Vermont Humanities

Speakers Bureau Events

Man giving a talk in a bike shop
Speakers Bureau

These Speakers Bureau events are hosted by non-profits across Vermont. All are open to the public. Vermont organizations can book talks through our Speakers Bureau catalog, which offers thought-provoking presentations by scholars on diverse humanities topics.

Upcoming Speakers Bureau Events

Picture of a revolutionary era printing press that is being used to replicate a painting of a forest landscape
Live Event

September 12

A Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted

12:00pm | Poultney Historical Society, East Poultney

At this presentation you will learn that the mission statement of A Revolutionary Press, inspired by the Declaration of Independence, directs us in our efforts to bring about an entirely distinct Revolution for the present and the future, as we  listen to, and print some of today’s lesser known radical and revolutionary visionaries. Everyone at this event will have the opportunity to print one of these pieces to help imagine that next Revolution.

By Jacob Pelletier | August 20, 2026

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This acrylic painting was created on two 24x24 inch canvases to depict war and peace. The artist created the piece to further his abilities with acrylic paint. (U.S. Air Force art by Staff Sgt. Jamal D. Sutter/Released)
Live Event

September 12

Bridging Divides in a Nation at War: A Vermont Conversation on Peace and Power

3:00pm | Ferrisburgh Town Offices and Community Center, Ferrisburgh

The U.S. has been at war, in one form or another, for all but about 18 of the past 250 years of the county’s existence. What does this mean if this is a constant in our lives? How do we invite the conservatives and progressives into the room to talk together?

By Jacob Pelletier | February 4, 2026

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A needlwork sampler that is in a wooden frame. The sampler has two sets of alphabets in needlework with floral designs throughout
Live Event

September 12

Vermont Sampler Stories

4:00pm | Pomfret Town Office, North Pomfret

This presentation is based on the research Michele Pagan has done into the Revolutionary War ancestors of the girls who made 19th century schoolgirl samplers. Needlework samplers are a visual record of the values that guided early female education in Vermont, including its focus on needlework as an essential skill for all girls and women. As artifacts of female education, they provide insight into family dynamics, local history, and community values.

By Jacob Pelletier | May 1, 2026

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Peter Harrigan and his partner stand in White Tuxedo jackets and black pants on a green lawn and have their hands raised in applause.
Live Event

September 15

Baker v. State: Making Headlines, Making Change

6:00pm | Craftsbury Community Care Center, Craftsbury

Over 25 years ago, Peter Harrigan and Stan Baker were one of the three plaintiff couples in Vermont’s Freedom to Marry lawsuit. The Vermont Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in Baker v. State in 1999, which led to Vermont’s Civil Union law the following year.

By Jacob Pelletier | June 24, 2026

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Picture of a revolutionary era printing press that is being used to replicate a painting of a forest landscape
Live Event

September 20

A Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted

1:00pm | Lawrence Memorial Library, Bristol

At this presentation you will learn that the mission statement of A Revolutionary Press, inspired by the Declaration of Independence, directs us in our efforts to bring about an entirely distinct Revolution for the present and the future, as we  listen to, and print some of today’s lesser known radical and revolutionary visionaries. Everyone at this event will have the opportunity to print one of these pieces to help imagine that next Revolution.

By Jacob Pelletier | April 14, 2026

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A picture of a bronze statue of Ira Allen in front of budding trees.
Live Event

September 21

Ira Allen and the Green Mountain Frontier

7:00pm | Old Brick Church, East Montpelier

Land speculator, revolutionary, pamphleteer, politician, and empire-builder, Ira Allen was a key figure on the late eighteenth-century Green Mountain frontier.  Based on his 2024 book Ira Allen: A Biography, J. Kevin Graffagnino’s lively talk evaluates Allen’s checkered career and makes the case for including him in our picture of Vermont’s formative decades.

By Jacob Pelletier | February 4, 2026

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An old color postcard image of a coal engine train crossing the island trail in Vermont across Lake Champlain
Live Event

September 27

Local Railway History

1:00pm | Hardwick Historical Society, Hardwick

Experience with author and filmmaker Jim Jones the colorful ups and downs of Vermont’s railways around the St. Johnsbury area. This is a special presentation meant to explore the local history and impact of the railroads. 

By Jacob Pelletier | July 31, 2026

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Peter Harrigan and his partner stand in White Tuxedo jackets and black pants on a green lawn and have their hands raised in applause.
Live Event

September 30

Baker v. State: Making Headlines, Making Change

5:30pm | Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville

Over 25 years ago, Peter Harrigan and Stan Baker were one of the three plaintiff couples in Vermont’s Freedom to Marry lawsuit. The Vermont Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in Baker v. State in 1999, which led to Vermont’s Civil Union law the following year.

By Jacob Pelletier | September 2, 2026

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Part of a broadside printing of the poem Calling with a black and white image of a man speaking into a megaphone with swirls of sound and light as a dove flies by.
Live Event

October 1

CALLING: Reclaiming Shared Humanity in America’s 250th Year

5:00pm | The Current, Stowe

CALLING is a participatory, interdisciplinary humanities offering that invites communities to reflect, create, and reimagine what it means to be American at the threshold of our nation’s 250th anniversary. Rooted in the belief that creativity is a liberating force and a civic practice, CALLING brings together spoken word, storytelling, and imaginative inquiry with Rajnii Eddins and block printing with A Revolutionary Press to engage participants in courageous conversation and hands-on art-making.

By Jacob Pelletier | July 16, 2026

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Picture of a revolutionary era printing press that is being used to replicate a painting of a forest landscape
Live Event

October 4

A Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted

3:00pm | Moretown Community Library, Moretown

At this presentation you will learn that the mission statement of A Revolutionary Press, inspired by the Declaration of Independence, directs us in our efforts to bring about an entirely distinct Revolution for the present and the future, as we  listen to, and print some of today’s lesser known radical and revolutionary visionaries. Everyone at this event will have the opportunity to print one of these pieces to help imagine that next Revolution.

By Jacob Pelletier | June 30, 2026

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A needlwork sampler that is in a wooden frame. The sampler has two sets of alphabets in needlework with floral designs throughout
Live Event

October 7

Vermont Sampler Stories

6:00pm | Royalton Memorial Library, South Royalton

This presentation is based on the research Michele Pagan has done into the Revolutionary War ancestors of the girls who made 19th century schoolgirl samplers. Needlework samplers are a visual record of the values that guided early female education in Vermont, including its focus on needlework as an essential skill for all girls and women. As artifacts of female education, they provide insight into family dynamics, local history, and community values.

By Jacob Pelletier | July 16, 2026

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Picture of a revolutionary era printing press that is being used to replicate a painting of a forest landscape
Live Event

October 14

A Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted

6:00pm | Platt Memorial Library, Shoreham

At this presentation you will learn that the mission statement of A Revolutionary Press, inspired by the Declaration of Independence, directs us in our efforts to bring about an entirely distinct Revolution for the present and the future, as we  listen to, and print some of today’s lesser known radical and revolutionary visionaries. Everyone at this event will have the opportunity to print one of these pieces to help imagine that next Revolution.

By Jacob Pelletier | November 4, 2025

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A needlwork sampler that is in a wooden frame. The sampler has two sets of alphabets in needlework with floral designs throughout
Live Event

October 15

Vermont Sampler Stories

12:30pm | Vermont State University Castleton, Jeffords Auditorium, Castleton

This presentation is based on the research Michele Pagan has done into the Revolutionary War ancestors of the girls who made 19th century schoolgirl samplers. Needlework samplers are a visual record of the values that guided early female education in Vermont, including its focus on needlework as an essential skill for all girls and women. As artifacts of female education, they provide insight into family dynamics, local history, and community values.

By Jacob Pelletier | April 20, 2026

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A german gothic church stands at a street corner during fall with a rainbow curving over the main steeple
Live Event

October 21

Strange Bedfellows: How Religious Liberties Have Aligned with Nondiscrimination Policies and Can Again

5:30pm | Dudley H. Davis Center, Burlington

The First Amendment protects the free exercise of religion. The Fourteenth Amendment affords all persons equal protection under the law. What happens when those two rights collide, as happened in the in the Masterpiece Cake case? Must protections for religious liberties come at the expense of non-discrimination statutes?

By Jacob Pelletier | May 11, 2026

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Black and white photo from Vermont Lesbian and Gay Pride march in 1983
Live Event

October 21

Stories from the Vermont Queer Archives

6:00pm | Brownell Library, Essex Junction

Objects such as banners, T-shirts, and buttons in the Vermont Queer Archives at the Pride Center of Vermont reflect currents and changes in the lives of Vermont’s LGBTQ+ community. Meg Tamulonis, volunteer curator of the Archives, discusses how these objects mark various milestones, from Pride events to legal rulings, and considers why some parts of the queer community aren’t well-represented in the Archives.

By Jacob Pelletier | July 31, 2026

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A needlwork sampler that is in a wooden frame. The sampler has two sets of alphabets in needlework with floral designs throughout
Live Event

October 22

Vermont Sampler Stories

6:00pm | Charlotte Library, Charlotte

This presentation is based on the research Michele Pagan has done into the Revolutionary War ancestors of the girls who made 19th century schoolgirl samplers. Needlework samplers are a visual record of the values that guided early female education in Vermont, including its focus on needlework as an essential skill for all girls and women. As artifacts of female education, they provide insight into family dynamics, local history, and community values.

By Jacob Pelletier | June 30, 2026

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Read More » about Vermont Sampler Stories
Part of a broadside printing of the poem Calling with a black and white image of a man speaking into a megaphone with swirls of sound and light as a dove flies by.
Live Event

October 23

CALLING: Reclaiming Shared Humanity in America’s 250th Year

4:00pm | Fletcher Free Library, Burlington

CALLING is a participatory, interdisciplinary humanities offering that invites communities to reflect, create, and reimagine what it means to be American at the threshold of our nation’s 250th anniversary. Rooted in the belief that creativity is a liberating force and a civic practice, CALLING brings together spoken word, storytelling, and imaginative inquiry with Rajnii Eddins and block printing with A Revolutionary Press to engage participants in courageous conversation and hands-on art-making.

By Jacob Pelletier | August 20, 2026

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Read More » about CALLING: Reclaiming Shared Humanity in America’s 250th Year
A picture of a bronze statue of Ira Allen in front of budding trees.
Live Event

October 25

Ira Allen and the Green Mountain Frontier

4:00pm | First Congregational Church of Brookfield, Brookfield

Land speculator, revolutionary, pamphleteer, politician, and empire-builder, Ira Allen was a key figure on the late eighteenth-century Green Mountain frontier.  Based on his 2024 book Ira Allen: A Biography, J. Kevin Graffagnino’s lively talk evaluates Allen’s checkered career and makes the case for including him in our picture of Vermont’s formative decades.

By Jacob Pelletier | April 3, 2026

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Read More » about Ira Allen and the Green Mountain Frontier
Image of Vermont field in winter
Live Event

November 1

Vermont, 1800 and Froze to Death: The Cold Year of 1816

4:30pm | Brookfield Pond Village Church, Brookfield

1816 has long been known as the year without summer. Vermonters still call it “1800 and Froze to Death,” a year of frosts every month, dark skies, and mysterious lights that caused a widespread belief that a higher power was displeased. In this talk, historian Howard Coffin includes scores of anecdotes on the dark year of failed crops, scarce food, and religious revival.

By Jacob Pelletier | September 2, 2026

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A cartoon of a man giving a presentation to a large audience of different people and animals
Live Event

November 4

Picturing Language: An Introduction to the Magic of Comics

6:30pm | Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston

Comics are a powerful and often misunderstood storytelling language—one that is immersive, visually rich, and accessible across age groups and reading levels. From preschool classrooms to graduate seminars, comics have a unique ability to engage learners, including those who struggle with reading or communicate best through visual narratives.

By Jacob Pelletier | August 31, 2026

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Vermont Humanities*** December 9, 2021

A woman with gray hair wearing a blue shirt reads from a music stand in front of a seated crowd in a state park

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.

Middle school students in costume on stage during Shakespeare play

Humanities Camps are filled with reading and writing projects, field trips, and outdoor activities.

Rep. John Lewis and Andrew Aydin with students in front of a schoolbus

We won a 2020 Schwartz Prize for best public humanities programming in the U.S. for Vermont Reads 2019: “March: Book One.”

African man in dark pants and shirt leading a group of children in a dance in a school gymnasium

We supported the Chandler Center for the Arts’ Global Connections Youth Outreach program, which highlights artists from around the world.

Woman raising her hand during a public event

Our free public events help bring the power of the humanities to communities across Vermont.