By Cheryl L. Yeatts, Manager of Sedona Public Library in the Village
Sedona AZ (January 3, 2020) – Sedona Public Library is pleased to announce a wonderful series of Arizona Humanities speaker programs for 2020. AZ Speaks is the longest-running and most popular program of Arizona Humanities. Speakers are selected based on their expertise and ability to offer content that inspires and entertains audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
Programs begin at 1:30 p.m. at the Church of the Nazarene, 55 Rojo Drive in VOC. Generously funded by Arizona Humanities and Friends of the Sedona Library, programs are free and open to the public. Donations are always welcome!
You won’t want to miss these engaging, educational presentations, so grab your calendar and make a note of the dates below. Additional programs will be added during the year; please check for updates by visiting sedonalibrary.org/spl-in-the-village.html.
Wednesday, January 15: “Honky Tonks, Brothels, and Mining Camps: Entertainment in Old Arizona,” presented by Dr. Jay Crávath
In pioneer Arizona, some of the best places to experience the performing arts were the mining towns. For miners, striking it rich meant having disposable income. And like the well-heeled city dwellers of the Gilded Age, miners wanted to demonstrate their sophistication by participating in cultural events. In remote hamlets like Tombstone, residents could enjoy glee clubs, orchestras, and even operas! Dr. Craváth shares stories and music of a time when watching live performances was one of the few ways to experience the arts.
Friday, February 14: “Hyenas in Petticoats: How Women Struggled Against Every Dirty Trick in the Books to Win the Vote,” presented by Jana Bommersbach
As we celebrate the 100th birthday of the 19th Amendment in 2020, it’s time to look back at the enormous effort it took for women to be granted full citizenship and the vote. History has downplayed suffrage, as if it were just a footnote in American history. In fact, it was the nation’s largest civil rights movement. Western women got the vote long before their Eastern sisters, but don’t dare tell an Arizona suffragette that she had it easy. Arizonans opposed to suffrage had their own dirty tricks. During this presentation, Jana Bommersbach will expose it all—the heroines, the heroes, and the haters.
Wednesday, March 11: “The Vanishing Trading Posts,” presented by Chris Glenn and Sandy Sunseri
“The Vanishing Trading Posts” presents a snapshot of life in the Southwest that has disappeared. In a little over one hundred years, trading posts in the Four Corners were founded, relationships between traders and Native Americans flourished, and then the posts faded away. The challenges and unexpected gifts of cross-cultural exchange and the stories of trading-family dynasties are discussed against a background of social and economic changes on the reservations and in the U.S. that are still relevant today. The presenters, Chris Glenn and Sandy Sunseri, are docents at the Museum of Northern Arizona. They have been speaking about the land and people of the Colorado Plateau since 2012.
For more information about these programs, call Cheryl Yeatts, Village Library Manager at 928-284-1603 or email voc@sedonalibrary.org. Thank you for supporting Sedona Public Library services in the Village of Oak Creek
