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About Us
Launched in 1983, the Speakers in the Humanities program brings the best in humanities scholarship to thousands of people at hundreds of cultural organizations in virtually every corner of New York. To host a lecture in your town, just select a topic, contact the Speaker, and apply for funding through the Council. Any not-for-profit organization in New York State is eligible to use the program. Speakers events must be open to the public and free of charge. If your application is successful, the Council covers the cost of the Speaker's honorarium and travel expenses.
How to apply to host a lecture

Confirm Your Eligibility
Speakers in the Humanities is available to most not-for-profit

organizations. Read more >

Select a lecture
Search or browse presentation listings to find the right topic for your audience. Find a lecture >

Contact the Speaker to arrange a date and time
Get in touch with the Speaker you have selected, using his or her listed contact information. Browse Speaker directory >

Apply to the Council for Funds
Once you have completed steps 1 through 3, apply to the Council for funding. Apply now >

Plan and Promote Your Event
Start publicizing your lecture as soon as you receive notice of Council funding approval. View Planning Tips >

Need more information about Speakers in the Humanities?
View answers to Frequently Asked Questions >

Browse the new We the People lecture topics >

 
Celebrate the Fourth of July with an American History Topic
Still Making Us Smile After 200 Years: Political Puns and Social Satire in the Genre Paintings of William Sidney Mount
Elizabeth Kahn Kaplan
Subtle humor injected into scenes of country life by this world-renowned 19th century Long Island artist brought smiles to the lips of those in the know.
'The Removal of Our Colour Population': Liberia and the American Colonization Society
Ron Soodalter
In the early 1800’s, our greatest statesmen met in Washington to make a vital decision: how to rid the country of its black population.
 
Offer a series of Medicine, Science and Technology lectures in August
Photo by Martha Cooper
Scientists as Storytellers
Steve Zeitlin
This lecture explores some of the literature written by scientists for lay audiences, and explores how they use storytelling and metaphor to convey scientific ideas.
Tragedy of the Radium Dial Painters: A National Health Story
Eugene J. Boesch
Women radium dial painters at the historic U.S. Radium site in New Jersey 90 years ago were exposed to radiation and many subsequently died. From that tragedy, one of the first officially recognized cases of industrial poisoning, emerged worker health standards, scientific investigation of radiation induced sickness, and data on radiation exposure limits for humans used by the World War II Manhattan Project.

Don't see what you're looking for? Apply for funding to create your own program. Read more >