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New York Councilfor the Humanities

PERSONPLACE

THING

CONVERSATION

TOOLKIT FOR

YOUNG ADULTS

Dan Savage


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New York Councilfor the HumanitiesPERSON PLACE THING CONVERSATION TOOLKIT

ii

Table of

Contents

Welcome

Tips for Hosting & Facilitating

PPTConversations

Dan Savage Bio, Conversation

Questions, and Additional

Resources

Sample Lesson Plan and

Standards

Sample Participant Evaluation

Keep the Conversation Going:

Other Grant and Program

Opportunities from the New York

Council for the Humanities

P2

P3

P5

P7

P8

P9


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WelcomePerson Place Thing(PPT)

Conversation Toolkits like this

one provide all the resources

necessary to host the type of

engaged, in-depth, and

surprising conversations that

are the hallmark of the PPT

radio program.

Each toolkit focuses on a particularPPT

episode and includes questions for at least one

of the episodes three audio segments (Person,

Place, and Thing), as well as tips for creating

engaging conversation, and resources for

further reflection. While you might use this

toolkit to spark informal discussion around

your kitchen table, if you plan to host a more

structured conversation at, say, a local

community center, we suggest allowing at

least an hour of conversation perPPTaudio

segment.

Finally, in addition to the segment-specific

questions weve included a few general

questions to encourage participants to reflecton their own person, place, and thing.


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Tips for Hosting &

Facilitating PPTConversations

Person Place Thing Conversation

Toolkits encourage thoughtful,

engaged dialogue using a short

radio segment of aPPT

interview to foster discussion.

The goal is a convivial,respectful, curious, and

reflective conversation free of

bias and judgment. We hope the

following suggestions will help

you create an inviting

environment for you and your

community.

Goal 1: Use the radio segment as a basis for

a discussion

Always start the conversation by listeningto the audio segment together at least once.

The interview should be the starting pointfor discussion and a place to return if thegroup gets too far off topic.

The interview can be a neutral place toreturn if the conversation gets toouncomfortable or difficult.

Goal 2:Let the group do the talking

Your job is to encourage the participantsto discuss the topic and the interviewnotto lecture.

Interject historical or other contextualinformation only when required to clarify

or correct. Aim to talk only about 15% of the time. Participants should think and respond

conversationally, rather than participate inQ&A dialogue.

Goal 3: Guide the conversation by asking

good questionsGood questions

Are open-ended and dont have a rightor wrong answer.

Avoid focusing on basiccomprehension or facts.

Invite personal response and text-to-world connections.

Encourage the group to build meaningtogether.

Continue the conversation byreferencing comments and responses.

Are genuinely curious and invitemultiple perspectives.

Give participants the tools to continuethe conversation in other settings.

Good follow-up questions Ask for clarification or other opinions. Link comments and opinions. Introduce new perspectives or play

devils advocate.

Goal 4: Create a safe space for conversation If possible, seat participants in a circle or

semi-circle so everyone can make eye-contact with each other.

Test audio equipment ahead of time tomake sure the volume is loud enough foreveryone to hear (don't play off of regular


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computer speakers). If using a transcript,make enough copies so that everyone has acopy.

Give everyone a nametag if people dontalready know each other. Provide snacks if

possible. Use first names. Value all opinions, but guide the

conversation away from prejudice andstereotyping.

Set up guidelines for the conversation,such as:

Listen to each other. Respect other opinions and ideas. Share your ideas with the whole group, not

only your neighbor.

Make sure everyone gets a chance to speak.Be aware how much youre talking.

Decide ahead of time if participants needto raise their hands to speak. Decidewhether you will queue comments or not.Let the group know your process.

Be comfortable with silence: its often asign that participants are thinking beforethey respond. Silence does not mean thatthe conversation has stalled and no one hasanything to say.

Goal 5: Wrap up the discussion but keep the

conversation going

At the end of the discussion, summarizekey ideas, note changes in perspectives,and point to concerns not yet adequatelyexpressed to leave room for furtherexploration.

Its okay to end the discussion by havingraised more questions than you answered.A sign of a good conversation is that

participants want to keep talking with theirfriends and family after they leave theroom.

End with one or more of the generalPerson Place Thingquestions.

Thank you for hosting a

PPTConversation!

Tax-exempt organizations and

schools in New York State are

eligible to receive a $25 Amazon

gift card for hosting a PPT

Discussion using this toolkit. To

receive your gift card, please

complete this short online survey

from the New York Council for the

Humanities:

https://nych.wufoo.com

/forms/s7x0k7/

Feel free to use the participant

survey on page 7 to see what your

audience thought about the

discussion. You are encouraged

but not required to shareparticipant feedback with the

Council.


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Dan SavageEpisode #6

Dan Savage (born 1964)is anauthor, activist, editor, andjournalist who is best known for

his syndicated sex and relationshipadvice column and podcast SavageLove and as the co-founder of the

It Gets Better project with hishusband Terry Miller. In writingand as a television pundit, Savagehas been a prominent advocate ofgay, lesbian, bisexual andtransgender rights. Savage lives inSeattle with Terry and their sonD.J.

Conversation Questions

Person: Caroline Matilda

Do you agree with Dan Savage thatCaroline Matilda was sort of arevolutionary figure? Why or why not?

Savage and Cohen discuss the sexualthrough-line of Carolines rule: herposition came from her husband and herreforms were made in partnership with herlover. Do you think this conflicts withSavages view of her as in control andnot a pawn?

Do you agree with Savages assertion thatpeople often read back feminist intentwhen it isnt there? Are there othercontemporary views you think people readback?

Do you think its important to know aboutthe personal life of influential figures? Arethere cases when a public figures personallife is irrelevant?

Place: Front Porch in Champaign-Urbana

Implicit in Savages discussion of theporch is the connection between a place(the porch) and a person (Tommy). Doyou believe place can carry memory ofpeople in this way?

Randy Cohen observes that the porch wasthe place that set Dan Savages life on a

certain path. Do you have a place likethat in your life, and if so, where is it?What path did it set you on? Would youwant to mark that place with a plaque?

Savage and Cohen spend a lot of timediscussing what role college is supposedto play in our lives.


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What role do you think college shouldplay in young peoples lives?

GLBTQ groups, such as Gay-Straight

Alliances, campus support groups, orcommunity centers, may also want to use these

discussion questions:

Why do you think that the porch wasdefining to Savages identity as a gayman? After all, he was already out.

Dan Savage observes that for many gaypeople of his generation, college waswhere they came out. Is that still true for

youth today? What about for people whodont go to college?

Where did you come out? Was (is)college a time of affirming your identity?

Thing: Savages Dining Room Table

Is there a difference in your mind betweenan heirloom and what Savage callsimmigrant furniture? Whats your

immigrant furniture?

Have you ever rescued something thatothers didnt think was valuable orspecial? Why?

Most people cherish items passed downfrom their families, but Savage sees theirdark side. Why is this?

Why do you think Savage does not seemparticularly troubled that his son mostlikely wont want to keep the table?

GeneralPerson, Place, ThingQuestions

What does knowing someones person,place, and thing tell you about them?

What kinds of questions do you ask to findout more about someone whom you knowslightly? Know well?

What is your person, place, and thing?Additional Resources

Savage Love column:http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/SavageLove?oid=11412386

It Gets Better Project:http://www.itgetsbetter.org/

Stella Tillyard, A Royal Affair: George IIIand His Scandalous Siblings (New York:Random House, 2006).

Gay-Straight Alliance Network:http://gsanetwork.org/


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Sample Lesson

Plan forPersonPlace Thing:

Dan Savage

15 minutes

Get students thinking about the topic.

(Activate prior knowledge.)

What do you know about [TOPIC]?

10 minutes

Listen to the radio segment that you will be

discussing. If time, listen to the segment

twice.

Ask students to write down one or twosurprising facts or quotes from thesegment as they listen.

If a transcript is available, give a copy toeveryone allow students to read along

with the interview.

5 minutes

Check comprehension.

Did everyone understand the vocabulary? Are there any phrases that need further

clarification?

45 minutes

Discuss!

Focus on interpretive and evaluative questions.

Interpretive: What does Dan Savage meanwhen he says [quote]?

Evaluative: What do you think about whathes saying? Do you think what hesays is true?

10 minutes

Why Person Place Thing?

Close the conversation by thinking about howwe get to know someone new and what we

learn when we ask about someones person,place, thing.

What does knowing someones person,place, and thing tell you about them?

What kinds of questions do you ask to findout more about someone whom youknow slightly? Know well?

What is your person, place, and thing?New York State Standards for Grades 6-12

Common Core English Language Arts:Comprehension and Collaboration andConventions of Standard English


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Conversation Participant Evaluation

Strongly Disagree Disagree Possibly Agree Strongly Agree

The facilitator made it easy for me to

share my ideas about the radio

segment.

The facilitator made sure everyones

voices were heard.

The facilitator asked questions about

the radio segments that were relevant

and interesting to me.

The discussion made me feel more

comfortable talking about complex

ideas with other members of my

community.

This discussion deepened my

understanding of the topic we

discussed.

What advice, if any, would you give to future facilitators of this program?

Are there issues in your community that might best be explored through a discussion like this one? If so, please share.

Conversation Participant Evaluation

Strongly Disagree Disagree Possibly Agree Strongly Agree

The facilitator made it easy for me toshare my ideas about the radio

segment.

The facilitator made sure everyones

voices were heard.

The facilitator asked questions about

the radio segment that were relevant

and interesting to me.

The discussion made me feel more

comfortable talking about complex

ideas with other members of my

community.

This discussion deepened my

understanding of the topic we

discussed.

What advice, if any, would you give to future facilitators of this program?

Are there issues in your community that might best be explored through a discussion like this one? If so, please share.


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Keep the

ConversationGoing with Support

from the New York

Council for the

Humanities

The New York Council for

the Humanities helps all New

Yorkers become thoughtful

participants in our

communities by promoting

critical inquiry, cultural

understanding, and civic

engagement. The Council

offers these grants andprograms to support

conversation-based

programming:

Community Conversations

Community Conversations promotesthoughtful, engaged community dialogueusing a short text and a facilitator from thelocal community. The Councils freetoolkits contain everything you need tohost a do-it-yourself conversation,including texts, discussion questions, andtips for hosting and facilitating aconversation. The Council offers toolkits

for three distinct audiences: kids, youngadults, and general adult audiences. Tax-exempt organizations and schools in New

York State are eligible to receive stipendsof $250 for hosting CommunityConversations.

http://www.nyhumanities.org/discussion_groups/community_conversations/index.pp

Conversations Bureau

Our Conversations Bureau facilitatorscome to your community to host a 90-

minute discussion centered on a short text.The Council covers the cost of thefacilitators honorarium and travel costs.The Conversations Bureau is open to anyNew York State tax-exempt organizationor high school. Browse our list of topicsand facilitators on the Councils website.

http://www.nyhumanities.org/programs/cb/index.php

Program Grants

The Council invites your organization todesign your own series of conversation-based programming about importanthumanities ideas or texts. Any tax-exemptorganization in New York State can applyto the Council for grants of $300-$3000.Grants must be submitted to the Council atleast three months prior to the start of theseries. Full guidelines and the applicationform can be found on the Councilswebsite.

http://www.nyhumanities.org/grants/intro.php

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