Vermont Autumn 2018 Humanities Inside • WelcometoVHC’s NewExecutiveDirector page2 • VermontReads2019 Announced/page3 • CalendarofEvents pages6–10 • FirstWednesdays Preview/page9 • HumanitiesCamps page11 VERMONT READS 2019 Fall Conference: TheEbbandFlowof Optimismthrough AmericanHistory pages12–15 M by John Lewis,AR Andrew Aydin,CH and Nate Powell See page 3 Vermont Humanities Welcome to Christopher Kaufman Ilstrup Newsletter of the Vermont Humanities Council hristopher Kaufman Ilstrup joined the Vermont Humanities Council as its new Editor: Ryan Newswanger C Executive Director on August 27. He worked Vermont Humanities Council most recently as the Chief Operating Officer Because Ideas Matter at VTDigger, and was a Senior Philanthropic 11 Loomis Street Advisor at the Vermont Community Montpelier, Vermont 05602 Foundation for ten years. Phone: 802.262.2626 • Fax: 802.262.2620 Christopher grew up in Vergennes and E-mail: [email protected] earned a BA from Kenyon College and a Web: vermonthumanities.org Master of Science in Development Studies Staff from the London School of Economics Joan M. Black, Administrative Assistant and Political Science. He recently sat 802.262.1358, [email protected] down with Ryan Newswanger, Director Jeff Euber, Program and Communications Coordinator of Communications, to talk about his 802.262.1353, [email protected] new position. Richelle Franzoni, Community Programs Assistant Do you see a common thread in the positions you’ve held? 802.262.1355, [email protected] My work has always been about building communities and helping people Christopher Kaufman Ilstrup, Executive Director 802.262.1351, [email protected] talk to one another across differences. Healthy and vital Vermont communities Ryan Newswanger, Director of Communications was our goal at the Community Foundation and I think that’s been a goal 802.262.1354, [email protected] for me in all my work. Ali Palmer, Director of Literacy Programs 802.262.1352, What drew you to the Council and its mission? [email protected] One of the things that has really impressed me about the Council is the way Tess Taylor, Director of Community Programs 802.262.1356, [email protected] that it truly believes in and supports humanities work in the smallest of the Ali White, First Wednesdays Director, Consultant small towns. It’s not just something that is for the bigger towns, or the towns [email protected] with universities or colleges. It is work that needs to happen all over. Linda Winter, Chief Financial Officer What do you look forward to the most in starting this job? 802.262.1359, [email protected] Getting to know new people is always a real joy for me. I’m looking forward Linda Wrazen, Development Officer to meeting and talking with the passionate people who have supported this 802.262.1357, [email protected] organization for 40 years, and hearing what they’re interested in for our next Board iteration. There have only been two directors of the Vermont Humanities Katy Smith Abbott, Middlebury Council. And they’ve both been amazing. To see what comes next will be Jim Alic, Ludlow, Treasurer really exciting. Randall Balmer, Norwich Jane Beck, Middlebury Can you provide any hints of the direction VHC may take? Todd Daloz, Middlesex We have strong programs that we want to continue, and that we want to make Rolf Diamant, Woodstock, Chair sure are being nurtured and supported. But we will see how we can be present Sarah Dopp, South Burlington, Secretary in even more communities, whether they’re the Old North End of Burlington, Ben Doyle, Montpelier Joy Facos, Montpelier or Island Pond in the Northeast Kingdom. Elizabeth Fenton, Essex Junction We do a lot of great work using diverse literature in our programming. Carole Gaddis, Putney The last several Vermont Reads books have focused on diverse communities and Huck Gutman, Burlington people whose stories aren’t normally told. It’d be great if we were also engaging Christine Hadsel, Burlington David Moats, Salisbury more directly with diverse communities in Vermont—with Abenaki leaders, new David Nichols, Manchester Americans, and the migrant farm worker community, for example. Mary Otto, Norwich, Vice Chair On a practical level, I would like us to focus on raising more money for Geoffrey Sewake, Peacham grant-making. We’ve funded a lot of great grassroots projects around the state, Robert F. Wells, South Londonderry but we often fund them at relatively small amounts. I would love to see us Jessamyn West, Randolph support these projects in a stronger and more sustainable way. I’m just excited to get started. It’s certainly one of my dream jobs in Cover: March art by Nate Powell. © John Lewis and Andrew Aydin Vermont. I’m really jazzed about the group of people who are here right now, and what we can achieve together. volumes illustrate the story of Lewis’s commitment to nonviolent protest in the pursuit of social justice. For the first time in the 17-year history of the Vermont Reads program, we have chosen a graphic novel, a format that combines prose with narrative drawing. We think that March: Book One will engage many current fans of Vermont Reads, and also attract a new audience who have not yet participated in the program. Through Vermont Reads, we invite all Vermonters — students and adults alike — to read the same book and participate in a wide variety of community activities related to its themes. A brief application from a community-based organization — school, library, or other entity — is all it takes to get started. VERMONTREADS2019 Our hope is that after reading March: Book One, readers will be inspired to keep learning about, exploring, reading, and discussing this March: Book One seminal time in our country’s history. by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell Over 200 Vermont communities have participated in Vermont Reads to date, and 101 towns and cities have HCis pleased to announce that Nashville as a means of undermining hosted, or will host, programs and Vwe have chosen the graphic novel segregation. The narrative continues events related to our Vermont Reads March: Book One for Vermont Reads in subsequent books to tell of the 2018 choice, Katherine Paterson’s 2019. It is the first of a trilogy written 1963 March on Washington (Book Bread and Roses, Too. by civil rights icon John Lewis, in Two) and the march across Edmund Visit vtreads.org for more collaboration with co-writer Andrew Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama information. Aydin and award-winning graphic in 1965 (Book Three). All three artist Nate Powell. Lewis was chairman of the Students Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and was considered one of Take Part in Vermont Reads! the “Big Six” leaders of the civil rights oin Vermonters statewide Application deadlines: movement. He has served in the US Jby reading and exploring December 1, 2018 and June 1, 2019 Congress since 1987 and was awarded March: Book One. With a brief Applications: the Medal of Freedom by President application, schools, libraries, vtreads.org or call 802.262.1355 Obama in 2011. historical societies, service groups, Book One tells of Lewis’s childhood businesses, churches, local in rural Alabama, his desire as a governments, and others can Underwriter Media Sponsor partner in activities that promote young man to be a preacher, his life- literacy, encourage lifelong learning, Jan Blomstrann changing interactions with Martin and strengthen community. Luther King, Jr., and the nonviolent sit-ins he joined at lunch counters in VermontHumanities • Autumn2018 • Page 3 Board and Staff Welcomes and Farewells to Staff and Board VHC welcomes Tess Taylor as its new as Chair of the Curriculum Committee for the College of Director of Community Programs. Arts and Sciences. She also served as director of Graduate A graduate of Saint Michael’s College, Studies for UVM’s English Department, as well as on the Tess has worked in many roles Editorial Advisory Board for J19: The Journal of Nineteenth- in Vermont. A three-term state Century Americanists. She is a recipient of UVM’s Glen Elder representative from Barre City, she Faculty Leadership Award. was also, for six years, the Director of Jessamyn West of Randolph is a Education and Public Programming consultant, researcher and international at the Vermont Historical Society public speaker on library science and (VHS). Through that position and other Tess Taylor digital divide issues. She is the author relations, she knows the work of VHC of Without a Net: Librarians Bridging and the many town historical societies that often utilize VHC’s the Digital Divide, which explores Speakers Bureau. Tess brings extensive experience organizing the challenges of a society becoming programs and events, nurturing existing relationships among stratified by computer skills as well as organizations, and forming new collaborations across the state. Jessamyn West race and income inequality. Jessamyn Before working at VHS, Tess served as executive director speaks to local, regional, and national of the South End Arts and Business Association in Burlington libraries and library associations and is a regular columnist and of Studio Place Arts (SPA) in Barre, and as general manager writing on the status and roles of libraries today. For thirteen of the Vermont Granite Museum of Barre. years she has taught basic technology classes at the Randolph Technical Career Center’s adult education program. She also VHCwelcomestwonewmemberstoitsboardofdirectors. teaches Community Engagement at University of Hawai’i at Elizabeth Fenton of Essex Junction is Manoa’s Library and Information Science Program and is the Associate Professor of English at technology coordinator for the Vermont Library Association the University of Vermont, teaching (VLA). She is a recipient of VLA’s Library Advocate of the graduate and undergraduate courses on Year Award and was recently a Fellow at Harvard’s Library novels in early America, the literature Innovation Lab.