Playwright Maura Campbell wove the stories of 18 LGBTQ+ Vermonters, old and young, into the book Standing in This Place: Growing Up LGBTQ in Vermont. Campbell joins gay-rights activist Howdy Russell from an older generation and trans actor/school educator Ray Merrill from a younger generation, who shared their personal stories in the book, as they discuss their challenges growing up LGBTQ+ in Vermont and respond to audience questions.

Father and son storytellers and musicians Joseph and Jesse Bruchac of the Nulhegan Abenaki Nation use traditional music, storytelling, and the Abenaki language to describe the continuing connection of their people to Ndakinna (our land.) They share greeting and friendship songs and tell stories that relate to the creation of the place now called Vermont. 

Author and advocate Susan Clark explains the Slow Democracy movement in which ordinary people mobilize to find local solutions to local problems. In the process some find they can bridge the “us/them” divide so prevalent in our national politics today. Clark shares stories of democratic community building from across the nation, and gives practical tips for breaking down barriers.

National Book Award finalist Kekla Magoon discusses her award-winning nonfiction book, Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People. The Vermont author also considers the importance of reading as a tool for social change, and our individual and collective power to transform our communities.  

For 100 years—from the 1850s to the 1950s—Vermont was the most Republican state in the nation. But today it is the most Democratic. Journalist Chris Graff considers some factors behind the switch from “red to blue,” including interstate highways, the arrival of IBM in Vermont, and the reapportionment of the Vermont House.