Spring 2019 James Baldwin Reading and Discussion Group at Silo City, Photo: Claire Schneider
Justice Talking:
What Does Literature, Philosophy, and Religion Have To Say About Serving Our Community?
February 22MARCH 1 to March 15 MARCH 22, 2023 — Wednesday evenings 6:00 to 8:00pm
Humanities New York Reading and Discussion Program
This discussion is intimate and can accommodate about 15 people. The program is FREE and emailed reading materials will be provided. We can also help facilitate rides as needed.
About
Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center and C.S.1 Curatorial Projects are organizing their fifth Humanities New York Reading & Discussion Program entitled “Justice Talking: What Does Literature, Philosophy, and Religion Have To Say About Serving Our Community?” for four sessions from February 22 to March 15, 2020, on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 8:00pm at various locations. Sharon Holley, esteemed community leader, storyteller, owner of Zawadi Books, and President of the Michigan Street Preservation Corp, and Stacy Hubbard, UB English Professor, will be co-facilitating this discussion.
Why and how do we choose to serve others? What is the nature of the relationship between those who serve and those who are served? If we serve, what sustains and renews us? How does our service impact our communities? The readings in this series — drawn from literature, philosophy, and religion — invite reflection on these and other questions.
Readings Selections
The Civically Engaged Reader: A Diverse Collection of Short Provocative Readings on Civic Activity Edited by Adam Davis and Elizabeth Lynn.
This anthology includes more than forty short readings that invite reflection on all kinds of civic-minded activities--from giving and serving to leading and associating--and on the vital connections between thought and service. Authors range from Aristotle to Kafka, Langston Hughes to Jane Addams, Andrew Carnegie to Pablo Neruda.
Each week’s Justice Talking Readings are digitally available.
One can also order a new or used copy here.
Funded by Humanities New York this program encourages friends, colleagues, and strangers to “make time for thinking deeply about a single idea from a variety of perspectives, allowing texts to become catalysts for civic engagement, cultural understanding, and personal reflection.”
This group grows out of four previous HNY discussion groups held in Buffalo in 2019 & 2020 on: James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, American Politics and Community Today/Ralph Ellison, and Lucille Clifton and Black Buffalo Writers.
Locations
• CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER Feb. 22 - Merriweather Library, 1324 Jefferson Ave., Buffalo, NY 14208
• Mar. 1 – Community Action Org. of WNY - Masten Resource Center, 1423 Fillmore Ave, Buffalo, NY 14211
• Mar. 8 – Say Yes Buffalo @ Lafayette High School, 370 Lafayette Avenue, 14213
• Mar. 15 – Hallwalls - 341 Delaware Ave, Buffalo, NY 14202
• Mar. 22 - ADDED - Merriweather Library, 1324 Jefferson Ave., Buffalo, NY 14208
We are purposely working to meet in different Buffalo locations / neighborhoods as a means to know our city better.
Discussion Facilitators
Sharon Holley is President of the Nash House Museum, an Anchor of the Michigan Street African-American Heritage Corridor. She is responsible for interpreting and preserving the historical integrity of this Historic Landmark for the public, community and visitors. Holley is a storyteller (co-founder of Tradition Keepers: Black Storytellers of WNY) and retired Librarian who hails from High Springs, FL. For 34 years she was employed by the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. With her husband, Kenneth they own Zawadi Books at 1382 Jefferson Ave.
Stacy Hubbard is Associate Professor of English at the University of Buffalo. Herresearch and teaching focus on American literature and culture, women’s writing, and reform writing. She is a recipient of the Florence Howe Award for Feminist Scholarship and a SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. She has participated in a number of previous Humanities New York Reading and Discussion Groups in Buffalo and run workshops and reading groups at Just Buffalo Literary Center.
For more information on Humanities New York’s Reading & Discussion Groups.
More information on Hallwalls: here & C.S.1 Curatorial Projects: here.