Help spread the word with HW logo merchandise

You can help give Humanities West a little more public exposure by purchasing and using some new logo merchandise available from our on-line store on the Cafe Press website. These handsome golf shirts, tote bags, mugs and magnets are imprinted with Humanites West logos.

The tote bags and golf shirts also have the attention-getting phrase "What do Ben Franklin, Bollywood, and Bonaparte have in common?" printed on the back. When my wife wore the shirt to our local farmers' market and to the new San Francisco Academy of Sciences, a half-dozen people stopped to ask what the three had in common. The answer, of course, is that all three were featured in the Humanities West 2008-2009 season. It was a great way to introduce a few more people to our unique entertainment/education offerings.

So help spread the word and show your devotion to the Humanities by ordering your own. A small markup on the price also helps support our ongoing programs.

Do you have your own way of spreading the word and increasing public awareness of Humanities West? Share your experiences by adding a comment to this post.

Help us choose future programs

Feedback from our annual Audience Survey is an important part of the process we use to select future programs. It is a chance for you to tell us which of the proposed topics you would be most interested in, and also a chance for you to suggest your own favorite ideas for a potential Humanities West program.

This year, we are taking a somewhat different approach to our Audience Survey. Instead of just handing it out in hard-copy form to those people who happen to be attending our February program, we are using an on-line survey tool which you can easily access by clicking on this link. This approach allows us to reach a broader audience, save time and money, and reduce paper use.

If you have not already done so, please fill out the Survey by March 7th. A summary of the results will be published in our newsletter and on this blog.

India Rising program featured in India Currents

India Currents: The Complete Indian American Magazine has published a feature article (Feb. 1, 2009) highlighting the upcoming Humanities West program about India.

"In keeping with its theme, “India Rising: Tradition Meets Modernity” is structured as a presentation on the colorful kaleidoscope that India presents: literature and cinema with rural village scenes competing with urban landscapes, Indian-American cultural fusion, and the seductive joys of Bollywood. The event explores present-day India, which is rooted in ancient themes that intermingle with contemporary modes of expression: Modern artists incorporating gods and legendary heroes in their work, musicians fusing jazz and Western classical with Indian traditional."

Read the entire article here.