Vermont Humanities Events
Lamoille
February 23 — Book Discussion: The Giver by Lois Lowry. Part of the Futures: Utopia and Apocalypse series. In this series, participants explore 19th and 20th century visions—utopian to apocalyptic—of the future. Themes include repression, community, socialism, capitalism, feminism, creativity, ethics, and evolution. Led by Linda Bland. Hosted by the Morristown Centennial Library. Morrisville, Morristown Centennial Library, 7:00 pm. Frances Ruggles, (802) 888-2616.
March 10 — Book Discussion: The Great Work: Our Way into the Future by Thomas Berry. Part of the Earth Tones series. These authors strike a variety of provocative and poignant environmental notes—haunting, satirical, delicate, mysterious, hopeful, wise—as they look with fresh eyes at the age-old question of how to live in harmony with nature. Led by Linda Bland. Hosted by the Varnum Memorial Library. Jeffersonville, Varnum Memorial Library, 3:00 pm. April Tuck, (802) 644-6632.
March 15 — Book Discussion: Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut. Part of the Futures: Utopia and Apocalypse series. In this series, participants explore 19th and 20th century visions—- utopian to apocalyptic—of the future. Themes include repression, community, socialism, capitalism, feminism, creativity, ethics, and evolution. Led by Linda Bland. Hosted by the Morristown Centennial Library. Morrisville, Morristown Centennial Library, 7:00 pm. Frances Ruggles, (802) 888-2616.
March 22 — Book Discussion: The Lives of the Artists by Giorgio Vassari. Part of the How They Lived series. Great biographies are as much social histories as they are stories about individual lives. These celebrated works illuminate historical eras and professional pursuits long gone by. Led by Victor R. Swenson, Judith Yarnall. Hosted by the Stowe Free Library. Stowe Free Library, 90 Pond Dr, 7:00 pm. Megan Carder, (802) 253 -6145.
April 5 — Book Discussion: A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her Diary, 1785-1812 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. Part of the How They Lived series. Great biographies are as much social histories as they are stories about individual lives. These celebrated works illuminate historical eras and professional pursuits long gone by. Led by Victor R. Swenson. Hosted by the Stowe Free Library. Stowe Free Library, 90 Pond Dr, 7:00 pm. Megan Carder, (802) 253-6145.
April 19 — Book Discussion: Eminent Victorians by Lytton Strachey. Part of the How They Lived series. Great biographies are as much social histories as they are stories about individual lives. These celebrated works illuminate historical eras and professional pursuits long gone by. Led by Victor R. Swenson, Judith Yarnall. Hosted by the Stowe Free Library. Stowe Free Library, 90 Pond Dr, 7:00 pm. Megan Carder, (802) 253-6145.
May 9 — The Irish "Wave" in the Green Mountains . Beginning in the late 1840s and lasting through the 1860s, thousands of Irish immigrants, escaping the potato famine in their homeland, settled in Vermont. They arrived in the Green Mountain State just as Vermont was undergoing a mini industrial revolution—a revolution based on railroad construction, the quarrying of slate and marble, and on textile production. Vince Feeney, author of the recently published history of the Irish in Vermont, Finnigans, Slaters and Stonepeggers, tells the little-known story of the impact of Irish immigrants on Vermont life in the middle of the nineteenth century. Hosted by the Cambridge Historical Society. Jeffersonville, Cambridge Historical Society, Warner Lodge Building, 7:00 pm. Georgeana Little, (802) 644-5675.
May 15 — Who is My Neighbor? Reflections on the Rescue of the Danish Jews. During World War II, after putting up brief but futile military resistance to Nazi Germany, Denmark was defeated and occupied by the Nazis. In October 1943, the Nazis attempted to round up the Danish Jews, just as they had rounded up Jews in every part of Europe they controlled, and send them to concentration camps for eventual extermination. Of all the occupied countries, only Denmark successfully protected virtually all of its Jewish citizens from what would have been certain death. In the end, approximately ninety eight percent of Denmark's Jews survived the war. How and why did this happen? What can we learn from this event? Historian Brian Kirmmse attempts to answer these questions. Hosted by the Jewish Community of Greater Stowe. Stowe, Jewish Community of Greater Stowe, 7:30 pm. Carole Lichtenstein, (802) 253-7408.
October 6 — The Vermont Civil War Songbook. Dressed in period costume, singer/researcher Linda Radtke shares songs from Vermont during the Civil War period, with engaging commentary and letters from Vermont soldiers. Seldom-heard songs from the Vermont Historical Society include the comic but poignant "Grafted into the Army," "Yankee Robinson at Bull Run," "Neath the Pines of Vermont" (in which a soldier returns home to die), a satirical song about Jefferson Davis, and sentimental ballads from Vermont during the period. Linda Radtke is joined by pianist Arthur Zorn in this program for all audiences that brings the Civil War period in Vermont to life through music and letters. Hosted by the Varnum Memorial Library. Jeffersonville, Cambridge United Church, 1:00 pm. Georgeana Little, (802) 644-5675.
Orange
February 16 — Book Discussion: Medea by Euripides. Part of the Eight Great Greek Tragedies series. Delve into the greatest works of the ancient Greek tragedians, including Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripedes. Led by Suzanne H Brown. Hosted by the Blake Memorial Library. East Corinth, Blake Memorial Library, 4:30 pm. Ken Linge, (802) 439-5338.
February 22 — Book Discussion: America's War: Talking About the Civil War and Emancipation on Their 150th Anniversaries anthology edited by Edward L. Ayers. Part of the Making Sense of the American Civil War series. Developed by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association, this Civil War sesquicentennial commemorative series uses works of historical fiction and interpretation, speeches, diaries, memoirs, biographies, and short stories to examine a broad range of perspectives in an exploration of the American Civil War. Led by John R. Turner. Hosted by the Kimball Public Library. Randolph, Kimball Public Library, 67 N Main St, 7:00 pm. Lynne Gately, (802) 728-5073.
February 27 — Book Discussion: America's War: Talking About the Civil War and Emancipation on Their 150th Anniversaries anthology edited by Edward L. Ayers. Part of the Making Sense of the American Civil War series. Developed by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association, this Civil War sesquicentennial commemorative series uses works of historical fiction and interpretation, speeches, diaries, memoirs, biographies, and short stories to examine a broad range of perspectives in an exploration of the American Civil War. Led by Alan Berolzheimer. Hosted by the Latham Memorial Library. Thetford, Latham Memorial Library, 7:00 pm. Peter Blodgett, (802) 333-9724.
March 1 — Book Discussion: Oedipus Rex, Antigone, Electra by Sophocles. Part of the Eight Great Greek Tragedies series. Delve into the greatest works of the ancient Greek tragedians, including Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripedes. Led by Suzanne H Brown. Hosted by the Blake Memorial Library. East Corinth, Blake Memorial Library, 4:30 pm. Ken Linge, (802) 439-5338.
March 28 — Book Discussion: America's War: Talking About the Civil War and Emancipation on Their 150th Anniversaries anthology edited by Edward L. Ayers. Part of the Making Sense of the American Civil War series. Developed by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association, this Civil War sesquicentennial commemorative series uses works of historical fiction and interpretation, speeches, diaries, memoirs, biographies, and short stories to examine a broad range of perspectives in an exploration of the American Civil War. Led by John R. Turner. Hosted by the Kimball Public Library. Randolph, Kimball Public Library, 67 N Main St, 7:00 pm. Lynne Gately, (802) 728-5073.
April 25 — Book Discussion: Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam by James McPherson. Part of the Making Sense of the American Civil War series. Developed by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association, this Civil War sesquicentennial commemorative series uses works of historical fiction and interpretation, speeches, diaries, memoirs, biographies, and short stories to examine a broad range of perspectives in an exploration of the American Civil War. Led by John R. Turner. Hosted by the Kimball Public Library. Randolph, Kimball Public Library, 67 N Main St, 7:00 pm. Lynne Gately, (802) 728-5073.
May 23 — Book Discussion: America's War: Talking About the Civil War and Emancipation on Their 150th Anniversaries anthology by edited by Edward L. Ayers. Part of the Making Sense of the American Civil War series. Developed by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Library Association, this Civil War sesquicentennial commemorative series uses works of historical fiction and interpretation, speeches, diaries, memoirs, biographies, and short stories to examine a broad range of perspectives in an exploration of the American Civil War. Led by John R. Turner. Hosted by the Kimball Public Library. Randolph, Kimball Public Library, 67 N Main St, 7:00 pm. Lynne Gately, (802) 728-5073.
Orleans
February 20 — Book Discussion: An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963 by Robert Dallek. Part of the 20th Century Presidents: Post-WWII series. Which 20th-century U.S. Presidents most dramatically impacted the direction of the country—for good or ill—and its standing in the world? Arguably, every president has had a dramatic impact on the country, but some have loomed larger than others—and larger than life. This series examines four 20th-century presidents who left a stong imprint on America following World War Two. Led by Jon Margolis. Hosted by the Barton Public Library. Barton Public Library, 100 Church St, 6:30 pm. Toni Eubanks, (802) 525-6524.
March 7 — Finding Higher Ground: Adaptation in the Age of Warming. Scientist and author Amy Seidl explains why the long-term nature of climate change forces us to redesign how we structure our societies and considers our ethical role as planetary stewards.A First Wednesdays lecture. Hosted by the Goodrich Memorial Library. Newport, Goodrich Memorial Library, 202 Main St, 7:00 pm. Carol Nicholson, (802) 334-7902.
March 19 — Book Discussion: LBJ: A Life by Irwin and Debi Unger. Part of the 20th Century Presidents: Post-WWII series. Which 20th-century U.S. Presidents most dramatically impacted the direction of the country—for good or ill—and its standing in the world? Arguably, every president has had a dramatic impact on the country, but some have loomed larger than others—and larger than life. This series examines four 20th-century presidents who left a stong imprint on America following World War Two. Led by Jon Margolis. Hosted by the Barton Public Library. Barton Public Library, 100 Church St, 6:30 pm. Toni Eubanks, (802) 525-6524.
April 4 — Asphalt, Culture, and Community: The Impact of the Interstate Highway on Vermont. UVM professor and lifelong Vermonter Frank Bryan considers the cultural and historical impact of the interstate highway system on Vermont.A First Wednesdays lecture. Hosted by the Goodrich Memorial Library. Newport, Goodrich Memorial Library, 202 Main St, 7:00 pm. Carol Nicholson, (802) 334-7902.
April 16 — Book Discussion: Nixon Agonistes: The Crisis of a Self-Made Man by Garry Willis. Part of the 20th Century Presidents: Post-WWII series. Which 20th-century U.S. Presidents most dramatically impacted the direction of the country—for good or ill—and its standing in the world? Arguably, every president has had a dramatic impact on the country, but some have loomed larger than others—and larger than life. This series examines four 20th-century presidents who left a stong imprint on America following World War Two. Led by John Margolis. Hosted by the Barton Public Library. Barton Public Library, 100 Church St, 6:30 pm. Toni Eubanks, (802) 525-6524.
April 24 (Tuesday)— From the Northeast Kingdom to Baton Rouge: Vermonters, the Civil War, and the Road to Emancipation (rescheduled from January 4). National park superintendent emeritus and writer Rolf Diamant discusses how profoundly the Civil War transformed Vermont and why public memory of the war still matters. A Vermont Reads 2012 event. Newport, Goodrich Memorial Library, 202 Main St, 7:00 pm. Carol Nicholson, (802) 334-7902.
May 2 — The History of Magic. Magic is a metaphor for the mysteries of the human mind, upending our assumptions about how the world works. Circus Smirkus founder Rob Mermin traces the history of magic as performing art using colorful illustrations and amazing demonstrations.A First Wednesdays lecture. Hosted by the Goodrich Memorial Library. Newport, Goodrich Memorial Library, 202 Main St, 7:00 pm. Carol Nicholson, (802) 334-7902.
May 21 — Book Discussion: President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime by Lou Cannon. Part of the 20th Century Presidents: Post-WWII series. Which 20th-century U.S. Presidents most dramatically impacted the direction of the country—for good or ill—and its standing in the world? Arguably, every president has had a dramatic impact on the country, but some have loomed larger than others—and larger than life. This series examines four 20th-century presidents who left a stong imprint on America following World War Two. Led by Jon Margolis. Hosted by the Barton Public Library. Barton Public Library, 100 Church St, 6:30 pm. Toni Eubanks, (802) 525-6524.