The North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, has awarded $58,950 in grants for public humanities projects. All funded programs are free and open to the public.

Projects supported by the North Carolina Humanities Council are vital to its commitment to serve as an advocate for lifelong learning and thoughtful dialogue about all facets of human life. Through grants and public programs, the Humanities Council facilitates the exploration and celebration of the many voices and stories of North Carolina's cultures and heritage.

North Carolina Humanities Council awards during this grant cycle include:

n $10,000 to the Ashe County Arts Council and Ashe County Public Library of West Jefferson for "On the Same Page," a fall 2010 literary festival in western North Carolina whose focus is "reading and writing about North Carolina people, places and traditions." Activities include creative writing workshops, readings and "An Hour With an Author" sessions.

n $9,430 to the Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe for "Haliwa Indian School Documentation Project, Phase II," the continuation of a project examining the Indian Schools of Hollister as a "dominant institution of identity" for the American Indians of Halifax, Warren, Franklin and Nash counties.

n $8,830 to the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival Association for "Coming Home: The Fifth Annual Carolina Mountains Literary Festival," a two-day event in the town square of Burnsville.

n $7,690 to Wake Forest University and Z. Smith Reynolds Library for "Single Threads Unbraided: A Celebration of the Work of A.R. Ammons," a symposium in Winston-Salem on Nov. 15-16, examining the poetry, visual arts and letters of one of North Carolina's most distinguished writers. Symposium components include presentations by nationally known speakers, the unveiling of 20 Ammons original watercolor paintings for permanent display in the Z. Smith Reynolds Library, and a one-act play based on Ammons' "Love Letters."

n $7,000 to Tri-Community College, of Murphy, for "Mountain Work: A Social Commentary," a video by students documenting the social, historical and cultural meanings of work in their mountain communities. Public events planned for spring 2011 are oral history methods workshops, a videography and photography presentation and video premiere.

n $6,000 to Wayne County Reads of Goldsboro for "A Country, A People," whose feature event is an exhibit of photographs taken by U.S. military troops recently deployed in Afghanistan. The project coincides with Wayne County Reads 2011, featuring Greg Mortenson's "Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan."

n $5,000 to the Community Empowerment Fund of Chapel Hill for "Micro-finance Narratives in Durham, NC," a documentary film telling the personal stories of two micro-entrepreneurs who participated in the Community Empowerment Fund, a student-run organization that assists people of low-wealth in establishing economic independence by offering small business training courses, interest-free business loans and a savings Public viewings of the film are planned for October.

n $5,000 to the Southern Documentary Fund of Durham for the completion of "Landscapes of the Heart: The Elizabeth Spencer Story," a documentary film about Southern writer and Chapel Hill resident Elizabeth Spencer. The project title is derived from Spencer's 1988 memoir.