Lectures supported by the Humanities Council are often recorded and posted here. You can listen to the programs in your browser.

"Why Shakespeare Matters," a Little Lecture by Dr. Gabriel Rieger. Rieger is associate professor of Medieval and Renaissance English Literature and director of the Appalachian Shakespeare Project at Concord University. His talk focused on the challenges, and benefits, that engaging with Shakespeare affords people at every stage of life. He makes the case for the value of humanities education generally, and for the teaching of Shakespeare specifically. (52:32)

"The American Army and World War I ," a Little Lecture by Dr. David Woodward. Woodward is history Professor Emeritus at Marshall University and a well-known WWI scholar. He discussed America entering the Great War, the development of the American Expeditionary Force as a modern army, and the leadership of President Woodrow Wilson and General John “Black Jack” Pershing. (44:45)

"Reporting the Blankenship Trial," a Little Lecture by award-winning reporter Ken Ward Jr. An experienced reporter of coal mining issues, Ward covered the landmark trial of coal executive Don Blankenship for the Charleston Gazette-Mail. (51:15)

"Archeology of Frontier Forts," a Little Lecture by archeologist Stephen McBride. His talk covered recent archeological excavations of 18th-century frontier forts in present West Virginia and how they have allowed for a better understanding of the frontier defense system, as well as the historical context in which it developed. He discussed findings discovered from digs at Point Pleasant, in the Greenbrier Valley, and at other Mountain State sites in Mineral and Hampshire counties. (1:02:55)

“The Changing Role of Media in Politics: From Tom Paine to Twitter,” a special lecture by Harvard University professor Timothy McCarthy. Professor McCarthy's panoramic lecture -- from the pamphlet wars of the American Revolution to the social media revolution—explores the history of the relationship between media and U.S. politics, with an emphasis on key moments of transition. (1:07:09)

"The 35th Star: West Virginia Statehood," a Sesquicentennial Speakers Bureau talk by Joe Geiger of the West Virginia State Archives. Geiger describes the issues and processes that led to the creation of the Mountain State including Lincoln’s election, the outbreak of war, the Reorganized Government of Virginia and the Wheeling constitutional conventions. (51:08)

"Robert E. Lee in West Virginia," a Little Lecture by Civil War historian and author Hunter Lesser. Hunter Lesser of Elkins is a consulting archaeologist and historical interpreter who served on the West Virginia Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission and the Humanities Council’s Sesquicentennial Speakers Bureau. He is the author of Rebels at the Gate andThe First Campaign: A Guide to Civil War in the Mountains of West Virginia, 1861. (53:34)

"Thomas Jefferson's Revolutionary Garden at Monticello," a Little Lecture by Peter J. Hatch, Director of Grounds and Gardens at Monticello. Hatch has been responsible for the maintenance, interpretation, and restoration of the 2,400 acre landscape at Monticello since 1977. He has managed important restoration projects of the eight-acre Vegetable and Fruit Garden, and the Grove, an ornamental forest of eighteen acres. In 1987 he initiated the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants, a nursery to preserve historic and Jefferson-related garden plants. Hatch is the author of numerous books and articles on horticulture and historic plants and has lectured in thirty-five states. (55:20)

"Most Southern of the Northern," a Little Lecture by historian John Alexander Williams, discusses West Virginia's 150th anniversary. In his talk, Williams reflects on past anniversary celebrations and on his personal experience of the 1963 state centennial. (1:07:44)