You're Invited!
The Asotin County Library, Basalt Cellars and Humanities Washington invite the community to participate in engaging conversations in August at Basalt Cellars. A wide-range of presenters, all from the Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau, is scheduled.
All programs start at 6:00pm. They are open to the public and free to attend. Wine is available for purchase.
August 5 at 6:00pm
Fifty years into “Just Say No,” the United States has made little progress with its significant drug problems. The overdose crisis is escalating, access to addiction treatment is limited, and people are still sent to prison for simple possession. Even as we shift toward the legal use of some drugs, other drugs remain deeply stigmatized and criminalized. Yet proven solutions are out there—so what’s not working?
In a talk that incorporates both scientific data and examples from popular culture, professor Ingrid Walker shows that our perceptions about “drugs” depend on who is taking which drugs. Why are we stuck in the same failed approaches? Could it be that the answer is as basic as questioning and changing our cultural stories about drugs and their users?
Presenter: Ingrid Walker
August 12 at 6:00pm
Folksinger and activist Woody Guthrie composed 26 songs in 30 days while riding along the Columbia River and touring the Grand Coulee Dam Project in 1941. With his unique, authentic voice, he chronicled both the grandeur and the perils of what he called “The Greatest Thing That Man Has Ever Done” as an employee of the Bonneville Power Administration. His time here in the Pacific Northwest inspired a swell of patriotism that led Guthrie to enlist in the U.S. Merchant Marine in World War II, after which he returned home to fame and notoriety, but also to tragedy and tremendous personal loss.
Historian, teacher, folksinger, and actor Joel Underwood performs an hour that is part concert, part theatrical drama, and part lecture. Sing along to “Roll on Columbia,” “Pastures of Plenty,” and of course, “This Land is Your Land,” and learn the—sometimes hilarious, sometimes tragic—stories behind the songs.
Presenter: Joel Underwood
NEW DATE! August 28 at 6:00pm
At the age of 55, John Halliday became legally blind. As a Muckleshoot Tribal member of Duwamish ancestry, Halliday says his Native American world view, cultural traditions, and values, which have sustained Native tribes throughout history, long before colonization, have helped him overcome the challenges associated with losing his sight.
Too often, our understanding of American history begins with foreign European powers “settling” the land—as though no thriving human communities existed here. Woven in with John’s personal story, audiences will learn Washington State history from a Native American perspective, and how that history can teach resilience.
Presenter: John Halliday
About Wine & Wisdom
The program partnership began in 2012 and all organizations remain committed and excited by what the series offers – conversational and varied topics on history, politics, music, philosophy, spiritual traditions, and everything in between.
Special thanks to the staff at the Best Western Plus The Inn at Hells Canyon for welcoming our presenters.