fall 2015 newsletter - vermont humanities

Vermont Humanities

Autumn 2015

Inside•��Vermont�Reads�2016�Announced�/�page�3��

•��New�Speakers�Bureau�Offerings�/�page�4

•��Humanities�Camps��page�5

•��Calendar�of�Events��pages�6�–8

•��Reading�Frederick�Douglass,�Civil�War�Conference�Films�page�9

•��First�Wednesdays��pages�10�–11

•�� Fall�Conference:��Why�Do�Stories�Matter?��pages�12–15

VERMONT�READS�2016�

ShackletonTwo Dramatic Tales of the

Legendary Antarctic Expedition

See page 3

Autumn for VHC programming is a time of both wrapping up and beginning anew: Looking back,

almost 180 at-risk middle school students took part in week-long summer Humanities Camps at ten middle schools across the state (see page 5). And adult literacy students improved their skills at special VHC summer book programs. Looking ahead, a new series of early literacy training programs for childcare providers and parents of young children is about to begin this autumn. In addition, the First Wednesdays season that begins on

October 7 promises outstanding free lifelong learning opportunities for thousands in nine regional sites statewide.

Looking back to last year’s Fall Conference on the continuing effects of the Civil War on America’s civic and cultural life, VHC is proud to direct people to our website to find two summary “best of” videos, 68 and 16 minutes long. We encourage you to take a look, whether you attended that remarkable conference or not. Go to vermonthumanities.org/fallconf14films. The videos are enormously compelling, perhaps especially in light of both recent race-related events and the ongoing debate in the political sphere about federalism and the appropriate size and role of the federal government.

Looking ahead, this year’s Fall Conference (see page 12) promises to be an exciting exploration of stories of many kinds, including stories in history, literature, religion, art, drama, video games, and more. The importance of stories is a theme explored by this year’s Vermont Reads book, Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie; while many Vermont towns began Haroun-related programs earlier in the year, other communities are now beginning their Vermont Reads activities — in schools, libraries, and countless other venues.

And speaking of exploring, with this newsletter we invite every Vermont community to participate in Vermont Reads Shackleton in 2016 — the hundredth anniversary year of that legendary expedition’s dramatic conclusion after ice crushed its ship, the Endurance (see next page). Vermont Reads Shackleton goes to show that even Antarctica, the only continent on earth without an indigenous human population and with very few inhabitants even today, has a compelling humanities history.

We hope you’ll come explore with us — heavy winter clothes optional.

Exploring the Humanities to the Ends of the Earth — with Stories, Talks, Antarctic Explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, and More

Vermont�Reads�Shackleton�(2016)��goes�to�show�that��even Antarctica,�the�only�continent�on�earth�without�an�indigenous�human�population�and�with�very�few�human�inhabitants�even�today,�has�a�compelling�humanities�history.�

Cover: Foreground, The Endurance stuck in sea ice, c.1916, Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division. Background, Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentina by Rodrigo Sepúlveda Schultz

Peter A. GilbertExecutive Director

Vermont Humanities CouncilBecause Ideas Matter11 Loomis StreetMontpelier, Vermont 05602Phone: 802.262.2626 • Fax: 802.262.2620 E-mail: [email protected]: vermonthumanities.org

StaffJoan M. Black, Administrative Assistant

802.262.1358, [email protected]

Amy Cunningham, Director of Community Programs 802.262.1356, [email protected]

Michael Dougherty, Community Programs Assistant 802.262.1355, [email protected]

Jeff Euber, Communications & Literacy Assistant 802.262.1353, [email protected]

Peter A. Gilbert, Executive Director 802.262.1351, [email protected]

Ryan Newswanger, Director of Communications 802.262.1354, [email protected]

Jan Steinbauer, Director of Literacy Programs 802.262.1352, [email protected]

Ali White, First Wednesdays Director, Consultant [email protected]

Linda Winter, Chief Financial Officer 802.262.1359, [email protected]

Linda Wrazen, Development Officer 802.262.1357, [email protected]

BoardJim Alic, LudlowIrina V. Aylward, BarreWilliam Biddle, BarnetMary Ellen Bixby, Brattleboro Rolf Diamant, Woodstock Sarah Dopp, South BurlingtonBen Doyle, Montpelier, Vice ChairDan Fogel, ColchesterCarole Gaddis, PutneyTraci Griffith, Williston, Secretary Huck Gutman, Burlington Christine Hadsel, BurlingtonMajor Jackson, South Burlington, ChairDaniel Lerner, JerichoPenny McConnel, NorwichDavid Moats, SalisburyNancy Pennell, ChesterGilbert Steil, RyegateRobert F. Wells, South LondonderryJames Wilbur, South Londonderry

Vermont HumanitiesThe Vermont Humanities Council newsletter, published three times a yearEditor: Jeff Euber

VERMONT�READS�2016�

perseverance, the nature of leadership, and the spirit of adventure and exploration. Readers will learn about the expedition itself, consider its historical context (including World War I, and Arctic and Antarctic

exploration generally), and come to understand better what is happening today to ice in the Arctic, Antarctica, and glaciers worldwide. And they will marvel at Frank Hurley’s spectacular photographs that survived, forming a stunning visual record of the expedition.

2016 will be the fourteenth year of the Vermont Reads program, in which VHC invites Vermonters to read the same book (or, in this case, one of two related books) and participate in a wide variety of collaborative community activities related to its themes. To date, 197 different Vermont towns and cities have participated in Vermont Reads.

Vermont�Humanities��•��Autumn�2015��•��

Exactly one hundred years ago, Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship, the

Endurance, was imprisoned and crushed by sea ice near Antarctica. It nearly cost his crew their lives, but all twenty-eight of them would survive — one of the greatest adventure and survival stories of the twentieth century.

The Vermont Humanities Council is pleased to announce the Vermont Reads books for 2016: Jennifer Armstrong’s Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World and Caroline Alexander’s The Endurance, Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition. 2016 is the one

hundredth anniversary year of the climactic and dramatic conclusion of the Endurance expedition (1914–1916).

Vermont Reads Shackleton will afford Vermonters the opportunity to consider, among other things, the power of vision, courage, and

VermontReads

Upon�the�one�hundredth�anniversary�of��Ernest�Shackleton’s�Endurance�expedition

The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition�by�Caroline�Alexander��and�Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World��by�Jennifer�Armstrong�

Take Part in Vermont Reads!

Join Vermonters statewide by reading and exploring Shipwreck

at the Bottom of the World and The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition. With a brief application, schools, libraries, historical societies, service groups, businesses, churches, local governments, and others can partner in activities that promote literacy, encourage lifelong learning, and strengthen community.

Application deadlines: December 4, 2015 and June 3, 2016

Applications: vtreads.org or call 802.262.1355

Underwriter Media Sponsor

With support from the Jack & Dorothy Byrne Foundation

Shackleton

A brief application, submitted by a school, library, service organization, church, business, environmental group, or other community-based organization, is all it takes to get started.

Join the Vermont Humanities Council, Sir Ernest Shackleton, and his crew in an adventure in reading, discussing, and learning about the dramatic story of the Endurance expedition.

��•��Vermont�Humanities��•��Autumn�2015

News andNotes

Revamped Speakers Bureau Catalogue Offers More Than Forty New Talks

Staff and Board Farewells and Welcomes

After more than twelve rewarding years, VHC bid farewell to

Director of Communications Sylvia Plumb, who has moved on to exciting new professional opportunities. Sylvia has been in charge of VHC’s publications, website, social media,

e-newsletters, Civil War Book of Days publication, technological infrastructure, and more. She brought a consistent, compelling design to its publications,

designed two clear and engaging websites, oversaw the creation of its logo, tag line, and much more. Her contribution to VHC has been enormous, we are enormously grateful, and we wish her the very best.

After two and a half years, VHC also said goodbye to Max Matthews, Community Programs Assistant, who has relocated to Philadelphia. Max brought tremendous knowledge, skill, and ability to his critical and careful work administering six different Council programs. He also brought to

his work a can-do attitude, a delightful sense of humor, and a rare ability to attend to administrative detail and accuracy while at the same time seeing

opportunities to do things more efficiently and effectively, and implementing those changes.

Soon after Max’s departure, VHC welcomed Michael Dougherty as its new Community Programs Assistant.

Michael brings several years’ program management experience from StoryCorps, the national oral history project based in Brooklyn, NY.

A DC-area native and longtime New Yorker, Michael moved to Montpelier temporarily in 2012, returning to the area full-time this summer. He holds a BA from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, with concentrations in journalism and music.

In July, VHC lost board member and friend Elaine Keen Harrington to a long illness. Elaine was appointed to VHC’s board by Governor Shumlin in fall 2013; she served ably on the Grants Review,

Program, and Executive Director Annual Review committees, and brought to all she did her characteristic deep caring for people and important issues, including learning for all. Like everyone with whom she interacted, we will miss her very much.

Call for BoardNominations

The Vermont Humanities Council invites nominations for its board

of directors. If you know someone who would like to be considered for the board, contact Development Officer Linda Wrazen at 802.262.1357 or [email protected].

Next Board Meeting: December 2, 11:00 am, VHC office, Montpelier.

What do Stravinsky, Mother Jones, Shanghai, Cuba, post-

modern architecture, transmedia, and the maple industry in Vermont have in common? They are all topics of new VHC Speakers Bureau talks.

The Speakers Bureau offers nonprofit organizations an easy, inexpensive way to host quality lectures and living history presentations in Vermont communities. This fall we are pleased to present a refreshed Speakers Bureau catalogue, with many returning speakers and talks, supplemented by forty-one new talks and thirteen new speakers.

A few of the new offerings:

Cartooning Reconsidered: The Art of Visual Communication with cartoonist and Center for Cartoon Studies co-founder James Sturm

Finding Home: Vermont’s Historic and Growing Diversity�with Vermont Folklife Center Co-Director Gregory Sharrow

The Genealogy of Happiness: From Aristotle to Positive Psychology with Marlboro College professor William Edelglass

The Hills of Home: Mountains and Identity in Vermont History�with Vermont historian Jill Mudgett

The Hollywood Blacklist�with film expert Rick Winston

Of Wheelmen, The New Woman, and Good Roads: Bicycling in Vermont, 1880–1920�with UVM professor Luis Vivanco

Why Are We Still Reading Jane Austen?�with literary scholar and novelist Deborah Lee Luskin

To view the complete catalogue, guidelines, and directions on how to apply, visit the Speakers Bureau page at vermonthumanities.org.

Sylvia Plumb

Elaine Keen Harrington

Max Matthews

Michael Dougherty


VHC Awards Humanities Grants• Brattleboro Literary Festival, Building a Better

Brattleboro, $3,000 — to support the fourteenth annual festival.

• Burlington Book Festival, Vermont Performing Arts League, $3,000 — to support the Queen City’s eleventh annual celebration of the written word.

• Hoag Farm Welcome Kiosk, Willowell Foundation, $2,000 — to support a Welcome Kiosk at Willowell Educational Center, the former location of historic Hoag Farm.

• Lifelong Learning Music Series, South Burlington Community Library, $800 — to support a series of presentations highlighting composers, conductors, and musical genres in their cultural and historical contexts while deepening music appreciation.

• PlayTalk: Intimate Apparel, Dorset Theatre Festival, $1,000 — to support two humanities-based PlayTalk events offered in conjunction with a production of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage’s celebrated play Intimate Apparel.

• Presidential Writers Conversation Series, Vermont College of Fine Arts, Montpelier, $1,000 — to support a series bringing major national literary figures to Vermont to promote the importance of literature and writing.

• Time Travelers Camp 2015, Orleans County Historical Society, $3,500 — to support a week-long educational summer camp where campers research the lives of nineteenth-century residents of Brownington.

• Triptych Journey’s Precious Guru Exhibition and Complementary Events, Fractured Atlas, Burlington, $750 — to support an exhibition and complementary events about the profound story of Guru Rinpoche and his enduring impact on the practices of Himalayan Buddhists.

• Vision & Voice Traveling Exhibit Program, Vermont Folklife Center, various locations statewide, $1,250 — to support the Vermont Folklife Center Vision & Voice Gallery traveling exhibitions and related public programming.

Humanities Grant Deadlines: Letter of intent: February 19, 2016 / Full proposal: March 25 / Decision announcements: May 11

News andNotes

Since 1997, VHC’s Humanities Camps program has made

learning and fun synonymous for middle school-aged kids across the state. In 2015, ten schools and nearly 180 students from Brattleboro to Richford took part; this year’s themes were Africa and Photos That Changed History.

Colorful and enriching books, chosen carefully by camp teachers, are the foundation for the camp curriculum and thematic fun activities. This year students made African masks, learned African drumming, enjoyed Kenyan food, and practiced photography basics

“I�would�like�to�have�another��week�like�this.�Every�day�we�went��somewhere�and�played�games.��Every�day�we�read�something��different.�So�so�fun.”

��–�Edmunds�Middle�School�camper

while learning the stories behind history’s iconic photos.

Camp is often the highlight of summer for students, and teachers see their growth both personally and in the classroom. “Students had countless opportunities to shine and came out of their shells very quickly,” said Northfield Middle High School teacher Carrie Gilman. “They loved the books, and were incredibly autonomous preparing their final projects.”

“We felt like a family at the end of the week,” said Richford Jr.-Sr. High School teacher Annette Goyne. “Some of the campers didn’t want camp to end.”

Drumbeats, Mask-Making, and the Power of Pictures: Learning the Humanities Camp Way

Stowe Middle School campers enjoyed their sunny field trip to the Shelburne Museum.


C • a • l • e • n • d • a • rAutumn�and�Early�Winter�2015

October 14 ~ The Old Country Fiddler: Charles Ross Taggart, Vermont’s Traveling Entertainer. Fiddler Adam Boyce portrays Charles Ross Taggart near the end of his career, circa 1936, sharing recollections of his life and career interspersed with live fiddling and humorous sketches. Rupert Firehouse and Community Building, 1:30 pm. Gene Higgins, 802.394.7738.

November 4 ~ Creating Paris. First Wednesdays, Manchester. See page 10.

December 2 ~ Don Quixote of La Mancha: The Novel that Invented Modernity. First Wednesdays, Manchester. See page 10.

October 7 ~ What If Poor Women Ran the World? First Wednesdays, St. Johnsbury. See page 11.

October 25 ~ Myths of the Vikings. Award-winning author Nancy Marie Brown brings the fascinating story of 13th-century Icelandic chieftain Snorri Sturluson’s life into focus, drawing on new sources and illuminating the folklore and pagan legends of medieval Scandinavia. Hardwick Memorial Building, 2:00 pm. Jeudevine Memorial Library, 802.472.5948.

November 4 ~ Georgia O’Keeffe: A Critical Look. First Wednesdays, St. Johnsbury. See page 11.

December 2 ~ The Literary Achievement of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. First Wednesdays, St. Johnsbury. See page 11.

September 25–27 ~ The 2015 Burlington Book Festival. Grant event. This popular event once again offers readings, signings, panels, workshops, demos, book and magazine launches, film screenings and family events featuring literary luminaries from around the world — and just around the corner. Presented by Vermont Performing Arts League. Burlington, various locations. Rick Kisonak, 802.658.3328.

September 28 ~ “Reading” Places: Art, Architecture, and Gravestones in Early Vermont. This lecture and slide talk by William Hosley demonstrates how art and artifacts can be used to understand historical experience while surveying the extraordinary visual allure of historic Vermont. Monkton Fire Station, 7:00 pm. Gill Coates, 802.482.2277.

October 7 ~ How the Brain Categorizes the World. First Wednesdays, Middlebury. See page 10.

October 15 ~ An Apprentice Boat Builder in Japan. Writer and researcher Douglas Brooks shares his experiences as an apprentice building five types of Japanese boats, part of Japan’s rich history of traditional crafts. Bristol, Lawrence Memorial Library, 7:00 pm. One World Library Project, 802.453.2366.

November 4 ~ Becoming American: An Inaugural Poet’s Journey. First Wednesdays, Middlebury. See page 10.

December 2 ~ Reading Homer with Veterans: Narratives of Return and Rage. First Wednesdays, Middlebury. See page 10.

October 7 ~ The Beautiful Music All Around Us. First Wednesdays, Manchester. See page 10.

October 13 ~ Preschool Folk Tale and Fairy Tale Storytime. Vermont Reads Event. Youth Services Librarian Janet Kleinberg shares the wonder inherent in the rich tradition of folk tales and fairy tales. Manchester Community Library, 10:30 am. Cindy Waters, 802.362.2607.

October 7 ~ The Costumes of Downton Abbey. First Wednesdays, Essex Junction. See page 10.

October 8 ~ Lifelong Learning Music Series: Carl Maria von Weber. Grant event. These lectures and musical presentations focus on the life and works of different classical composers. Presented by South Burlington Community Library. South Burlington Community Library Conference Room, 7:00 pm. Elsie Goodrich, 802.652.7080.

November 4 ~ Climate of Doubt. First Wednesdays, Essex Junction. See page 10.

November 12 ~ Lifelong Learning Music Series: Kurt Weill. Grant event. These lectures and musical presentations focus on the life and works of different classical composers. Presented by South Burlington Community Library. South Burlington Community Library Conference Room, 7:00 pm. Elsie Goodrich, 802.652.7080.

November 13–14 ~ VHC 2015 Fall Conference: Why Do Stories Matter? University of Vermont, Dudley H. Davis Center. See pages 12–15.

December 2 ~ Roots of Latin Jazz. First Wednesdays, Essex Junction. See page 10.

Addison County

Chittenden County

Above: Grammy-nominated musician and historian Stephen Wade performing at VHC’s 2013 Fall Conference, Music and the Human Experience. This fall, Wade returns to Vermont with two special performance lectures for First Wednesdays: October 7 at First Congregational Church in Manchester and October 8 at Montpelier’s Unitarian Church.

CAledoniA County

John Hockenberry, Frontline correspondent and host of NPR’s The Takeaway, discusses the climate change debate at Saint Michael’s College McCarthy Arts Center on November 4 as part of First Wednesdays. Photo by Marco Antonio.

Bennington County


Book Discussion: Memorable Memoirs: Take Two. Unlike autobiographies, memoirs hone in on a specific aspect of a life. These memoirs use both traditional and unconventional formats to do just that. Led by Florence McCloud. Burlington, Heineberg Senior Center, 1:00 pm. Barbara Shatara, 802.865.7211. September 28, Ruth Picardie’s Before I Say Goodbye.

Book Discussion: Influential First Ladies. Rediscover presidential history through the power behind the throne. Led by Merilyn Burrington. South Burlington Community Library, Wednesdays, 6:30 pm. Jennifer Murray, 802.652.7076. October 14, Jean Baker’s Mary Todd Lincoln: A Biography. December 2, Phyllis Lee Levin’s Edith and Woodrow: The Wilson White House.

Book Discussion: B.I.G. (Big, Intense, Good) Books. This series examines classic works of literature of a certain size and heft — both literal and figurative. Led by Helene Lang. Shelburne, Wake Robin, Mondays, 7:30 pm. George Mazuzan, 802.985.0185. October 19, George Eliot’s Middlemarch. November 16 and December 14, Anthony Trollope’s Can You Forgive Her?

September 29 ~ Vermont Reads Writing Workshop. Vermont Reads event. Join us for a dynamic, multigenerational writing workshop where we ask, “What’s the use of stories that aren’t even true?” Led by Enosburgh Public Library director Maria Harris. Extra credit given to attending EFMHS students. Enosburg Falls Middle/High School Library, 6:30 pm. Maria Harris, 802.933.2328.

October 6 ~ Book Discussion: Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Vermont Reads event. Library Media Specialist Angel Harris leads a dynamic, intergenerational discussion. Extra credit given to attending EFMHS students. Enosburg Falls Middle/High School Library, 6:30 pm. Maria Harris, 802.933.2328.

October 9 ~ Storyteller Michael Caduto at the Enosburg Opera House. Vermont Reads event. Popular author and master storyteller Michael Caduto leads the audience on an adventure into seeing life as an ongoing creation of our own stories. Enosburg Falls Opera House, 6:30 pm. Maria Harris, 802.933.2328.

October 10 ~ Vermont Reads Raffle Party. Vermont Reads event. Wrap up Vermont Reads 2015 with a party for all ages, including games for children and a Vermont Reads raffle to benefit library programs. Enosburg Falls, Enosburgh Public Library, 12:00 pm. Maria Harris, 802.933.2328.

October 7 ~ America’s Challenges in a New World Order. First Wednesdays, Newport. See page 11.

November 4 ~ Walt Whitman and the Civil War. First Wednesdays, Newport. See page 11.

December 2 ~ Walking with the Great Apes. First Wednesdays, Newport. See page 11.

October 12 ~ More than Books: Reflections on Libraries, Community and Historic Preservation. Preservationist and photographer Bill Hosley examines almost 200 years of American library history. Grand Isle Lake House, 7:30 pm. The Preservation Trust of Vermont, 802.917.2994.

October 29 ~ Alfred Hitchcock and the Art of Suspense. Drawing on film clips, film expert Rick Winston discusses the evolution of Hitchcock’s craft and illuminates the arc of his brilliant career. Jeffersonville, Varnum Memorial Library, 7:00 pm. Varnum Memorial Library, 802.644.2117.

Book Discussion: Retellings. These novels all re-imagine classic works of fiction, retelling them from a different character’s perspective. Led by Francette Cerulli. Jeffersonville, Varnum Memorial Library, Saturdays, 3:00 pm. Jan Schilling, 802.644.2025. November 14, John Gardner’s Grendel. December 12, Sena Jeter Naslund’s Ahab’s Wife, or the Star-gazer.

October 8 ~ The British Ballad Tradition in New England. The traditional British ballads as sung in New England are a rich part of the literary and musical heritage of our region. Singer and scholar Burt Porter presents a program of these ballads with commentary. East Corinth, Blake Memorial Library, 7:00 pm. Ken Linge, 802.439.5338.

October 20 ~ Inventive Vermonters: A Sampling of Farm Tools and Implements. In this illustrated lecture, retired engineer Paul Wood presents a sampling of farm tools invented or produced in Vermont, examining their use, design, and the often fascinating stories of the inventors themselves. Bradford, United Church of Christ, 7:00 pm. Larry Coffin, 802.222.4423.

Book Discussion: Sustainability. This series explores how different authors and communities understand the multiple definitions and connotations of ecological sustainability. Led by Suzanne Brown. Bradford Public Library, Wednesdays, 6:30 pm. Debra Tinkham, 802.222.4536. October 7, Ben Hewitt’s The Town that Food Saved. October 21, Julia Alverez’s A Cafecito Story. November 4, Wendell Berry’s Another Turn of the Crank. November 18, Jean Giono’s The Man Who Planted Trees.

Calendar

lAmoille County

orAnge County

Borscht soup. At First Wednesdays in Montpelier on December 2, founding editor of Gastronomica Darra Goldstein shares the history and culture of Russian food. Photo by Liz West.

rutlAnd County

orleAns County

October 7 ~ On Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne’s Trail. First Wednesdays, Rutland. See page 11.

October 13 ~ A Sense of Place: Vermont’s Farm Legacy. Vermont Folklife Center director Gregory Sharrow explores the fabric of farm culture in the past and probes its relationship to the world of Vermont today. North Chittenden Grange Hall, Lower Level, 7:00 pm. Chittenden Historical Society, 802.483.6471.

October 27 ~ New England Ghost Stories with Joe Citro. Vermont Reads event. Author and folklorist Joe Citro will entertain the audience with tales of ghosts and hauntings, encouraging questions along the way. Rutland Free Library, 6:30 pm. Theresa Czachor, 802.775.0566.

November 4 ~ Churchill and Roosevelt: The Personal Element in Their Partnership. First Wednesdays, Rutland. See page 11.

December 2 ~ The Impressionists: Painters of Modern Life. First Wednesdays, Rutland. See page 11.

grAnd isle County

FrAnklin County


Ballet Folklorico Alegria dancers. Watch and discuss a PBS documentary film on Latino Americans at Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro on October 28 and November 18. And three First Wednesdays talks focus on the history of Latino Americans; see schedule on pages 10–11 for details. Photo by Al_HikesAZ/Flickr.com.

September 29 ~ The Many Meanings of Maple. Maple is enormously important to Vermont’s economy, ecology, and heritage. Champlain College professor Michael Lange discusses why sugaring has become so important to Vermont’s identity. Cabot Public Library, 1:30 pm. Cabot Public Library, 802.563.2721.

October 8 ~ The Beautiful Music All Around Us. First Wednesdays, Montpelier. See page 11.

October 29 ~ Student/Senior Story Connections. Vermont Reads event. Crosset Brook Middle School students will share illustrated presentations of real-life stories gathered from their interviews with Waterbury Area Senior Center residents. General public invited; refreshments provided. Waterbury Area Senior Citizens Center, 11:00 am. Elise Werth, 802.244.7036.

November 4 ~ Life in the Studio. First Wednesdays, Montpelier. See page 11.

November 11 ~ Community Book Discussion: Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Vermont Reads event. Open to students and adults of all ages. Watch excerpts of author Salman Rushdie reading parts of the book. Q&A follows. Refreshments provided. Waterbury, Crossett Brook Middle School Library, 6:30 pm. Elise Werth, 802.244.7036.

December 2 ~ Russia, the Land, and Its Food. First Wednesdays, Montpelier. See page 11.

September 26 ~ Inventive Vermonters: A Sampling of Farm Tools and Implements. In this illustrated lecture, retired engineer Paul Wood presents a sampling of farm tools invented or produced in Vermont, examining their use, design, and

the often fascinating stories of the inventors themselves. Putney Public Library, 1:00 pm. Emily Zervas, 802.387.4407.

October 2–4 ~ Brattleboro Literary Festival. Grant event. This year’s festival features readings, panels, and special events celebrating storytelling with Francine Prose, Jim Shepard, Vijay Seshadri, Laura J. Snyder, Bill Roorbach, Ellen Bryant Voigt, and many more. Presented by Building a Better Brattleboro. Brattleboro, various locations. Sandy Rouse, 802.579.7414 or brattleboroliteraryfestival.org.

October 3 ~ The Western Abenaki Today. Jeanne Brink discusses the Abenaki of the twenty-first century and the many different programs and projects in which they are involved to maintain and preserve their culture, traditions, and language. Bellows Falls, Rockingham Library Meeting Room, 1:00 pm. Anne Dempsey, 802.463.4270.

October 7 ~ The Legacy of Cesar Chavez. First Wednesdays, Brattleboro. See page 10.

November 4 ~ Face to Face with the Emotional Brain. First Wednesdays, Brattleboro. See page 10.

December 2 ~ The Buildings of Vermont. First Wednesdays, Brattleboro. See page 10.

Book Discussion: Masters of the Short Story. Discover the short story’s 19th-century roots and its later development as a 20th-century art form. Led by Richard Wizansky. Brattleboro, Brooks Memorial Library, Mondays, 7:00 pm. Brooks Memorial Library, 802.254.5290. October 5, Ann Beattie’s Park City. November 2, Flannery O’Connor’s Selected Works of Flannery O’Connor. November 30, Anton Chekhov’s Five Great Short Stories. December 7, Edgar Allan Poe’s Poetry and Tales.

Film Discussion: Latino Americans: 500 Years of History. This PBS documentary series chronicles the rich and varied experiences of Latinos who have helped shape our country

WindhAm County

and gradually constructed a new identity within the changing yet repeating context of American history. Led by Patricia Pedroza Gonzalez. Brattleboro, Brooks Memorial Library, Wednesdays, 7:00 pm. Brooks Memorial Library, 802.254.5290. October 28, Episode One: “Foreigners in Their Own Land” (1565–1880). November 18, Episode Five: “Prejudice and Pride” (1965–1980).

September 24 ~ Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project. Dr. Jack Mayer tells the story of a holocaust hero who rescued 2,500 children from the Warsaw ghetto, and how three Kansas teenagers, sixty years later, helped to bring that hero’s forgotten story to the world. Springfield Town Library, 6:30 pm. Springfield Town Library, 802.885.3108.

October 7 ~ Virtue and Vice: The World of Vermeer’s Women. First Wednesdays, Norwich. See page 11.

October 8 ~ Poets and Their Craft Lecture Series. Grant event. Poet Baron Wormser presents his lecture, “The Irony and the Ecstasy: On the Nature of Poetry,” including selections of his poetry. Audience discussion follows. Presented by Sundog Poetry Center. Chester, Misty Valley Books, 7:00 pm. Tamra Higgins, 802.598.0340.

November 4 ~ Being Nixon: A Man Divided. First Wednesdays, Norwich. See page 11.

December 2 ~ The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783–1789. First Wednesdays, Norwich. See page 11.

Book Discussion: Canadian Cultural Diversity. Travel through Canada with four critically acclaimed books that make manifest Canada’s cultural diversity. Led by Suzanne Brown. Norwich Public Library, 7:00 pm. Mary McKenna, 802.296.2191. October 14, Antonine Maillet’s Pelagie- La-Charrette. November 2, Roy McGregor’s Canoe Lake. November 16, Alistair MacLeod’s Island.

Farmers look at a farm implement exhibition at the Tunbridge World’s Fair, 1941. Paul Wood illustrates the history of farm tools produced by Vermonters in Speakers Bureau talks on September 26 in Putney and October 20 in Bradford. Library of Congress photo.

Windsor County

Sign up for the VHC E-newsletter Twice�per�month,�VHC�sends�out�an�e-newsletter�with�stories�and�upcoming�events.�To�sign�up,�visit�vermonthumanities.org�and��click�on�“Publications”�in�the�top�right�corner�of�the�homepage.��Or�send�an�email�request�to��[email protected].

Calendar

WAshington County

Vermont�Humanities��•��Autumn�2015��•�

Over 650 people gathered across thirteen communities to read and listen to

Frederick Douglass’s famous Independence Day speech, “The Meaning of the Fourth of July

Thirteen Communities Read Frederick Douglass Speech

for the Negro.” It marked the second year of VHC’s Reading Frederick Douglass, an exciting program of community public readings that began in Massachusetts.

After four Vermont communities took part in last year’s pilot run, Reading Frederick Douglass expanded in 2015 to Bennington, Brattleboro, Burlington, Ferrisburgh, Jeffersonville, Landgrove, Montpelier, Norwich, Plainfield, Randolph, St. Johnsbury, South Hero, and Wallingford. The turnout showed that the issues Douglass raised still resonate today.

Reported program organizer Lucinda Walker of Norwich Public Library, “One woman told me (with tears in her eyes) that the evening had been ‘amazing and so needed.’ I think for many people, this was the first time they had heard or read the speech and they were very moved, particularly with what has been happening in our country recently.”

VHC thanks the many community organizations that hosted these events, Paul Marcus for his coordination work, and Mass Humanities for their guidance and for sharing materials.

Reading Douglass presenters at Burlington’s City Hall. Photos by Megan Humphrey.

A Fire Never Extinguished Conference Films: Watch Them at vermonthumanities.org

VHC’s�2014�fall�conference,�A Fire Never Extinguished: How America’s Civil War Continues to Shape Civic and Cultural Life in America,�was�hugely�popular.��With�record�attendance�and�a�stellar�lineup�of�speakers,�the�conference�explored�the�influence�that�the�War�had�and�continues�to�have�on�literature,�visual�art,�race,�memory,�and�politics,�seeking�to�identify�lessons�vital�to�American�democracy.

To�broaden�the�reach�of�this�important�conference,�VHC�now�offers�two�films,��16�and�68�minutes�long,�for�streaming�at�vermonthumanities.org/fallconf14films.�The�films,�which�include�remarks�by�David Blight�from�Yale,�Lois Brown�from�Wesleyan,�Eleanor Jones Harvey�from�the�Smithsonian,�National�Park�Service�Chief�Historian�(retired)�Dwight Pitcaithley,�and�John Stauffer from�Harvard,��are�both�timely�and�compelling.

The�films�were�made�possible�with�support�from�the�Champlain�Valley�National�Heritage�Partnership,�the�National�Park�Service,�the�New�England�Interstate�Water�Pollution�Control�Commission,�and�the�Vermont�Civil�War�Sesquicentennial�Commission.�Video�production�provided�by�Green�River�Pictures.

“We�have�to�do�with�the�past�only�as�we�can�make�it�useful�to�the�present�and�to�the�future.�Now�is�the�time,�the�important�time.�Your�fathers�have�lived,�died,�and�have�done�their�work,�and�have�done�much�of�it�well.��You�live�and�must�die,�and�you�must�do�your�work.�.�.�.�You�have�no�right�to�wear�out�and�waste�the�hard-earned�fame�of�your�fathers�to�cover�your�indolence.”

��–�Frederick�Douglass,��1852

News andNotes


Brattleboro – Brooks�Memorial�Library224�Main�Street�•�802.254.5290�•�7:00�pm

OCTOBER 7 — The Legacy of Cesar Chavez. The legacy of Cesar Chavez, arguably the most important Latino leader of the twentieth century, has been marred by controversy. Ilan Stavans, editor of Chavez’s collected speeches, reflects on Chavez’s influence and place in history. A Latino Americans: 500 Years of History program.

NOVEMBER 4 — Face to Face with the Emotional Brain. Whether one is sitting around the caveman’s fire or the conference table, no signal is more important to humans’ interpreting interactions and predicting behavior than the smile. Dartmouth Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences Paul Whalen explores how the brain processes facial expressions and how that helps us understand our emotional lives. Underwriter: Chroma Technology Corp.

DECEMBER 2 — The Buildings of Vermont. Middlebury College professor Glenn Andres examines the remarkable range, quality, humanity, and persistence of Vermont’s built landscape. Underwriter: Crosby-Gannett Fund of the Vermont Community FoundationLibrary Sponsors: Brattleboro�Camera�Club�•�Brattleboro�Retreat�•�Brattleboro�Savings�&�Loan�•�Downs�Rachlin�Martin�PLLC�•�New�Chapter�•�Windham�World�Affairs�Council

Essex Junction – Brownell�Library6�Lincoln�Street�•�802.878.6955�•�7:00�pm

OCTOBER 7 — The Costumes of Downton Abbey. Middlebury College artist-in-residence Jule Emerson discusses the fashions worn in the popular PBS series. Underwriter: Tapia & Huckabay, P.C.

NOVEMBER 4 — Climate of Doubt. In 2008, the presidential candidates agreed that climate change demanded urgent attention. But that national call to action has virtually disappeared. Frontline

correspondent and host of NPR’s The Takeaway John Hockenberry describes what altered the climate change debate. Location: McCarthy Arts Center, Saint Michael’s College. Underwriter: Vermont Public Radio

DECEMBER 2 — Roots of Latin Jazz. Using recordings and videos, world renowned recording artist, composer, and educator Ray Vega examines the contributions of Latino American musicians who helped create Latin Jazz. A Latino Americans: 500 Years of History program. Underwriter: Husky Injection Molding Systems, Inc. Library Sponsors: Brownell�Library�Foundation�•�Friends�of�the�Brownell�Library�•�Kolvoord,�Overton�and�Wilson�•�Northfield�Savings�Bank

Manchester – First�Congregational�Church(Manchester Community Library)

3624�Main�Street�•�802.362.2607�•�7:00�pm

OCTOBER 7 — The Beautiful Music All Around Us. Grammy nominee, banjo player, and music historian Stephen Wade explores folksong traditions across the South, uncovering the people and stories behind early Library of Congress recordings. Underwriter: The Arcadia Fund

NOVEMBER 4 — Creating Paris. Amherst College Art professor Nicola Courtright discusses how 16th- and 17th-century French kings, seeking national political unity, created a new image of Paris, building magnificent residences, squares, gardens, and boulevards that endure today. Underwriter: Merchants Bank

DECEMBER 2 — Don Quixote of La Mancha: The Novel that Invented Modernity. Celebrated literary critic and author Ilan Stavans considers the impact of the masterful Don Quixote on the eve of the 400th anniversary year of Cervantes’s death. Underwriter: Northshire Bookstore

Library Sponsors: The�Perfect�Wife�Restaurant�and�Tavern�•�The�Spiral�Press�Café�•�Vermont�Renewable�Fuels

Middlebury – Ilsley�Public�Library75�Main�Street�•�802.388.4095�•�7:00�pm

Series Underwriter: The Residence at Otter Creek and The Residence at Shelburne Bay

OCTOBER 7 — How the Brain Categorizes the World. Williams College professor Dr. Safa Zaki describes how the human brain recognizes and categorizes objects, as well as a challenge to that theory from studies of patients with amnesia.NOVEMBER 4 — Becoming American: An Inaugural Poet’s Journey. Richard Blanco read at President Obama’s second inauguration, the first Latino, immigrant, and gay writer to have such an honor. Blanco examines cultural identity and the essence of place and belonging. A Latino Americans: 500 Years of History program. Presented with Middlebury College. Location: Mead Chapel, Middlebury College

DECEMBER 2 — Reading Homer with Veterans: Narratives of Return and Rage. Dartmouth Classics professor Roberta Stewart describes her work with veterans and examines what the story of Odysseus’s long journey home from war has to say to veterans, and to all of us.

Library Sponsor: Friends�of�Ilsley�Library

Humanities Lecture Series October 5‒ May 6

VermontHumanities

1st Wednesdays

FREE PUBLIC TALKS At Libraries around Vermont

First Wednesdays

Visit vermonthumanities.org for a full schedule.

First Wednesdays is generously underwritten statewide by the National Life Group Foundation and the Vermont Department of Libraries, and locally by many businesses and individuals.


Montpelier – Kellogg-Hubbard�Library135�Main�Street�•�802.223.3338�•�7:00�pm

Series Underwriter: Vermont College of Fine Arts

OCTOBER 8 (Note date) — The Beautiful Music All Around Us. Grammy nominee, banjo player, and music historian Stephen Wade explores folksong traditions across the South, uncovering the people and stories behind early Library of Congress recordings. Location: Unitarian Church. Underwriter: The Arcadia Fund

NOVEMBER 4 — Life in the Studio. David Macaulay, award-winning author and illustrator of Castle, Cathedral, and The Way We Work, discusses current projects and challenges. Location: Unitarian Church. Underwriter: Bear Pond Books

DECEMBER 2 — Russia, the Land, and Its Food. Russian literature is filled with accounts of elaborate feasts, but what about the real foods of the people? Against a backdrop of history and culture, founding editor of Gastronomica Darra Goldstein explores how Russian cuisine expresses the riches and limitations of the North. Underwriter: Russian Life magazine

Newport – Goodrich�Memorial�Library202�Main�Street�•�802.334.7902�•�7:00�pm

OCTOBER 7 — America’s Challenges in a New World Order. With increasing risk of conflict with China, deepening differences with Russia, weakness in Europe, and endless Mideast turmoil, America is no longer the unchallenged superpower of the post-Cold War years. Distinguished veteran diplomat George Jaeger considers our need to rethink our world role and national priorities. Underwriter: Stanstead College

NOVEMBER 4 — Walt Whitman and the Civil War. Whitman’s Civil War writings give us a dual portrait, first of the war as “a strange, unloosen’d wondrous time,” and second of the emergence of a new Whitman. UVM Professor Huck Gutman examines some of the most remarkable poems about war ever published, and looks at Whitman’s development into the man Whitman had always wanted to be.DECEMBER 2 — Walking with the Great Apes. Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas changed the way people understand animals’ lives. Author Sy Montgomery presents images from her travels to Gombe, Rwanda, and Borneo while researching her triple biography of these intrepid women.

Library Sponsor: Community�National�Bank�

Norwich – Norwich�Congregational�Church(Norwich Public Library and Norwich Historical Society)15�Church�Street�•�802.649.1184�•�7:00�pm

OCTOBER 7 — Virtue and Vice: The World of Vermeer’s Women. Dartmouth professor Jane Carroll examines the stories of courtship, seduction, and virtue portrayed and encoded in the works of the seventeenth-century Dutch painter.NOVEMBER 4 — Being Nixon: A Man Divided. Evan Thomas, former Editor at Large of Newsweek and bestselling author of Ike’s Bluff and Sea of Thunder, disposes of Richard Nixon’s cartoonish “Tricky Dick” persona and creates a three-dimensional portrait of a complex man filled with both light and darkness.

First WednesdaysDECEMBER 2 — The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783–1789. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Joseph Ellis tells the unexpected story of why the thirteen colonies, having just fought off a distant centralized governing power, would decide to accept the creation of a federal government with power over them as autonomous states. Underwriter: The Norwich BookstoreLibrary Sponsors: Friends�of�the�Norwich�Public�Library�•�The�Jack�&�Dorothy�Byrne�Foundation�•�Ledyard�National�Bank�•�Mascoma�Savings�Bank�•�Norwich�Historical�Society

Rutland – Rutland�Free�Library10�Court�Street�•�802.773.1860�•�7:00�pm

Series Underwriter: Merchants Bank

OCTOBER 7 — On Gentleman Johnny Burgoyne’s Trail. Award-winning biographer Willard Sterne Randall looks at British general John Burgoyne’s failed campaigns in the Champlain Valley in 1776 and 1777, including his newly uncovered route to Saratoga —and defeat. Underwriter: The Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility

NOVEMBER 4 — Churchill and Roosevelt: The Personal Element in Their Partnership. UVM History Professor Emeritus Mark A. Stoler examines the important personal relationship between Britain’s Prime Minister and America’s President during their World War II alliance. Underwriter: Merchants Bank

DECEMBER 2 — The Impressionists: Painters of Modern Life. Middlebury professor Kirsten Hoving examines how Impressionists focused in their paintings of contemporary life on cutting-edge modern subjects, imbuing them with controversial, even shocking, meanings.Library Sponsor: Friends�of�Rutland�Free�Library

St. Johnsbury – St.�Johnsbury�Athenaeum1171�Main�Street�•�802.748.8291�•�7:00�pm

Series Underwriter: St. Johnsbury Academy

OCTOBER 7 — What If Poor Women Ran the World? Labor historian Annelise Orleck tells the story of nine African-American union maids in Las Vegas who, during the 1970s, challenged welfare cuts and built a long-lasting, vibrant anti-poverty program run by poor mothers.

NOVEMBER 4 — Georgia O’Keeffe: A Critical Look. Georgia O’Keeffe produced more than 2,000 works in her 75-year career. James Maroney, the former head of American Paintings at both Sotheby’s and Christie’s in New York who appraised her estate after her death, presents a critical evaluation of her best work. Underwriter: Passumpsic Savings Bank Member FDIC

DECEMBER 2 — The Literary Achievement of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Dartmouth professor Peter Travis discusses the genius, comic wisdom, and enduring humanity of Geoffrey Chaucer, the fourteenth-century “Father of English Poetry.” Library Sponsors: Adler�&�McCabe,�PLC�•�Friends�of�the�St.�Johnsbury�Athenaeum

F ar beyond simple entertainment or “Once Upon a Time,” stories

are lenses through which we can better understand ourselves; they speak to and through our humanity.

This year’s Fall Conference will consider the importance of stories, a theme explored in this year’s Vermont Reads book, Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie.

Join the Vermont Humanities Council to examine the richness and diversity of the stories that surround us, how they work, and why they matter.

Plenary Speakers

November 13 and 14

Begins Friday afternoon and runs through SaturdayDudley H. Davis Center, University of Vermont

Vermont Humanities Council 2015 Annual Fall Conference

William CrononFrederick Jackson Turner and Vilas Research Professor of History, Geography, and Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison

William Cronon’s research seeks to understand the history of human interactions with the natural world: how we depend on the ecosystems around us to sustain us, how we modify landscapes, and how our ideas of nature shape our relationships with the world around us. Dr. Cronon’s books include Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England and Nature’s Metropolis: Cicago and the Great West, Common Ground, and Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, ed.

Wendy DonigerMircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions, University of Chicago

Dr.�Doniger�graduated�from�Radcliffe�College�and�received�her�PhD�from�Harvard�University�and�her�DPhil�from�Oxford�University.�She�is��the�author�of�forty�books,�most�recently��The Woman Who Pretended to Be Who She Was,�The Hindus: An Alternative History,�On Hinduism,�and�the�Norton Anthology of World Religions: Hinduism,�ed.

Maria Tatar John L. Loeb Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures, Harvard University

Maria�Tatar�teaches�courses�in�German�Studies,�Folklore,�and�Children’s�Literature.�Her�books�include�Enchanted Hunters: The Power of Stories in Childhood�and�The Annotated Brothers Grimm.�She�recently�translated�Franz�Xaver�von�Schönwerth’s��The Turnip Princess.

Why Do Stories Matter?


Conference Schedule

Friday, November 13

3:30 pm Registration desk open

4:30 pm – 5:45 pm Breakout sessions (see page 14)5:45 pm – 6:45 pm Reception in the Fireplace Lounge6:30 pm – 7:30 pm Buffet dinner, optional, reservations required (see page 15) 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm The Portage: Time, Memory, and Storytelling in the

Making of an American Place Examining the history of Portage, Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin-Madison professor William Cronon meditates on the roles that memory and storytelling play in human placemaking. A natural ecosystem or an abstract geographical space becomes a human place, he argues, through the endless accretion of narratives that render that place meaningful for those who visit or live in it. Curiously, although Portage is virtually unknown to most Americans, it has played a surprisingly important role in shaping American ideas of nature.

Saturday, November 147:15 am – 8:30 am Registration desk open and continental breakfast 8:30 am – 9:00 am Welcome

Peter Gilbert, VHC executive director; Major Jackson, VHC board chair; presentation of 2015 Victor R. Swenson Humanities Educator Award.

9:00 am – 10:15 am Telling Lies: Storytelling and Negative Capability Vladimir Nabokov tells us that literature was born when a child came running home crying wolf and there was no wolf. The lies we tell in our cultural stories may transmit higher truths about the human condition, but just as often they send mixed messages and scrambled signals. Harvard professor Maria Tatar will investigate how “simple” stories like “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Bluebeard” challenge us to think harder as we try to decode their cultural contradictions.

10:15 am – 10:30 am Break with coffee and tea

10:30 am – 11:45 am Breakout sessions (see page 14)

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Buffet luncheon

1:00 pm – 2:15 pm Myth, Reason, and Rationality: The Tale of the Clever Wife Certain plot motifs reoccur in myths, including many that are illogical. But myths themselves are rational. University of Chicago professor Wendy Doniger will explore why these illogical plot motifs persist across cultures, that is, why the importance of using these illogical motifs to make sense of the human experience outweighs considerations of reason. Her examples will include variants of the widespread myth of the clever wife whose husband wants her to have a child but who refuses to consummate their marriage.

2:15 pm – 2:30 pm Break with coffee and tea

2:30 pm – 3:45 pm Closing breakout sessions (see page 14)

Friday Afternoon, 4:30 pm – 5:45 pm

Making It Up in Vermont: Ethan Allen’s Iconic Status Heroes serve as an expression of the values by which groups wish to define themselves. In the years after the War of 1812, Vermonters experienced troubling difficulties. In response, some sought to return to the qualities of what they deemed the heroic times when Vermont declared and asserted its independence. They rediscovered Ethan Allen and defined him as a hero and a symbol for the state in histories, fiction, iconography, and other media in ways that remain with us today. Led by: H. Nicholas Muller, historian and author

Stories without Words: Exploring Visual Literacy Using examples from art history, Jane Carroll will explore how visual artists have manipulated figures and compositions to communicate information. Beginning with the single form and its connotations, and expanding to complex narratives, she will consider how the eye reads clues and creates stories. What makes a composition an evocative tale? Why are some images easy to read, while others do not “speak” to us? How can visual elements be arranged to create a clear message? Led by: Jane Carroll, Assistant Dean of Faculty and Senior Lecturer in Art History, Dartmouth College

The Wolf Trap: Entering the Woods through Fairy Tales Animals are good to think with, as Claude-Lévi Strauss famously told us, and fairy tales confirm that wisdom. Stories from the childhood of culture may have moved into the culture of childhood, but they engage with adult matters, taking up and disturbing the line dividing nature from culture, predator from prey. We will begin with a girl, a wolf, and an encounter in the woods. Led by: Maria Tatar, John L. Loeb Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures, Harvard University

Saturday Morning, 10:30 Am –11:45 Am

Catching People’s Stories A free-flowing conversation about personal narrative and storytelling with Greg Sharrow and Jane Beck, who have spent their lives using the oral interview to focus on the lives and experience of everyday Vermonters. What makes a good story and a good storyteller? What role does memory play in personal narrative and oral history? How does oral history complement written history? They will also share recordings from some of Vermont’s most memorable storytellers. Led by: Jane Beck, founder, Vermont Folklife Center and Gregory Sharrow, co-director, Vermont Folklife Center

Place and Storytelling in American History Expanding upon the subject of his plenary talk — the case study of Portage, Wisconsin —William Cronon will talk further about the larger goals of that project and the insights it may offer for others pursuing narrative place-based approaches to historical storytelling. Led by: William Cronon, Frederick Jackson Turner and Vilas Research Professor of History, Geography, and Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Video Games: Changing Stories and Changing Behaviors The increasingly complex world of video games allows for multiple layers and versions of storytelling, crafted by both the designers and the players. Ann DeMarle will explore what constitutes story in digital gaming, how it differs from other forms of storytelling, and the ways in which some game creators seek to change behaviors and create social change through gaming. Led by: Ann DeMarle, Associate Dean and director of Emergent Media Center, Champlain College

The Challenge of Staging a Play Everyone Knows Inside and Out —or Thinks They Do Discuss Romeo and Juliet and it’s likely you will talk about “star-crossed lovers,” a balcony scene, a well-intentioned Franciscan Friar, a talkative nurse, lethal sword fights, a vial of poison, and some of the most beautiful romantic poetry in the English language. But do these elements tell the whole story? Focusing on his recent production of this iconic tragedy, Peter Hackett will discuss the challenges of staging a classic play for an audience that thinks it knows the story inside and out. Led by: Peter Hackett, Avalon Foundation Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Theater, Dartmouth College

Saturday Afternoon, 2:30 pm –3:45 pm

Documentary Poetry From literary ballads to Greek myths, poets have long combined the conventions of narrative with the lyrical effects of poetry. Contemporary poets have advanced this impulse by using collage, found material, multiple voices, and ethnographic sources to tell the stories of people whose struggle for equality and justice feel equally heroic and worthy of narration. Major Jackson will explore historical examples and recent collections of verse that utilize this radical technique and point to how the notion of storytelling is changing and challenging traditional modes of telling tales. Led by: Major Jackson, Richard Dennis Green and Gold Professor of English, University of Vermont

Reading Homer with Veterans: Narratives of Return and Rage Roberta Stewart discusses her work reading Homer with combat veterans, with particular focus on the representation of rage in The Iliad and The Odyssey. The Iliad begins amidst the difficulties of long deployment, and in The Odyssey, Odysseus comes home alone to a world he had yearned to see for twenty years and yet could not recognize when he finally arrived. Discussion will focus on how veterans have dealt with the scenes of anger, and how civilians interpret these passages. Led by: Roberta Stewart, Professor of Classical Studies, Dartmouth College

The Stories of My Life Katherine Paterson will consider how one’s life affects one’s fictional stories and the importance and the many benefits of reading stories. Led by: Award-winning author Katherine Paterson

Breakout Sessions

Conference DetailsConference fee The $129 fee ($79 student) includes all conference programs, continental breakfast, buffet lunch, and snacks. An on-site bookstore will be open Saturday.

Registration and payment Register online at vermonthumanities.org or by sending payment and the form at right. Space is limited; registration is first-come, first-served. Cancellations: refund less $25 fee until November 2; no refund after November 2. Certification letters are available for educators. Group rates: discount price for groups of five or more from an organization (standard group rate: $95; student group rate: $65). Submit one form for each participant. Scholarships: information online; apply by October 17.

Lodging Rooms at the Burlington Sheraton are $135 (plus tax). Rate is good November 13 and 14 and expires October 22. For reservations, call 800.325.3535 or visit VHC’s conference webpage for link.

[ BY RESERVATION Friday night buffet dinner Conference goers may choose to dine in Burlington on Friday night (see list of recommended nearby restaurants on the conference webpage) or, for your convenience, a buffet dinner (with vegetarian options) will be available at the Davis Center for an additional charge of $30, including tax and tip.

Contact Michael Dougherty, 802.262.1355, [email protected].

First name Last name

Affiliation

Mailing address

Town State Zip

Phone (day) E-mail

First VHC conference? (circle) Yes No I am a teacher and need a letter certifying attendance.

Special needs?

CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES FRIDAY BREAKOUT SESSIONS Afternoon: 4:30 pm–5:45 pm (please check one)

Making It Up in Vermont (with H. Nicholas Muller) Stories without Words (with Jane Carroll) The Wolf Trap (with Maria Tatar)

SATURDAY BREAKOUT SESSIONS Morning: 10:30 am–11:45 am (please check one)

Catching People’s Stories (with Jane Beck and Gregory Sharrow) Place and Storytelling in American History (with William Cronon) Video Games (with Ann DeMarle) The Challenge of Staging a Play (with Peter Hackett)

Afternoon: 2:30 pm–3:45 pm (please check one)

Documentary Poetry (with Major Jackson) Reading Homer with Veterans (with Roberta Stewart) The Stories of My Life (with Katherine Paterson)

REGISTRATION FEES$129 individual registration ($79 student) $

$30 optional Friday evening dinner (includes meal, tax, tip; see information to left) $

Donation to the Vermont Humanities Council $

TOTAL DUE $

Check enclosed for $ OR charge to (circle) Visa MC

Card no. Exp. date

Signature

VHC Fall Conference Registration Form[ Register online at vermonthumanities.org See conference details to left. One person per form. Make checks payable to Vermont Humanities Council. Mail to 11 Loomis Street, Montpelier, Vermont 05602 Contact: [email protected] • 802.262.1355

[

[

PAGE 12: Book Sprite sculpture by Ralf Borselius, Karlskrona, Sweden, photo by Stuart Heath. PAGE 13: detail of Odysseus and the Sirens, Bardo Museum, Tunis, Tunisia; scene from Little Red Riding Hood by Gustave Doré; balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet by Frank Dicksee (1853–1928); George Washington and father Augustine Washington at the cherry tree, lithograph by John C. McRae after a painting by G. G. White, 1867; Hänsel and Gretel by Alexander Zick (1845–1907). PAGE 14: Dickens’s Dream, 1875, by Robert William Buss. PAGE 15: Hindu sculpture, Singapore, photo by Allen Brewer. BACK COVER (clockwise from top left): Book Sprite sculpture by Ralf Borselius, Karlskrona, Sweden, photo by Stuart Heath; Monks with Mandala by Brandon/Flickr.com; The Endurance stuck in sea ice, c. 1916, Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division; Chevrolet in Cuba by Jaume Escofet.

11�Loomis�StreetMontpelier,��Vermont�05602

Why Do Stories Matter? VHC Fall Conference 2015, November 13 and 14

1st Wednesdays Free Public Talks at Nine Libraries around Vermont, October to May

Vermont Reads Shackletonin 2016A Statewide One-Book Community Reading Program

Cuba, Stravinsky, Bicycle History Three of VHC’s 41 New Speakers Bureau Topics

What are the Humanities?

Non-Profit�Org.US�POSTAGE

PAIDPermit�No.�42�

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Humanities Lecture Series October 5‒ May 6

VermontHumanities

1st Wednesdays

FREE PUBLIC TALKS At Libraries around Vermont

vermonthumanities.org�•�802.262.2626

fall 2015 newsletter - vermont humanities

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