Don't risk being sold out of your favorite Chicago Humanities Festival programs this year. Become a CHF member and take advantage of the exclusive two-week advance ticket buying period, beginning September 10, 2007.
Tickets go on sale to the general public September 24, 2007. For CHF memberships, tickets, and program information, visit www.chfestival.org or call the CHF ticket office at (312) 494-9509.
Tickets for CHF programs are $5 in advance, unless otherwise noted. A $2 surcharge per ticket may apply at the door. Programs, dates, venues, and presenters are subject to change without notice.
The fall Chicago Humanities Festival will embrace the Festival of Maps by including cartographers, imaging experts, ecologists, and/or other noted presenters as a part of its 16-day dialogue on the "Climate of Concern" surrounding global warming, oceanic change, environmental degradation, and the decisions we must make in determining the fate of life on Earth. Programs at the Newberry highlight the connection between concern for the environment and maps.
Sunday, November 4, 11:00 am - Noon
The prominent and highly respected black South African novelist reads from and discusses his latest work, the first set in his adopted U.S. home. Cion uses two narratives, one historical and the other contemporary, to cast light on an undiscovered legacy of the Underground Railroad. Mda imagines the story of two brothers, both runaway slaves, who make their way north from Virginia to Ohio with nothing but their mother's quilt for a map as they seek a promised land where they might live as free men.
Sunday, November 4, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
The British author and popular historian will revisit his 2002 book The Great Fire of London: In That Apocalyptic Year 1666, which describes the "year of wonders" that included an out-break of the plague, fear of Papist plotting, and a devastating fire that scorched most of central London.
Sunday, November 4, 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Three engaging scholars examine how we're using mapped data to better understand past and current changes in our global environment. Tom Koch, respected expert on medical geography, uses medical maps to track environmental contributions to historical infectious contagions. Mark Monmonier, professor of geography at Syracuse University, uses mapping to pinpoint and analyze potential environmental hazards. Geographer John Cloud, who is analyzing the history of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, studies maps to glean insights into the politicization of science during the Cold War.
The Newberry Library
Center for Public Programs
60 West Walton Street
Chicago, IL 60610-7324
telephone: (312) 255-3700
fax: (312) 255-3680
e-mail: programs@newberry.org