Locally, Syracuse-Wawasee Trails will be hosting one of the “Next Indiana Campfires” events June 9. The series aims to help Hoosiers explore Indiana’s wild places.

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Humanities is launching “Next Indiana Campfires,” a series that pairs literature and nature to help Hoosiers explore Indiana’s wild places and spark conversations about conservation and stewardship. The May 4 kickoff event will feature a conversation between environmental authors Terry Tempest Williams and Scott Russell Sanders at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art. It will start at 6:30 p.m.

“Indiana’s landscapes have inspired generations of Hoosiers and led to legacies like the state parks system and great works of literature and art,” said Keira Amstutz, president and CEO of Indiana Humanities. “During our bicentennial year, we hope to inspire Hoosiers to reconnect with our beautiful landscapes and use literature to help frame important conversations about what we’ll leave for future generations.”

Next Indiana Campfires will be held in some of Indiana’s most diverse landscapes — places like the Limberlost swamps, an old growth forest in Evansville and the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. A humanities scholar will serve as facilitator and lead attendees on a pre-determined route by foot, kayak or canoe, and stop periodically to read aloud the words of important Hoosier authors. Participants will then gather for food and drink around a campfire to discuss connections between nature, literature and place.

The series locations and dates include:

May 11: Oliver’s Woods, Indianapolis. An hour long walk through a central Indiana land trust property not normally open to the public.

May 22: Wesselman Woods old growth forest, Evansville. A 90-minute walk through Indiana’s largest stand of old growth forest.

June 7: McVey Memorial Forest, Randolph County. A 75-minute walk through upland forest interspersed with wetlands and prairie.

June 9: Syracuse-Wawasee Trails. A 90-minute sunset walk around Lake Syracuse.

June 18: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Porter. An epic hike across the Indiana Dunes’ 4.6-mile Cowles Bog Trail.

July 9-10: Morgan-Monroe State Forest, Martinsville. A back country hike and overnight camping trip in the hills of southern Indiana in partnership with DNK Presents.

July 23: Merry Lea Environmental Education Center, Wolf Lake. A morning walk across prairie and wetland followed by a meal featuring local, sustainable foods.

July 29: Eagle Creek Park, Indianapolis. A two-hour sunset paddling tour on Eagle Creek Reservoir and Fishback Creek.

Aug. 5: Prophetstown State Park, Lafayette. A sunset hike across the restored prairie, concluding with a discussion inside the Native American council house on site.

Aug. 14: Cardinal Greenway and Red-tail Nature Preserve, Muncie. A bike ride on the Cardinal Greenway to the preserved prairie of Red-tail Land Conservancy.

Sept. 10: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Porter. A 90-minute walk along the Dunes Succession Trail.

Sept. 17: Hovey Lake Bald Cypress Swamps, Mt. Vernon. A sunset paddle through the northernmost stand of bald cypress trees anywhere in the nation.

Oct. 8: LaPorte County Watershed, Michigan City. An indelible journey down Trail Creek by long canoe.

Oct. 8: Limberlost State Historic Site, Geneva. Hike the restored Loblolly Marshes that inspired Gene Stratton Porter’s beloved novel “A Girl of the Limberlost.”

Oct. 28: Glaciers End Nature Preserve, Johnson County. A two-hour trek through a unique ecological site, not open to the general public.

Nov. 5: Morgan-Monroe State Forest, Tecumseh Trail, Martinsville. A late-autumn hike along the Tecumseh Trail.

Each event has a minimal charge of $10 to $15 except for the overnight camping trip in Morgan-Monroe State Forest, which will cost $200 for the weekend’s activities. A limited number of fee waivers will be available for each excursion and will be awarded based on financial need. Additional locations will be announced at a later date.

Do-it-yourself “Trek and Talk Toolkits” will also be available for free to 1,000 people who want to create their own Next Indiana Campfire. Toolkits will include suggested itineraries, a literary text and discussion prompts, a Next Indiana Campfire patch, snacks and more. Learn more at www.IndianaHumanities.org/Campfires.

Tickets for the kickoff are $10. Register at CampfiresINconversation.eventbrite.com.