Public Humanities

This post was written by Stephen Tuttle, a BYU Humanities Center faculty fellow.   Recently, I’ve been thinking quite a lot about novelty. This is partly because I teach creative writing, and novelty is a central element in most definitions of creativity. Morris Stein’s definition goes like this: “The creative work is a novel work …

This post was written by George Dibble, a BYU Humanities Center student fellow.   How long has it been, Lord? Your voice is so quiet. Alone in a park, in cold and night, I looked. Searched by wandering, stumbling, warming my hand with the other. Closed eyes as I leaned against a tree near a …

This post was written by Julia Morgan, a BYU Humanities Center student fellow. Rock Canyon is a place I visit dozens of times per year. A small canyon in Provo, characterized by quartzite, limestone, and tillite rock, Rock Canyon is a favorite among locals. But I have a controversial opinion about it: I think it’s …

This post was written by Porter Kindall, a Humanities Center student fellow. In the summer of 2025, this video of fitness influencer Ashton Hall’s morning routine went viral. Captioned as “The morning routine that changed my life 3:50am to 9:30am,” Hall starts shirtless, with tape on his nose and mouth. He spends time working out, …

This post was written by James R. Swensen, a BYU Humanities Center faculty fellow.   Just so you know, it takes about a week (or so) to recover from a study abroad program, even when everything goes smoothly. Having directed and co-directed several programs, my family and I have learned that once the students have …

This post was written by Brooke Farnsworth, a BYU Humanities Center student fellow.   Rummaging through my attic, I recently happened upon a binder, water-damaged and falling apart. As I sifted through the well-worn papers, a familiar note fluttered into my hand. I recognized the handwriting and language as my own. The letter was titled, …

This post was written by Sara Phenix, a BYU Humanities Center faculty fellow.   The unlikely first sign that something was wrong with my vision was a broken ankle. On the second day of a two-week research trip to Paris in December 2023, I missed the last step of a staircase on the Ile de …

This post was written by Sawyer Wood, BYU Humanities Center Intern and student fellow.   While studying in Northern Spain this summer, I visited the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, which stands in a city literally built around its religiosity. The cathedral was constructed on a sacred site believed to be the resting place of …

This post was written by Rex P. Nielson, BYU Humanities Center Director.   On July 25, 1139, in a placed called Ourique, roughly an hour north of modern-day Lisbon, Afonso Henriques and his armed forces faced a much larger army loyal to the Almoravid dynasty and the governor of Córdoba, Muhammad Az-Zubayr Ibn Umar. Though …

This post was written by Jane Henderson, winner of the 2025 Humanities Center Essay Contest.   Ross Gay said joy is “a room at the top of a flight of stairs.”  I was standing in a room in a community center in the middle of Herriman, Utah. It was warm with bodies. Colorful posters breathed …