About the 2025 Festival
The theme of the 2025 Cleveland Humanities Festival is APPETITE. Feast. Famine, Ambition. Desire. Craving. Appetite is both a bodily state and an emotive force. As we celebrate the 10th year anniversary of the CHF, we will explore the multifaceted ways that humanistic inquiry has engaged this theme. What do we hunger for in our personal and civic lives? How does longing shape the human psyche? How have artists and makers explored the role of appetite in creative production? What metaphors of appetite resonate across diverse time periods and cultural milieus? How will AI and new technologies impact our collective appetites for knowledge? These questions and more will be addressed by Cleveland area arts, cultural and educational organizations through a series of public events in the spring of 2025.
Film Screening: Seeds
April 2, 2025
2:25 PM Playhouse Square 1501 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, OH 44115
Filmmaker/cinematographer Brittany Shyne vividly and patiently captures 100 years in the life of a Black farming family in Thomas County, Georgia from social challenges to financial straights to their dedication to one another. Winner of the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at Sundance 2025.
This film screening is part of the 49th Cleveland International Film Festival and is a ticketed event.
Purchase tickets HERE.
Thirst for Knowledge: The Florist of Millionaire's Row
April 2, 2025
7:00 PM Cuyahoga County Public Library Independence Branch 6361 Selig Drive Independence, OH 44131
Put Spring in your Step, Cleveland!
April 3, 2025
7:00 PM Cuyahoga County Public Library Chagrin Falls Branch 100 East Orange Street Chagrin Falls, OH 44022
Discover Northeast Ohio's best urban and rural trails with hiking expert Diane Stresing! Explore scenic spots, historical trails, and hidden gems within 60 miles of Cleveland. Perfect for hikers of all levels.
Book sales and signing to follow.
This event is sponsored by Cuyahoga County Public Library and is free and open to the public.
Books at the Market
April 5, 2025
10:00 AM West Side Market 1979 West 25th Street Cleveland, OH 44113
The Rust Belt Humanities Lab, Cleveland Public Library and Literary Cleveland along with local partners are hosting Books at the Market with pop up vendors at the West Side Market vending books and other fresh fiction, non-fiction, poetry, comics and more alongside favorite butchers, bakers and fishmongers. At 1pm, National Book Award winner, Andrew Aydin (co-author of March with John Lewis) will be signing books at the market.
Literary Cleveland: Hungry Heart, CHF Reading
April 5, 2025
7:00 PM West Side Market 1979 West 25th Street Cleveland, OH 44113
Appetite for Words: Satisfying the Hunger for Storytelling
April 6, 2025
1:30-3:00 PM Lake Erie Ink: a writing space for youth 2108 South Taylor, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
Spice Club
Week of April 7
Rocky River Public Library 1600 Hampton Road Rocky River, 44116 Pick up a kit each month that includes a spice sample, a background of the spice, and recipes using it. We’ll share feedback through email.
This program is sponsored by Rocky River Public Library and is free and open to the public.
Who Were the Buffalo Soldiers?
April 7, 2025
7:00 PM Cuyahoga County Public Library Solon Branch 34125 Portz Parkway Solon, OH 44139
Discover the story of African American soldiers on the Western frontier after the Civil War. After the Civil War, many sought a fresh start in the West. Learn how the 9th and 10th Cavalry, known as the "Buffalo Soldiers" played a vital role in westward expansion and helped lay the groundwork for the National Park Rangers.
Presented by Jermaine Crayton, M.Ed, CTRS, Yogi.
The Hunger for Meaning - Fifth Decade Mastery
April 7, 2025
7:00 PM Cuyahoga County Public Library Orange Branch 31975 Chagrin Boulevard Pepper Pike, OH 44124
Learn to unlock your potential in your 50’s and beyond! Are you looking back with regret and feeling anxious about the future, sensing that time is slipping away? In this workshop, uncover the keys to unlocking your limitless potential and achieving abundant success in your fifties and beyond. Presented by Natalie Rudd, Certified Professional Life & Business Coach.
Meet Author Juliet Grames
April 7, 2025
7:00 PM Rocky River Public Library 1600 Hampton Road Rocky River, OH 44116