streets of their rural community. 
Now, for many of the youth who participated in the project, seeing their words showcased on the sidewalks around their northwest Pennsylvania town has become not just a creative accomplishment, but also a chance to become part of the town conversation and excitement around the project. They’re also finding their own community of
fellow writers and creative peers at the library, even though the project is officially finished.

Who’s your Window Keeper? Nominate them today!

a collage of portraits of the first 25 people selected as Window Keepers

Real-life Window Keepers are everyday people who illuminate what’s possible in their communities, helping others to connect and participate more fully in civic life. Over the coming months, PA Humanities will recognize Window Keepers from all across Pennsylvania, but we can’t do it without YOU! Read to learn more about how to help tell the story of Pennsylvania at 250 and honor the ones working to make life better in the places we call home.

How three Wingspan grantees are moving beyond traditional community engagement

PA Humanities launched the two-year Wingspan grant program in 2024. Learn how Friends of the Tanner House, the Chester Cultural Arts and Technology Center and the Crawford County Historical Society used the funding and peer support to strengthen their work as living, collaborative experiences rooted in local history and expanded community partnerships. 

Wingspan grantees illuminate Pennsylvania’s past through storytelling

The cover image is a collage featuring screenshots from the various video projects, including historic homes, an old mill, a family with young children engaged in an archaeology dig, and an old photo of horses in a field with an old barn.

PA Humanities’ Wingspan grants are helping organizations across Pennsylvania bring community stories to life and spotlight voices too often left out of the historical record. From documentaries exploring the Underground Railroad to award-winning films uncovering Jefferson County’s industrial and agricultural past, Wingspan funding has given historians and storytellers the flexibility to research, film, teach, and share their work in meaningful ways. The result is history that feels personal, connected, and alive.

When teens take the lead: Inside PA Humanities’ youth-led approach

Julia Katz stands, smiling, wearing a mustard-colored top, at the front of the room in the background while a group of women who are attendees at the Youth-Led Humanities Community Culture Changers convening are seated around round tables, smiling and laughing.

What does it look like to create humanities-based programming that teens don’t just attend, but actually help shape and keep coming back to? That question is at the heart of Youth-Led Humanities, one of PA Humanities’ core programs. Hear from Julia Katz, PA Humanities’ Education Program Manager, about what it means to be youth-led, why this approach works, and how Youth-Led Humanities—and new training opportunities for libraries and youth-serving organizations—are helping adults think about how they partner with young people.

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