Start a good conversation this weekend with some great links in our “Friday Faves.”

• Read this: “Poetry Behind Bars: The Lines That Save Lives – Sometimes Literally.”
• At Indiana Humanities we are all obsessed with maps.  If you share our passion, here is a new cartography blog from National Geographic.
• “Herbarium” books, lost gardens, preservation and poetry – so many of my favorite things tucked together in this article. 

Leah, director of programs and community engagement:

• The Daily Journal, which covers all points Johnson County, had this great write-up of Next Indiana Campfires. Hope we see you on the trail!
• Does it matter that foreign policy advisers have juvenile, pedantic tastes in literature? This security analyst thinks so.
• Can scholars discover the exact route where Hannibal and his 37 elephants crossed the Alps more than 2,000 years ago? With the help of scientists and some ancient manure, possibly! (Learn more about Hannibal and the Carthingian civilization he came from in Carthage Must Be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization.)

Kristen, director of communications and development:

• How cool is this? Butler is hosting the Divedapper Poetry Carnival tomorrow (Saturday, May 14). I love making poetry fun!

Jacqueline Cromleigh, communications manager and program associate:

• “Invisible Stories” come alive when you click these blank Instagram posts.
• “Libraries are exceptional buildings and reference points in cities since they’re usually distinguished by their architectural quality.” Check out these graphic posters of libraries reduced to the most basic of geometric shapes.

Nancy Conner, current director of grants and Novel Conversations:

• Two great websites for readers: Readers Connection (Indianapolis Public Library) and Book Lust!

George Hanlin, soon-to-be director of grants:

• The Indianapolis Business Journal reports on a study by BioCrossroads, an Indiana life sciences business development group, indicating that Indiana is doing a poor job of retaining college graduates with degrees in science, engineering, and information technology. The competition for talent is real, and Hoosiers have to step up our game in order to make state a desirable place to live. The humanities play an important role in improving quality of life, and this is a case where organizations such as Indiana Humanities can team with our more technical counterparts to achieve a common goal of attracting and retaining the best and brightest.

• Think you’re a hoarder? Check out this Italian family that’s been holding onto 600 years’ worth of paperwork. Their collection spans thousands of square feet and is a historian’s dream come true.

Do you have any humanities highlights from this week? We would love to hear from you in the comment section below.