CALL FOR SPEAKERS

Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau 2026-2027
Apply: July 1, 2025, 9:00 a.m. CST - August 29, 2025, 5:00 p.m.

About the Program:

The Illinois Humanities’ Road Scholars Speakers Bureau invites Illinois-based writers, storytellers, historians, humanities scholars, folklorists, musicians, and living history actors, among others, to share their expertise and enthusiasm with people throughout Illinois. The program supports local nonprofit organizations – including libraries, museums, arts councils, historical societies, civic groups, and many others – by presenting high-quality cultural programs at no cost to attendees or host organizations.  In doing so, Road Scholars Speakers Bureau meets Illinoisians where they are to ensure that we can all experience the power of the humanities.

About the Call:

We’re seeking Illinois-based speakers who demonstrate the following characteristics:

• Deep knowledge about and passion for the subject matter on which they wish to offer presentations;
• Public speaking or teaching experience;
• An engaging presence and the ability to facilitate discussion among audiences of diverse cultural and economic backgrounds;
• A talent for finding interesting perspectives on subjects both obscure and familiar;
• Interest in traveling to and visiting communities throughout Illinois and interacting with a wide range of people;
• Representation of multiple perspectives and voices that reflect the diversity of Illinois – including, but not limited to, the experiences of communities of color, indigenous communities, LGBTQ+ communities, immigrant communities, rural communities, communities living in poverty, and working-class communities. We encourage those who are fluent and willing to present in languages other than English to apply.

For every application round, we seek a few speakers with topics that align with themes of our upcoming programming. For the 2026-2027, this key programming includes the following two themes.

THEME 1: The 250th  Anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence

We encourage speakers whose presentation topics lift up under-told stories and explore some of the following themes and questions:

• The Power of Place - How has the natural environment shaped past events such as settlement and migration, or economic development and innovation? How have these events affected the environment?  How has our state changed over time? Who has historically lived in our region and how did they experience major events in the past?
• “We the People” – How, when, and why have definitions of “the people” and ideas about belonging changed? Who has been, and remains, excluded from full participation and representation in our democracy? How have our definitions of the “American Dream” stayed the same or changed over time? 

For more information and context on these themes, you can review the AASLH Field Guide for the Semiquincentennial, specifically pgs. 13-14. 

THEME 2: Americans, a Museum on Main Street exhibition coming to Illinois in 2027

We encourage speakers with topics and themes that explore how deeply intertwined American Indians are in the culture of the United States and how this offers a new way of understanding familiar events and figures such as:

• Thanksgiving as a modern invention
• Pocahontas as a key figure in the country’s founding
• The Trail of Tears as a vast national project reshaping the country
• The Battle of Little Bighorn and a complicated legacy 

For more information on this exhibition and its content, please visit: museumonmainstreet.org/americans.

Application Process:

• Applications for the 2026-2027 Road Scholars Speakers Bureau will be accepted from 9:00 a.m. CST on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, through 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 29, 2025, and reviewed by a committee of Illinois Humanities staff, host organization representatives, and former Road Scholars speakers.
• Invitations to attend a virtual interview (that includes a 15-minute demo of part of your presentation) will be sent on a rolling basis.
• For more information about expectations, compensation, and to access the application, please visit: ilhumanities.org/speaker-call.
• Prior to applying, we encourage you to watch this short video that provides further details on what we are looking for and how to strengthen your application.

If you have any questions about the Road Scholars Speakers Bureau program, contact Nicole Rodriguez at speakers@ilhumanities.org or 312-374-1558.