Memoirist Marpheen Chann shines a light on his search for truth and compassion growing up in working-class Maine. Adopted into a majority white community, Chann must reconcile his fears and secret longings as a young gay man with the devoutly religious beliefs of his new family.
Marpheen Chann is an author, thinker, advocate, and speaker. As a gay, first-generation Asian American born in California to a Cambodian refugee family and later adopted by an evangelical, white working-class family in Maine, Marpheen uses a mix of humor and storytelling to help people view topics such as diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and justice through an intersectional and empathetic lens. Marpheen Chann lives in Portland, Maine. He works in the nonprofit and advocacy sector and holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Southern Maine and a law degree from the Maine Law.
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Recording of the afternoon discussion with VT Reads 2025 author Lily Brooks-Dalton. This program focused on her creation of The Light Pirate and the themes portrayed throughout the book.
Remembering is an obligation: we are who we are thanks to memory. Yet it is forgetting that allows us to navigate through life. Ilan Stavans—internationally–renowned essayist, translator, and publisher, and longtime Snapshot and First Wednesdays favorite—reflects on forgetting in art, literature, politics, and history.
Alexander von Humboldt was a Prussian polymath, geographer, naturalist, and explorer who visited the United States in 1804 specifically to meet President Thomas Jefferson. Humboldt used his influential voice to urge the United States to live up to its democratic ideals. Eleanor Jones Harvey, senior curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, explores Humboldt’s influence on America’s cultural values.
Vermont’s landscapes inspired Nobel Laureate Louise Glück’s best poems, ones that reflect on the resilience, loss, and beauty that connect human experiences with the natural world. Vermont novelist, poet, and professor Elizabeth A.I. Powell explores the transformative work of this seminal artist.
Twenty-five years ago, responding to the Vermont Supreme Court’s “Baker Decision,” the Vermont Legislature created the first comprehensive legal recognition for same-sex couples in the United States. The establishment of Civil Unions was an historic step toward full Marriage Equality. Long-time Vermont LGBTQ political activist and politician Bill Lippert remembers the fierce battle and political backlash around Civil Unions, and considers the lessons learned from the fight.
Vermont author Kerstin Lange considers the 870-mile-long border—now a unique nature preserve called the Green Belt—that divided her native Germany during the Cold War. Over 1200 rare animal and plant species found refuge in the highly militarized border strip. What was it like to live next to one of the world’s most draconian borders, and what can the Green Belt tell us about ecological belonging?
Vermont is one of the only states where school taxes are shared, but that hasn’t solved the problem of all schools getting the resources they need. Stephanie Yu, Executive Director of Public Assets Institute, explores the purpose of public education, the history of Vermont’s funding system, and how to equitably provide kids with the best education possible.
Julie Pellissier-Lush, the first Indigenous Poet Laureate for Prince Edward Island, relates some of the “Seven Generations” stories about how the Mi’kmaq People came into being. These stories are filled with joy and hardships, and Pellissier-Lush will accompany them with drumming and poetry that might inspire you to learn more about who you are and where you come from.
Educator Kenneth M. Cadow is the author of Gather, the wildly popular Vermont Reads 2024 selection and a National Book Award Finalist. Kenneth will read from his book and talk about the novel’s themes of rural life, resilience, class differences, addiction and recovery, housing and food insecurity, a deep relationship to the land, and the power of community.
The recent devastating fires in Maui and Los Angeles are only the tip of a fiery iceberg that modern humans have created. How are we to respond to such events, emotionally and rationally? Drawing from his new book, Following Nature’s Lead: Ancient Ways of Living in a Dying World, UVM professor M. D. Usher explores what the Buddha, the Stoic philosopher Seneca, and Henry David Thoreau can teach about climate trauma.
Join Middlebury College Professor Linus Owens as he covers the history of 242 Main, an all-ages DIY punk club in Burlington. Although financially supported by the city government, the club was self-managed by the young artists. For over 30 years, the space provided value to organizers, the city, and the larger music scene by providing a safe place to experiment, learn new skills, and connect with people across the state and the world. Closed in 2016, 242 Main offers a model for how cities can support young residents, showing the continuing value of place and face-to-face relations and communities in today’s increasingly digital world.
Memoirist Marpheen Chann shines a light on his search for truth and compassion growing up in working-class Maine. Adopted into a majority white community, Chann must reconcile his fears and secret longings as a young gay man with the devoutly religious beliefs of his new family.
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.
