Spirit & Place, IU Indianapolis

Little Seeds: Interfaith Understanding Through the Art of Children’s Literature
2025-11-10 17:00 - 19:00 (America/Indiana/Indianapolis) | Franklin College Student Center, 101 Branigan Blvd., Franklin, 46131, United States
ASL Interpretation provided by IU Indianapolis’s American Sign Language/English Interpreting Program students
Explore nature, spirit, and storytelling at this joyful family-friendly event! Enjoy hands-on activities, kid-friendly snacks, story time with special readers, and a keynote by author Kaitlin Curtice. Designed for families and grownups who still cherish a good picture book.
Explore spirituality and nature through the art of storytelling! Participants will engage with interactive stations hosted by community partners, enjoy story time with special readers, and hear a short keynote from author and storyteller Kaitlin Curtice. Activities include contributing to a collective story, creating artwork, and reflecting on favorite books, all designed to spark curiosity, imagination, and connection across generations. The event concludes with a book signing, ensuring a shared experience for both children and adults.
About Kaitlin Curtice: Kaitlin Curtice is an award-winning author, poet-storyteller, and public speaker. As an enrolled citizen of the Potawatomi nation, Kaitlin writes on the intersections of spirituality and identity and how that shifts throughout our lives. Her children’s books include Spring’s Miracles, Summer’s Magic, and Winter’s Gifts.
Questions? Contact 317-738-8054 or bschmidt@franklincollege.edu.
Event Organizers: A partnership between Franklin College, Johnson County Public Library, and Imagination Library of Johnson County.
Registration: Click here to register.

Storytelling is in our Nature
2025-11-11 18:30 - 20:30 | Eugene and Marily Glick Indiana History Center, 450 W. Ohio St., Indianapolis, 46202, United States
ASL Interpretation provided by IU Indianapolis’s American Sign Language/English Interpreting Program students
Gather around a (fake!) campfire to hear true tales rooted in family, place, and culture. Hear stories from Lithuania, El Salvador, Ukraine, Greece, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, and more! Then, join a guided conversation exploring how storytelling shapes identity, preserves memory, and connects us across generations and traditions.
Step into the warmth of community as we gather to explore the power of storytelling. In this intimate setting, you’ll hear short tales drawn from diverse cultural traditions—stories of Indigenous family members adapting to life in Indiana, El Salvadorian lessons about safety, Pennsylvania Dutch folklore on morality, and more. Each tale offers a window into the ways families and communities pass down values, memories, and wisdom through oral traditions.
After the stories, guests will be invited into a reflective conversation guided by our partners. Together, we’ll explore how stories preserve cultural knowledge, connect us to nature, and express what it means to be human.
Questions? Contact 317-232-1882 or welcome@indianahistory.org.
Event Organizers: A partnership between Indiana Historical Society, Storytelling Arts of Indiana, Ukrainian Society of Indiana, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma Cultural Resources Extension Office, and community storytellers: Katrina Mitten, Svitlana Ramer, Flor Ramos-Skidmore, Rachel Serago, and Dani Tippman.
Registration: Click here to register.

Image Credit: Indiana Historical Society

Nature and the Transcendent in Marilynne Robinson's Gilead
2025-11-12 18:00 - 20:00 | Hussey-Mayfield Public Libary – Zionsville Branch, 250 N. 5th St., Zionsville, 46077, United States
“This is an interesting planet. It deserves all the attention you can give it.” — Marilynne Robinson, Gilead
This quote captures the heart of Gilead, Robinson’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel that invites us to behold the world with reverence and attention. In a time when speed and distraction dominate our days, Gilead offers a counter-testimony: that light, water, speech, and blessing are sacred gifts—natural things that point us toward the beautiful and the good.
Led by Dr. Richard Gunderman, Chancellor’s Professor at IU Indianapolis, this reflective session—part lecture, part reading group—will explore Gilead through a series of guided readings and visual illustrations. Participants will read and discuss selected passages from Gilead, including a father’s blessing of his prodigal namesake, a summer evening transformed by a lawn sprinkler, and a moment of astonishment at beauty found in a graveyard bathed in moonlight.
Whether you’re a longtime admirer of Robinson’s work, a student encountering Gilead for the first time, or simply someone drawn to stories that speak quietly but profoundly to life’s deeper questions, this event offers space to reflect, discuss, and reconnect with both the inner life and the natural world.
Questions? Contact 317-873-3149 or askalib@hmmpl.org.
Event Organizers: A partnership between scholar Dr. Richard Gunderman and Hussey Mayfield Memorial Library.
Registration: Click here to register.

Dreamland
2025-11-14 19:00 - 20:30 | The Athenaeum, 401 E. Michigan St., Indianapolis, 46204, United States
ASL Interpretation provided by IU Indianapolis’s American Sign Language/English Interpreting Program students
Created by middle and high school students, Dreamland is a theatrical journey through eco-anxiety and the climate crisis. Featuring original music, movement, and projection, this youth-driven performance reflects the urgency of our time and invites audiences to listen, feel, and engage in a post-show dialogue with the cast and Earth Charter Indiana.
React, formerly Young Actors Theater, creates original theatre with youth that REACTS to social issues in the world. Earth Charter Indiana exists to inspire and advance sustainable, just and peaceful living in Indiana. Through education, engagement and advocacy, they support schools, municipalities, and mission-aligned organizations in building local resilience.
Questions? Contact 317-258-2255 or georgeanna@reactclasses.org.
Event Partners: A partnership between React and Earth Charter Indiana.
Registration: Click to register here.
