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Fettuccine Forum

Banner image featuring four speaker headshots, William White III, Darren Parry, Lisa McLain, and Tamara Venit-Shelton, who will offer perspectives on Black, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, and Asian American histories, activism, and community building in Idaho and the West. The events are held in-person and virtually on 10/6, 11/3, and 2/2, and 3/2 at 6 p.m.

Lively and informal, the series invites the public to interact with politicians, artists, historians, activists, advocates, and professionals in an effort to promote good citizenship and responsible growth through education. These free, hour-long events take place at 6 p.m. (MT) in-person in the Maryanne Jordan Council Chambers at Boise City Hall and virtually over ZOOM with automated live subtitles. Pre-registration is required to join virtually. Cash bar available for in-person guests. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Support from the Office of the Mayor, Boise State Public Radio, and the Department of History at Boise State University all make the Forum possible. 

From the Margins to the Center of History in Idaho and the West

The 2022-2023 Fettuccine Forum, a four-event series, which runs from October through March, features speakers who will offer perspectives on Black, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, and Asian American histories, activism, and community building in Idaho and the West. These stories, experiences, and narratives are often underrepresented in traditional histories.

What Did Archaeology at the Erma Hayman House Tell Boise, Idaho?  

Feat. William White III

October 6, 2022, 6 p.m. (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
Boise City Hall, Maryanne Jordan Council Chambers

WATCH RECORDING

Originally from Boise, Dr. William White III, author of the forthcoming book, Segregation Made them Neighbors: An Archaeology of Racialization in Boise, Idaho, is an Assistant Professor in the Anthropology Department at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. White led an archaeological dig in Boise’s River Street Neighborhood in 2015. In his talk, he discusses the excavation and explores how social theory, archaeology, and historic preservation collaborations can impact local communities while also addressing painful histories.  

History, Healing and Re-story-ation 

Feat. Darren Parry

November 3, 2022, 6 p.m. (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
Boise City Hall, Maryanne Jordan Council Chambers

WATCH RECORDING

Darren Parry is the author of The Bear River Massacre: A Shoshone History and teaches Native American History at Utah State University. His lecture “History, Healing and Re-story-ation” will explore how the Bear River Massacre was a defining moment for the Northwestern band of the Shoshone Nation, and how the massacre did not trap the Shoshone people in death but offered them a chance of rebirth. Parry states “My message is one of hope and of peace in the face of violence. What emerges from the margins of these stories is a poignant reminder of the resilience of a people.”  The former Chairman of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, Parry currently serves on the Board of Directors for the American West Heritage Center, in Wellsville, Utah, and also on the Utah Humanities Board and the PBS Utah Board of Directors. Parry attended the University of Utah and Weber State University, receiving his bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education, with an emphasis in History.  

Out in Idaho: Queer Spaces Beyond Boise  

Feat. Lisa McClain and Rachel Taylor

February 2, 2023, 6 p.m. (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
Boise City Hall, Maryanne Jordan Council Chambers

WATCH RECORDING

Join us for an uplifting exploration through storytelling and images of the places and spaces throughout Idaho where LGBTQ+ people have built and shaped their lives. While the assumption exists that if one wants to be out in Idaho, one must come to Boise, Dr. Lisa McClain, Professor of History and Gender Studies at Boise State University, along with graduate student and teaching assistant Rachel Taylor, describe this community’s journey from the 1970s onward, examining where they stayed, came home to, traveled through, created, or used temporarily to find one another, building community in many places within the Gem State.   

Traditional Chinese Medicine in Idaho and the American West: A History of Herbs and Roots   

Feat. Tamara Venit-Shelton

March 2, 2023, 6 p.m. (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
Boise City Hall, Maryanne Jordan Council Chambers

WATCH RECORDING

Dr. Tamara Venit-Shelton, Professor of History at Claremont McKenna College, discusses portions of her recent book, Herbs and Roots: A History of Chinese Doctors in the American Medical Marketplace, which chronicles roughly two hundred years of Chinese medicine as a dynamic system brought to the United States and transformed by Chinese immigrants, doctors, and patients as well as missionaries, scientists, and merchants. 

The Boise City Department of Arts & History encourages persons with disabilities and those who require language assistance to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing an accommodation, please email artsandhistory@cityofboise.org, as soon as possible, but no later than 72 hours before the event. To request assistance, you may also dial TTY 1-800-377-3529.