Pell Center receives major grant award from RICH

The Pell Center has won a 2013 major grant award from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities (RICH), an independent state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The grant will support “Story in the Public Square,” a project to examine and celebrate the use of storytelling in public affairs.

“Story in the Public Square” will launch with a public conference on Friday, April 12. The day-long event will feature accomplished storytellers, whether they are journalists, novelists or filmmakers, a screening of the Providence Journal’s acclaimed documentary “Coming Home” about veterans returning to southeastern New England after tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, keynote remarks by former Sen. Gary Hart, and the presentation of the first Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square. The winner of the inaugural Pell Center prize will be announced in the coming months.

“This is great news for the Pell Center and Salve Regina University,” said Jim Ludes, executive director of the Pell Center. “We’ve worked for nearly a year with our partners to organize a public program that begins with a day-long event this April and then continues with ongoing research and programming that will both celebrate ethical storytelling and expose abuses. We’re very grateful to RICH for their generous support.”

G. Wayne Miller, a Providence Journal journalist, filmmaker and author, is co-directing “Story in the Public Square” as a visiting fellow at the Pell Center. “RICH’s support is a difference-maker for us,” Miller said. “Their long record of support for great projects in the humanities is a real validation of our work. We’re looking forward to the event on April 12 with real excitement and expectation.”