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Vermont Humanities E-newsletter
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Author Events: Palacio, Rushdie, Guernsey
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Authors Coming to Vermont -- All Events Free
R. J. Palacio * Salman Rushdie * Lisa Guernsey
 | | Vermont Reads Wonder author speaks in Manchester October 9! |
October 9, 4:30 pm -- Wonder Author R. J. Palacio, Manchester Elementary School, Presented with the Northshire Bookstore. Read this coverage of Vermont Reads Wonder and preview of the event in today's Berkshire Eagle. October 23, 7:00 pm -- Lisa Guernsey, Dudley H. Davis Center, University of Vermont, Burlington, Author of Screen Time: How Electronic Media -- From Baby Videos to Educational Software -- Affects Your Young Child. Presented in collaboration with the annual conference of the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children.
January 14, 5:00 pm -- Salman Rushdie with "What's the Use of Stories That Aren't Even True?" Ira Allen Chapel, Burlington (tickets FREE but REQUIRED; available November 3). Presented with the Office of the President, University of Vermont.
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Fall Conference: A Fire Never Extinguished
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* * Taking registrations online * *
Vermont Humanities Council Annual Fall Conference
November 14-15, Dudley H. Davis Center, University of Vermont
The Civil War casts a long shadow in the United States. As Robert Penn Warren put it in his classic 1961 book, The Legacy of the Civil War, "many clear and objective facts about America are best understood in reference to the Civil War."
VHC's 2014 fall conference, presented in collaboration with the Vermont Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission, explores the influence that the War had and continues to have on literature, visual art, race, memory, and politics. The conference, taking place five months before the end of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, will seek to identify lessons vital to American democracy that still can be learned from the War and its aftermath.
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First Wednesdays Season 2014-2015
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 First Wednesdays -- November 5, 7pm
Brattleboro * Essex Junction * Manchester * Middlebury * Montpelier * Newport * Norwich * Rutland * St. Johnsbury
- Tyler Boudreau (author of Packing Inferno: The Unmaking of a Marine) on PTSD and "moral injury" (Brattleboro)
- Mark A. Stoler on the Marshall Plan (Essex Junction)
- Katy Smith Abbott on Painting in Early Renaissance Florence (Manchester)
- Cecilia Gaposchkin on the power of Gothic architecture (Middlebury)
- Barbara Will on Pablo Picasso and Gertrude Stein (Montpelier)
- Nancy Nahra on Amelia Earhart (Newport)
- NPR's Susan Stamberg on the power of radio (Norwich)
- Michael Arnowitt on Stravinksy's Rite of Spring (Rutland)
- Glenn Andres on the Buildings of Vermont (St. Johnsbury)
All First Wednesdays talks are free and open to the public. Learn more.
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Vermont Humanities Events
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A Sampling of Vermont Humanities Events
For a full listing of events, click here.
October 12 - Vermont History through Song. Singer and researcher Linda Radtke, joined by pianist Arthur Zorn, brings Vermont history to life with commentary about the songs found in the Vermont Historical Society's collection of sheet music. East Hardwick, Caledonia Grange, 2:00 pm. Paul Fixx, (802) 441-4599.
October 14 - Wonder What It's Like with Sam Drazin. A Vermont Reads Wonder Event. Sam Drazin of Changing Perspectives will present a program about improving disability awareness and understanding. He has a unique perspective as a student with a disability and a teacher in an inclusive classroom. Bennington, Southern Vermont College, 7:00 pm. Linda Donigan, (802) 442-9051.
 October 14 - Arming the Union: Vermont Gunmakers and the Technology that Shaped America. During the Civil War, the Union army fielded more than two million men, most of them armed with newly made, highly accurate rifles. Historian and museum curator Carrie Brown explores the critical role that Windsor, Vermont played in producing technology that won the war and changed American life. North Chittenden Grange Hall, 7:00 pm. Karen Webster, (802) 483-6471.
October 16 - Alfred Hitchcock and the Art of Suspense. Film expert Rick Winston discusses the evolution of Hitchcock's craft, exploring his favorite themes, his relationship with his collaborators, and his wry sense of humor. Bristol, American Legion Post 19, 7:30 pm. Sylvia Coffin, (802) 453-3439.
 October 18 - The Old Country Fiddler: Charles Ross Taggart, Vermont's Traveling Entertainer. Vermonter Charles Ross Taggart had a forty-year career performing across the country. Fiddler Adam Boyce portrays Mr. Taggart sharing recollections of his life interspersed with live fiddling. East Craftsbury Presbyterian Church, 7:00 pm. Jenny Stoner, (802) 586-6913.
October 19 - Inventive Vermonters: A Sampling of Farm Tools and Implements. Vermonters have always been inventive, especially when it comes to agricultural innovations. Retired engineer Paul Wood presents a sampling of farm tools, implements, and artifacts invented or produced in Vermont. Pawlet Public Library, 141 School St, 2:00 pm. Steve Williams, (802) 645-9529.
October 20 - Film Discussion: Freedom and Unity: The Vermont Movie: Part One: "A Very New Idea." Danby, Mount Tabor/Danby Historical Society, 7:00 pm. Lauren Dever, (802) 293-2265.
October 22 - Film Discussion: Freedom and Unity: The Vermont Movie: Part Three: "Refuge, Reinvention, and Revolution." Hartland Public Library, 153 Route 5, 6:30 pm. Theresa Gregory, (802) 436-2473.
October 22 - Film Discussion: Freedom and Unity: The Vermont Movie: Part Three: "Refuge, Reinvention, and Revolution." Shelburne, Wake Robin Meeting Room, 3:30 pm. Krista Malaney, (802) 264 -5107.
October 23 - An Evening of Wonder. A Vermont Reads Event. A book discussion of R. J. Palacio's Wonder. Music, art, and light supper. Bennington Free Library, 101 Silver St, 5:30 pm. Linda Donigan, (802) 442-9051.
October 25 - Wonder: The Last Chapter Finale. A Vermont Reads Event. Join us for our concluding event with the Sanborn family. Jamaica, Town Hall, 1:00 pm. Karen Cawrse, (802) 874-4901.
Look for VHC events here.
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Words to Live By: Ellen Bryant Voigt
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WORDS TO LIVE BY
"When meter is honored over rhythm, line over syntax, form over structure, even the most prodigious manipulation of traditional patterns may be rendered purely decorative."
Ellen Bryant Voigt has published six collections of poetry. She was a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Voigt served as the Poet Laureate of Vermont for four years. In 2003, she was elected a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. Words to Live By brings weekly wisdom from Vermont poets, writers, artists, and thinkers and is a project of the Vermont Humanities Council and the Vermont Arts Council.
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Civil War Book of Days : Latest Entry
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Searchable site contains all 208-plus entries to date.
Civil War Book of Days. VHC began the weekly e-newsletter to honor the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. We hope you enjoy our most recent entry. October 3, 1864/2014
Volume 5, Issue 40 (208 Issues Since 15 October 2010)
On October 9, Corporal George Howard of Mount Holly, Vermont, then in Strausburg, Virginia, began a letter to his wife. He wrote of the Union army's destroying anything in the Shenandoah Valley that might sustain the rebel army and of the death of some Union soldiers: ". . . We have done a buisness for the confederacy during this campaign th[r]ough the Valley of Va that 'I Recon' wont be forgotten very soon Upon our advance, and when near Charlestown after a skirmish near that place in which corpl Jackman of Co K of this regt was killed and partially buried by the Rebls during the night time; leaving his head above ground; and inserting a head board into his mouth in which cond[it]ion his remains were found . . . . soon after" To continue, click here. September 26, 1864/2014 Volume 5, Issue 39 (207 Issues Since 15 October 2010) Centralia Massacre and Lincoln Hires a Substitute to Fight for Him
 | | J. Summerfield Staples, Lincoln's substitute |
September 17, 1864.
Too old to be drafted and, as president, exempt from the draft, Lincoln nonetheless voluntarily hired a substitute. The president had encouraged others to do so, and so he did so himself. On October 1, 1864, Lincoln paid a "representative recruit" to fight for him -- nineteen-year-old Pennsylvanian J. Summerfield Staples. Visit civilwarbookofdays.org for the complete searchable archive of nearly 200 entries of the Civil War Book of Days. The site is updated weekly. And sign up for the weekly e-mail.
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Double Your Devotion
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A group of VHC friends has offered a one-to-one 40th anniversary challenge grant. They will match the entire gift of donors who at least double their giving from 2013 to 2014. They will also match gifts from people who didn't give in 2013 or are a new donor to VHC. VHC hopes you will participate in this exciting opportunity to help the Council in a very dramatic way.
If you would consider making a stretch gift to VHC, there isn't a better time to do so!
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Humanities Commentaries on VPR
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 Cultural Revolution (10-1-2014) Recently a mutual friend introduced commentator and Vermont Humanities Council executive director Peter Gilbert to poet Anita Feng, who told him a personal story about the remarkable power of poetry. Timely CommentariesKeats Poem "To Autumn" (10-9-06) Fall colors were at their peak in much of Vermont this past weekend, and for commentator Peter Gilbert they brought to mind a famous poem that's been called ". . . as close to perfect as any shorter poem in the English language." Searching for Robert Frost in England (10-13-04) A report issued recently by the Vermont Council on Culture and Innovation makes the connection between historic preservation and a community's economic life. Peter Gilbert has been thinking about how hard -- but how important -- it is to preserve what's special about rural village life.
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The Vermont Humanities Council presents more than 1,000 events every year. Thank you for your interest in lifelong learning!
Sincerely,
Sylvia Plumb, Director of Communications
Vermont Humanities Council
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