Nonprofits can apply to bring Indiana authors to their community through Novel Conversations Speakers Program

Nonprofits interested in bringing an award-winning Indiana author to their community to speak to a public audience can apply for funds to cover speaking fees as part of Indiana Humanities’ Novel Conversations Speakers Program.

 

The program, open to public libraries, schools, churches, museums, community centers, prisons and other nonprofit organizations, is funded by a $22,500 grant from the Glick Fund, a fund of the Central Indiana Community Foundation.

 

The speakers program features current and past recipients of the Eugene & Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award. This year’s participants are:

Indiana Humanities will select up to 25 host organizations and match them to their preferred authors through an application process. Application guidelines and author bios are available at www.IndianaHumanities.org/ncspeakersprogram. The deadline to apply is Oct. 12, 2018.

In addition to paying the speakers’ fees, Indiana Humanities will provide participating organizations with resources such as a communications toolkit, press release template and event banner. Participating organizations are responsible for working with authors to schedule engagements and cover any travel expenses. Author events must be completed by June 30, 2019.

“Year after year we hear from librarians, teachers and other community leaders who value this program because it provides them with a unique opportunity to engage residents in insightful discussions about reading and writing,” said Keira Amstutz, president and CEO of Indiana Humanities. “We’re thrilled to celebrate Indiana’s rich literary history and thankful to The Glick Fund for its support.”

Indiana Humanities’ Novel Conversations program is a free statewide lending library offering sets of books, primarily fiction and biographies, to reading and discussion groups at libraries, senior centers, schools and other places throughout the state. Indiana Humanities makes available 750 titles by more than 500 authors, including dozens of Hoosier writers. All of the authors taking part in this year’s speakers program are represented in the Novel Conversations library.

 

Any Indiana resident with a book club can participate in Novel Conversations for free. Books are shipped via the Indiana State Library’s INfo Express service to libraries around the state, or picked up and returned at Indiana Humanities’ headquarters in Indianapolis. Residents of areas outside library districts may be eligible for free direct shipping. All books must be reserved in advance online by visiting www.indianahumanities.org/novelconversations.