Winter was not a time of hibernation for the Quechee DEI Council. Several events kept the Quechee community awake, aware, and informed.

Mobocracy and Abolitionism in New Hampshire and Vermont

On January 28, the Council hosted Dan Billin, a New Hampshire historian and former news reporter, who spoke on “Mobocracy and Abolitionism in New Hampshire and Vermont.” Billin began his talk by reminding the audience how important it is “to keep DEI going in these times.”
Billin enumerated how racism was not a “Southern” issue, because slavery divided northerners from each other, as well. There was, he said, a wave of lawlessness in the 1830s throughout the country, and violence erupted against Catholics, Irish, and other minorities, but especially against Blacks. Lynchings were rampant, and there was a huge backlash against any abolitionist movements. The Upper Valley was hardly spared the violence. Woodstock, in fact, witnessed much racist violence. Abolitionist and Baptist minister Orson Murray was so threatened by racist mobs that he was unable to deliver a speech there.

More than 90 people attended the production of Letters from Anne and Martin.

Perhaps one of the most unfathomable events of the 1830s racism was the movement of an entire school of higher learning. In 1835, abolitionists founded Noyes Academy in Canaan, New Hampshire, as a racially integrated school that also admitted women. The school opened in March of 1835, with seventeen African American students and twenty-eight white students. While the white students were from the local area, the Black students traveled far to attend. Several future and renowned abolitionists, such as Henry Highland Garnet, Julia Williams, and Alexander Crummell were among its first— and last — class. On July 4, 1835, only months after its inception, the townspeople of Canaan plotted the removal of Noyes Academy. On August 10, 1835, hundreds of white people, with hundreds of oxen, destroyed the school as they dragged it to the town common. Students had fled the night before.
In 1838, Abraham Lincoln gave a speech to the Young Men’s Lyceum in Springfield, Illinois, and issued “a stark rebuke to the to the dangers of mob violence and an enduring defense of the rule of law.” In that speech, Lincoln warned against “outrages committed by mobs … from New England to Louisiana.” Lincoln’s urgent response to the violence of “this mobocratic spirit” was for “every lover of liberty” to revive the laws of the nation.

Letters from Anne and Martin

Undeterred by winter, on February 22, 2026, the DEI Council hosted another free event for the community: Letters from Anne and Martin, a production of the Anne Frank Center, USA. Actors Julie Sandler as Anne Frank and Andrew Tejada as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with moderator Deb Radloff, brought together dual monologues reflecting on confinement and injustice. Integrating excerpts from MLK’s Letter from Birmingham Jail with Anne Frank’s diary, the performers brought to life both writers’ impassioned pleas for hope, resistance, and justice.
In the after talk with the audience (ninety attended in person and twelve remote), the actors shared their own reactions to this profound re-enactment of the written words. Julie Sandler said, “Anne didn’t know what her end would be … activism is important even if we might not know where it will go … her diary ends with her thinking people want to be good.” Andrew Tejada reminded the audience that MLK and Anne Frank believed that “more people want to love than hate.”
Perhaps we can all reflect on Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.’s words to keep us keeping on: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only Love can do that.”

DE&I Council members at the Mobocracy and Abolitionism event.

Courageous Conversations

The DEI’s Courageous Conversations continued its book discussions for anyone interested, in person or remotely.
March and April discussions focused on the recently published book How Equality Wins: A New Vision for an Inclusive America by Kenji Yoshino and David Glasgow. A book to be read by both the “DEI orthodox” and the “DEI non-believers,” the authors create bridges of communication to stem the flood of polarization. They look, for example, to Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender member of Congress who allows for “imperfect allies.” Her pragmatic point is to get support where possible for “basic nondiscrimination protections” and for access to “medically necessary care.” Supporters needed for these measures “may oppose trans-people in participating in sports.” Be that as it may, McBride does not “dismiss them as bigots or remove them from our coalition.”
The authors urge equality advocates to make space for dialog with allies and doubters in order to hear their concerns. They agree with human rights advocate Suzanne Nossel who writes in her book, Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All, “concerns of diversity and inclusion can — and must — be reconciled with robust protections for speech.” While those concerned for diversity and inclusion worry about how speech can harm members of marginalized groups, those whose concerns are about free speech worry about stifling of “authentic self-expression.” Yet Nossel’s point (and the authors’) is that speech and equality most often work together. Speaking inclusively can make it possible for everyone to be heard. Yoshino and Glasgow assert the “marriage between equality and free speech needs to become a rallying cry for the new era of equality work.” The attorney authors remind us that changing unjust laws can be a long process. Thurgood Marshall led the way in how to pragmatically overturn the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court decision that said segregated schools were separate but equal. He did this little by little, with stepping stone cases that showed how wrong this decision was.
There is no room for cynicism in the path toward justice. Yoshino and Glasgow exhort us not to collapse into fatalism but to follow Dr King’s words: “accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.”

Upcoming Activities

Abenaki Garden
Earl Hatley, who has been a major creator of the Abenaki Garden, reports there was a successful community fundraiser last fall, which will help defray the cost of maintaining the garden. There will be new plantings of pawpaw and butternut trees, wild plum, ground nuts, service berries, and guild plants. There are also plans for more varieties of the “three sisters” (corn, beans, and squash), sunflowers, ground cherries, sunchokes, and bush beans. “Provided the woodchuck stays out of the way, we should have a plentiful harvest to feed our needy Abenaki families, and continue building our stock of seeds for future giveaways. … This is a community effort to help Abenaki feed Abenaki while teaching our agricultural and cultural practices and history,” said Hatley.
For more information and/or to sign up for work day announcements and updates go to AbenakiGarden.org.

Annual Frederick Douglass Fourth of July speech
On July 4, 2026, the DEI Council, in partnership with the Quechee Library, will present its annual reading of Frederick Douglass’ speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” at the gazebo on the Quechee Green. Kent and Amy Hikida attended this even last year, and Kent noted how moving the reading was. The reading on the Green led Kent to bring the production of Letters from Anne and Martin to Quechee!
This year’s event will include the presentation of a $1,000 scholarship to the winner of the Declaration of Interdependence Essay contest. Sponsored by the Quechee DEI Council and the Quechee Library, the scholarship competition invites Hartford High School juniors and seniors to reflect on what freedom, responsibility, and civic life mean today. Students are asked to create their own Declaration of Interdependence “that shows how your voice, talents, and actions can help shape the future of democracy.”

When spring arrives in Quechee and the snow finally melts, I can walk my dog up the steep hill behind my house on High Street to the Hilltop Cemetery. The majestic trees, naked without their leaves, allow a view of Quechee Village and the Ottauquechee River below.
I can see past the covered bridge and the Meeting House cupola to the passing traffic on Route 4. I can see the waterfall that once powered the textile mill. I can see the barber shop where Ann welcomes one and all, and I can see my neighbor Rob as he chops and stacks firewood. I wave and shout out a greeting, but he’s focused on his chores, and the rush of the river drowns out the words.

Chris Denton

Standing in the cemetery with this storybook view, I think about the past buried with each headstone, family names and stories married to the soft earth. These are the roots of the Quechee community in physical form. I am interested in other people’s roots, likely because I have struggled with my own. Until now I’ve stayed on the move, chasing new assignments and new adventures. But geographic cures don’t work, the old timers say — “wherever you go, there you are.” Hilltop Cemetery invites this sort of thinking. My dog tilts her head at me, and we head back down the hill.
I came to the Upper Valley to be closer to my partner’s family. He had put up with my distant duty-stations and long hours, and it was time to reciprocate. From our small house on High Street, I set out to find places with deep roots in the community, and in short order discovered nearby spots including a coffee shop, barber shop, historic restaurant, and local bookstore.
All these places seemed to be frequented by common sense locals and outgoing visitors, and the conversations in the barber’s chair or at the restaurant bar all moved to the beat of the inevitable seasons, which served as a kind of metronome for the community. I learned a lot about how to properly tap a sugar-maple, for example, and the utility of the wood stove (necessary, not decorative).
The Prince and Pauper restaurant in Woodstock was the sort of place where, each time I visited, I was certain it would be the last. It reminded me of a charming coastal restaurant that dodges hurricanes year after year while storm clouds loom. The fleeting intimacy heightened the experience. My first time at the restaurant, I sat alone at the bar, and it didn’t take long for Clemens, the long-time bartender, to coax me into conversation with the regulars as he stood behind the cozy nook of a bar and shook martinis. I listened as a couple described coming to Woodstock every winter, and how each visit to the restaurant was celebrated like an anniversary, as they were married in the small dining room.

The Prince and the Pauper in Woodstock closed on March 14 after 51 years in business.

A block down the street is a 90-year-old bookstore where I found a Vermont-inspired cookbook with an ice cider pork chop recipe. Before living in Quechee, my culinary expertise began and ended with the takeout menu. But our local farmers market carries the specific cider and beautiful pork chops, and now that cider has been a mainstay in our house since its discovery. At my local barber shop, Ann patiently describes the process of sugaring and other Vermont chores and traditions. It was in that barber chair where I would learn that Chef Brad had moved on from his food truck to explore the National Parks (before they disappeared, he told me). I recognized that Quechee was tied to the seasons in a way that seemed foreign to me as a Floridian.
You see, in Florida we tame the environment, cooling the air for comfort and dredging up sand to “nourish” the beaches. In Quechee, on the other hand, there’s more of a gritty coexistence with the natural environment. Accepting the seasons as they come brings a kind of resilience, and a connection to the land and each other.

Hilltop Cemetery

Back on High Street, I am growing into my own feeling of rootedness. I can hear the nearby waterfall, reminding me that the river and the seasons keep flowing, so maybe I don’t need to move as much. I look forward to new local restaurants and cafes, the next conversation that yields a nugget of wisdom, and the discovery of more quintessential Vermont recipes.. As the sun sets at the Hilltop Cemetery, I wonder, can it be that my wandering days are over?

This edition of Wisdom Stories arrives in a milestone year: our Semiquincentennial.

If you prefer Bisesquicentennial — or, for that matter, Sestercentennial — those work, too. But for simplicity’s sake, let’s call it America 250.

We are officially 250 years into this great experiment in democracy.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how fortunate we were that our Founding Fathers and the framers of the Constitution had Crazy King George III as a cautionary example of what unchecked power looks like. Having lived under the rule of a “Mad King,” they built safeguards into the system to protect the nation. They also knew well the excesses symbolized by King Louis XIV’s gilded palaces.

This may be the year we learn just how well those safeguards hold.

*******

Quechee is home to one of the most historically significant wooden structures of the Revolutionary period.

The Theron Boyd Homestead was built ten years after the American Revolution and five years before Vermont achieved statehood. The house has endured Vermont’s brutal winters and the shifting tides of economic change, shrinking from an original 500 acres to the 35 acres it sits on today.

Built by the son of the Burch family — the first settlers of Hartland — the homestead once served as a stagecoach stop. It is said that settlers bound for South Pomfret spent the night there before continuing on to establish the town. At its height, the property was a thriving hill farm, producing crops, Merino sheep, Morgan horses, Durham cattle, and copious amounts of maple sugar.

It’s easy to imagine how welcome the glow of a lantern through twelve-by-twelve windows must have been to weary travelers — after days jolting along in a stagecoach, braving brutal winter weather and the uncertainties of the frontier.

*******

Theron Boyd making dinner

The Udall family purchased the farm at the turn of the 19th century and, in 1830, added the brick ell at the rear of the house. Originally two stories tall, the ell reportedly served as dormitories for Vermont’s first agricultural school.

By the 1860s, the home had become part of the Underground Railroad. Runaway slaves were hidden in a honeycombed chimney concealed behind a picture.

The Cowdry family acquired the property in the late 1800s, and in 1901, Theron Boyd was born in the home.

*******

In the early 1970s, John Davidson — the visionary behind the Quechee Lakes development — approached Theron about purchasing the farm. According to Theron, Davidson offered him one million dollars for land he intended to use to raise three horses.

Theron’s response was unforgettable. He told Davidson that he didn’t know whether Davidson was “a damn fool, or thought I was one,” and then ordered him off the land.

With that moment, Theron Boyd became a symbol of resistance — and a Vermont folk hero. He was featured in the documentary So Goes Vermont, which played twice daily in Montpelier. As National Geographic later observed, this was a time when Vermonters were sharply divided: those determined to preserve the past, and those eager to subdivide the future.

Theron’s position was never in doubt.

*******

I began writing this piece on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and it stirred memories of my first Black friend, Carter Crosby.

Carter lived in the Columbia Point housing projects in Roxbury and was part of the METCO program that bused underprivileged city kids into suburban schools. He became my classmate — and my friend — at Scituate Junior High.

One weekend, Carter came to Quechee with me. We had an incredible time. He had never been north of Boston before.

Theron had had little, if any, interaction with Black people. He was shy at first, but he was eager to show Carter the hidden entrance — the hole you climbed into — where enslaved people once hid while traveling north on the Underground Railroad.

What I wouldn’t give to have a photograph of Carter emerging from that hideaway.

*******

As America turns 250, it is worth remembering that our history is not only written in founding documents or court decisions, but in places like this — farmhouses that stood their ground, hidden spaces carved out of necessity, and quiet acts of resistance passed down through memory.

Democracy, like the Boyd homestead, endures not because it is untouched by time, but because generation after generation chooses to protect what matters. Sometimes that protection looks like saying no to power. Sometimes it looks like opening a door — or revealing a hidden one — and inviting someone else inside.

**************

HOME

By Christopher Casey Clark

Home
has been now for over 80 years
I’ve worn a path to my room,
up narrow wooden stairs

In my old bed,
I lay my head in the company.
of a fading memory
of how it used to be,
long years ago
in this home…

Winter winds whip thru the
clapboards
they nestle in my bone
but the worst thing about this place
is living here alone
but please don’t take me
from the secrets the walls have
compiled
for they are my everything,
without them
I’m a King exiled
this big old house t’wernt built
to be lived in alone
but it’s all I’ve got
it’s my home.

Alone,
have been now for over 50 Years
the growing fears,
the Christmas cheers
spent on my own

You’d think with all these empty rooms
there would be someone here with me,
but it seems long ago the discovered
a need for electricity

I have seen Vermont’s slow but sure demise
Generations grow weak while they grow wise

No you can’t take me,
from the secrets the walls have
compiled
They are my everything
without them
I’m a King exiled
This big old house Twernt built to be lived in alone
50 Years on my own

It could barely hold out the weather
If the truth be known
But it held my world together
It’s my Home

“Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.” – Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Celebrating their first book event at the Quechee library
September 16, 2026.

This quote by MLK Jr. is as timely now as it was decades ago. Are you upset by current events in our country? Does consuming the news evoke anger and make you want to shut it off? Have your relationships with friends or family been negatively affected by politics? Do you feel helpless to do anything about it?

Since 2017, I’ve volunteered with Braver Angels, a national citizens movement that brings Americans together to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic. We envision an America where we embrace rather than avoid political disagreements, recognizing that competing perspectives strengthen our nation. Embracing values of curiosity, humility, honesty, and respect, our goal is not to change people’s views of issues, but to change their views of each other.

Participants from our Sharon VT Braver Angels workshop and book discussion held at Sharon Elementary School on January 17, 2026.

I’ve moderated Braver Angels workshops for community members and for elected officials in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Connecticut. When invited by Doug Teschner, the Braver Angels New England Regional Leader, to co-author Beyond the Politics of Contempt: Practical Steps to build Positive Relationships in Divided Times, I took a leap of faith and said “Absolutely!”

Beth and Doug at Norwich bookstore November 4, 2025.

Since our book was released in September 2025, it’s been an incredible adventure meeting people in Vermont, New Hampshire, and beyond at book events, talking with them about themes affecting our country right now, and offering solutions. I’m immensely grateful to contribute in this way to our culture. Examples of comments I’ve heard (with my suggested responses):

• “I haven’t talked with my sister since the last election. I miss seeing her, and my nephews and nieces. What can I do to repair our relationship?” (Start by letting her know how much you care about her before you venture into politics.)
• “I can’t sleep after watching the evening news.” (As a neurology sleep specialist, counseling people to stop “doomscrolling” before bed has become a routine recommendation that I give patients.)
• “I’m a proud activist speaking up for the injustice I see in our country. How can I talk to ‘those people’ when the world is on fire?” (Engaging with others across differences is how we put the fire out.)

Quechee library crowd January 22, 2026.

There are simple solutions we can do to fix this issue.

Beth and Doug at Quechee library with Michaela,
September 16, 2026.

• Recognize the “conflict entrepreneurs” that stir up anger among us for power or profit (think about those incendiary cable talk show hosts and social media algorithms). Learn how to be more media savvy and stop the cycle of sharing divisive news.
• Get in touch with your values and try to figure out whether you are living them when you encounter people with different political views. Are you kind, treating your friends, family, and neighbors with dignity and respect, even if you don’t agree with them?
• Seek out Braver Angels Training in Courageous Citizenship — remembering that includes listening with curiosity and humility to people who differ politically than us, and speaking out about what we believe (remembering when we listen first, our viewpoints will be more likely to fall on receptive ears, and you might also learn something useful). You can be BOTH an activist and a bridge builder at the same time.
• Join a community organization, a sports team, a musical group, or any other collection of people who are diverse (including politically, if possible). Or work on a local project to help your community. This civic engagement, built into the DNA of New Englanders, fosters trust and makes it easier to talk with anyone about politically charged issues when they arise.

Through these solutions, we can find hope in divided times and be a light for others.

Resources:

Braver Angels: braverangels.org. In addition to local workshops in the Upper Valley, we have many online workshops. All are free. Contact bethmalow@gmail.com for more information.

Beyond the Politics of Contempt website: beyondthepoliticsofcontempt.com has sample chapters, a book discussion guide, author bios, and more.

Free Substack Newsletter, Together Across Differences: togethernow.substack.com

Throughout American history, students have sought to shape the decisions affecting their future. From the young women who organized for suffrage in the early 1900s to the students who filled the streets during the Civil Rights Movement, their determination has left a lasting mark on democracy. Today, that legacy continues in Vermont through the Vermont State Youth Council (VSYC), which gives students a formal role in shaping state policy and a direct seat at the table with Governor Phil Scott and the Legislature.

Ezra and Senator Peter Welch

Youth voice in government got its start during the Great Depression, when First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt launched the American Youth Congress (AYC). By bringing young people into the national conversation for the first time, the AYC united thousands of young Americans to advocate for their rights, presenting their “Declaration of the Rights of American Youth” to Congress.

Although national institutions like the AYC faded after the 1940s, the idea that young people had a stake in public life continued to grow. In the late 1950s, the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour began sending high school students to Washington, D.C. to learn about government firsthand. In the 1960s, students pushed government to be more responsive to youth, with groups like Students for a Democratic Society.

The modern wave of youth councils began in 2002, when Maine established the first Legislative Youth Advisory Council with statutory authority. It was a groundbreaking model: students meeting with lawmakers, submitting recommendations, and even drafting policy. Other states soon followed suit, including Wisconsin, New Mexico, and New Hampshire. Vermont joined this movement in 2022, when lawmakers passed Act 109, creating the Vermont State Youth Council.

Ezra and Representative Becca Balint

The VSYC is a diverse group of 28 students, at least one from each county, who advise the Governor and General Assembly annually on issues affecting young Vermonters. Members serve on subcommittees ranging from Education and Equity to Climate Change, Mental Health, and Youth Voice. Their work includes everything from surveys and public hearings to presenting recommendations directly to legislators.

“The State Youth Council is all about creating a more inclusive democracy in Vermont by providing youth an opportunity to directly participate in policymaking,” said Brianne Smith, Youth Engagement Coordinator at Vermont Afterschool, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening afterschool programs, building partnerships, and facilitating the Council’s engagement with the Governor and Legislature.

Among the students appointed this year is Ezra Tane, a Quechee resident and freshman at Hartford High School, who will represent Windsor County for the next three years. Ezra has already stepped into leadership roles through the Hartford Community Coalition, and earlier this year he traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend the National CADCA Forum, where he spoke with Vermont’s congressional delegation, Senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch, and Representative Becca Balint, about issues facing youth.

Ezra and Senator Bernie Sanders

“I’m excited to be on the Youth Council because it’s a chance to affect a lot of the youth in Vermont in a positive way,” said Ezra. As a member of the Education Committee, Ezra added, “One thing I hope to achieve is to get a Student Assistance Provider in every single middle and high school in Vermont.”

In many ways, Ezra’s hopes echo the same determination that has driven youth movements for generations, turning everyday experiences into proposals for change. Vermont’s State Youth Council continues that legacy, channeling the interests of today’s students into meaningful influence on state policy.

For the next generation of Vermonters, the message is clear: youth have always left their mark on democracy, and their voices today can chart the path for the state and nation they will one day inherit.

Abenaki Garden

On August 30, 2025, the Abenaki Three Sisters Garden, on what was once the Quechee Polo Field, had its first open house. This was in part made possible by the Hartford 250th Commemoration Committee and was the first in a series of events that will occur through July 4, 2027. Earl Hatley, visionary and hands-on “in the dirt” manager of the garden, was pleased to report that over one hundred people attended the event, including Hartford select board members, Quechee Lakes Landowners (QLLA) Board representatives, and social justice and environmental groups.

As an enrolled member of Vermont’s Missisquoi band of Abenaki people, Earl wanted more than words to honor the indigenous people of Vermont’s history. Having agricultural expertise in his own “roots,” Earl envisioned the Abenaki Garden. The garden is truly a labor of love. Earl noted that this year woodchucks were munching away and he had to replant several times.

Earl has plans for spring plantings and will expand the garden another twenty feet with pawpaws, plums, and ground nuts. These trees will be surrounded by guild plants. Plant guilds work in a symbiotic relationship with the trees, forming a cooperative ecosystem. Such plants may be pollinators, nitrogen fixers, ground covers, or dynamic accumulators that have deep roots that bring minerals to the soil.

“The more we can grow, the more we can help the need [in the community],” says Earl, who considers the garden a response to food insecurity. The garden is also an educational resource for the surrounding community to learn about Abenaki culture.

In addition, the Abenaki Garden works cooperatively with the Upper Valley Seed Savers (uppervalleyseedsavers.pbworks.com). This is a group of gardeners and farmers working to create a local collection of seeds that would support a year-round food supply. The Upper Valley Seed Savers mission, as stated on their website, is “to save seed of open pollinated vegetables and herb varieties that have regional history, exceptional flavor, good storage capabilities, particular beauty, or are in danger of becoming unavailable commercially, and that contribute to a locally-grown, year-round food supply.”

Certainly the mission of the Upper Valley Seed Savers aligns with the goals of the Abenaki Garden and its volunteers. Presently there are over one hundred volunteers on the Abenaki Garden mailing list. Usually twenty to forty people come to help out on workdays at the garden. The reward for the work is a party and potluck at the end of the day!

Donations and volunteers are always welcome. At the website, AbenakiGarden.org, there is a procedure for joining the list server. There is also a short video that highlights the work of the Abenaki Garden.

Courageous Conversation

Gardens may keep us grounded, as we explore the headier realms of courageous conversations: Beyond the Politics of Contempt: Practical Steps to Build Positive Relationships in Divided Times is a new book by Doug Teschner, Beth Malow, and Becky Robinson. I asked Beth, a QLLA resident, what prompted her to co-write this book. Beth has been an advocate for open dialogue at least since 2017, when she joined Braver Angels, a national non-profit whose goal is to bring Americans together across the partisan divide. Beth and Doug met at a Braver Angels conference in 2023. In response to the question, “Why are you here?” Beth wrote, “I want to engage with like minded people who love this country and want to bridge divides.” Doug wrote, “I am worried that my grandchildren will not experience the benefits of this country that I love.”

However, one attendee’s comment really shook Doug: “I am here because if we don’t change how our politics is done, we’ll see ourselves in another civil war. Except this time it won’t look like Gettysburg – it’ll look like Rwanda.” Having led a U.S. agency for development in Rwanda, Doug knew all too well how scarred that nation was in the aftermath of the Hutu genocide against the Tutsis. Doug notes, “Neighbors killed neighbors, even people they knew well, just because they were in a different tribe. The killers were emboldened by leaders who exploited difference and fear. I remember feeling grateful we didn’t have political tribalism in the United States.” Doug also worked in Guinea during the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. He believed then that Americans, like many Guineans, would trust their public health system if a national emergency came. Instead, Doug finds that today Americans are aligned with “political tribes” and that the Covid pandemic “severely tested our ability to communicate with each other.”

From their varied experiences, the authors seek to enable respectful dialogue among people so that no matter the views expressed, everyone may feel heard, respected, and treated with dignity. This is not the same as taking a stand with leaders who need to be held accountable, Beth said. Beth goes on to say, “We want our book to be provocative – get people thinking.”

Beth, a neurologist, enjoys talking with people, coming away from conversations “feeling a palpable sense of hope, almost joy.” In her dialogues, she begins by trying to understand the other person’s viewpoint, to hearing them out. She is being authentically and empathically curious! (Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it has the opposite effect on our brains! According to researchers, our brains get rewarded for being curious. Dopamine, the brain’s reward chemical floods your system, provoking feelings of happiness!)

The authors align with journalist Mónica Guzmán who writes that persuasion “cannot work from shame. It cannot work from attack. It can only work from genuine, often vulnerable, conversations.” (See her book, I Never Thought of it That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times.)

Meeting others with openness and respect is not easy and is hard work, yet the rewards can be transformative.

One such change occurred with Derek Black, godson of Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke. The authors describe how after his white nationalist views became known on his New College of Florida campus, a group of Jewish students invited him to weekly shabbat dinners. He accepted, and returned regularly. Eventually he publicly denounced his views. The Jewish students welcoming him to socialize and eat with them rather than denouncing him with vitriol made all the difference. Manifesting kindness can be difficult but the outcome can be priceless.

Not in the book, but here is another story of transformation by engagement: that of Daryl Davis’s encounters with KKK members. Davis is a Black R&B musician and activist who has confronted racism with conversation and music.

Having studied as much as he could about the KKK, Daryl Davis was able to talk to Klan members over time. In an NPR interview in August, 2017, Daryl said that he could begin “to chip away at their ideology because when two enemies are talking, they’re not fighting. It’s when talking ceases that the ground becomes fertile for violence.” As he would build among commonalities, e.g., music, relationships would form. “As you build trust relationships, you’re forming a friendship. And that’s what would happen. I didn’t convert anybody. They saw the light and converted themselves.”

Not only is non-violent communication a possibility, it is already a reality. Marshall Rosenberg developed Nonviolent Communication (NVC) in the 1960s-’70s. a psychologist, he wanted to reduce conflict and increase empathy in everyday interactions. NVC has been used in many settings – from peace projects, businesses, education, and parenting to mediation, and so on.

A common underpinning of all these modes of communication seems to be an openness and curiosity to hear the other’s viewpoint, and to be a respectful and empathic listener, with the trust that, in the end, we can all be heard – compassionately; and hopefully – find common ground for the common good.

Further Reading:

abenakigarden.org
beyondthepoliticsofcontempt.com
daryldavis.com

The Quechee DEI Council continues its commitment to educating and bringing awareness to the community on matters of diversity, equity and inclusion. This spring, the council hosted Xusana Davis, the State of Vermont’s Executive Director of Racial Equity, as well as Shalini Suryanarayana, the Director of Education & Outreach at that same office.

Xusana Davis holds a Juris Doctor with a concentration in International Human Rights Law. Prior to her appointment as Executive Director by Governor Phil Scott in 2019, Xusana led the Health & Housing Strategic Initiatives at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She was also Director of the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus of the New York City Council. Here in Vermont, Xusana engages with state agencies to address and identify systemic racial disparities and provides strategic and policy guidance on issues of equity.

Terese Flaherty at the showing of Lost Nation at the
Quechee Club

Shalini Suryanarayana’s academic credentials include mechanical engineering, industrial management and an MBA in business. From those disciplines, she branched out into DEI graduate certifications from Cornell and Stanford University (in progress). Her work has her interacting with communities throughout Vermont. She aids state and local leaders, she says, to “apply an equity lens to their work through education and close communication.”

Ah, equity! “What is equity?” you may ask. Equity is not the same as equality. While equality focuses on sameness, equity focuses on fairness. With equality, everyone is treated the same, receiving equal resources and opportunities. But equality does not account for different needs. Equity accounts for various people (individuals and groups) having different circumstances and needing differing resources.

To have equality, we must first acknowledge equity. Imagine a classroom where all the students are provided with books to read. However, one child is blind; another child has hearing difficulties; another child is just learning English. Yes, all these children are provided with books equally, but not equitably.

The company, Recite Me, educates various organizations on how to serve communities online with equity and accessibility. Their analogy for equity vs equality is this: a group of differing heights is trying to watch a sporting event over a fence. Equality is giving each person the same size box to stand on. Equity would provide each person a box of appropriate height so that all could see equally well!

Glenn Harris, president of the organization Race Forward, says, “Racial equity is about applying justice and a little bit of common sense to a system that’s been out of balance. When a system is out of balance, people of color feel the impacts most acutely, but to be clear, an imbalanced system makes all of us pay.”

Shalini reminds us that addressing equity is an ongoing process that doesn’t end with a few hours of training. Since systemic issues have persisted over centuries, DEI requires continuous effort as an antidote to the Dunning-Kruger effect.

According to the Dunning-Kruger effect, people can overestimate their abilities and knowledge, particularly in new areas, which can lead to a false sense of expertise. To counteract this effect, Shalini advises learning more in lieu of false confidence. Shalini also discussed the concept of implicit (unconscious) bias. To assess a barrage of information, our brains take shortcuts by relying on existing pairings. This can lead to biased perceptions.

Project Implicit (www.ProjectImplicit.net) was founded in 1998 as a cooperative endeavor among several universities to educate the public about bias. We may have an implicit attitude that we might think we don’t have.

One riddle often told to highlight this is: a father and son are in an accident; the father dies and the son is taken to the ER and needs surgery. The surgeon says, “I can’t operate on this child, he is my son.” With implicit gender bias, one might assume the surgeon should be male. In fact, the answer is the surgeon is the child’s mother.

To check out your own implicit biases on any number of issues, from race and ethnicity to gender, you can take various online tests. (See implicit.harvard.edu.)

How are these implicit biases formed? Shalini discussed how implicit biases begin early on in childhood development. I know my growing up in the early 1950s was rife with stereotypes. Children’s books featured white children whose mommies wore dresses and cooked and cleaned and whose daddies came home to a hot meal. Nurses were female; doctors were male.

We may look at parental attitudes, too! If parents carry implicit biases from their upbringing, they need to become informed, as well. Are racial and other stereotypes being formed by the school, media, or home environment?

Jay Craven, Director and co-producer of Lost Nation

Who has not seen on TV or heard in the news that after a huge natural disaster such as a flood, there is looting and crime. And, of course, the footage is often of people of color. Retired Army lieutenant general Russel Luke Honoré helped with the military response to Hurricane Katrina. When survivors scavenged for food and supplies, he notes “That’s not looting, that’s survival mode.” (Ross and Lowry, Washington Post, September 1, 2017) Instead of recognizing their own implicit bias, news media exacerbate the stereotyped perceptions of racial bias.

Honoré reminds us, “There’s a bias at play. People think that if you’re poor or black, you’re always trying to steal something. … These warnings about looting validate the stereotypes that people hold about poor people.”

I myself wouldn’t think twice to break into a flooded grocery store if my children hadn’t eaten for days or my infant needed diapers! How about you?

Racial disparities and biases are no stranger to bucolic Vermont. Shalini cited data that show racial disparities in Vermont arrest rates, depression, home ownership, and income. She referred to a report published in the Vermont Digger on May 8, 2025. It shows that “Black and Hispanic drivers continue to be stopped disproportionately across Vermont. This traffic study was commissioned by the Vermont State Police’s Fair and Impartial Policy Committee. There was an uptick of stopping Asian drivers, as well.

“Pretextual stops” are the crux of the issue. Law enforcement has great leeway on who gets stopped and then who gets cited. “The pretextual traffic stop occurs when an officer stops a vehicle for a minor infraction [e.g., a broken tail light]. Then the officer goes further searching for illegal behavior [e.g., drugs]. These stops target, most frequently, people of color, “due to negative stereotypes that have proven to be inaccurate, according to the researchers.” This behavior should not be rationalized away by considering how Vermont is predominantly white and “inexperienced” with people of color! Jay Craven, writer and producer of the movie Lost Nation, reminds us that, in fact, Vermont has always been racially diverse. His film recounts the story of the Prince family, Blacks who were Vermonters alongside Ethan Allen.

Lost Nation was shown at the Quechee Club on June 11, 2025, to a sold-out audience. The Prince family’s struggle for land and freedom intersected with Ethan Allen’s similar pursuits. Jay Craven believes that people may be drawn to the movie’s rendering of Ethan Allen. But it is Lucy Terry Prince as the first African American poet and defender of her family’s rights, repeatedly in court, who shines as a woman of persistence and integrity. Jay Craven notes, “Vermont in particular needs to experience its racial past.” Lost Nation’s depiction of Lucy Prince certainly is one path for that. Craven’s first encounter with Lucy Prince was in an interview with Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina, author of Mr. and Mrs. Prince: How an Extraordinary Eighteenth-Century Family Moved out of Slavery and into Legend. (As an aside, note that Gerzina is an alumna of Marlboro College where Craven has been a professor of film studies.)

Craven did note how Lucy’s relationship with Native Americans may have evolved over time and he touches on this in Lost Nation. Lucy, as a teenager, wrote the poem “Bar’s Fight” about an “Indian ambush” she witnessed. Craven depicts her meeting a Native American woman while washing clothes in a lake. Theirs may have been an uneasy recognition of each other. Eventually, Craven would like to create a six-part series that would include indigenous history.

Right here in Quechee, there is an active recognition of Native American Abenaki culture. The Abenaki Garden is flourishing and is a living reminder of the Abenakis whose land this is.

Upcoming events at the garden include a public event and tour on August 14, 2025. An open house is planned for August 30, 10am – noon. This event is part of the Hartford 250th commemoration. (See hartfordvthistory.com.). Earl Hatley, of the Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi, tends the garden regularly and is working on protecting the sunflowers and gourds from busy woodchucks, as he recently noted. Earl is looking forward to planting plum trees and ground nuts.

After visiting the Abenaki Garden or volunteering there, another activity to consider is Ellen Bettmann’s ongoing discussions, “Necessary Conversations About Race” which will resume in September. This past year her Zoom discussion group focused on various movies, such as “To Kill a Mockingbird” and James Baldwin’s “I Am Not Your Negro.” This fall, Ellen’s theme is how racism manifests itself in various arenas, such as health, housing, education, etc. Ellen is impressed with QLLA’s DEI Council, saying it’s “fantastic!”

Another past event that is held annually is the reading on the Quechee Green of  “The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro.” This is Frederick Douglass’s speech delivered in Rochester, NY, on July 5, 1852. If you’ve never read this speech or heard it spoken, please consider doing so – even before next July 5, 2026! (Search for “Frederick Douglass July 4” to find many renderings of this speech.) Douglass describes how, after Congress nationalized slavery in all the states, Black Americans, who had been free, were “hunted down and, without a moment’s warning, hurried away in chains and consigned to slavery and excruciating torture. Some of these have had wives and children, dependent on them for bread; but of this, no account was made. The right of the hunter to his prey stands superior to the right of marriage, and to all rights in this republic, the rights of God included!”

DEI Council members Terese Flaherty, Heather Ayres, Myrna Brooks, Anne Clemens, and Lynn Luczkowski working the Jay
Craven film event.

Nevertheless, Frederick Douglass ends with hopeful words and he doesn’t despair… “That day will come all feuds to end and change into a faithful friend each foe.”

Vermont state senator Joe Major was the emcee of the Quechee event and he, too, holds hope. He notes, “It’s dark for us but there is always hope. We had the Civil War, then reconstruction. Something sets us back but then we bounce back. The cycles come but there is always hope.”

Attending as a member of the Quechee Library Trustees (a co-sponsor of the event), Debbie Marcus said “This community reading … was stunning and powerful in ways I did not expect. The speech … was completely astonishing and relevant to America today. As I looked around at the participants assembled at the Quechee Green Gazebo, I saw heads shake, eyes raised skyward, and heads in hands, as Douglass’ powerful words resonated around us. I am struck by how much Americans and American Institutions continue to struggle daily with issues of race, diversity, and inclusion despite our reverence to the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence. I will be back next year for this event.”

The Quechee Garden Club will hold its Annual Plant & Bake Sale on the Village Green, Saturday, May 17 from 8am-12pm.

Shoppers will find a variety of annuals, herbs, vegetable starters, and hanging baskets supplied from local greenhouses along with perennials from members’ gardens.

“We’ll have a variety of plants to kick start your summer garden, and our members will be on hand to help with questions or selection,” said Carol Rynk, QGC co-president. “It’s our biggest fundraiser of the year, and we appreciate the community response. The proceeds from this sale help to support village beautification, local school outreach, and an annual college scholarship award.”

Marge Gray, selling plants to a customer at the annual Quechee
Garden Club plant sale

In addition, the bake sale table, back by popular demand, will offer plenty of fresh-baked cookies, breads, and cupcakes to take home. For more information, visit quecheegardenclub.com.

Meetings this spring have been replete with helpful tips for gardening. On March 6th, Lisa Steinberg began her presentation by saying that there are three essentials for great plants: light, soil, and water. She said, “Plants need light to photosynthesize. All plants need a bright spot to actually thrive. West and southern exposures are best but if you can’t get that, think about grow lights; they come in all shapes and sizes.”

Continuing her tips, she talked about soil. “A good aerated soil can help the roots get oxygen and help the water drain. Think about adding perlite which lightens the soil and helps the roots get the oxygen they need.”

Water is the third essential element for great plants. Lisa said, “Check for dry soil with a water meter, or just by sticking your finger in it! Clear pots can really make your job easier; you’ll be able to see what’s going on with the soil, and you can take your pot straight to the sink to water. Give it a thorough drink, and wait for the water to drain out the bottom. Then put it back into an outer pot. That way your plant is not sitting in water, and there will be less chance of its roots rotting. Most plants that are struggling are getting too much water!”

Valerie Woodhouse, from Honey Field Farm in Norwich, VT, the
April 3 speaker

On April 3rd, Valerie Woodhouse from Honey Field Farm in Norwich gave a presentation on herbs. She had slides with information about growing, nourishing, drying, and using herbs for culinary, medicinal, and decorative purposes. If you want herbs that will come back every year, bigger and stronger, she said to try chives, thyme, sage, oregano, mint, lemon balm, French tarragon, and winter savory. In Vermont, parsley, rosemary, lavender, lemon verbena, and bay laurel are grown like annuals due to our harsh winters. She said that growing herbs from nursery starts gives quicker results with less effort and risk, as opposed to starting from seed or from rooted cuttings. A useful suggestion is to give aggressive herbs such as mint, lemon balm, cilantro, dill, chamomile, oregano, and parsley their own planters. As for harvesting, Valerie said “harvesting during the cooler morning or evening periods will lead to less wilting, and herb cuttings that last longer.”

On May 8, Jo Evarts will be our guest speaker. Her topic is: “The Influence of the Italian Renaissance Architecture on the Cornish Colony, NH.” Carol Rynk says, “Jo Evarts, historian, writer, journalist, and teacher, will discuss the design elements of the Cornish, NH art colony of the late 1800s to the early 1900s. She has been living on a Cornish Colony family estate since 1996.” We are excited to have her as our speaker again.

Macy Bettwieser, a Hartford High School senior, has always loved to sing. She might have been singing before she learned to talk. But, it comes naturally. It is in her genes. Her mom, Anisha, and dad, Stephen, both have musical backgrounds, and her brothers work in the technical side of theater. The family moved to Hartford when Macy was in the third grade, and it didn’t take long for the attraction of the stage to lure her in.

Macy performed in her first musical during fourth grade at Dothan Brook Elementary, under the direction of Lanni Luce West, and “drank the Kool Aid.” Macy was hooked. Musical theater became a staple of her life as she participated in programs, three to four productions per year, around the Upper Valley at Artistree, Hartford Memorial Middle School, Hartford High School, North Country Community Theater, Trumbull Hall Troupe, and Northern Stage. Each offered an additional step up in her journey.

Macy Bettwieser, a Hartford resident, performing at
BroadwayWorld’s “Next on Stage” competition in
New York City in December.

When COVID shut down the world in 2020, Upper Valley Music Center offered a Zoom class, “Singing for the Stage,” taught by UVMC faculty vocal instructor, Julie Ness. For Macy, the class picked up where she’d left off from her last role at Northern Stage, that of Louisa in The Sound of Music. The fates were at work, and Ness soon began working with Macy as her private vocal instructor, providing both popular and classical instruction.

Once the world emerged from the pandemic, Macy picked up where she’d left off with community theater, as well as continuing her work with Ness. As a junior in high school, Macy knew that musical theater was a permanent fixture in her life, and she’d apply to college musical theater programs, but she also considered some more practical matters – eating and paying the rent being foremost in her thought.

Macy appealed to Hartford High School to allow her to enroll in the cosmetology program at Hartford Area Career and Technical Center (HACTC), conveniently located on the same campus, during her senior year, giving her a licensed, employable skillset that would support her musical theatre ambitions. Permission was granted, and Macy is scheduled to finish cosmetology school in May, followed by high school graduation in June.

As the all-important last year of high school approached, Macy continued to refine her craft, and began the grueling task of college applications, which for musical theater, required recording audition video tapes that she sent to over a dozen different programs around the country. Admission to these programs is highly competitive, with 1,500 applications for, maybe, fifteen openings. Macy enlisted her mother – sounding board and moral support for all things – and her “village of mentors and supporters”, including director Lanni Luce West, Hartford High choral director Andrea Nardone, and vocal coach Julie Ness, along with Kevin David Thomas of Northern Stage, to assist with the audition recordings.

As an aside, Macy was sent some information by Northern Stage regarding a contest for high school musical theater students, BroadwayWorld’s “Next on Stage”. It offered the winner valuable mentoring opportunities from Broadway veterans, and a full scholarship to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. She sent them a tape, too, and promptly forgot about it.

Months later, while up to her eyeballs in school and preparing for two productions, Macy received an email. She had been selected as one of the top fifteen semi-finalists in BroadwayWorld’s Next on Stage competition! Next steps required a flurry of activity; new music to learn, rehearsals, and recordings, all in a matter of a few days. Macy assembled her team, which Ness refers to as, “big love from a small town,” and got to work. Macy astonished them all by learning the pieces, which varied in tone from joyous and upbeat, to dreary and sad, in record time, taking each bit of coaching to heart, reflecting it in her performances.

Macy and her vocal coach, Julie Ness.

It wasn’t only the judges who would choose who moved on to the final round, but the public.  Online votes would determine the finalists. Being the only entry from New England, against students from California and Texas, Macy didn’t expect much of a turnout. But, Nardone spearheaded the community drive to vote for Macy, and the word spread. Macy advanced to the top three, and was invited to New York City to perform live in the finals, at 54 Below, a speakeasy-style basement cabaret club, one-half block from Broadway.

Macy and her “team” traveled to New York City on December 19 for the final round of judging.  Luce West, Nardone, Ness, and Macy’s strongest supporter, her mother Anisha, descended on NYC on a mission to support their hometown star. The live show was recorded on YouTube and you may enjoy it at this link: bit.ly/4gyhnC9.

While Macy did not win the competition, she received valuable coaching and encouragement, experienced the pressure of the audition process, made new friends, and enjoyed an unforgettable weekend in New York. Competition host, Ben Cameron, told the competitors, “You are all winners and all losers, here and in life.” Ness reinforced this message, “Today, the wind may fill your sails. Tomorrow, maybe not. You can’t let it define your life.”

When contacted for this article, Macy was back in New York with a group from Northern Stage, auditioning live for college musical theater programs, via a process called “Unifieds,” and of course, seeing some Broadway shows. “Unifieds,” Ness explained, is an event where 50 colleges hold twice-yearly live auditions, one in New York City and one in Chicago. Applicants may perform up to six auditions at each event. “It saves the kids and their families a lot of travel and stress.” Macy shared that she had applied to 17 programs, and, so far, been accepted at one.  She will make her final decision later in the spring. “Hopefully before I graduate,” she added. Macy’s greatest cheerleader, her mother, Anisha, is planning some spring campus visits before the final choice is made.

Ness praised Macy for being, “Doubly prepared and demonstrating great leadership qualities, attention to detail, and discipline,” all skills that will serve her well, whichever road she chooses.

Chris Malone, who is fairly new to the Upper Valley, staffs the Quechee Health Club desk on weekday afternoons. Norm Spector, a Quechee resident and a regular at the Health Club, told Chris about the annual Five Colleges Book Sale, saying that he thought Chris and his twin seven-year-old daughters might find some great books there. When Chris appeared in the checkout line at the sale last year, both of his daughters and he each had a full shopping bag full of new treasures.

This year, beginning at 9am on Friday, April 18, the 61st Five Colleges Book Sale will open at Lebanon High School; hundreds of booklovers will flock to approximately 90,000 books that will fill the gym, cafeteria, hallways, and various classrooms. More than 60 categories of books are offered for sale, including 56 non-fiction major classifications. The sale, which has been called the largest of its type in New England, will run Friday through Sunday, April 18 to April 20: 9-5 Friday & Saturday and 9-3 Sunday. By the end of Sunday’s half-price day, about 3,000 people will have visited, coming from throughout the Upper Valley and beyond. Profits from the book sale fund scholarships for students from Vermont and New Hampshire; last year, the sale distributed over $62,000 to scholarship funds at the Five Colleges.

Mango, the book sale therapy dog, has been lightening spirits during the
rush before the 2024 sale. Photo courtesy of Five Colleges Book Sale

The book sale attracts families, with the children having a field day filling shopping bags with books, with prices often less than $1.00. “We go through so many books, it starts getting expensive,” Chris Malone says. “This sale is the one time a year I can tell [my daughters] Berdie and May to get as many books as they please and it carries us for months. And seeing so many old titles from my childhood is just a bonus.”

Artie Kupidlowski, a fixture in Quechee’s golf operations for over 30 years, has been a regular patron of the sports table at the sale. Artie would try to be an early bird at the sale, paging through the hundreds of sports books, looking for books signed by the author or the celebrity featured on the cover. He regularly came away with a treasure or two each year, if not from the sports table, from other non-fiction categories.

Where does the Book Sale get this massive inventory? Word is circulated via newspapers, list serves, Facebook, blogs with major circulation in the Upper Valley, the Book Sale’s website, and posters throughout the Upper Valley. Residents bring their books in boxes or sturdy bags to a local sorting center beginning in early March.

The books are unpacked by “Sorters” who dust and wipe down each book and flip the pages to remove bookmarks, notes, and other items. Some treasures turn up each year among the pages and boxes: cash, checks, keys, games, and photos. The Sorters then bring the books to a staging area: shelves labeled by book categories for transport to pricing tables for each category. Volunteer “Pricers” are assigned to each category. Pricers examine and set a price for each book using their expertise about the category and internet sources. Priced books are loaded into boxes for transport by professional movers to the sale site.

Chris Malone’s twin daughters, May and Bernadette, reading
from new books just purchased on their weekly trip
into Hanover.

How did the sale get its “Five Colleges” name? In 1962, the wife of Dartmouth’s president and four friends, all spouses of Dartmouth faculty, met at the president’s house and decided that a book sale was a good way to occupy time during mud season. The five were graduates of five colleges: Wellesley, Mt. Holyoke, Smith, Vassar, and Simmons. According to Natalie Golden, current book sale chair, “Giving back to their alma maters was very important to the founders. Personally, I would not have been able to go to Wellesley College, without a scholarship. This is my way to pay that gift forward”.

Fundamental to the success of the book sale is the volunteer workforce. About half are alums from the five colleges and the rest are “friends” made up of book lovers who enjoy discussing books, believe in increasing literacy and education, or love looking for new gems to read. Volunteer leaders organize the details of the book sale throughout the year. In early March, donations start. The Day Chairs unload cars and check boxes of donations and Sorters then clean the books and place them into categories. Pricers look at each book, set a price, and move them into any subcategories. Quechee volunteer librarian, Judy Wiggin, organizes the Day Chairs and recruited Norm Spector, also of Quechee.

Norm Spector, Quechee resident and Five Colleges Book
Sale volunteer.

“My favorite part of the book sale is the sorting,” says Judy. “Hundreds of boxes of donated books arrive over the weeks before the sale. When I choose a box to take to a sorting table, I don’t know what I will find – sometimes pristine hardcover books of history, philosophy, or fiction, sometimes musty old novels from the early twentieth century, sometimes gorgeous art books…Opening each box is a treasure hunt for me.”

Norm, who started coming to the book sale ten years ago, soon found his way into volunteering and never looked back. “I was on a glide path toward retirement and finally had some time to read,” he says. “The book sale was a great opportunity to stock my bookshelves with my favorite fiction writers.”

After he inquired about volunteering and was recruited, he started as a Sorter. “I would grab a box or bag of books and pour out the contents, just like a bag of wrapped presents,” he explains. “Sometimes my favorite fiction writers were there. Other times, the boxes produced big coffee table books featuring magnificent works of art, and the history books were amazing – deep dives into American or world history about events where my knowledge was only surface deep.” As a Day Chair at the sale, Norm spent time loading heavy cartons of books onto dollies for moving into the storage site, and stacking boxes of books. “Some boxes, while still in the cars, had obviously been stored for years, and with a smile I had to reject the books as ‘not passing Norm’s smell test’,” he says.

“Cashier duties were perhaps the most fun for me,” he adds. “The lines at the cashier station enabled me to meet the customer and talk about their interests as shown by the book choices, all the while calculating the total price and running the credit card app…I enjoyed some great conversations, and despite the lines, the customers were happy because they now owned some books they obviously wanted – and at a great price.”

Judy Wiggin, Quechee Library volunteer and a longtime
Five Colleges Book Sale volunteer.

During March and early April, there will be between 12 to 35 volunteers working every day. On each sale day, 40 – 50 volunteers are needed to help patrons find their way around the sale, replenish and straighten books, and staff the checkout lines. Within the 56 major book categories, the volunteer who prices each non-fiction category sets up sub-categories, which are marked by signs. During any year, unique donations may spark the creation of a new sub-category such as “Time & Clocks” within the Science category. There is a unique category called “Oddments” that includes post cards, paper dolls, book marks, art prints, and small gift books.

Thirteen years ago, there was a major drop in the number of volunteers, but with concerted recruiting efforts, the number of volunteers increased slowly. Then the pandemic hit and the sale was not held for three years. The sale returned in 2023, but the number of returning volunteers dropped from pre-Covid levels. In recent years, members of the Hanover and Lebanon Rotary Clubs and employees of King Arthur Baking and Hypotherm have been invaluable in setting up and shutting down the sale. Natalie Golden of West Lebanon, the current chair, says “We still need many more volunteers, all are welcome, volunteer schedules are completely flexible and the work is both social and fun.” The friendships, conversations, seeing so many good books, improving literacy in the Upper Valley, and providing college scholarships makes volunteering worthwhile.

Individuals interested in becoming a volunteer should contact the book sale via email at 5collegesbooksale@gmail.com. Beginning in late February, check the website (at www.five-collegesbooksale.org) for the sorting site and any updates on the sale.