By Cheryl L. Yeatts, Manager for Sedona Public Library in the Village
Sedona AZ (October 5, 2011) – Many of you have attended community book discussions and speakers’ programs sponsored by Sedona Public Library and the Arizona Humanities Council (AHC), but you may not know much about the AHC. Founded in 1973, the Arizona Humanities Council is the Arizona affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The AHC is not a state agency.
Ann Meiggs, former SPL Board member, became interested in bringing community book discussions and speakers’ programs to this area when she received a catalog from AHC. After browsing the catalog, she discovered that the programs were available to non-profit organizations for a nominal fee. The rest is history. Since 2008, the Sedona Public Library Board of Trustees and the Sedona Friends of the Library have coordinated with the Arizona Humanities Council to offer programs to residents and visitors.
The majority of costs of the programs — speakers’ honorariums, speakers’ expenses, book facilitators’ fees and expenses, cost of books, and administrative costs — are provided by the AHC. The Hilton Sedona Resort and Spa has given special rates to AHC speakers who required overnight accommodations. Sedona Winds, located at 405 Jacks Canyon Road, has generously provided meeting space free of charge, and several residents of Sedona Winds participate in the community book discussions. The books available through the AHC’s community book discussion program are very diverse. There are more than 100 titles, including fiction and nonfiction, listed on the AHC website. When planning the community book discussions, Ann Meiggs has done an outstanding job selecting titles that appeal to a wide audience.
The following AHC programs are scheduled for the remainder of 2011:
- Wednesday, October 12: Speaker Gregory McNamee of Tucson will present “Arizona Place Names: Names on the Land”
10:30 a.m. at Sedona Public Library and 1:30 p.m. at Sedona Winds - Monday, November 21: Community Book Discussion of “The Age of Innocence” by Edith Wharton
1:30 p.m. at Sedona Winds - Wednesday, December 14: Speaker Reba Wells Grandrud of Phoenix will present “In Their Own Words: Diaries of 19th Century Women”
10:30 a.m. at Sedona Public Library and 1:30 p.m. at Sedona Winds
The Arizona Humanities Council can continue to offer these programs only if they receive funding and grants. They welcome donations from Arizona residents and especially from those who enjoy the programs. All programs are free and open to the public. To learn more about the Arizona Humanities Council, you can visit their website at www.azhumanities.org. For additional information about AHC programs in Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek, please contact Sedona Public Library at 928.282.7714 or Sedona Public Library in the Village at 282.284.1603. Thank you for your continuing support of Sedona Public Library and free library programs for the community.