Hartwell, Georgia, has a story to tell, and on a hot day this spring, the community came together for an entire day dedicated to the stories, sounds, and traditions of this small town of 4,500 people. In this episode, the town’s economic development director and the owner of the local blues music venue, High Cotton Music Hall, come together to reflect on the themes of the Porch Songs & Public Voices Festival, what makes Hartwell special (spoiler: it’s the people), how the town came to be a destination for blues lovers, and how culture foster the sense of community that makes the town somewhere people want to live and visit. Show notes and transcript available at statehumanities.org/bythepeoplepodcast. 

What was going in the West while the thirteen colonies fought for independence? Over the summer, hundreds of people across Wyoming gathered at a series of community film screenings and panel discussions to find out the answer to that question. They came together to watch a new documentary from Wyoming PBS, Wyoming Humanities, and Caldera Productions called “Before Wyoming: The West in 1776.” Expanding the story of 1776 beyond the East Coast, the film explores thriving indigenous nations, early European influence, and the changing world of the West through historians, Native voices, artifacts, and the perspective of young people today. In this episode, we speak to the film’s producers and experts about the history it tells and nuances of telling this history. Show notes and transcript available at statehumanities.org/bythepeoplepodcast. 

Humanities Washington brought two Mexican musical traditions into dialogue through performance and discussion at an event in Wenatchee called “Traditions in Dialogue.” In this episode, Humanities Washington's Violeta Martin interviews two performers from the event, Dr. Yesenia Navarette Hunter and Yajayra Ramierez. The guests share the history and traditions of son jarocho and mariachi, discuss how their own identities and lives have been shaped through these practices, and reflect on how they are using this music to build community and connection in Washington state. Show notes and transcript available at statehumanities.org/bythepeoplepodcast.

Stayed tuned for the first three of eight episodes, which will be available on September 24. 

By the People: Conversations Beyond 250 is a national initiative developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. The By the People: Conversations Beyond 250 podcast was produced by the Federation.

There are 56 state and jurisdictional humanities councils in the US, one for every state, territory, and DC. These nonpartisan nonprofits were established in 1971 by Congress to make outstanding public humanities programming accessible to everyday Americans.