Public Lectures

On January 24, 2024, Humanities Texas hosted a conversation with Steven L. Davis, literary curator at The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University, titled "From Sportswriters to Literary Outlaws: The Texas Mad Dogs." Moderated by Aram Goudsouzian, professor of history at the University of Memphis, the conversation explored how Texas sportswriters in the 1960s changed the field of sports journalism. The conversation was followed by a Q&A session with the audience. Watch now!

On July 18, 2023, Humanities Texas hosted a conversation with Scott Sosebee, professor of history at Stephen F. Austin State University, titled "America’s Team and Texas’s Team: Two Different Cities, Two Different Football Teams, and Two Different Civic Identities." Moderated by Aram Goudsouzian, professor of history at the University of Memphis, the conversation explored the rivalry between the Houston Oilers and the Dallas Cowboys in the 1970s and how the two football teams reflected the cultural, social, and economic development of their respective cities. Watch now!

On July 6, 2022, Humanities Texas and Foodways Texas hosted a conversation with Roy Vũ titled "The Bánh Mì: From Foreign Food to All- (Vietnamese) American." Vũ, a historian and native Houstonian, explored the complexities and limits of culinary assimilation by discussing the growing popularity of certain Vietnamese dishes in the United States, particularly the French-influenced Vietnamese sandwich bánh mì. The conversation was followed by a Q&A with the audience. Watch now!

On September 29, 2021, Humanities Texas and Foodways Texas hosted "A Conversation with Adán Medrano." A chef, food writer, and filmmaker, Medrano spent twenty-three years traveling and working throughout Latin America, Europe, and Asia, where he came to recognize the importance of food and how it serves as a source of identity and cultural memory. He returned to the U.S. in 2010 to focus on the culinary traditions of the Mexican American community of Texas: its history, recipes, and how this singular cuisine is showing the way toward a better understanding of what it means to be "American." Moderated by journalist and cultural anthropologist Cecilia Ballí, "A Conversation with Adán Medrano" touched on Medrano's personal journey with food as well as themes explored in his recent documentary, Truly Texas Mexican. The conversation was followed by a Q&A session with the audience. Watch now!

On July 8, 2021, Humanities Texas hosted a special Texas Storytime event featuring author and illustrator Don Tate.  This movement-themed virtual family reading program featured a read-aloud of the books Swish!: The Slam-Dunking, Alley-Ooping, High-Flying Harlem Globetrotters and Strong As Sandow: How Eugen Sandow Became The Strongest Man On Earth. In addition to sharing his perspective as an author and illustrator, Tate led children, parents, and family members through a series of fun, interactive activities, including physical stretches and movements.

On May 23, 2021, Humanities Texas and Foodways Texas hosted a conversation with award-winning food and nutrition journalist Toni Tipton-Martin and Chris Williams, chef and owner of the Houston restaurant Lucille's. They discussed the remarkable life and legacy of Lucille B. Smith, Williams's great-grandmother, who inspired his restaurant and is highlighted in Tipton-Martin's The Jemima Code, a history of African American cookbooks. Excepts from this program were featured in the September 2021 issue of the Humanities Texas e-newsletter. Read now!

On April 13, 2021, the LBJ Presidential Library, Humanities Texas, and the White House Historical Society hosted an evening with Washington Post columnist Karen Tumulty, speaking on the release of her new book, The Triumph of Nancy Reagan, the definitive biography of the fiercely vigilant and politically astute First Lady who shaped one of the most consequential presidencies of the twentieth century. First Lady scholar Anita McBride moderated the conversation. Watch now!

On March 12, 2021, the LBJ Presidential Library and Humanities Texas hosted an evening with Walter Isaacson, speaking on the release of his new book The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race. The Code Breaker offers a gripping account of how Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues launched a revolution that will allow us to cure diseases, fend off viruses, and improve the human species. The conversation was moderated by Mark K. Updegrove, president and CEO of the LBJ Foundation.
Watch now!