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Humanities events

Humanities: Honoring Connections, Broadening Horizons

Our humanities program brings nationally recognized authors and world-class scholars to the library community through events that focus on music, art, local history, religion, literature, and culture. Stay up-to-date on Humanities programming with our monthly newsletter:

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Programs are often developed in partnership with our many local arts and humanities organizations, nonprofits, and institutions.

Humanities programming is funded by the Durham Library Foundation.

Durham Library Foundation: Better libraries, stronger communities. 25th Anniversary.

Upcoming Events

Nature Writing Workshop

Saturday, October 18, 2025 • 10:00am - 11:30am

Main Library (300 N. Roxboro St) (Conference Room #3214)

Nature has inspired countless pieces of poetry and prose over the course of time and space; writing about nature puts us in intimate touch with our own inner landscapes, while filling us with awe and reverence for our natural world. If you have ever...

Ages: Adult, Emerging Adult: 18-24 Year Olds, Senior Citizen

Registration required

Nature Writing Workshop

Saturday, November 22, 2025 • 10:00am - 11:30am

Main Library (300 N. Roxboro St) (Meeting Room #4347)

Nature has inspired countless pieces of poetry and prose over the course of time and space; writing about nature puts us in intimate touch with our own inner landscapes, while filling us with awe and reverence for our natural world. If you have ever...

Ages: Adult, Emerging Adult: 18-24 Year Olds, Senior Citizen

Registration required

Mayberry Modernism: Preserving North Carolina's Legacy of Modernist Houses

Thursday, December 04, 2025 • 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Main Library (300 N. Roxboro St) (Main Auditorium)

North Carolina is home to a surprising concentration of world-class, mid-century Modernist residential architecture—a legacy George Smart, founder of USModernist, affectionately refers to as "Mayberry Modernism."...

Ages: Adult, Emerging Adult: 18-24 Year Olds, Intergenerational, Senior Citizen

Registration required

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Play time. Bestselling authors at your fingertips; just hit play! Covers of "Solito" by Javier Zamora, "The Poet X" by Elizabeth Acevedo, "Yellowface" by R. F. Kuang, "Maybe You Should Talk To Someone" by Lori Gottlieb, "Everything I Learned about Racism I Learned in School" by Tiffany Jewell, and "Mother-Daughter Murder Night" by Nina Simon.

Get in touch!

Humanities Coordinator Celeste Holtzmann.

Celeste

Email: choltzmann@dconc.gov

Celeste is a North Carolina native from the small town of Ridgeway. A winding road of customer service jobs and volunteer opportunities fed her passion for serving community and the various members of it. A graduate of UNC Asheville (BA) focusing in the art of printmaking and from NCCU (MLS) focusing in public libraries, she is thrilled to now take on the role of Humanities Coordinator for the exceptional community of the Durham County Library system. If you could only know one thing about her, she'd want you to know that she wants to HEAR FROM YOU! The humanities and libraries share the common thread of community and sharing voices, so please share yours! There may not be enough days in the year to do it all, but your ideas, interests, and suggestions matter!

More about Celeste >

Pronouns: she/her