Hall Center for the Humanities

10/08/2026

KU alum and NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara will be at the Kansas Union Ballroom this evening at 7:00 PM to talk about her experiences working on the International Space Station.

This talk serves as part of this year's Common Book programming, centering around "Orbital" by Samantha Harvey, detailing the lives of six astronauts aboard the ISS. O'Hara's talk will provide a real-life perspective to complement the fictionalized experiences in the novel of a day in space. 🌎 🛰️ 🌕

Can't make it in person? Join the virtual stream at https://crowdcast.io/c/loral

The University of Kansas will welcome home one of its own this fall when KU alumna and NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara returns to Lawrence for a public event celebrating the 2026–27 KU Reads: A Common Book Experience selection.

09/28/2026

Come by the Hall Center tonight for the KU Department of English John F. Eberhardt Memorial Lecture with Jericho Brown, presenting "Love Poems No Matter What!"

⏰ 7:00 PM Monday, Sept. 28
📍 Hall Center for the Humanities, 900 Sunnyside Ave.

Jericho Brown, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning poetry collection "The Tradition," ponders what it means to write about the spiritual in a nation where religion often excuses violence. He poses the question: if a good writing day is one where we most intently listen, then who do we think is talking?

Can't make it in person? Join our livestream at https://crowdcast.io/c/jericho

The Department is excited to welcome Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jericho Brown to KU.

Join us for the John F. Eberhardt Memorial Lecture, “Love Poems No Matter What!” on Monday, September 28 at 7 p.m. at the Hall Center Conference Hall.
Brown is the author of The Tradition, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and a professor and director of the Creative Writing Program at Emory University.
The Raven Book Store will be on site selling books.

This event is co-sponsored by KU English and the Hall Center for the Humanities.
Learn more at the link in our bio.

09/21/2026

Approximately 24 hours left to submit a book to be considered for next year's KU Common Read! This form is open to all KU faculty, students, and staff... please help us build a great pool of nominees!!! https://kusurvey.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2lSJQDilRLwsAQe

09/21/2026

09/17/2026

"In my judgment, no institution in the history of the world has done more to better advance individual liberty and social progress than the modern research university."

The concepts of free speech and academic freedom often get intertwined, but UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman illustrated the distinctions between them. According to Gillman, free speech means you can't get in trouble merely for expressing an idea, but academic freedom is almost the opposite: because it exists within a system of peer review, scholars evaluate the quality of each other's ideas, rewarding the ideas they think are good, and not rewarding the ones they think are bad. That, Gillman argued, is what protection within academic freedom actually means: protection as long as you're operating within the realm of professional competency and ethics.

Gillman spoke last week as the first Humanities Speaker Series guest of the 2026-2027 academic year. To watch the recording of his talk, visit https://crowdcast.io/c/gillman.

09/17/2026

Join us on Zoom or attend the live broadcast at the Hall Center today, Sept. 17 at 3:30 PM!

Due to an unexpected change in travel plans, Ariel Nereson will no longer be able to join us in person for today's talk, but it will still take place as scheduled via Zoom.

Join remotely at https://kansas.zoom.us/j/84561829735 (Passcode: 045512) or come to the Hall Center Conference Hall to watch the live broadcast.

09/03/2026

The Department is excited to welcome Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Jericho Brown to KU.

Join us for the John F. Eberhardt Memorial Lecture, “Love Poems No Matter What!” on Monday, September 28 at 7 p.m. at the Hall Center Conference Hall.
Brown is the author of The Tradition, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and a professor and director of the Creative Writing Program at Emory University.
The Raven Book Store will be on site selling books.

This event is co-sponsored by KU English and the Hall Center for the Humanities.
Learn more at the link in our bio.

09/03/2026

🚀 From Lawrence to Low-Earth Orbit. KU alum & NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara returns to campus for a free, public conversation about her time aboard the ISS — part of KU Reads' "Orbital" programming.

📅 Oct. 8, 7-8:30 p.m. | Kansas Union Ballroom

🗞️ https://rockcha.lk/oharaoct8

06/10/2026

Stop by the Hall Center (900 Sunnyside Ave) to pick up these free commemorative postcards celebrating Langston Hughes 125th birthday!

This set of 10 postcards highlights places that were significant to Hughes during his early life in Lawrence, pairing contemporary photos with historic images of the same locations.

Read more about the project ➡️ https://news.ku.edu/news/article/ku-and-community-partners-publish-postcards-celebrating-the-life-of-langston-hughes-in-lawrence

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Available at the Hall Center and from our partners: Spencer Museum of Art, Watkins Museum of History, Lawrence Public Library, KU Commons

06/01/2026

We are so proud to welcome filmmaker Boots Riley back to the Free State Festival with his latest film, I Love Boosters! Boots's new comedy has been called “a wickedly clever skewering of the moral rot at the center of the fashion industry delivered with enough vision to make your eyes hurt" on RogerEbert.com. A groundbreaking artist in cinema, music and theatre, Boots is a Lawrence favorite and this will be a must see festival moment on June 24 - 6:30pm at Lawrence Arts Center!

Thank you to event sponsors:
KU Film and Media Studies
KU African and African-American Studies
Hall Center for the Humanities

And festival sponsors:
Kansas Public Radio
Lawrence Business Magazine