Vermont Reads Speakers Bureau Bookings

Home » Programs » Book A Program » Vermont Reads » Vermont Reads 2025: The Light Pirate » Vermont Reads Speakers Bureau Bookings

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 two free Speakers Bureau talks related to the themes in The Light Pirate each year.

Booking a Talk

Browse the catalog of topics, and review our Speakers Bureau Guidelines and FAQs.
Contact a speaker to set a tentative date and time, and discuss any special arrangements.
Request the program using our online form at least six weeks in advance. We’ll respond within two weeks.

Questions?

Contact Jacob Pelletier at jpelletier@vermonthumanities.org.

Please note that we are limiting organizations to three Speakers Bureau presentations per organization per year.

Free Vermont Reads Talks

1800 and Froze to Death: The Cold Year of 1816

By Vermont Humanities | April 26, 2019

1816 has long been known as the year without summer. This talk by Howard Coffin includes scores of anecdotes about the dark year of failed crops, scarce food, and religious revival.

Posted in Speaker Talk, Speakers Bureau, Vermont History

Tags: coffin, VR25

Hidden systems book cover with title over a light blue background and drawings of buildings on the sides

Drawing Hidden Systems

By Vermont Humanities | May 12, 2025

Have you ever wondered where electricity comes from, how the internet works, or how there’s (mostly) enough water for everyone all the time? Where did these systems come from, and how do they affect our challenges like inequality and climate change? Join Vermont author and artist Dan Nott for a look at these questions and more as he discusses his new nonfiction graphic novel, “Hidden Systems” for this all-ages talk.

Posted in Civics and Public Issues, Speaker Talk, Speakers Bureau

Tags: nott, SBNew25, VR25

Extreme Survival book cover, with a snow-covered mountain in the background

Extreme Survival: Lessons from Those Who Triumphed Against All Odds

By Ryan Newswanger | January 25, 2024

We have all heard amazing stories of survival that rendered us awestruck. But too often, we don’t realize the wealth of information we can learn from people who make it to the other side of life’s most daunting challenges. In this talk, New York Times bestselling author Michael J. Tougias chronicles harrowing survival stories and then discusses lessons to learn from these experience.

Posted in History, Last Name N-T, Speaker Talk, Speakers Bureau

Tags: tougias, VR25

A multimedia art installation by painter Dierdra Michelle and poet/community organizer Shawna Trader honoring the strength and resilience of Barre residence in the face of back-to-back floods. A series of 20 portraits are accompanied by poetry, interviews and audio recordings.

Facing a Flooded World: Why Relationship is the Sweetest Way

By Jacob Pelletier | July 7, 2025

Central Vermont endured catastrophic flooding in 2023 and 2024. Now, the horizon looks different. An America with less disaster response support seems likely, while the planet continues to warm and the rain falls hard and fast. This presentation by Shawna Trader from Barre Up! will explore several examples of community building projects which, in turn, are proving to be pathways towards resilience.

Posted in Civics and Public Issues, Last Name N-T, Speaker Talk, Speakers Bureau

Tags: SBNew25, trader, VR25

black and white photo of a covered bridge in Bellows Fall experiencing flooding in 1888

River Memories: Exploring Settlement Patterns on Waterways in Vermont

By Jacob Pelletier | June 17, 2025

Devastating recent rain events, including in July 2023 and 2024 and Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, have demonstrated that many communities in Vermont are vulnerable to damage from flooding. Historian Alan Berolzheimer examines how the development of settlement patterns over time have contributed to the problem of flooding in Vermont. Presentations will be adapted with town-specific content to the extent possible.

Posted in Speaker Talk, Speakers Bureau

Tags: Berolzheimer, SBNew25, Vermont Reads, VR25

Black and white photo showing fallen trees and flood damage from the 1938 hurricane

Thirty-Eight: The Hurricane That Transformed New England

By Jacob Pelletier | May 28, 2025

A hurricane will never surprise us again. But that’s what happened to the people of New England on September 21, 1938. Without any warning, the most destructive weather event ever to hit the Northeast pummeled the coast and blasted its way to Vermont and New Hampshire with torrential rain, flooding, and sustained winds over 100 miles per hour.

Posted in Speaker Talk, Speakers Bureau

Tags: long, SBNew25, Vermont Reads, VR25

A photo of rapids on the winooski river with an old mill building in the background

Turning Stones: Discovering the Life of Water

By Jacob Pelletier | June 17, 2025

Lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and even rain gutters teem with life you can easily observe. With an investment of less than $20 you can see many more of our fellow travelers. Declan McCabe, an aquatic ecologist and professor of biology at Saint Michael’s College, discusses and shares photographs of the stunning and fascinating organisms found in Vermont’s waterways.

Posted in Speaker Talk, Speakers Bureau

Tags: mccabe, SBNew25, VR25

Questions?

Email us at community@vermonthumanities.org for more details.

Vermont Humanities*** May 13, 2025