Our Speakers Bureau provides informative and thought-provoking presentations by scholars and experts on diverse humanities topics. These rich experiences are accessible for Vermont non-profit organizations to present in their community for a small fee.
We are offering each Vermont Reads host organization up to three free Speakers Bureau talks related to the themes in Gather. Please note that the limit of three Speakers Bureau presentations per organization per year still remains.
Vermont is not immune to issues like addiction, housing insecurity, and poverty. In recent years these overlapping problems have strained resources across the state, and can divide communities as they struggle to find solutions. Join Will Eberle as he explores how to surmount the effect of bias and stigma so we can improve the health, happiness, and sense of belonging for all Vermonters.
In this presentation geared to readers 8 to 12 years old, author M. T. Anderson will discuss how living alone with a dog in the midst of the Covid shutdown in Vermont led to the writing of his Newbery Honor-winning fantasy Elf Dog & Owl Head.
Vermont law requires that our state budget addresses Vermonters’ right to health, housing, dignified work, education, food, social security, and a healthy environment. Although it’s a work of fiction, Gather by Kenneth Cadow shows us that all too often we fail to keep these promises to each other. Join Stephanie Yu, Executive Director of Public Assets Institute, to explore why and how our state policies are failing families like Ian’s.
In Ken Cadow’s Gather, Ian loses his home through no fault of his own, illustrating how Vermont’s housing landscape can be unfair and exclusive. Kahlia Livingston and Jess Hyman of the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity discuss the roots of Vermont’s lack of affordable housing and describe potential approaches to reduce housing discrimination.
In the 1970’s, writer David Budbill—a recent arrival to Wolcott, Vermont—was inspired by his own working-class background to shine a light on the lives of his new neighbors who were, in turns, beautiful, ingenious, struggling to survive, and completely overlooked by the powers that be. Presented by Nadine Budbill (David’s daughter and Literary Executor) this talk introduces David and his work, followed by a selection of his evocative and timeless poems.
Now that Vermont is reviewing Act 250—legislation that has done so much to create a unique rural landscape in our state—it’s worth asking what we value in landscape in the first place. Why are inhospitable mountains beautiful? What’s actually attractive about a ruined barn? New York Times Bestselling author M.T. Anderson considers the politics of beautiful scenery and the hidden national longings behind our sense of landscape.
In this engaging participatory workshop, you’ll hear the powerful stories of people in recovery. You’ll learn how and why the writing techniques used in Writers for Recovery enable people to ease their emotional pain, reduce their feelings of shame, and move forward toward recovery. You’ll even develop new tools for managing stress and difficult situations in your own life.
Email us at community@vermonthumanities.org for more details.
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.
