Content
The topics covered by humanities councils are impressively broad.
There are programs built around themes of journalism, democracy, state history, culture, oral history, the arts, the future, poetry, traditional crafts, other community organizations, current events, extremism, American ideals, myth, food, fiction, and folklore—not to mention the added breadth coming from the hundreds of scholars and community experts who have been interviewed or introduced through these podcasts.
Often councils prioritize highlighting the people in and histories of their state, but some, like Wyoming's What's Your Why? and Oregon's The Detour have expanded further afield depending on the guests they feature—although often still connecting the discussion to their state context.
To some extent, the format determines the content and vice versa. The content of interview-based shows like What's Your Why? can be more personal and contemplative than shows like Mysterious Mountains that are focused on a particular source material or history.