Why Do Stories Matter? Vermont€¦ · 1907); The Milkmaid (c. 1658) by Johannes Vermeer; and...

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Reading Frederick Douglass — Take Part! Community Events Presenting and Examining Frederick Douglass’s Famous 1852 Fourth of July Address, “The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro” Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID The Mailing Center 05641 11 Loomis Street Montpelier, Vermont 05602 What are the Humanities . . . Humanities camps for middle school students Vermont Reads Haroun A series of talks by poets on their craft First Wednesdays lectures Book groups for veterans A conference on the importance and power of stories vermonthumanities.org 802.262.2626 Images: Top, sculpture of Nils Holgersson, protagonist of Selma Lagerlöf’s The Wonderful Adventures of Nils. Sculpture, Karlskrona, Sweden, by Ralf Borselius; photo by Stuart Heath. Hänsel and Gretel by Darstellung von Alexander Zick (1845- 1907); The Milkmaid (c. 1658) by Johannes Vermeer; and Ulysses and the Sirens, c.1900 by Greiner, Otto (1869-1916). F ar beyond simple entertainment or “Once Upon a Time,” stories are a lens through which we can better understand ourselves; they speak to and through our humanity. is year’s Fall Conference will consider the importance of stories, a theme explored in this year’s Vermont Reads book, Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Join us November 13–14 to examine the richness and diversity of the stories that surround us, how stories work, and why they matter. Breakout Sessions Will Include: Collecting Stories in Vermont — Vermont Folklife Center’s Jane Beck and Gregory Sharrow Narrative in Visual Art — Dartmouth art historian Jane Carroll Storytelling in Video Games — Associate Dean and director of Champlain College’s Emergent Media Center Ann DeMarle The Stories of My Life — Award-winning children’s author Katherine Paterson Creating the Heroes We Want: The Mythmaking of Ethan Allen, Abraham Lincoln, and Others — Former UVM History Professor H. Nicholas Muller III Homer’s Odyssey and Narratives of Return for Combat Veterans — Dartmouth Classics professor Roberta Stewart Key Speakers and Topics Will Include: Religious Stories and Myths — Wendy Doniger, Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of History of Religions at the University of Chicago Fairy Tales and the Power of Stories in Literature — Maria Tatar, John L. Loeb Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures at Harvard University Full conference details and registration online, mid-July: vermonthumanities.org [email protected] 802.262.1355 Vermont Humanities Summer 2015 Calendar Inside Calendar of Events • pages 2 – 4 First Wednesdays Highlights • page 4 Fall Conference Sneak Peek • page 5 Why Do Stories Matter? Annual Fall Conference November 13–14, 2015 Begins Friday afternoon and runs through Saturday Dudley Davis Center, University of Vermont Why Do Stories Matter? Vermont Humanities Council 2015 Annual Fall Conference November 13–14 Dudley Davis Center University of Vermont Events Scheduled When We Went to Press Visit vermonthumanities.org to learn more. July 1 ~ St Johnsbury, Catamount Arts, 6:00 PM. Paul Marcus, [email protected] or 802.695.2968. July 1 ~ South Hero Community Library, 6:00 PM. Carolyn Brennan, [email protected] or 802.372.6209. July 2 ~ Wallingford Town Hall, 6:30 PM. Wendy Savery, [email protected] or 802.446.2685. July 3 ~ Plainfield Town Hall Opera House, 6:00 PM. [email protected] or 201.214.2580. July 3 ~ Montpelier City Hall, noon. Amy Cunningham, [email protected] or 802.262.1356 July 5 ~ Ferrisburgh, Rokeby Museum, 3:00 PM. Jane Williamson, [email protected] or 802.877.3406.

Transcript of Why Do Stories Matter? Vermont€¦ · 1907); The Milkmaid (c. 1658) by Johannes Vermeer; and...

Page 1: Why Do Stories Matter? Vermont€¦ · 1907); The Milkmaid (c. 1658) by Johannes Vermeer; and Ulysses and the Sirens, c.1900 by Greiner, Otto (1869-1916). F ar beyond simple entertainment

Fred

Pal

umbo

Reading Frederick Douglass — Take Part!Community Events Presenting and Examining Frederick Douglass’s Famous 1852 Fourth of July Address, “The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro”

Non-Profit Org.

US PostagePAID

The Mailing Center 05641

11 Loomis StreetMontpelier, Vermont 05602

What are the Humanities . . .

• Humanities camps for middle school students

• Vermont Reads Haroun

• A series of talks by poets on their craft

• First Wednesdays lectures

• Book groups for veterans

• A conference on the importance and power of stories

vermonthumanities.org

802.262.2626

Images: Top, sculpture of Nils Holgersson, protagonist of Selma Lagerlöf’s The Wonderful Adventures of Nils. Sculpture, Karlskrona, Sweden, by Ralf Borselius; photo by Stuart Heath. Hänsel and Gretel by Darstellung von Alexander Zick (1845-1907); The Milkmaid (c. 1658) by Johannes Vermeer; and Ulysses and the Sirens, c.1900 by Greiner, Otto (1869-1916).

Far beyond simple entertainment or “Once Upon a Time,” stories are a lens through which

we can better understand ourselves; they speak to and through our humanity.

This year’s Fall Conference will consider the importance of stories, a theme explored in this year’s Vermont Reads book, Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Join us November 13–14 to examine the richness and diversity of the stories that surround us, how stories work, and why they matter.

Breakout Sessions Will Include:

• Collecting Stories in Vermont — Vermont Folklife Center’s Jane Beck and Gregory Sharrow

• Narrative in Visual Art — Dartmouth art historian Jane Carroll

• Storytelling in Video Games — Associate Dean and director of Champlain College’s Emergent Media Center Ann DeMarle

• The Stories of My Life — Award-winning children’s author Katherine Paterson

• Creating the Heroes We Want: The Mythmaking of Ethan Allen, Abraham Lincoln, and Others — Former UVM History Professor H. Nicholas Muller III

• Homer’s Odyssey and Narratives of Return for Combat Veterans — Dartmouth Classics professor Roberta Stewart

Key Speakers and Topics Will Include:

• Religious Stories and Myths — Wendy Doniger, Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor of History of Religions at the University of Chicago

• Fairy Tales and the Power of Stories in Literature — Maria Tatar, John L. Loeb Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures at Harvard University

Full conference details and registration online, mid-July: vermonthumanities.org • [email protected] • 802.262.1355

Vermont Humanities

Summer 2015 Calendar

Inside•����Calendar of Events •�pages�2�–�4

•�����First Wednesdays Highlights •�page�4

•����Fall Conference Sneak Peek •�page�5

Why Do Stories Matter?Annual Fall Conference •�November�13–14,�2015�Begins Friday afternoon and runs through Saturday

Dudley Davis Center, University of Vermont

Why Do Stories Matter? Vermont Humanities Council 2015 Annual Fall Conference

November 13–14 Dudley Davis Center University of Vermont

Events Scheduled When We Went to Press

Visit vermonthumanities.org to learn more.

July 1 ~ St Johnsbury, Catamount Arts, 6:00 pm. Paul Marcus, [email protected] or 802.695.2968.

July 1 ~ South Hero Community Library, 6:00 pm. Carolyn Brennan, [email protected] or 802.372.6209.

July 2 ~ Wallingford Town Hall, 6:30 pm. Wendy Savery, [email protected] or 802.446.2685.

July 3 ~ Plainfield Town Hall Opera House, 6:00 pm. [email protected] or 201.214.2580.

July 3 ~ Montpelier City Hall, noon. Amy Cunningham, [email protected] or 802.262.1356

July 5 ~ Ferrisburgh, Rokeby Museum, 3:00 pm. Jane Williamson, [email protected] or 802.877.3406.

Page 2: Why Do Stories Matter? Vermont€¦ · 1907); The Milkmaid (c. 1658) by Johannes Vermeer; and Ulysses and the Sirens, c.1900 by Greiner, Otto (1869-1916). F ar beyond simple entertainment

Film Discussion: Freedom and Unity: The Vermont Movie. This six-part documentary produced by Vermont-based filmmakers explores the history and culture of the Green Mountain State. Led by Dorothy Tod. Warren Public Library, Thursdays, 7:00 pm. Anne Dillon, 802.496.3656. July 16, Part Two: “Under the Surface.” August 20, Part Three: “Refuge, Reinvention, and Revolution.”

July 28 ~ Duty’s Faithful Child: A Visit with Louisa May Alcott. Jeanne Austin draws on the life and writings of Alcott to portray this remarkable author and woman. Wilmington, Memorial Hall, 6:00 pm. Allison Maynard, 802.464.8557.

August 4 ~ Indian Wars of New England. Michael Tougias offers a slide lecture on the conflicts between New England’s Native Americans and colonists. Grafton, White Church, 7:00 pm. Grafton Historical Society, 802.843.2584.

Book Discussion: Booker Prize Winners. Delve into these Booker Prize winners. Led by Richard Wizansky. East Dover, Dover Free Library, Wednesdays, 7:00 pm. John Flores, 802.348.7488. July 8, Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin. July 22, J. M. Coetzee’s The Life and Times of Michael K. August 5, Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things. August 19, Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient.

July 13 ~ A High Price to Pay, A Heavy Burden to Bear: One Family’s Civil War Story. David Book portrays Abel Morrill, Sr., an early settler of Cabot, sharing a

July 27 ~ Alec Turner: Journey’s End, Destination of a Dream. Alec Turner was born a slave in 1845 in Port Royal, Virginia. He died a freeman, farmer, and landowner in Grafton, Vermont in 1923. Jane Beck recounts his remarkable story. Enosburg Falls United Methodist Church, 7:00 pm. Janice Fleury Geraw, 802.933.2102.

July 1 ~ Reading Frederick Douglass. South Hero, see back cover.

Book Discussion: Sustainability. Explore how different authors and communities understand ecological sustainability. Led by Linda Bland. North Hero Public Library, Thursdays, 7:00 pm. Judy Poquette, 802.372.5458. July 9, Jean Gionos The Man Who Planted Trees. July 30, Ben Hewitt’s The Town that Food Saved. August 20, Wendell Berry’s Another Turn of the Crank.

August 16 ~ Vermont and the Civil War. Vermont author and Civil War historian Howard Coffin addresses the Vermont contribution to the Civil War. Strafford Town House, 2:00 pm. Stefanie Johnston, 802.765.4057.

Book Discussion: Youth Looking at Life. Reflect on crisis and change through the eyes of young women striving to survive disaster and exploitation. Post Mills, George Peabody Library, Wednesdays, 7:00 pm. Peter Blodgett, 802.785.4361. July 1, Karen Hesse’s Out of the Dust. Led by Patricia Norton. July 15, Katherine Paterson’s Lyddie. Led by Rachael Cohen. July 29, Masuji Ibuse’s Black Rain. Led by Rachael Cohen.

Book Discussion: Literary Reflections on Islam. Explore Muslim piety and communal concepts. Led by Suzanne Brown. Randolph, Kimball Public Library, Tuesdays, 7:00 pm. Lynne Gately, 802.728.5073. July 7, Orhan Pamuk’s Snow. August 4, Fatima Mernissi’s Dreams of Trespass. September 15, Leila Aboulela’s Minaret.

July 2 ~ Reading Frederick Douglass. Wallingford, see back cover.

August 27 ~ Mad Matt the Democrat. Vincent Feeney discusses Matthew Lyon,

August 6 ~ Poets and Their Craft Lecture Series: Mary Jane Dickerson and Tamra J. Higgins. Grant event, Burlington. See page 4.

Book Discussion: Memorable Memoirs. These life stories draw readers in and don’t let them go. Burlington, Heineberg Senior Center, Mondays, 1:00 pm. Barbara Shatara, 802.865.7211 or Pam Slattery, 802.863.3982. July 13, Henry Adams’s The Education of Henry Adams. Led by Linda Bland. August 10, Eudora Welty’s One Writer’s Beginnings. Led by Linda Bland. September 14, Russell Baker’s Growing Up. Led by Florence McCloud.

EssEx County

July 26 ~ A Sense of Place: Vermont’s Farm Legacy. Vermont Folklife Center director Gregory Sharrow explores the fabric of farm culture in the past and probes its relationship to the Vermont of today. Lunenburg Primary School, 2:00 pm. Christine Lingley, 802.892.6654.

story that reflects the hardship endured during the Civil War. Woodstock, John Cotton Dana Research Library, 7:00 pm. Jennie Shurtleff, 802.457.1822.

July 22 ~ Duty’s Faithful Child: A Visit with Louisa May Alcott. Jeanne Austin draws on the life and writings of Alcott to portray this remarkable author and woman. Hartford, Greater Hartford United Church of Christ, 7:00 pm. Hartford Library, 802.296.2568.

August 1 ~ Inventive Vermonters: A Sampling of Farm Tools and Implements. Retired engineer Paul Wood presents a sampling of farm tools invented or produced in Vermont and fascinating stories of the inventors. Plymouth, Union Christian Church at the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site, 1:30 pm. William Jenney, 802.672.3773.

August 10 ~ Colonial Meetinghouses of New England. Paul Wainwright tells the story of the meetinghouses’ construction, use, and their lasting impact on American culture. Woodstock, John Cotton Dana Research Library, 7:00 pm. Jennie Shurtleff, 802.457.1822.

September 9 ~ The Old Country Fiddler: Charles Ross Taggart, Vermont’s Traveling Entertainer. Fiddler Adam Boyce portrays Taggart near the end of his career, circa 1936, with life recollections, live fiddling, and humorous sketches. Hartford, Greater Hartford United Church of Christ, 7:00 pm. Mary Nadeau, 802.295.2123.

Book Discussion: Fear No Labor: Novels about Union Organizing. Examine unions and the people who suffered, fought, and died as part of the labor battle. Led by Suzanne Brown. Quechee Library, Mondays, 6:00 pm. Kate Schaal, 802.295.1232. July 20, Dennis Lehane’s The Given Day. August 17, Denise Giardina’s Storming Heaven.

one of the most colorful characters in Vermont’s early years. Pawlet Town Hall, 7:00 pm. Stephen Williams, 802.645.9529.

July 3 ~ Reading Frederick Douglass. Plainfield, see back cover.

June 25 ~ Poets and Their Craft Lecture Series: Pamela Harrison. Grant event, Waterbury. See back cover.

July 29 ~ The Changing Music Scene of the 1940s. Catamount Arts’ Martin Bryan considers swing, wartime music, Broadway musicals, bebop, and more. Waterbury Center, Hope Davey Memorial Park Picnic Shelter, 7:00 pm. Jack Carter, 802.244.7409.

August 27 ~ Poets and Their Craft Lecture Series: Major Jackson. Grant event, Montpelier. See page 4.

orangE County

Calendar

July 5 ~ Reading Frederick Douglass. Ferrisburgh, see back cover.

July 2 ~ Black Women in the United States. Grant Event, Dorset. See page 4.

July 18 ~ Poets and Their Craft Lecture Series: Jay Parini. Grant Event, Manchester. See page 4.

CalEdonia County

July 1 ~ Reading Frederick Douglass. St. Johnsbury, see back cover.

July 2 ~ Vermont History through Song. Singer and researcher Linda Radtke, with 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. Groton, Veterans Memorial Park Gazebo, 6:00 pm. Alissa Smith, 802.584.3308.

Calendar

Vermont Humanities CouncilBecause Ideas Matter11 Loomis StreetMontpelier, Vermont 05602Phone: 802.262.2626 • Fax: 802.262.2620 E-mail: [email protected]: vermonthumanities.org

StaffJoan M. Black, Administrative Assistant,

802.262.1358, [email protected]

Amy Cunningham, Director of Community Programs, 802.262.1356, [email protected]

Jeff Euber, Communications & Literacy Assistant, 802.262.1353, [email protected]

Peter A. Gilbert, Executive Director, 802.262.1351, [email protected]

Max Matthews, Community Programs Assistant, 802.262.1355, [email protected]

Sylvia Plumb, Director of Communications, 802.262.1354, [email protected]

Jan Steinbauer, Director of Literacy Programs, 802.262.1352, [email protected]

Ali White, First Wednesdays Director, Consultant, [email protected]

Linda Winter, Chief Financial Officer, 802.262.1359, [email protected]

Linda Wrazen, Development Officer, 802.262.1357, [email protected]

BoardJim Alic, LudlowIrina V. Aylward, BarreWilliam Biddle, BarnetMary Ellen Bixby, Brattleboro Rolf Diamant, WoodstockSarah Dopp, South BurlingtonBen Doyle, Montpelier, Vice ChairDan Fogel, ColchesterCarole Gaddis, PutneyTraci Griffith, Williston, SecretaryHuck Gutman, BurlingtonChristine Hadsel, BurlingtonMajor Jackson, South Burlington, ChairElaine Keen Harrington, MiddlesexDaniel Lerner, JerichoPenny McConnel, NorwichDavid Moats, SalisburyNancy Pennell, ChesterGilbert Steil, RyegateRobert F. Wells, South LondonderryJames Wilbur, South Londonderry

Vermont Humanities

Lion Gardiner in the Pequot War from a Charles Stanley Reinhart drawing circa 1890. Author Michael Tougias presents a slide lecture on New England’s Indian wars on August 4 in Grafton.

Vermont Humanities • Summer 2015 • Page 3 Vermont Humanities • Summer 2015 • Page 4

The Vermont Humanities Council newsletter, published three times a year

Editor and Design: Sylvia Plumb

Franklin County

grand islE County

BEnnington County

Washington County

rutland County

Windsor Countyaddison County ChittEndEn County

Windham County

Intimate Apparel

July 2 ~ Black Women in the United States. Presented in conjunction with a production of Lynn Nottage’s celebrated play Intimate Apparel. Williams College Professor of History Gretchen Long, Artistic Director Dina Janis, and cast members discuss themes in Intimate Apparel. Dorset Playhouse, 6:00 pm. Dorset Theatre Festival, 802.867.2223 or [email protected].

Poets and Their Craft Lecture Series

Presented by Sundog Poetry Center. Tamra Higgins, 802.598.0340.

June 25 ~ Pamela Harrison: Grounding the Moment: Deploying Dramatic and Thematic Cues. Waterbury, Bridgeside Books, 7:00 pm.

July 18 ~ Jay Parini: Working with the

Image: Inside to Out. Manchester Center, Northshire Bookstore, 6:00 pm.

August 6 ~ Mary Jane Dickerson and Tamra J. Higgins: Conjuring Voices of the Past: The Convergence of History and Poetry. Burlington, Phoenix Books, 7:00 pm.

August 27 ~ Major Jackson: The Music Inside Lyric Poetry. Montpelier, Bear Pond Books, 7:00 pm.

VHC Grant Events

Board Meetings and Call for Nominations

The Vermont Humanities Council board meetings will be held

September 9, noon, VHC Office, Montpelier; December 2, 11:00 am, Randolph, location TBA. They are open to the public. To learn more: vermonthumanities.org.

VHC invites nominations for its board of directors. If you know someone who would like to be considered for the board, contact Linda Wrazen at [email protected].

Announcing Veterans Book Groups for Women

Following Veterans Book Group meetings in Northfield and

South Burlington, the Women’s Veterans Book Group is open to all women who have served in the miltary. Discussions include a variety of poems, short stories, and essays. The group is led by Dartmouth Visiting Professor Suzanne Brown, Director of the VA Women’s Comprehensive Care Center Carey Russ, and VA Chaplain Mary Lewis Webb. Participants receive free copies of all readings; a light dinner is provided. White River Junction, VA Women’s Comprehensive Care Center, Wednesdays, 5:00 pm. Pre-registration required: Carey Russ, 802.295.9363 x5743 or [email protected]. July 15, July 29, August 19, September 2.

Season Highlights — Monthly Talks begin October 7 at 7:00 pm

• Ilan Stavans on Cesar Chavez (Brattleboro, Brooks Memorial Library)

• NPR and Frontline reporter John Hockenberry on changing public opinion about climate change (Essex Junction, Brownell Library)

• New York Times Chief Washington Correspondent David Sanger on investigative reporting and the 100th anniversary of the Pulitzer Prize (Manchester, First Congregational Church)

• Middlebury College Professor Safa Zaki on how our brains categorize the world and why it matters (Middlebury, Ilsley Public Library)

• Author Reeve Lindbergh on her father, Charles Lindbergh, and his biography, The Spirit of St. Louis (Montpelier, Kellogg-Hubbard Library)

• Professor Cynthia L. Skrzycki and Pulitzer Prize winner David Shribman on media literacy (Newport, Goodrich Library)

• Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Joseph Ellis with “The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789” (Norwich Congregational Church)

• Mark Stoler with “Churchill and Roosevelt: The Personal Equation in the World War II Alliance During World War II” (Rutland Free Library)

• Author Caroline Alexander with “The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition” (St. Johnsbury Athenaeum)

Visit vermonthumanities.org for a First Wednesdays schedule in late July.

C • a • l • e • n • d • a • rSpring 2015

Cover: Sculpture of Nils Holgersson, protagonist of Selma Lagerlöf ’s The Wonderful Adventures of Nils. Sculpture, Karlskrona, Sweden, Ralf Borselius; photo by Stuart Heath.