RI Historical Society -- Upcoming Events

Thursday, April 2, 6:30 p.m.
Rhode Island Historical Society Library
121 Hope Street, Providence
Free Admission, To R.S.V.P.: Lee Teverow
(401) 273-8107 x10 or lteverow@rihs.org

Lecture: A Key into the Language of American History
Join us for an evening of poetry and history. Rhode Island poet Rosmarie Waldrop will read from her books Shorter American Memory and A Key into the Language of America. Waldrop is Coeditor and Publisher of Burning Deck Press, as well as author or co-author of over three dozen books of poetry, prose, and translation. Shorter American Memory subjects historical texts to various playful manipulations, while A Key Into the Language of America takes its title, chapter sequence, and many quotations from Roger Williams's book of the same title. On display will be a number of the original documents which inspired Waldrop’s poetry.

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Thursday, April 2, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
National Council for Public History Annual Meeting
Public Plenary
First Unitarian Church
One Benevolent Street, Providence
FREE and open to the public

Telling Stories About Why History Matters
Jill Lepore, David Woods Kemper '41 Professor of American History at Harvard University and staff writer at The New Yorker, is the author of books and articles that have enormous appeal to historians as well as the general public, including The Name of War (1998) and New York Burning (2005). She has also served as a consultant for the National Parks Service, the Old State House in Boston, the Boston History Collaborative, and WGBH's American Experience. "Sometimes," Lepore writes, "history can read like a comic book: action, adventure, larger-than-life heroes, shocking tragedies. The past, like the present, is full of heroes, and villains, too. Unfortunately, a cartoon only gets you so far: it's colorful, but there's no denying it's flat. What happens when we try to make history rounder?"
The public plenary is cosponsored by the Rhode Island Historical Society.

For Registration and other conference information: http://www.ncph.org/Conferences/2009/tabid/304/Default.aspx <http://web.memberclicks.com/mc/getLink.do?id=698004391260700094318Z2CN&amp;linkId=3588> /

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Saturday, April 4, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Collection Event
Museum of Work & Culture
42 South Main Street, Woonsocket
To R.S.V.P.: Dalila Goulart
(401) 331-8575 x45 or programs@rihs.org

Public Scanning Event - “20th Century Settlers in the Blackstone Valley”
The Rhode Island Historical Society is pleased to announce plans for a new exhibit at the Museum of Work & Culture in Woonsocket. Going to Work: 20th Century Settlers in the Blackstone Valley will look closely at the people who moved to the Blackstone Valley area in Rhode Island during the twentieth century to find work. We want to know your story! This Collection Event is an opportunity to share your family’s photos, letters, postcards, diaries, recipes, etc. with the Historical Society. Staff will be on hand to listen to your family’s story and scan your items. Come include your history and participate in the making of this new exhibit! For more information on the Collection Event or the “Going to Work” exhibit, please contact Dalila Goulart, (401) 331-8575 x45 or programs@rihs.org.