In the winter of 2026, The Ohio State Humanities Institute launched Humanities on Tap (HoT), a monthly series of community events that bring the humanities to life across Columbus. The HoT lineup for autumn semester will feature a new series of gatherings offering an easygoing space to explore big ideas, hear fresh perspectives and connect with friends. Led by local experts and storytellers, these talks are engaging, approachable and social—perfect for curious minds throughout our community.

Topics this autumn include improving attention span through engaging with nature; finding joy in advocacy; and celebrating Ohio folklore. We'll kick it all off with a celebration and performance from Fly Casual, the rock band of our own director, Ryan Skinner.

All Humanities on Tap event are free, open to the public and welcoming to everyone.

Autumn 2026 Humanities on Tap Events

Series Kick-Off Celebration

Friday, August 28

Rambling House Music Bar

Help us launch this semester's Humanities on Tap (HoT) series at the Rambling House Music Bar. We will showcase our upcoming fall HoT events and other Humanities Institute activities, but we’re also putting on a show! Music will be provided by local rock band Fly Casual—featuring HI Director Ryan Skinner on drums. Come ready to listen, dance, socialize and get excited about this year’s programming at the Humanities Institute. Doors open at 5 pm, with music starting at 6. 

Reclaim your Attention with Art and Ecology

Friday, September 25

Location TBD

Artist Amy Youngs will share methods learned from her creative practice to help direct attention towards plants, insects, fungi and other critters important to our life on earth. You don’t need to be an artist to reclaim your attention - the “arts of attention” can be practiced by anyone. Through activities such as “plant noticing" and “fungal entanglements," we will practice experiencing ourselves as part of the web of life. 

Amy Youngs is an Associate Professor in the OSU Department of Art. She creates eco art, interactive sculptures and digital media works that explore interdependencies between technology, plants and animals. Her research involves entanglements with the non-human, constructing ecosystems and seeing through the eyes of machines. She has created installations that amplify the sounds of living worms, indoor ecosystems powered by a rocking chair, an interactive museum for live insects and an augmented reality tour of real nature. 

Joyful Advocacy in Troubled Times

Friday, October 23

Budd Dairy Food Hall

Do you feel committed to positive change but paralyzed by the magnitude of crises and harms? Harried and overwhelmed by competing calls to action? Exhausted and disconnected from the meaning of your efforts? Join Ashley Hope Pérez (Associate Professor of Comparative Studies) for some inspiration and practical strategies for cultivating advocacy that is a joy to sustain. 

Dr. Pérez draws on her experiences responding to censorship since 2021, when her novel Out of Darkness became one of the most banned books in the United States. Her advocacy has taken many forms, from public speaking and interviews, to editing Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers’ Rights (an anthology of banned writers), to directing the Unite to Read Project, a three-year Mellon Foundation-funded initiative at OSU. She’ll share the lessons she learned in the process and how she continues to orient toward passions and sources of joy (and let go of shame and “shoulds”). 

This event will be held at Budd Dairy Food Hall during "Fourth Street Fridays," monthly open-air evenings featuring creative entertainment and special gatherings hosted by small businesses along North Fourth Street in Italian Village.

Moth-Vember

November 6 - 19

Locations vary

This November marks the 60th anniversary of the first Mothman sightings in Ohio and West Virginia. To commemorate this legendary piece of Ohio folklore, the Humanities Institute is partnering with the OSU Center for Folklore Studies for three exciting events:

• The Mothman Prophecies Screening: Catch a special showing of the film at the Gateway Film Center and meet the owners of the Mothman Museum with a Q+A following the movie. Date is currently TBD.
• The William Hammond Lecture: Join us that same week for a presentation by renowned folklorist David J. Puglia, author of North American Monsters: A Contemporary Legend Casebook. Date and location are currently TBD.
• Cryptid Makerspace: Unleash your inner artist at an open art studio event on November 6th in 198 Hagerty Hall from 1 to 4 pm. 

See our event page for these and other events throughout the autumn semester.

For more information about the "Humanities on Tap" community event series, please contact Ryan Skinner, Director of the Humanities Institute and Professor and Area Head for Musicology and Music Theory. 

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