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A Seasonal Poem
A little Madness in the Spring
by Emily Dickinson
A little Madness in the Spring
Is wholesome even for the King,
But God be with the Clown --
Who ponders this tremendous scene --
This whole Experiment of Green --
As if it were his own! What is your favorite spring poem?
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Vermont Reads on VPR -- May 15 through 18
Bull Run takes the reader through the days leading up to the Battle of Bull Run, the first battle of the bloodiest conflict in American history -- the Civil War. Paul Fleischman tells the story from the perspective of 16 narrators.
Listen during Vermont Public Radio's Morning Edition from May 15-18 for interviews with Civil War historians, excerpts from the book, and an interview with author Paul Fleischman. On May 17 Vermont Edition will also join the discussion.
Share your thoughts online or call 1.802.552.3425
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Members of the 4th Vermont Infantry by George Houghton, courtesy Vermont Historical Society. Click on image for larger version.
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Post in the
online column or call in to leave a recording of your thoughts on the books and the legacy of war. VPR will be posting selected recordings on this web page.
Vermont Public Radio's Vermont Reads feature
Many thanks to Vermont Public Radio for the Vermont Reads partnership
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Vermont Reads 2012
 BULL RUN by Paul Fleischman and The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane Your community is invited to take part in Vermont Reads 2012 featuring Paul Fleischman's Bull Run, a beautifully written novella that takes place during the Civil War. It is written in the first person from the point of view of sixteen different characters, eight Northerners and eight Southerners -- male, female, black, white, old, young, soldier, and civilian. The award-winning book focuses on the social context of the war, the run-up to the first battle of the war, and its aftermath as well as on the battle itself. Also as part of Vermont Reads 2012, VHC is encouraging communities to read The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane's classic and groundbreaking story of heroism and weakness in the face of war's indifference to the fate of individuals. Fleischman is the author of the hugely successful Vermont Reads 2005 selection, Seedfolks, which tells through multiple voices how the planting of a garden in a vacant lot creates community. Learn more and apply for Vermont Reads 2012.Application deadline is May 15. VHC will accept applications after May 15.Underwriter
Media Partner
With support from the Jack & Dorothy Byrne Foundation
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LYDDIE at Lost Nation Theater
The World Premiere of Lost Nation Theater's Original Theater-Movement Adaptation of Katherine Paterson's LYDDIE
 LYDDIE is a compelling journey of self-discovery as a young girl works to regain her small Vermont farm and reunite her family at the dawn of the industrial revolution. It's Vermont historical fiction at its finest. And like other intergenerational stories with serious subjects (such as The Diary of Ann Frank or To Kill a Mockingbird) LYDDIE is a production the whole family can attend. - 7pm Thursday
- 8pm Friday & Saturday
- 7pm Sunday -- except! -- the final Sunday of every show, which is at 2pm
For more information: 802.229.0492 Discover why audiences have leapt to their feet at the conclusion of the show! lostnationtheater.org
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Civil War Book of Days, May 11
Slaves Seize Confederate Steamship and Escape
 | | Honorable Robert Smalls of South Carolina, circa 1870-1880 |
On May 12, 1862, the three white officers on the CSS Planter, an armed Confederate military transport, decided to spend the night ashore, in Charleston, South Carolina.
About 3:00 a.m. the next day, twenty-three year-old Robert Smalls and seven other enslaved crewmen on board decided to try to escape by sailing the ship toward the Union ships that blockaded the harbor.
Born in Beaufort, South Carolina, Smalls had been a house slave before being sent to Charleston, where he was hired out to do a variety of jobs, including stevedore, rigger, sailmaker, and finally, wheelman, essentially ship's pilot.
Smalls donned the captain's uniform and straw hat, and sailed the Planter to a nearby wharf, where they picked up Smalls's wife and children and relatives of other crew members.
Continued . . .
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Civil War Book of Days, May 4
Passions Stir
May 9, 1862. On May 9, eighteen-year-old Sarah Morgan, a resident of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, wrote in her diary of the arrival of the Union Army in her home town. She had been, like her father, a strong Unionist, but when her town was occupied, she alternated between defiant glorification of the Confederacy and adolescent braggadocio, on the one hand, and, on the other, deep doubts about the war and frustration at her own impotence. Her diary entry reminds us how emotions change over time, even against our own will or reason, perhaps particularly during war.
Sarah wrote:
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Our lawful (?) owners have at last arrived. About sunset day before yesterday, the Iroquois anchored here, and a graceful young Federal stepped ashore, carrying a Yankee flag over his shoulder, and asked the way to the Mayor's office. I like the style! If we girls of B.R. had been at the landing instead of the men, that Yankee should never have insulted us by flying his flag in our faces! We would have opposed his landing except under a flag of truce; but the men let him alone, and he even found a poor Dutchman willing to show him the road! He did not accomplish much; said a formal demand would be made next day, and asked if it was safe for the men to come ashore and buy a few necessities, when he was assured the air of B.R. was very unhealthy for Federal soldiers at night. He promised very magnanimously not [to] shell us out, if we did not molest him; but I notice none of them dare set their feet on terra-firma, except the officer who has now called three times on the Mayor, and who is said to tremble visibly as he walks the streets.
Continued . . .
 Sign up for the Civil War Book of Days, VHC's weekly e-newsletter marking the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. It commemorates what happened each week 150 years ago.
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Humanities Commentaries on VPR
 | | Peter Gilbert |
Each month, VHC's Executive Director Peter Gilbert presents commentaries on Vermont Public Radio that examine current and past events from a humanities perspective.
Most recently, Peter spoke about:
- Forever Young: There are two things that all people have in common -- aging and mortality. They've been on Peter Gilbert's mind since Dick Clark died recently at the age of 82. But then writing about Dick Clark never seems to get old.
- Remembering Guernica: Scenes of Syrian civilians being bombed by their own government have reminded commentator and executive director of the Vermont Humanities Council Peter Gilbert of similar events that took place 75 years ago tomorrow -- with far-reaching consequences for both civil society and the arts.
- William and Julian Scott: We're in the midst of the sesquicentennial anniversary of the Civil War, which raged for four years, from April 1861 to April 1865. Here's commentator and Vermont Humanities Council executive director Peter Gilbert with the dramatic stories of two Vermont soldiers who were not related, but who shared the same last name.
Timely Commentaries
- Nothing Gold: Spring is here in all its glory, and here are Robert Frost and commentator Peter Gilbert on the fleeting colors of the season.
- Graduation: This is the time of year for graduations and commencement addresses. And commentator Peter Gilbert is reminded of a classic commencement address that is as inspiring today as it was when it was given -- in 1954.
Read or listen to Peter's commentaries online.
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The Vermont Humanities Council presents nearly 1,100 events every year. Thank you for your interest in lifelong learning!
Sincerely,
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Sylvia Plumb, Director of Communications
Vermont Humanities Council |
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