LETTER OF UNDERSTANDING
Dear ____________________
This letter is to confirm plans for your participation in our “Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma” program as we
discussed recently. Please sign and return a copy for me and keep a copy for your records.
I am also enclosing a “Guide for Program Scholars”. This may be helpful as you prepare your presentation.
PROGRAM: You are scheduled to present the following program:
Book Title:
Date:
Time:
Location:
AGENDA:
1. Pre-program: plan to arrive early to meet with discussion facilitators to answer any questions they might
have about the reading or your suggested discussion topics.
2. Introductions
3. Presentation (30 to 40 minutes): design your presentation to provide humanities-based perspectives which
will enrich the audience’s understanding of the book. The goal of the presentation (and the program as a
whole) is to engage the audience in critical thinking and active reflection on the discussion of the text,
especially as it relates to the series theme.
4. Small group discussion (40 to 50 minutes): discussion facilitators will meet with participants in small
groups of about 10 or so. You will circulate to answer specific questions and to gauge the interest and
major concerns of the participants.
5. Wrap-up (10 to 20 minutes): discussion groups are urged to present brief summarizing remarks about their
conclusions. You will then comment on points and questions raised in discussion, suggest conclusions and
perhaps direct the participants in the next reading in the series.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Please remember to send suggested discussion topics and questions about two weeks before your program. I
will also need a copy of your resume or an autobiographical paragraph for use in publicity and the
introduction for your program. If you have a black & white glossy photo suitable for the newspaper that
would also be helpful.
COMPENSATION
Your compensation will include an honorarium of $_______.
MILEAGE
Mileage will be determined from a standard state mileage schedule. Please indicate below from which city you
will be traveling to arrive at the program location.
I will be traveling from
We are very much looking forward to your program and greatly appreciate your willingness to participate. Your
role is critical to the success of the program and to our long-range goals of encouraging thoughtful reading and
fruitful discussion of good books. Thank you!
I need a copy of the book.
I have a change in my contact information. Please update in the scholar directory.
Mail book and payment to:
Street Address
City
State
Zip Code
Daytime Phone:
Home Phone:
E-Mail Address:
LIBRARY OR ORGANIZATION
SCHOLAR
For:
Library or Organization
Scholar Signature
Project Director Signature
Scholar's Name (Please print)
By:
Name:
Project Director (Please print)
Address:
Daytime Phone:
A GUIDE FOR PROGRAM SCHOLARS
What is Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma?
The core of Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma (LTAIO) is a series of humanities-based reading and discussion
programs organized around provocative themes, historical eras, philosophical issues, literary genres, or
human concerns such as “Being Ethnic” or “Survival.” The programs are designed to be presented in
public libraries and other public places, and they are designed for an audience of out-of-school adults. A
typical LTAIO audience will consist of people from 19 to 90 years of age, with educational credentials
ranging from high school diplomas to Ph.D.s. The common factor among LTAIO participants is
enthusiasm for reading and discussing books.
The most important thing for you to remember about your audience in a LTAIO program is that it
consists of willing adults who have read the book for the program and are eager to hear your insights
and participate in discussion. Audience members bring a wide variety of professional and personal
experiences and differing philosophies to each program, and we believe that these programs can be a
learning experience for you, the scholar, as well as for the participants.
One goal of LTAIO programs is to teach participants to read and discuss literature critically. This goal is
accomplished, in part, by the thematic organization of the programs. Your scholarly perspective on the
reading and theme also enables critical thinking among participants. Participants will frequently choose
to reread the book under discussion in light of your presentation.
What is the program format?
Each LTAIO program exemplifies a kind of “structured informality.” Although we recommend a four-part
format, individual programs might vary somewhat to accommodate participants. The aim of LTAIO
programs is to create a setting in which participants feel comfortable and which is conducive to candid
discussion and the exchange of ideas.
The recommended program format is as follows:
 A program begins with your presentation, which relates the book to the theme and may
include such issues as the author’s life, the historical context of the work, the literary
significance of the work, or its contemporary relevance. Your presentation should last
30 to 40 minutes.
 A short break of ten to fifteen minutes follows your presentation. Refreshments are
served and mingling is encouraged.
 After the break, discussion facilitators meet with small groups – ten to a group is ideal –
and discussion lasts 40 to 50 minutes. You will visit briefly with each group to answer
questions and to get a sense of the direction of the discussion.
 The entire group comes together after discussion. Someone from each discussion group
makes a brief report (no longer than five minutes) on the group’s consensus. Finally,
you will make concluding remarks and ask for questions.
What is my role?
Your role as scholar is crucial to the success of LTAIO programs. Your presentation gives a focus to the
program and discussion and highlights the role of the humanities in the program. You are also the
“resident expert” for the program.
As a program scholar, you are expected to provide the following to the local project director about two
weeks before the program:
 A copy of your resume or an autobiographical paragraph to be used in program publicity
and to enable the project director to introduce you;
 A glossy black and white photo, if you have one, to be used in program publicity. (This
will be returned to you if you so request);
 Suggested discussion topics or questions concerning the reading and the theme of the
program.
Your discussion questions will be given to the discussion facilitators for your program. They, in turn, are
advised to use your questions as a guide for reading the book and directing discussion; but they are
encouraged to develop and use their own questions as well.
On the day of the program, you should plan to arrive about half an hour before the program in order to
meet with the discussion facilitators and answer their questions or clarify points.
What makes a good Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma presentation?
Scholar’s presentations, of course, vary widely depending on personal style, scholarly discipline, and
academic or other interests. You were asked to present the reading for this program because it falls
within the range of your expressed interests or humanities field. There are, however, some things you
should keep in mind when preparing your presentation. They include:
Some things to do:
 Apply your special interests and academic discipline to your presentation.
 Keep in mind the theme of the program series. Read the brochure describing the theme
and consider how the reading for your program develops or interprets the theme.
 Talk about the relationship of the reading to the others in the series, especially those
immediately preceding or following your presentation.
 Remember your audience. What will interest them? Remember, these are not students
preparing for the final exam!
 Appropriate topics for a presentation include, among others, the work’s relation to the
theme, the historical context of the work, the biography of the author, the literary genre
of the work, the artistic merit of the work, the contemporary relevance of the work, etc.
Some things not to do:
 If possible, do not read your presentation. You need to be ready for interruptions and
questions.
 Do not read a previously published paper on the work or theme. Your audience will feel
cheated if you do not tailor your presentation specifically for their program.
 Try not to lead the discussion. When there is only one discussion group, the scholar is
often deferred to as the discussion leader. Pass this role back to the designated
discussion facilitator for the evening. With you as leader, participants may feel inhibited
and be less candid in discussion.
 We know you love the new technology, but power point presentations tend to dilute
the scholar-audience interaction, and some sites may not be able to accommodate
them.
Your role in the discussion is to answer questions, clarify points about your presentation or the work,
and observe the general trend of the discussion to help you shape any concluding remarks you may
make.
After the program:
 Payment will be issued by the organization sponsoring the program.
 Please send a copy of your discussion questions to Kelly Elsey, Program Officer, at
kelly@okhumanities.org or Oklahoma Humanities Council, 428 W. California, Suite 270,
Oklahoma City, OK 73102. As discussion questions are collected, they will be made
available to other scholars making presentations for the same thematic series.
Thank you!
We believe you will find participation as a program scholar to be very rewarding. Scholars have found
that they grow both professionally and personally through participation in LTAIO programs. These
programs give you the opportunity to research authors, books, and topics that may lie outside your
teaching curriculum, and they enable you to interact with members of your community. One scholar
responded to the LTAIO experience this way:
“Adults respond to books out of the complexity of their experiences; realizing this has
enriched my sense of the enterprise of reading and how it creates value. The group taught
me a more enabling way to see a book; I can now view a book in a far less academic way.
All of these are gains to me personally and professionally.”