Press Release

Speaker Deborah Greenblatt will present the program James Whitcomb Riley, the Fiddling Children’s Poet on November 7 at 7 p.m. at Morton-James Public Library Kimmel Gallery 923 1st Corso.

Humanities Nebraska (HN) provides major funding for this program. HN receives support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Nebraska State Legislature, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, and private donations like the Morton-James Public Library’s Harry and Grace Moller Endowment.

In this program Greenblatt uses Riley’s own words, Greenblatt weaves a whimsical glimpse into the world of this famous Hoosier poet. This show, performed in character and in costume, features musical settings of Riley’s poems composed by Greenblatt, as well as portions of Riley’s lectures (he toured with Edgar Allan Poe) and letters (he corresponded with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow).

James Whitcomb Riley, the Fiddling Children’s Poet is one of approximately 300 programs offered through the Humanities Nebraska Speakers Bureau. The more than 165 available speakers include acclaimed scholars, writers, musicians, storytellers and folklorists on topics ranging from pioneer heritage to ethics and law to international and multicultural issues, making it the largest humanities speakers bureau in the nation.

Speakers are available to any non-profit organization in Nebraska. Each program lasts 30 minutes to an hour, plus a question-and-answer period.

For information detailing the available speakers and guidelines for booking them, please access our website at www.humanitiesnebraska.org (Speakers section) or contact Humanities Nebraska at 215 Centennial Mall South, Suite 330, Lincoln, NE 68508, phone (402) 474-2131, fax (402) 474-4852 or e-mail info@humanitiesnebraska.org.