In the winter of 2026, The Ohio State Humanities Institute launched Humanities on Tap (HoT), a monthly series of community events that strive to bring the humanities to life across Columbus. The HoT lineup for autumn semester will feature a new series of community 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.

Autumn 2026 Humanities on Tap Events

Series Kick-Off Celebration

Friday, August 28

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.

Artist Amy Youngs

Friday, September 25

Amy Youngs, Associate Professor in the OSU Department of Art, 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. The talk title and location for this event are TBD: more information coming soon.

Ashley Hope Perez

Friday, October 23

Ashley Perez, Associate Professor in the OSU Department of Comparative Studies, is a literary scholar, novelist, youth advocate and educator. Across these areas, she explores the ethical implications of how we tell, read, mediate and interpret narratives. As one of the most frequently banned writers in the United States since 2021, Pérez uses her insights and experiences to advocate for students and their right to learn, grow and access diverse literature. Her anthology Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers' Rights (2025) brings together banned writers to share their experiences, inform readers about the works of literature disappearing from library shelves and empower them with ways to fight back. In 2024, she secured a $500,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation to fund the Unite to Read Project at The Ohio State University. Her talk title is coming soon.

October's 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.

In November, in tandem with the HoT events, the Humanities Institute will host folklorist David J. Puglia for the William Hammond Lecture on the American Tradition. Dr. Puglia is the author of North American Monsters: A Contemporary Legend Casebook. The HI will also present a free screening of The Mothman Prophesies in anticipation of Dr. Puglia's talk on Ohio cryptids. See our event page for more details on these events, held in partnership with the OSU Center for Folklore Studies. 

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.