Remembering
One State / One Story: Frankenstein

In 2017, Indiana Humanities launched One State / One Story: Frankenstein, an ambitious statewide read celebrating the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s classic work of science fiction. Supported by a generous grant from the National Endowment from the Humanities, the initiative called attention to this special anniversary, encouraging Hoosiers to explore and reflect upon the story’s enduring relevance. When more than 600 Hoosiers showed up to our Frankenfest read-a-thon on September 30, 2017, we realized that the passion for this story far exceeded what we expected, or could have imagined.

Over the course of 14 months, an estimated 600 programs took place in Indiana libraries, schools, colleges, senior centers, prisons, and community groups. People across the state read and talked together about some of the biggest questions that face us: what does it mean to be human? Why do we accept, or reject, those who are different than ourselves? Who bears responsibility for the consequences of scientific innovations, and how does Shelley’s tale help us think through these issues in our own time?

Through book discussions, speaker programs, experimental STEM activities and more, our hundreds of partners brought the story to every corner of Indiana; so much so, a New York Times writer named Indiana the “hell-mouth of the Franken-frenzy.” We picked up some recognition along the way, including a Public Relations Society of America award for our monthly FrankenNews, which provided Franken-facts, discussion questions, and updates to our legion of Franken-fans.

None of this would have been possible without our partners. We came to you with an idea, and you invented ways to include this monstrous tale in your communities and conversations. The legacy of One State / One Story: Frankenstein are the partnerships forged within communities and relationships built between individuals. The spirit of collaboration that resulted will last long beyond the life of this program.

Who knew, 2 years or even 200 hundred years ago, that a story written by such a young woman would inspire such transformation within ourselves and our communities? We thank you for your enthusiasm and desire to engage in conversation about great literature. Here’s to many more opportunities to read, think and talk together.