Prime Time Nourish: Discussing Food and the Human Experience through the Lens of Children’s Books

Through the lens of the humanities, we come to understand how food does more than simply feed us. Food evokes feelings and elicits memories, connecting us to our family histories through recipes passed down from generation to generation. Food connects us to our communities and ancestors through its central role in religious and cultural traditions. And food as a commodity, often a scarce one, has played a central role in the geographic movement of people, giving rise to wars, and bringing peace. Prime Time Nourish allows us to explore the big ideas that arise when we talk about food and the human experience.

Prime Time Nourish was developed in 2021 as the culmination of a multi-year project exploring food as both fuel for our bodies and fodder for rich, intergenerational discussions among the audiences that attend Prime Time Family Reading programs. Launched in 1991 by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, Prime Time Family Reading has since reached more than 50,000 families in over 40 partner states. Families who engage in the story-sharing, discussion, and center-based play sparked by Prime Time Nourish are able to articulate the significance of food in their lives and communities, and to make informed and thoughtful decisions about how they put themselves in relationship with food. This presentation will highlight program features, impact, and opportunities for partnership.

Speaker Bio:
Sarah DeBacher is Director of Curriculum Development and National Partners at the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (LEH), where she develops book series and discussion guides focused on the big ideas found in children’s literature, and supports program partners implementing Prime Time Family Reading programs across the U.S. Since joining the LEH staff in 2017, Sarah has trained hundreds of librarians, teachers, early childhood educators, and community partners to facilitate open-ended discussions among intergenerational audiences, and has executive produced and co-hosted the podcast, “Little Voices, Big Ideas.” She lives in New Orleans with her two sons, three chickens, and a dog.

This class is for educational and informational purposes in alignment with NNLM goals and does not offer medical advice.

By registering for this class, you are agreeing to the NNLM Code of Conduct