Join us to celebrate 50 years in your community!
2024 Annual Celebration of the Humanities
FEATURING KEYNOTE SPEAKER: GREGORY MAGUIRE, AUTHOR OF WICKED
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A Street, Derry, NH
Doors open at 6:30 pm Ӏ Program starts at 7:00 pm
For 50 years, New Hampshire Humanities has brought thought-provoking, high-quality humanities programs to communities across the state, connecting people to culture, history, places, ideas, and each other.
And, on one special evening each year, we bring together the state's cultural, corporate, civic, academic, and philanthropic communities for a spectacular night of inspiration and networking at our signature event, the Annual Celebration of the Humanities. By purchasing a ticket to our most important fundraiser and a once-in-a-lifetime experience, you will be directly supporting hundreds of free public programs for the people of New Hampshire and beyond. Get your tickets today!
Tickets:
Emerald City - $150
Ticket(s) include entry to a special reception at 5:00 pm with keynote speaker Gregory Maguire, premier cabaret-style-seating closest to the stage with 6 at a table, and a 50th celebration remembrance. There will be a cash bar and heavy hors d’oeuvres.
Yellow Brick Road - $75
Ticket(s) include entry to the event; doors open at 6:30 pm. Seating is cabaret-style tiered above the “Emerald City” with 6 at a table, a basket of fun snacks, and 50th anniversary swag. There will be a cash bar.
No Place Like Home - $50
Ticket(s) include entry to the event; doors open at 6:30 pm. Seating accommodations are single seats on the perimeter of the “Emerald City” or cafe-style tables for two behind the “Yellow Brick Road.” There will be a cash bar.
Poppy Fields - $35
Ticket(s) include entry to the event and 50th anniversary swag; doors open at 6:30 pm. Tiered theater-style seating provides unobstructed views. There will be a cash bar.
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Thank you to our Annual Partners who provide year-round support of our programs:
Lead Partner
Bronze Partners
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Media Partners
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Gregory Maguire: Confessions of a Wicked Writer
Gregory Maguire had been an author of children’s books for almost two decades when, in 1995, he published his first novel for adults, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. The novel initially sold 500,000 copies before the 2003 opening of the blockbuster Broadway adaptation. By 2005, ten years after its original publication, Wicked spent six months on the New York Times bestseller list. The stage adaptation of his book will be released as a movie on November 27.
By returning us to Frank Baum’s Land of Oz, Maguire taps into powerful imagery and mythology to upend our assumptions about good and evil, political power, and personal strength. Maguire’s magical storytelling explores contemporary issues ranging from the deeply personal – living as an outsider – to the global as individuals struggle in the face of authoritarianism and political control. We will learn about how Maguire’s life, childhood, and love of children’s literature shaped him as an author and storyteller.
Born and raised in Albany, NY, Gregory Maguire was schooled in Catholic institutions through high school, received a B.A. in English and art from the State University of New York at Albany, an M.A. in children's literature from Simmons College, and a Ph.D. in English and American literature from Tufts University. His doctoral thesis was on children's fantasy literature written from 1938 to 1989.
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About the interviewer:
Jaed Coffin is an assistant professor of creative writing (nonfiction/fiction) at the University of NH. He earned his B.A. in philosophy from Middlebury College and his M.F.A. in fiction from the University of Southern Maine. His most recent book, Roughhouse Friday, is about the year he won the middleweight title of a barroom boxing show in Juneau, Alaska. Coffin has lectured widely at over twenty colleges and universities, where he speaks on topics of multiculturalism, masculinity, and the environment. He has published over forty articles and essays in a broad range of journals and magazines and has also served as a Resident Fellow at the William Sloane Fellow at the Bread Loaf Writers Conference.
