The Oshkosh Public Library is set to commemorate ten years of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s Humans of Oshkosh project this Wednesday. The event will feature insights from Grace Lim, the program’s founder, on the project’s decade-long journey of storytelling. The event will occur from 6-8 p.m. under the library’s dome, with several student storytellers in attendance.
Since its inception in 2014, students from Lim’s class, Telling Stories for Fun, Profit and World Peace, have crafted more than 4,000 stories for the Humans of Oshkosh Facebook page. These stories capture the lived experiences of the Oshkosh community, touching upon themes of love, war, hope, despair, life, and death.
This academic year, the project has a special focus on libraries, coinciding with Oshkosh Public Library’s 125th anniversary. The students have also advocated for the refurbishment of the Polk Library, integral to the UWO campus. As part of Wisconsin’s 2025-27 state capital budget, the proposed Polk Learning Commons, valued at $137.5 million, awaits approval from the State Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance.
A highlight of the event will be an exhibit showcasing some of the most popular stories from the past decade. The narrative project has extended its effort through various themes over the semesters, interviewing a diverse set of community members, including teachers, veterans, first responders, and many others.
Grace Lim stated, “Ten years ago, Humans of Oshkosh was just a crazy idea to get my students, mostly sophomores from all disciplines, to understand the power of stories, and how they connect us as humans.”
During its ten-year tenure, Humans of Oshkosh has engaged with community partners such as the United Way of Oshkosh and the Oshkosh Public School District. The initiative has resulted in the publication of nine books, the latest being the Campus COVID Stories in 2023, which explored the pandemic’s impacts on the community.
