By George Tsz-Kwan Lam
The 2024 Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl returned on Saturday, October 12, that includes panel discussions and interactive actions all through downtown Reno.
The Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl is an annual gathering of individuals, concepts, inspiration, and communities. The occasion started in 2014 as a choose-your-own-adventure night of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and has since expanded to incorporate conversations that remember the written phrase via wide-ranging genres and disciplines that embrace oral traditions, movie, spoken phrase, and the visible arts. Over 70 authors, performers, and artists — representing the literary and creative abilities of northern Nevada, southern Nevada, California, and past — contributed to this yr’s Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl.
The festivities started on the Nevada Museum of Artwork with a dialog between authors Anthony Doerr and Christopher Coake. Doerr is the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of All of the Gentle We Can not See and Cloud Cuckoo Land. Doerr and Coake mirrored on their friendship and the inventive course of, and Doerr supplied a behind-the-scenes look into how he approached his tales and characters for his novels.
The keynote occasion’s convivial ambiance set the tone for the remainder of the day, which included over 30 occasions at eight venues throughout downtown Reno. Contributors at a letter printing exercise hosted by Black Rock Press pulled one-of-a-kind prints of authentic designs by artists Tanya Gutierrez and Lee Carney. Paiute language instructor Esha Hoferer and the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony’s Language and Tradition Coordinator Stacey Burns led a dialogue on preserving the Numu language in Nevada. Three authors from the Beverly Rogers, Carol C. Harter Black Mountain Institute on the College of Nevada, Las Vegas — Maryam Ala Amjadi, Alejandro Heredia, and Monica Macansantos — shared their experiences and journeys as writers who just lately moved to Las Vegas. Alica Barber, Demetrice Dalton, and Helen Townsell-Parker returned to the Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl for a screening and dialogue of Tsanavi Spoonhunter’s award-winning documentary movie A Black Springs Homecoming: Discovering Historical past, which was filmed partially on the 2022 version of the Crawl. Reno group members Lesie Combine and Antonio Solorio, who earlier this yr recorded a StoryCorps “One Small Step” interview, joined a dialog with KUNR Public Radio’s Natalie Van Hoozer to debate their expertise. J. Diego Zarazúa hosted a bilingual dialog with the Washoe County College District’s Fátima Rivas and Northern Nevada Public Well being’s Yeraldin Deavila on how organizations navigate the challenges of speaking to Nevadans who converse Spanish. The occasion concluded with two open mics hosted by Dayvid Figler and Metropolis of Reno Poet Laureate Jesse James Ziegler, inviting group members to share their very own phrases and tales because the occasion got here to an in depth.
Lastly, I want to spotlight the paintings by Chris Lanier, who at the moment serves because the Reno Metropolis Artist. Lanier created authentic illustrations for this yr’s Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl; graphic designer Kellee Morgado and the crew at Mabble Media included Lanier’s artwork right into a playful and energetic design for this yr’s program e-book and the first-ever bandanna created particularly for the Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl.
I’m grateful to have the chance to work with our authors, artists, distributors, and venue companions to convey the 2024 Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl to life. A really particular because of The Radical Cat who hosted a particular pop-up bookstore for the occasion; our Group Curators who contributed their imaginative and prescient and experience to this yr’s program; and our crew of 25 volunteers and workers members who contributed their time and vitality all through the day. Contributors inform us that they look ahead to the Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl yearly, and I look ahead to welcoming you to subsequent yr’s Crawl on Saturday, September 13, 2025 in downtown Reno.
