The Maryland Humanities Council Announces Yearlong Initiative Celebrating Centennial of Pulitzer Prizes
$1.5 Million Grant from Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Supports National Initiative
The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) is pleased to announce that it will commemorate the centennial of the Pulitzer Prizes in 2016 with a year-long series of events highlighting the impact of this award-winning work on our lives. MHC’s events are part of the Pulitzer Prizes Centennial Campfires Initiative, a nationwide celebration funded by the Pulitzer Prizes, in partnership with the Federation of State Humanities Councils, and made possible through a $1.5 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Programming will kick off in March with panel discussions featuring acclaimed journalists discussing journalism as a voice for the powerless, war and national security, the environment, and the challenges faced by Baltimore. The panel discussions are sponsored in part by The Baltimore Sun, which will also serve as the host venue. These events will take place from March to May and will include the following panelists:
March 8: Voice for the Powerless – Deborah Nelson (Pulitzer 1997), Scott Higham (Pulitzer 2002), Liz Bowie
March 29: War/Veterans/National Security – David Wood (Pulitzer 2012), Dan Fesperman
April 19: Challenges Faced by Baltimore – E.R. Shipp (Pulitzer 1996), Diana Sugg (Pulitzer 2003), Justin Fenton, Erica Green
May 10: The Environment – Will Englund (Pulitzer 1998), John McQuaid (Pulitzer 1997, 2006), Elizabeth McGowan (Pulitzer 2013), McKay Jenkins
“We are delighted to celebrate Pulitzer’s historic anniversary with a series of events that will bring Marylanders together in stimulating conversation about the cultural relevance of the featured prize-winning works and reflection on their historical and ethical significance,” said Phoebe Stein, Executive Director of the Maryland Humanities Council.
MHC’s Pulitzer initiative will also feature a collaboration with Olney Theatre Center to present a three-day festival of readings and discussions from September 30 to October 2 examining Pulitzer Prize-winning plays, including A Streetcar Named Desire, The Gin Game, Water by the Spoonful, and The Bridge of San Luis Rey and partnerships with local universities that will engage journalism students in an examination of the current state of journalistic ethics. Programming will culminate in the fall at a special event featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning author Taylor Branch.
The Maryland Humanities Council is a statewide, educational nonprofit organization. The Maryland Humanities Council creates and supports educational experiences in the humanities that inspire all Marylanders to embrace lifelong learning, exchange ideas openly, and enrich their communities. For more information, visit www.mdhc.org. The Maryland Humanities Council is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the State of Maryland, and the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, creator of the Baker Artist Awards.
About the Campfires Initiative
This program is part of the Pulitzer Prizes Centennial Campfires Initiative, a joint venture of the Pulitzer Prizes Board and the Federation of State Humanities Councils in celebration of the 2016 centennial of the Prizes. The initiative seeks to illuminate the impact of journalism and the humanities on American life today, to imagine their future and to inspire new generations to consider the values represented by the body of Pulitzer Prize-winning work.
For their generous support for the Campfires Initiative, we thank the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Pulitzer Prizes Board, and Columbia University.