A Sampling of Humanities Events
Find more events at Vermont Humanities.
ADDISON COUNTY
February 16: World War II: American Perceptions and Historical Realities. For more than fifty years Americans have maintained a strong set of beliefs regarding the causes and historical lessons of World War II. With the passage of time many of these beliefs have been called into question as ethnocentric perceptions that distort the history of the war and ignore the contributions and perspectives of other powers and peoples. This lecture compares our standard perceptions of the war with what some scholars now maintain. New Haven Community Library, 7:00 p.m. Deborah Lundbech, 802.453.4015.
BENNINGTON COUNTY
April 10: Vermont and the Civil War. From Cedar Creek to Gettysburg, Vermonters were central to the Union cause. Vermont author and Civil War historian Howard Coffin addresses Pownal's contribution to the Civil War. Pownal, Solomon Wright Public Library, 1:30 p.m. Wendy Hopkins, 802.823.5405.
CALEDONIA COUNTY
Book Discussion Series: Retellings. These novels all re-imagine classic works of fiction, retelling them from a different character's 
perspective. Danville, Pope Memorial Library, Wednesdays, 7:00 p.m. Deidre Palmer, 802.684.2256.
February 23: John Gardner's Grendel. Led by Robert Johnson
March 30: Geraldine Brooks's March. Led by Patricia Norton
April 27: John Clinch's Finn. Led by John Turner
CHITTENDEN COUNTY
February 16: The Science of Healing: Practicing, Producing, and Consuming Tibetan Medicine with Dartmouth anthropologist Sienna Craig. A First Wednesdays talk at Fletcher Free Library, 7:00 p.m., 802.865.7211 Learn more...
February 23: Little Women Revisited: Why Should We Read Louisa May Alcott? Bring a potluck dish inspired by Alcott's novel
Little Women. Discussion led by UVM Professor of English and Women's Studies Mary Lou Kete.
Essex Junction, Brownell Library, 6:15-8 p.m. RSVP to 802.878.6955. Space is limited.
FRANKLIN COUNTY
February 23: Vermont History through Song. Singer and researcher Linda Radtke, joined by pianist Arthur Zorn, brings Vermont history to life with engaging commentary about the songs found in the Vermont Historical Society's collection of sheet music. Dressed in period costume, Radtke takes listeners through state history, using the songs Vermonters published in their communities. St. Albans Historical Museum, 11:00 a.m. John Newton, 802.524.3447.
GRAND ISLE COUNTY
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| Jane Beck will speak about folk art items like this hooked rug by Imelda Lepine of Morrisville, Vermont |
May 18: Vermont Folk Art. Much of Vermont's folk art is narrative in impulse: a stair rug capturing the history of a family, a weathervane symbolizing the artist's career in the railroad, or a quilt representing the memories of farm life. This slide presentation and lecture by Jane Beck touches on the informal process of learning a traditional art, life crises that spur the creation of folk art, and the emotional bond that exists between the maker and the receiver of a folk art object. Grand Isle, Block School House, Route 2, 7:00 p.m. Janet DeSarno, 802.372.4058.
LAMOILLE COUNTY
Book Discussion Series: Soldiering On: After Battle and Back Home. For soldiers and civilians of any war, the battle doesn't necessarily cease when the last guns are fired and the battlefield is left behind. Led by Victor Swenson and Judith Yarnall. Stowe Free Library, Thursdays, 7:00 p.m. Megan Carder, 802.253.6145.
February 24: Pat Barker's Regeneration
March 10: Elizabeth Samet's Soldier's Heart
March 24: Jonathan Shay's Odysseys in America
ORANGE COUNTY
February 19: The Old Country Fiddler: Charles Ross Taggart, Vermont's Traveling Entertainer. Charles Ross Taggart grew up in Topsham Vermont. He went on to a forty-year career performing in countless stage shows across the country, including the famous Red Path Chautauqua circuit. A fiddler, piano player, humorist, singer, and ventriloquist, he made at least 25 recordings with the Victor, Edison, and Columbia companies, and appeared in a talking movie picture four years before Al Jolson starred in The Jazz Singer. Fiddler Adam Boyce portrays Mr. Taggart near the end of his career, circa 1936, sharing recollections of his life and career interspersed with live fiddling and humorous sketches. Williamstown, The Gardens at Williamstown Square, 2844 Vt Route 14, 2:00 p.m. Flora O'Hara, 802.433.5887.
ORLEANS COUNTY
February 27: Vermont History through Song. (See description above.) Greensboro United Church of Christ, 2:00 p.m. Jenny Stoner, 802.586.6913.
RUTLAND COUNTY
March 24: Shipwrecks of Lake Champlain. Learn about Lake Champlain's most harrowing shipwreck stories from the Revolutionary War to the present day with Lake Champlain Maritime Museum archaeologist Adam Kane. With over 300 wrecks in its dark, cold waters, Lake Champlain has witnessed feats of heroism and terrible tragedies. Take a memorable tour through slides, drawings, and video of what lies beneath the waves. Proctor Free Library, 6:30 p.m. Lisa Miser, 802.459.3539.
WASHINGTON COUNTY
February 16: Vermont and the Civil War. (See description above.) Montpelier, Vermont College of Fine Arts, Noble Hall, 1:30 p.m. Reidun Nuquist, 802.223.3550.
WINDHAM COUNTY
Book Discussion Series: A Mysterious Lens on American Culture. In these mysteries, mayhem and murder play out against a cultural/ethnic backdrop--illuminating more than simply whodunnit. Led by Deborah Luskin. Putney, Westminster West Public Library, Thursdays, 7:00 p.m. Beverly Major, 802.387.4682.
February 10: Faye Kellerman's Ritual Bath
March 10: Barbara Neely's Blanche Cleans Up
April 14: P. L. Gaus's Blood of the Prodigal
WINDSOR COUNTY
February 21: John Quincy Adams: Spirit Unconquerable. Jim Cooke's solo is based on yet another cranky Yankee--John Quincy Adams, son of our second president and of the indomitable Abigail Adams. Emerson once said that Adams "took his tea with sulfuric acid." He also wrote poetry, loved theater, opera, and good company, and held informed views on all subjects. See him in the last decade of life defend the Amistad Africans before the Supreme Court and fight the slave-master's Gag Rule in the House of Representatives. Truly, he was "Old Man Eloquent!" Woodstock, Billings Farm and Museum, 3:00 p.m. Corwin Sharp, 802.457.2355 x49.
