Delaware Humanities has officially opened its FY2026 Speakers Program, offering an exciting lineup of new and returning presentations available for hosting between November 2025 and October 2026. The popular program brings engaging humanities topics to communities across the state, with events taking place in classrooms, libraries, and local organizations.
“This program continues to be one of our most impactful ways to connect Delawareans through history, culture, and conversation,” said Michele Anstine, Executive Director of Delaware Humanities. “Our speakers bring stories to life in ways that help us better understand where we come from and who we are as a state.”
Among the new programs debuting this year are The Shadow of the Gallows: The History of Capital Punishment in America; Delaware’s Signers and Slavery: It’s Complicated; The Harlem Renaissance: A Revolution of Words, Art, and Activism; Transforming Delaware’s Forgotten Cemeteries: Illuminating Cultural Landscapes; Allies for Justice: Delaware’s Role in Brown v. Board of Education; Tales the Tombstones Whisper: Understanding the History of Cemeteries; and What Does It Mean to Be a Delawarean?, a special program presented by Anstine herself.
Interactive conversation programs, formerly known as “Community Conversations,” are now fully integrated into the Speakers catalog, making it easier for organizations to find and book both lecture-style and discussion-based events.
“By expanding the catalog to include our conversation programs, we’re giving Delaware communities even more opportunities to host meaningful discussions about local and national issues,” Anstine added.
This month’s featured programs include Diversity in Latin America by Charito Calvachi-Mateyko; Rethinking Our Home Landscapes by Kathy Doyle; The Delaware Poisoned Candy Murders of 1898 by Margaret Opsata; The REAL Women: Veterans of Vietnam by Nancy E. Lynch; and What You Never Knew About Nancy Drew by Lora Englehart
One upcoming highlight is The Delaware Poisoned Candy Murders of 1898, presented by historian Margaret Opsata on October 23 at the Laurel Public Library. The talk revisits one of Delaware’s most shocking historical crimes—a mysterious case in which a Dover woman and her sister died of arsenic poisoning after receiving a gift box of candy in the mail.
“This case captured the nation’s attention in 1898,” said Opsata. “It’s a story of deception, jealousy, and betrayal that reads like a Victorian novel but is entirely true—and it unfolded right here in Delaware.”
To explore the full FY2026 Speakers catalog or to request a program for your organization, visit Delaware Humanities online.
