TOPEKA – Humanities Kansas recently awarded $9,436.00 to High Plains Public Radio in Garden City to support “Literary Landscapes in Kansas: From the Ground to the Airwaves,” a writing and radio project that will elevate the history of Kansas stories and writers. Tina Casagrand Foss, executive director of The New Territory Magazine (The NT), serves as the project director.
Building on The NT’s Literary Landscapes series, which hosts 60 personal essays on places of Midwestern literature, this grant project invites Kansans to explore the present and ponder future possibilities for the region. It asks, “How is the literature of a place relevant to the people who live there?”
“Literature is a great way to energize Kansans interested in discussing thoughtful and engaging topics,” shared Julie Mulvihill, Humanities Kansas Executive Director. “This writing and radio series will encourage connections among participants and spark fresh ideas.”
In addition to publishing the print articles on the website and print magazine of The New Territory, a selection of essays will be produced in audio formats and broadcast on High Plains Public Radio (HPPR) and hosted on HPPR’s website. A self-directed, incentivized passport program and in-person launch party to celebrate the new essays will round out the grant project later in 2024.
“HPPR’s ethos of developing the self-identity of the High Plains fits perfectly with The NT’s alignment of writing ‘the autobiography of the Lower Midwest,’” says Casagrand Foss. “We’re honored and excited to work with them to create and publish more stories focused on Kansas.”
To build interest in this project and to encourage writers to submit new essays, The New Territory is hosting an online event January 18, 2024, from 6 to 8 p.m. Central Time. It will include talks by Literary Landscapes founder Andy Oler and poet, author, and University Kansas scholar Megan Kaminski. An optional workshop for participants to develop their own essays will follow.
For more information, and to register for the January 18 workshop, please visit the Literary Landscapes in Kansas page.
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About Humanities Kansas
Humanities Kansas is an independent nonprofit leading a movement of ideas. Since 1972, HK’s programming, grants, and partnerships have documented and shared stories to spark conversations and invite new insights. Together with statewide partners and supporters, HK encourages Kansans to draw on diverse histories, literatures, and cultures to strengthen our democracy, communities, and connections to one another. Visit humanitieskansas.org.
About The New Territory Magazine
The New Territory Magazine is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization on a mission to advocate and foster love and protection of the Great Plains, Ozarks, and Lower Midwest through publishing art and narrative journalism focused on personal, natural and societal stories.
About High Plains Public Radio
High Plains Public Radio was founded in 1977 for the express purpose of enriching the educational, cultural, and community life of the High Plains region. It is also dedicated to developing the self-identity of the High Plains so the region might better appreciate its common heritage and build a sustainable future. It pursues this mission through public radio broadcasting, a medium freely accessible to nearly everyone, as well as digital web and mobile services.