GennaRose Nethercott is the author of a novel, Thistlefoot, and a short story collection, Fifty Beasts to Break YourHeart — winner of the Vermont Book Award for Fiction. Her first book, The Lumberjack’s Dove, was selected by Louise Glück as winner of the National Poetry Series — and as a folklorist, she serves as the head writer behind the podcast Lore.
Scudder Parker’s family moved to a small dairy farm in North Danville, Vermont when he was nine years old. They all worked hard on their hilly land, and were gradually welcomed by the surrounding community— first as outsiders, then dairy farmers, then Christmas tree growers. When their farmhouse burned, (and neighbors surrounded them with support and companionship) his father was already transitioning to Protestant ministry. The family moved to Hardwick, Vermont, where his father became pastor of the United Church, and Scudder suddenly became a “preacher’s kid”.
Michael Sjostedt is a collage artist, workshop facilitator, and creative entrepreneur who has been creating—in both artistic and editorial sectors—for more than 25 years.
Chris Sabick joined the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in 1998 as an intern, and returned for a full-time position in 1999. Since that time, he has also acted as an Archaeological Diver, Conservation Lab Director, and the Director of Research and Archaeology.
Michele Pagán is a recently-returned native Vermonter, who spent her childhood in Bennington. She is a graduate of the University of VT and the University of Connecticut, where she studied clothing & textiles.
Central Vermont endured catastrophic flooding in 2023 and 2024. Now, the horizon looks different. An America with less disaster response support seems likely, while the planet continues to warm and the rain falls hard and fast. This presentation by Shawna Trader from Barre Up! will explore several examples of community building projects which, in turn, are proving to be pathways towards resilience.
Shawna is a caregiver, parent, poet and community organizer. Raised on the gulf coast of Florida, she has seen her share of storms. After many years in healthcare, she found herself leading The Rainbow Bridge Community Center in Barre, which became a convergence point for catastrophic flood response in 2023. Realizing the interconnected elements of community building and disaster preparedness and response, she continued that work as Chair of Barre Up, Barre City’s long term recovery group.
Dan Nott is a cartoonist, illustrator, and educator living in Vermont. Dan’s nonfiction work uses comics to explore and untangle complex topics, and create a basis for understanding current events.
Bess O’Brien is the director and producer of a number of award-winning films including her latest documentary “Just Getting By” which is focused on Vermonters struggling with food and housing insecurity.
We have all heard amazing stories of survival that rendered us awestruck. But too often, we don’t realize the wealth of information we can learn from people who make it to the other side of life’s most daunting challenges. In this talk, New York Times bestselling author Michael J. Tougias chronicles harrowing survival stories and then discusses lessons to learn from these experience.
Our seasonal “Words in the Woods” program allows Vermonters and visitors to enjoy our state’s natural beauty while listening to and reading literature in the outdoors.
Humanities Camps are filled with reading and writing projects, field trips, and outdoor activities.
We won a 2020 Schwartz Prize for best public humanities programming in the U.S. for Vermont Reads 2019: “March: Book One.”
We supported the Chandler Center for the Arts’ Global Connections Youth Outreach program, which highlights artists from around the world.
Our free public events help bring the power of the humanities to communities across Vermont.
