Humanities events
Our humanities program brings nationally recognized authors and world-class scholars to the library community through events that focus on music, art, local history, religion, literature, and culture.
Programs are often developed in partnership with our many local arts and humanities organizations, nonprofits, and institutions.
Humanities programming is funded by the Durham Library Foundation.
Upcoming Events
Nature Writing Workshop
Saturday, April 20, 2024 • 10:00am - 11:30am
Main Library (Meeting Room #4347)
Nature has inspired countless pieces of poetry and prose over the course of time and space. Nature writing puts us in intimate touch with our own inner landscapes, while filling us with awe and reverence for our natural world. If you have ever been...
Ages: Adult, Emerging Adult: 18-24 Year Olds, Senior Citizen
Mallarmé Music FAMILY CONCERT
Saturday, April 20, 2024 • 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Main Library (Main Auditorium)
Mallarmé Music Family Concert Series...
Ages: Elementary School, Emerging Adult: 18-24 Year Olds, High School, Intergenerational, Middle School, Senior Citizen, Teen, Tweens: 9-12 Year Olds
Open Mic Poetry Night
Tuesday, April 23, 2024 • 6:15pm - 7:30pm
South Regional Library (South Meeting Room - Full Room)
April is National Poetry Month! Come celebrate with us at South Regional Library during our open mic poetry night! Share a poem of your own, do a reading of one of your favorite poems, or just come listen and enjoy. Doors open at 6:00, readers...
Ages: Adult, Elementary School, Emerging Adult: 18-24 Year Olds, High School, Intergenerational, Middle School, Senior Citizen, Teen, Tweens: 9-12 Year Olds
Bringing The Dead To Life: The Art of The Obituary (rescheduled from March)
Saturday, April 27, 2024 • 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Main Library (Conference Room #3214)
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, when your time comes, virtually all plans were in place, completed by the one person in the world most qualified to make them---you? Writing your life’s story is a good place to begin because it is a reminder...
Ages: Adult, Emerging Adult: 18-24 Year Olds, Senior Citizen
Registration full. Join the waitlist >
A Story of Durham: Told the Wright Way
Tuesday, April 30, 2024 • 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Main Library (Meeting Room #4347)
Come join us as we celebrate Durham’s rich history. Cora Darrah, author of "A Story of Durham: Told the Wright Way" will be giving a presentation of the formation of Durham and the historical highlights our city has taken to lead us...
Ages: Adult, Emerging Adult: 18-24 Year Olds, High School, Senior Citizen
It Did Happen Here: An Antifascist People's History
Tuesday, April 30, 2024 • 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Main Library (Main Library - Outdoors - 4th Floor Terrace)
Come to Main Library for a special panel discussion about antiracism and community organizing with authors Mic Crenshaw and Moe Bowstern, hosts and editors of the the podcast and book It Did Happen Here. ...
Ages: Adult, Emerging Adult: 18-24 Year Olds, Senior Citizen
Durham County Library Artist Salon
Tuesday, May 07, 2024 • 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Main Library (Main Library - MakerLab)
Join Durham County Library’s Artist Salon, an adult discussion group focused on information as inspiration and co-art creation! Bring a book (or anything else!) that’s inspiring your work to discuss and share. Join in to work on your own...
Ages: Adult, Emerging Adult: 18-24 Year Olds, Senior Citizen
Durham County Library Artist Salon
Tuesday, June 04, 2024 • 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Main Library (Main Library - MakerLab)
Join Durham County Library’s Artist Salon, an adult discussion group focused on information as inspiration and co-art creation! Bring a book (or anything else!) that’s inspiring your work to discuss and share. Join in to work on your own...
Ages: Adult, Emerging Adult: 18-24 Year Olds, Senior Citizen
Why Local History Matters: Honoring Jean Bradley Anderson and Her History of Durham County
Saturday, June 08, 2024 • 3:00pm - 4:30pm
Main Library (Main Auditorium)
Durham County Library’s North Carolina Collection and the Museum of Durham History present a celebration in honor of historian Jean Bradley Anderson’s 100th birthday. Jean has written a number of books and articles on local and state...
Ages: Adult, Emerging Adult: 18-24 Year Olds, Senior Citizen
Durham County Library Artist Salon
Tuesday, July 02, 2024 • 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Main Library (Main Library - MakerLab)
Join Durham County Library’s Artist Salon, an adult discussion group focused on information as inspiration and co-art creation! Bring a book (or anything else!) that’s inspiring your work to discuss and share. Join in to work on your own...
Ages: Adult, Emerging Adult: 18-24 Year Olds, Senior Citizen
Durham County Library Artist Salon
Tuesday, August 06, 2024 • 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Main Library (Main Library - MakerLab)
Join Durham County Library’s Artist Salon, an adult discussion group focused on information as inspiration and co-art creation! Bring a book (or anything else!) that’s inspiring your work to discuss and share. Join in to work on your own...
Ages: Adult, Emerging Adult: 18-24 Year Olds, Senior Citizen
The Hum
Introducing The Hum, the newsletter of Durham County Library Humanities Programming. Look forward to monthly releases sharing upcoming events, suggested reads, and more!
Exciting events are coming soon – check it out in The Hum!
Email choltzmann@dconc.gov to be added to the Humanities mailing list.
Past Editions
Humanities program videos
Video recordings of select humanities programs. We make every attempt to record programs of historical value to the Durham community. Here’s our most recent:
Get in touch!
Celeste
Email: choltzmann@dconc.gov
Celeste is a North Carolina native from the small town of Ridgeway. A winding road of customer service jobs and volunteer opportunities fed her passion for serving community and the various members of it. A graduate of UNC Asheville (BA) focusing in the art of printmaking and from NCCU (MLS) focusing in public libraries, she is thrilled to now take on the role of Humanities Coordinator for the exceptional community of the Durham County Library system. If you could only know one thing about her, she’d want you to know that she wants to HEAR FROM YOU! The humanities and libraries share the common thread of community and sharing voices, so please share yours! There may not be enough days in the year to do it all, but your ideas, interests, and suggestions matter!
Pronouns: she/her