Since 2003, Vermont Humanities has invited students, adults, and seniors across the state to read the same book and participate in a wide variety of community activities related to the book’s themes. In 2021, we shifted this annual program to start each year on July 1.
Over 200 different Vermont towns, cities, and villages have participated in Vermont Reads to date. Schools, libraries, service organizations, churches, businesses, or other community-based organizations can start by filling out a brief application.
Created by Tillie Walden from archival materials at the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History in Middlebury, “Charity and Sylvia” is a groundbreaking biography that is also the story of 19th century America. We are now accepting Vermont Reads 2026, and projects can begin as early July 1, 2026.
A list of the books selected since 2003 for our state-wide community reading program.
Vermont Reads 2026 is presented with support from the Trout Lily Foundation, the Jack & Dorothy Byrne Foundation,
Drawn & Quarterly, and many others.
Additional support from By the People: Conversations Beyond 250, a series of community-driven programs created by humanities councils in collaboration with local partners. This initiative was developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.
August 26
We invite the Brattleboro area to participate in an open community discussion around the book Charity & Sylvia by Tillie Walden. We will discuss themes of Vermont’s (and America’s!) early history, the importance of friendships and family networks, the role of religion and faith in communal life, and the evolution of LGBTQ+ identity.
August 29
Historian Howard Coffin explains, with nearly 35,000 of the state’s able-bodied men at war, how women took on farming, worked in factories, served as nurses in the state’s military hospitals, and more. And at least one Vermont woman appears to have secretly enlisted and fought in a Vermont regiment! Drawing from letters and diaries, Coffin tells their story in their own words, describe life during the Civil War in the Green Mountain State.
September 4
Join us for this special presentation from Tillie Walden about the creation of graphic novel Charity and Sylvia.
September 12
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.
September 15
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.
September 16
UVM welcomes VSO Artistic Advisor Matt LaRocca, composer Clarice Assad, and vocal soloists Danielle Buonaiuto and Nikola Printz for a discussion about Assad’s new orchestral work based on the historic Weybridge, VT couple Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake. The couple’s lives and marriage are also the subject of Vermont Reads 2026: Charity and Sylvia by acclaimed graphic novelist Tillie Walden.
September 18
Join us at the University of Vermont for this special presentation with Tillie Walden in conversation with Coco Moseley, Executive Director of the Hendry Sheldon Museum, about the creation of Charity and Sylvia. The talk is free and open to all – students, faculty, staff, and the general public!
September 18
The 2026–27 Vermont Symphony Orchestra season opens with music inspired and created by powerful women—from Björk to Cleopatra, spanning 19th-century Vermont to the Persian Empire. The concert premieres a VSO commission by composer Clarice Assad, based on the historic Weybridge couple Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake
September 21
Albany Library’s monthly book discussion group has chosen Charity & Sylvia for their September discussion. We have copies available in the library now. Grab one to read ahead of time, then come join your neighbors for a casual conversation to talk it over.
October 7
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.
October 8
Callie Raspuzzi, the Collections Manager at the Bennington Museum, will present on The Jane A. Stickle Quilt. Made in 1863, during the Civil War, this amazing quilt includes 169 five-inch blocks, each in different patterns and fabric, containing a total of 5,602 pieces surrounded by a unique scalloped border. This illustrated talk will explore the history of the quilt and its maker. It will also use the quilt as a jumping-off point to talk about diverse topics, including female education, the Civil War, country fairs, disability, textile manufacture, poverty, and museum collecting.
October 15
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.
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.
