IHC Road Scholars Speakers Bureau

The IHC Road Scholars, the Illinois Humanities Council speakers bureau, allows non-profit organizations the opportunity to offer high-quality, free public humanities programs to local audiences. Like their predecessors who traversed the continents and made each town their classroom, IHC Road Scholars take their programs on the roads of Illinois to the diverse communities and peoples who make up the Prairie State. Illinois' finest writers, poets, historians, anthropologists, and living history scholar-actors will travel to your town and present their programs to the audience you gather for them. In presentations that entertain, educate, and challenge, IHC Road Scholars encourage Illinoisans to reflect upon the human condition from a range of perspectives and offer a context for discussion and dialogue.

A special edition of the IHC Road Scholars Speakers Bureau is now available through 2009: the Lincoln Road Scholars. In 2008 and 2009, the nation will commemorate two important anniversaries that contributed to the forging of a certain vision of America: the sesquicentennial of the Abraham Lincoln-Stephen Douglas Debates and the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln's Birth. While there will be countless educational programs and events from coast-to-coast, the Illinois Humanities Council, through the assistance of the Illinois Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, is proud to announce a catalog of speakers built especially for small, non-profit organizations in the Prairie State. Our speakers represent a variety of disciplines, come from all over the state, and offer fresh perspectives on the life and times of Abraham Lincoln, the society within which he lived, and the ways in which a grateful nation has commemorated both his presidency and his humanity.

Any non-profit organization in Illinois is invited to utilize the Lincoln Road Scholars, but the bureau primarily targets organizations in Illinois communities under 2,500 population or less. We invite these organizations to apply for a Lincoln Road Scholar, absolutely free of charge. Organizations from larger communities can still apply, but must provide the standard $50 processing fee.

For information on the 2007-2008 IHC Road Scholars Roster, see "Bios" on this page. Members of the Lincoln Road Scholars can be identified by locating the *ABE* next to their name. You may also download a copy of the 2007-2008 IHC Road Scholars Speakers Bureau Roster.

For information on booking a speaker, including the Lincoln Road Scholars, see "Eligibility & Guidelines" on this page.

Please call the IHC at 312.422.5580 for more information.