Baltimore City Life Museums, the Jewish Historical Society and the Contemporary are among the local organizations to receive grants from the Maryland Humanities Council for their humanities programs.
The council recently awarded $89,088 to support public programming by nonprofit organizations throughout the state. Grants included the following:
* Baltimore City Life Museums: $8,775 in outright funds and $7,425 in matching funds for an interpretive exhibition about Baltimore's Shot Tower.
* Jewish Historical Society of Maryland: $4,220 in outright funds and $16,000 in matching funds for an exhibition about Baltimorean Henrietta Szold, who organized a pioneering night school, founded an American women's Zionist movement and created social welfare systems in Palestine.
* The Contemporary: $1,200 to support an exhibition at the Baltimore Museum of Industry, which raises questions about population control and new birth technologies.
* Baltimore Hebrew University: $2,275 for a seminar looking at differences between the Samson of Saint Saens's 19th-century opera and the historical accounts of the biblical figure.
* University of Baltimore: $1,850 to support a symposium considering Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" on its 150th anniversary.
* Babe Ruth Birthplace and Baseball Center: $1,180 for a radio series of historical "baseball minutes" about the Babe's life.
* Towson State University: $1,200 for a series of concerts and lectures on traditional Asian music.
* Friends of the Catonsville Library in Baltimore County: $3,479 toward publishing a booklet on the history of the black community in Catonsville.
* Frostburg State University: $8,000 for a conference to examine changes in American culture after World War II.
* Historical Society of Frederick County: $1,200 for an exhibition about the impact of the Civil War on families and communities.
* Springbrook High School in Montgomery County: $1,200 for a collaborative course with the University of Maryland to discuss the history of Colonial Maryland using the novel "Moll Flanders."
* Banneker-Douglass Museum Foundation in Anne Arundel County: $9,789 for an exhibition and symposium about children's books by black writers and illustrators.
* Hood College, Frederick County: $4,495 for a series of presentations about images of women in various cultures.
* Garrett Community College, $4,992 in outright funds and $3,000 in matching funds for a series of presentations commemorating the 50th anniversary of World War II.
* Crisfield-Smith Island Cultural Alliance in Somerset County: $1,200 toward a documentary film about the island for the island's visitor center.
The Maryland Humanities Council is an independent, non-profit statewide affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Organizations seeking details on how to apply for grants should contact the council at (410) 625-4830.
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Malaysian-American poet Hillary Tham will read from her work at 8:30 p.m. Dec. 6 at Irina's Cafe, 32nd and Barclay streets as part of the First Tuesday Series.
Author of "Men & Other Strange Myths," Ms. Tham grew up in the Chinese and Catholic milieu of Southeast Asia, then moved to the United States with her husband, converted to Judaism and began a career as a poet. In addition to five books of poems, she has published poems and short stories in Antietam Review and Maryland Poetry Review and her work was included in last year's "Mondo Barbie" anthology.
Admission to the reading is free, although donations are requested. For details, call (410) 366-2209.
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Baltimore Clayworks has established an art center for American Indian children at the Baltimore American Indian Center, 2207-B E. Baltimore St. The program offers classes in drawing, pottery and other traditional crafts two afternoons a week during the school year. Intended for children aged 10 to 14, the center is funded through grants from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Abell Foundation.
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The deadline is Feb. 10 for emerging writers to submit manuscripts to the Artscape 95 literary arts awards program for poetry, short stories and one-act plays.
This year's short-story judge is Rita Mae Brown, author of the best-selling "Rubyfruit Jungle" and other novels. Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver, author of "American Primitive," will judge the poetry contest. The judge for the one-act plays will be announced later.
The winning fiction writer and poet will receive 250 edition chapbooks of their work and public readings. The winning playwright will receive $1,000 and production of his or her play at Artscape on July 22-23.
All literary organizations, presses, art councils and theaters are invited to serve as statewide nominators for the awards. An organization may submit one writer each in the poetry and short-story categories and an unlimited number in the one-act play category.
For details, call (410) 396-4575, TDD accessible.