Silence crept over the crowded library room as author Lauren Groff began to read an excerpt from her novel “Fates and Furies.”
Groff — a Gainesville resident recognized by President Obama for having written his favorite book of 2015, according to People magazine — kicked off a five-part humanities speaker series, “Imagining Florida: The Place We Call Home," on Jan. 9 at the Alachua County Library District's headquarters.
The University of Florida's Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere has hosted similar series in the past. However, this year, the series is focusing on public humanities to expand beyond the university and reach more of the Alachua County community, said Jordana Cox, a postdoctoral associate at the center.
The series is meant to provide residents with an opportunity to explore the role of humanities that take root in Gainesville and the surrounding area, Cox said.
Groff was invited to share the relationship between her fiction and the Florida experience. Groff has a couple short stories and parts of her novel set in Gainesville.
“Humanities are extremely important,” Groff said. “Anything that encourages discussion about the local environment we live in — having a common discussion point so that you can think about things with friends, co-workers and neighbors — is wonderful.”
Groff said she chose Gainesville as the setting for some of her short stories because the community and the people have had a deep impact on her. She said she enjoys talking with her readers and people who are interested in writing.
Humanities are important and bring a wide range of different perspectives together, said Alachua County resident Dorothy Nation, who attended the Jan. 9 event.
Nation said she was surprised to see more than just middle-aged women at the event. It also drew in men, a younger crowd and individuals from a variety of different cultures.
The next event in the series is set to feature Patricia Hilliard-Nunn, a lecturer of African-American studies at UF, and Robin Poynor, a UF art and art history professor and co-author of “Africa in Florida: Five Hundred Years of African Presence in the Sunshine State.”
Hilliard-Nunn and Poynor have done extensive research in African-American history in Alachua County, which has a rich historical presence, said Chris Culp, public services division director for the Alachua County Library District.
It is scheduled to take place at Santa Fe College’s Lawrence W. Tyree Library on Feb. 24 at 3:30 p.m., according to a press release from UF's Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere.
For the third event in the series, UF curators will showcase a special collection of some of “Florida’s treasures,” Culp said. The curators will discuss how collecting historical objects can enrich the community.
The fourth event in the series will feature historian and author Gary Mormino, who will focus on the history of citrus in Florida and the impact it has had on the state.
The final event will be a technology workshop to explore digital humanities, Cox said.
The library district, Santa Fe College, the Matheson History Museum, UF's George A. Smathers Libraries, and UF's Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere came together to produce the series, according to the press release.
Each organization was asked to choose a speaker or group that was compelling to them, Cox said. Speakers were selected to reflect a variety of backgrounds, disciplines and ideas.
The goal is to get residents of diverse cultures and age groups to learn about the humanities and share their sense of community with others, Culp said.
Culp said the future format for the series is uncertain for now. The organization's hope is that the community will embrace the series.
All events in the series are free and open to anyone wishing to attend. For more information, visit www.humanities.ufl.edu.