We invite Vermont communities to plan projects centered around The Light Pirate and its themes of resilience, strength through community, and the unstoppable power of the natural world.
Please review the steps below to learn how to become a Vermont Reads host.
Libraries, schools, historical societies, and social service organizations.
Your application is strongest if you can identify other community organizations to collaborate with programmatically.
State agencies, adult education centers, correctional facilities, and other organizations that would like to offer Vermont Reads to specific audiences not open to the public are also eligible to host Vermont Reads! If you have questions about holding Vermont Reads programs in these settings, please reach out to community@vermonthumanities.org.
How to apply
Apply online through Submittable
Some of the details to have ready for your application:
Program start date
Number of books needed
Potential program partners
Supplemental programming ideas
Please note: all of our books have been claimed, and we are no longer accepting Vermont Reads 2025 applications. We will announce the new Vermont Reads 2026 choice in early March.
Step Two: Receiving Your Books
Accepted host locations can expect to receive books from us in the mail by your stated project start date. Please note that we request at least three weeks lead time in order to process your application and ship your books.
These books are for you to keep! Please feel free to distribute and manage these materials as you see fit for your community, with the interest in allowing as many people to participate as possible.
These specific talks cover topics that relate thematically to The Light Pirate. The host fees for these programs are waived for Vermont Reads hosts.
Please note:scholars may still ask for mileage reimbursement or other additional speaking fees, etc. Limited to three talks per year per location. Bookings subject to availability.
We have released two podcast episodes featuring interviews with people whose work intersects with the themes in The Light Pirate, including author Lily Brooks-Dalton. The episodes are centered around the first two sections of the book: Power, and Water.
Please tell us about your Vermont Reads event at least two weeks before it takes place, so we can help promote it on our website and social media channels!
Once your Vermont Reads project has completed we will send you a final report to fill out in your Submittable account. This will include reporting on the number and types of events you held, the attendance at your programs, your successes, difficulties, and your feedback on how the program can be improved.
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.
