The Forum

History is often presented as a collection of settled facts, but the stories we tell about the past are shaped by the questions we ask. What happens when we stop asking whether queer people existed in history and start asking how they lived, loved, performed, and imagined their futures? In this interactive lecture, artist and historian Joseph Germain Keehn II explores what it means to view history through a queer lens — examining the people, relationships, performances and possibilities that traditional historical narratives have often overlooked. Drawing on the research behind Queertauqua — a traveling tent show inspired by the late-19th and early-20th centuries Chautauqua movement — this hands-on program combines historical storytelling with plushie-making, inviting participants to become “producers” for Queertauqua’s inaugural production, "A Series of Unmentionable Acts." Perfect for anyone curious about history, creativity and the stories that refuse to stay buried.

Joseph Germain Keehn II is a cultural creator whose interdisciplinary practice is informed by history, theater, museum studies and queer theory. Their conceptually driven projects bridge archival research with the glam of camp and the melodrama of the absurd to challenge conventional norms. Joseph navigates the past as a “performance artist as historian,” transforming silences into vibrant spectacles that address the struggles of those who came before. Rooted in theorist Annamarie Jagose’s call to locate “queer as the source, not the destination,” Joseph centers LGBTQIA+ experiences as foundational to our collective history. By amplifying marginalized agency and resilience, their work offers a nuanced, empathetic and critical interpretation of the past. Queertauqua is the manifestation of this journey — a thought-provoking and memorably camp laboratory for the tenor of our times.

Gary Jenkins, local hisorian, author, and documentarian will discuss the history of the Underground Railroad in Kansas ans Missouri.  The Underground Railroad was anetwork of abolitionists who worked to help escaped slaves to freedom in the period leading up to the Civil War.

 

Musical Guest: Izzy Heller

Nicoya Helm is our featured speaker this week. She unites expertise in education and modern mindfulness to help people look deeper, dream bigger and live better. She’s also passionate about reducing stigma around mental health challenges. Her presentation is entitled “Mental Health First Aid.”

Also this week,, we are presenting a community moment presentation from Kansas City Oasis. Aidan Ready will speak to us about the Flying Scotsman, the famous railway locomotive that went around the world.

Our musical guests this week are the Nite Owls, Wyatt Brewer and Sarah Lynn

Dr. Micah W. Kubic, Executive Director, America Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, will discuss the amendment on the upcoming ballot to amend the Kansas Constitution to authorize the election of state Supreme Court justices and abolish the existing state Supreme Court nominating commission. With more than 20 years of experience in civil rights and racial justice work, Micah leads one of the largest advocacy organizations in the state, defending and strengthening the rights that belong to everyone under the Constitution.

Musical Guest: Josephine Eve

The episode contains two presentations from the Unitaraian Universalist Congregation in Lawrence, KS.  The first one is by Annette Hope Billings - a reading of her poetry with some story telling thrown in.  This will be followed by a conceret by award winning pianist, Melane Hadley Lina.

Marci Renée is the founder and director of Creative Voices of Freedom (creativevoicesoffreedom.org) and the founder and director of The Strawberry Girls (strawberrygirls.org) — a Spanish anti-trafficking, nonprofit organization working with Moroccan women exploited through the “Red Gold” strawberry industry of Spain and into the brothels. She feels called to be a voice for the “Silent Ones.”  Marci will discuss her work with broken, traumetized women in Spain and elsewhere.

Musical guest: Ivory Blue (https://www.facebook.com/IVORYBLUEMUSIC)

Duncan Payne is a musician, athlete and academic who recently received his master’s degree in Dublin studying cognitive science, a discipline straddling the line between neuroscience, philosophy, psychology and computer science. Specializing in emerging theories of mind collectively known as ‘4E’ (embodied, embedded, extended, enacted), Duncan’s presentation engages questions of the nature of consciousness, individuality and subjectivity, social neuroscience and the relationship of the brain/mind to the body. Though technically within the scope of ‘hard’ science, these schools of thought stress the interconnected nature of life and thought, and the need for life to be lived to be understood. 

Musical Guest: Heath Church

Steve Perron is an Emmy Award-winning journalist (15 Emmys) and a nationally recognized singer/songwriter. He left home one month after his 14th birthday to enter the seminary, where he stayed for seven years studying for the Catholic priesthood. After leaving the seminary he struggled with questions about faith and religion for decades. He now identifies as a Secular Humanist. His book, What’ll We Do With All the Churches?, is part memoir, relating his personal spiritual evolution, and part journalistic analysis and commentary on the historic decline in belief and religious affiliation in the United States, all built around 13 of his original songs.

Musical guest: Steve Morton

Stuart Hinds serves as the Curator of Special Collections and Archives at the Miller Nichols Library of UMKC, and has been an archivist and librarian in Kansas City for 30 years. In 2009 he co-founded the Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America, a project that preserves and make accessible the histories of Kansas City’s LGBTQ communities. An adjunct instructor for UMKC and the Kansas City Art Institute, Stuart will discuss local LGBTQ history and the role of the Gay and Lebian Archives in recording it.

Musical guest: Erica McKenzie

 Alyssa Carter of KCMO Angels describes the support and services provided by the organization to the community, as well as the state of foster care in Kansas City.  The mission of KCMO Angels is "To walk alongside children, youth, and families in the foster care community by offering consistent support through intentional giving, relationship building, and mentorship."

Musical Guest: Jack Summers