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The South Dakota Humanities Council Wraps Up the Year!

December 27, 2025

With 2025 coming to a close, the South Dakota Humanities Council is wrapping up a year full of stories, conversations, and community! From the Festival of Books to Humanities Café and Young Readers programs, here’s a look at the impact you helped make possible by the numbers and how the humanities came to life across South Dakota this year.

Festival of Books Highlights

The South Dakota Festival of Books once again brought readers and writers together from across the region.

  • 5,412 people attended the Festival of Books — a 1,136 general attendance increase compared to 2024.
  • 64 presenters and authors shared stories, ideas, and expertise.
  • Programs featured a wide range of genres, including history, fiction, poetry, tribal topics, young readers, memoir, mystery/thriller, and more.
  • A post-event survey showed that 99% of South Dakotans strongly agree that humanities programs and the Festival of Books are important to the state.

Programs Reaching Across South Dakota

Beyond the Festival, SDHC programs connected communities statewide.

  • 767 people participated in One Book South Dakota events, including book discussions, the Author Tour, and Festival of Books programming.
    • 234 participants in community book discussions
    • 408 attendees on the Author Tour
    • 125 attendees at the Festival of Books
  • 750+ participants took part in 32 Humanities Café programs, with an additional 13,000 views on YouTube.
  • 70+ Free Book Friday books given away

Supporting Young Readers

Investing in young readers remained a cornerstone of SDHC’s work.

  • 15,000 free copies of “Wings of an Eagle” by Billy Mills and Donna Janell Bowman, illustrated by S.D. Nelson distributed to each third grader across South Dakota.
  • 43 Young Readers One Book in-school events with author visits featuring Billy Mills, Kyla Zhao, Michael Shoulders, and more.

Looking Ahead

We would like to thank the donors, supporters, and volunteers who made this year possible. Your generosity and commitment to the humanities mean so much to the South Dakota Humanities Council. We can’t wait to see what 2026 has in store!

Learn more about humanities programming in South Dakota by signing up for SDHC e-Updates!