Haunting Humanities will bring wicked fun to Lawrence

LAWRENCE — The Hall Center for the Humanities will bring a Halloween twist to history, literature, language and culture in downtown Lawrence this month. This all-ages humanities festival provides a unique opportunity for scholars to share serious research, nightmarish stories, chilling factoids and joyful revelations. This year’s celebration will take place from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 25 at Abe & Jake’s Landing.

“Haunting Humanities playfully explores the insights that the study of humanities can bring to everyday life,” said Giselle Anatol, interim director of the Hall Center. “From candy and cocktails to chilling stories about historical events, it’s an evening with something for everyone.”

Visitors will receive a map of the venue and can guide themselves through a series of innovative presentations, activities, games and enactments at their own pace. Each exhibit will have a rating – G, PG, PG-13 or R – listed in the event’s program to indicate whether it is appropriate for younger audiences or adults. Food vendors are Latchkey Deli and April’s Sweet Treats, and the Abe & Jake’s bar will feature a unique menu of spooky boutique cocktails.

Haunting Humanities is a KU original. It began as the brainchild of the Public Humanities Roundtable, a loosely knit group convened by the Hall Center, of faculty, staff, and community partners who were interested in developing new ways for humanities researchers to engage the public interactively with their work. 

Haunting Humanities has a host of spine-tingling sponsors and hair-raising community partners, including Humanities Kansas, Friends of the Hall Center, Kansas Public Radio, Abe & Jake’s Landing and numerous KU academic departments.

A sampling of activities scheduled for the evening:

Cursed Classics

Learn the secrets of ancient Greek and Roman magic with KU’s Department of Classics. Design a curse to smite enemies or a love charm to capture the heart of a crush. Then use the newly acquired knowledge of the ancient dark arts to decode the spell and enter a drawing to win a prize.  

“On a Dark and Stormy Night”: Crafting the Campfire Story

Danger lurks in the darkness, so join around the campfire for the telling of a few twisted tales. Don’t have a story to tell? Organizers will help participants write one.  

Making Mary's Monster

For the Making Mary's Monster escape room, Mary Shelley and those attending embark on a writing contest to see who can pen the best ghost story. Mary, disturbed by a nightmare, begins her masterpiece, “Frankenstein.” In the midst of her work, she is struck by an affliction that visits students, academics and authors the world over: the dreaded writer’s block. Can participants free her?

El Dia de los Muertos: Passing on Family History through Art & Storytelling

Participants will learn about el Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, as they build an ofrenda, a colorful altar to honor late loved ones. In Mexican culture, the dead are to be celebrated and not feared. Afterward, participants can take a photo with Lucia, a 12-foot skeleton.   

Photos: Presentations and activities from Haunting Humanities, 2018.