Humanities Kansas recently awarded $3,050 to the Center for Great Plains Studies at Emporia State University in support of “Average Jane: Talking to Women Who Work in Kansas,” a podcast series. The project brings together researchers, interviewers, and scholars to amplify the voices of average working women in Kansas.
Susan Brinkman, assistant director for the Center, is the grant writer and project director.
“The inspiration for Average Jane was Studs Terkel’s now iconic series,” Brinkman said, referring to the nonfiction books, “Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do.”
The podcasts will feature women who choose to live in Kansas and who are working in both traditional and non-traditional industries.
“We will be interviewing women in a variety of settings and across the full geographic area of Kansas,” Brinkman said. “Employment settings for the first three episodes will feature women in the meat packing industry, law enforcement and teaching.”
Max McCoy, professor of Journalism at Emporia State University and director of the Center for Great Plains Studies, is the humanities scholar on the project.
“Our aim is for working women across the state tell their stories, in their own words, and to provide a platform to reach a wide audience for those stories,” McCoy said. “It’s a sad but unsurprising truth that women work harder and are paid less than men, especially among minorities. What our project will study is how women feel about their work, the pride they take in it, and how this work is woven into the contemporary culture of our state.
McCoy expressed his gratitude for the support of Humanities Kansas and of Emporia State University. He also thanked Brinkman for her hard work on the grand application.
Following the release of the first three episodes, the Center will host panel discussions in the home communities where the interviewees reside. Panels will include humanities scholars, interviewees, and industry professionals and will be free to the public.
The Center for Great Plains Studies, founded in 1977, serves as a repository of primary and secondary source material related to the Great Plains. Located in William Allen White Library on the ESU campus, the Center houses special collections, journals, and bound volumes available to researchers and Plains enthusiasts alike. Among other activities, the Center hosts the Tallgrass Science and Nature Writing Workshop held in April each year and publishes the bi-annual journal, “Great Plains Traverse.”
Humanities Kansas is an independent nonprofit spearheading a movement of ideas to empower the people of Kansas to strengthen their communities and our democracy. Since 1972, Humanities Kansas has worked to inspire all Kansans to draw on history, literature, ethics, and culture to enrich their lives and serve their communities.