Information for Granting Organizations

Delmarva Discussions is the very successful book discussion program begun in 1984 by the Delaware Library Association and expanded throughout the Delmarva Peninsula in 1988 under a National Endowment for the Humanities grant. Since 1984, Delmarva Discussions has sponsored more than 400 reading and discussion series facilitated in libraries, museums, retirement homes, and community sites by over 150 different scholars connected with most of the colleges and universities on the peninsula.

Incorporated in the State of Delaware and granted its own 501(c)3 status in 2005, Delmarva Discussions offers humanities programming through thematic literary series, each featuring three to five titles specifically selected to develop the theme from a variety of perspectives. Hosted at various community venues in all three states on the Delmarva Peninsula, participants sign up for the program, check out and read each of the series’ books, then attend the scheduled discussion for that particular book.

Participants have about two weeks to read each book before the scheduled discussion. Each discussion is facilitated by a scholar whose education and interest offers participants a valuable perspective on the individual book and its particular relationship to the series’ theme. The focus of each program is discussion - not lecture. Some of our series add to this simple format by incorporating film or writing exercises.

Additionally, Delmarva Discussions gives the host site all the materials and assistance it needs for a successful program. Multiple copies of the books within a series are provided, along with camera-ready brochures, flyers and press releases, color posters, evaluation forms, and the coordination, management, and payment of discussion leaders and scholars. For understaffed and tightly budgeted venues, Delmarva Discussions is the way to provide high quality programming without using valuable site resources!

Historically, Delmarva Discussions has been supported by individual sites, the State of Delaware Division of Libraries, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Delaware Humanities Forum, the Maryland Humanities Council, private foundations, and corporate giving programs.