TopofpageApril  - June 2015 Quarterly Newsletter 
Thank you St. Johnsbury voters for your support at Town Meeting.
 
St. Johnsbury Athenaeum and William W. Thayer, Librarian
From Athenaeum Director Bob Joly

This endless winter, slowly going now, has challenged my patience. I'm not alone, I know. It has challenged me in a greater way, too. I like to be out and about on my land if only for a short walk to see what's popping up, or to cut the grass and rake the yard, to gape at and eventually move the wood pile to its winter-ready digs. When I am out with my shirt off feeling the breeze tickle my skin, I am immensely happy and 'in the moment'. For three seasons of the year here I am very much in the moment. Post autumnal equinox however finds me going about in a widening gyre of gloom as daylight diminishes in the northern fall. I end up longing for the cold, the bleached-blanket of snow, the blazing blue skies of winter. I am living in the future, not the moment. Bring on the light, and, farther out of reach, bring on the spring. In many ways this winter held me in the future far too long.

 

It is a great relief when spring brings rebirth and the gratitude that follows. The moveable feasts of Easter and Passover were just days apart this year. I've heard (didn't see yet) the first red-winged blackbird. Water is rushing in streams.   A raccoon succeeded in tearing the suet baskets off their hangers (not good news for me but she was really hungry and presumably sated temporarily).

 

Poetry is celebrated.

 

Recently I heard Edward Hirsch read his marvelous poetry and I asked him to talk about how he structured his readings, specifically, the one he had just given us. After talking about how he is presently reading familial poems in generational order (about his grandfather, his father, himself, leading ultimately to poems on his sadly passed son), he spoke about being in the moment. One has to be in the moment during a reading. To linger for even a few seconds on a delightful or disturbing line means that the next lines are missed and maybe the poem is lost to the listener. One has to listen as if in the running water itself. Flow with it. Feel it like the wind on your skin. Be astonished. You can read it on the page later. You can reread it, a good thing for difficult meanings and to see the structure in print. But to hear poetry, really hear it, one has to be in the connected moments. This is a hard practice-- but active listening can bring one into a moment of astonishment.

 

In April, and throughout the spring and summer, there are many opportunities to hear poetry read live in St. Johnsbury. Among them are readings from 12-1 PM every Wednesday in the Athenaeum Gallery. We may even hold one or two on the front lawn if a warm breeze tickles us. See details of many readings in this newsletter.   There will be live events wherever you are. Make one yourself with friends. In a late poem Galway Kinnell says, 'Before us, our first task is to astonish, and then, harder by far, to be astonished'.

 

Astonishing each other in the moment; that is one definition of rebirth. Happy listening.

In This Issue
Gala2015 Gala  - '50s Sock Hop

The Athenaeum 2015 Gala is a 1950s Sock Hop theme with the Bel Aires providing the vintage rock- n - roll and you providing the vintage dance moves!

Save the Date! - May 16, 2015 - 7:00 to 11:00 pm.
 $35.00 per ticket


Tickets will go on sale soon at the front desk and via PayPal at our website
home page.  Invitations will arrive in the mail, but if you do not see one please contact us at 802-748-8291 and we can get tickets sent right out to you or have them ready to pick up at the door.
  In addition to dancing there will be a silent auction, gourmet hors d'oeuvres, cash bar and the opportunity for some great conversation in historic surroundings.  Hope to see you there!


musingsboard From Board Chair, Elinor Levy

Musings from the Chair

Elinor Levy

March 2015

 

Horace Fairbanks was incredibly generous and far seeing in creating the Athenaeum. Now the responsibility for its continued well-being has passed on to all of those who appreciate, if not cherish the Athenaeum. Needs are both immediate to pay for day to day operations, and long term to preserve the building and its collections and to up date services.

 

Operational expenses are mainly funded by an appropriation from the town of St. Johnsbury (voters-thank you so much for your recent support), program sponsorships, our annual fund drive, and various fund raising events. Even so, in order to close the gap between operational income and expenses, we have to take money from our endowment. It is considered prudent management for a non-profit to take no more than 5% from the endowment in any year (an amount that is theoretically balanced by income the endowment earns in an average year). Unfortunately, there have been years when more than twice that amount was withdrawn to cover the operational deficit. The only thing that saved the Athenaeum from a downward financial spiral was a number of generous bequests. In response to the potential threat to our financial stability, the board resolved to withdraw no more than 5% if at all possible. To do this, costs have been reduced substantially, and we passed a balanced budget.

 

In an effort to prevent the raiding of the endowment again, we are instituting a planned giving campaign. Planned giving is a way of donating to a non-profit organization which enhances the benefits to the donor as well as the recipient. The source and type of gift and its timing are tailored to maximize the effect of the gift. Gifts are most often in the form of cash, stocks, or real estate. The timing can be immediate (for a tax deduction now) and/or in the form of a bequest (to reduce estate taxes later). The donation can generate income for the donor during their lifetime, if it is made in the form of an annuity, or certain types of trusts, or if it is committed to a pooled charitable fund. Gifts can be unrestricted so that they can be used where most needed, or restricted to a specific area or project. If a gift is sufficiently large, it can be set up as a named fund within the endowment.

 

Donors to the planned giving campaign or those who let us know that they have included the Athenaeum in their wills will become members of the Horace Fairbanks Legacy Society. If there is sufficient interest, we will arrange an informational session to explain planned giving options in more detail and answer questions. Bill Marshall and I are also available to talk about gifting opportunities.

 

 

newmembers Board of Directors - Trustee Profiles 

  Katie Moritz 's sense of place and love for storytelling started at an early age. Raised and home-schooled in Kirby, VT, she used to tell her sheep and chickens stories of adventure, friendship, and struggle. She graduated from Danville High School in 2006 and went on to the University of Vermont. There she participated in the Honors College, majored in English and Religion, and wrote a collection of travel narratives focusing on Otherness and illness for her Honors thesis. During her college career, Katie volunteered in Englewood, Chicago, a neighborhood struggling against some of the highest crime rates in the country. She also taught English and volunteered at an orphanage in the Dominican Republic, studied Buddhism in India, help found the university's chess team, and fell in love with James Joyce.  

 

In 2010, after graduating UVM, Katie started working at NorthCountry Manor, assisted living for seniors. While working at the manor, she went on to get her master's degree from Dartmouth College. There she focused her intellectual and creative energies on furthering both her readership and craft of poetry and fiction. While writing her thesis, a collection of short stories based in Vermont, she served as the Editor-in-Chief of a graduate journal, and she also co-taught first year Dartmouth students in writing and rhetoric.  

 

Katie has recently moved back to St. Johnsbury and is working full time managing NorthCountry Manor. She writes for the North Star Monthly, teaches as part-time English faculty at Lyndon State College, and tutors at North Country Charter Academy in Littleton, NH. She is currently working on her first collection of poetry and short fiction and has also started fundraising for her latest project, a funky online and print publication showcasing creative writing, essays, photography, and visual art. She loves the outdoors and hopes to see more young people bring their talents, enthusiasm, and skill sets to the Northeast Kingdom .
 

Bill Marshall spent his professional career as a teacher and headmaster. After graduating from Dartmouth College in 1963 with a BA in English, he joined the Peace Corps and servedwith his wife Donna in Morocco. Upon returning from Morocco, he taught at Cardozo High School, an inner-city school in Washington D.C. and, then, migrated north to teach at Hanover High School, where he, also, was resident director of Dartmouth's ABC Program in Hanover. 

 

After teaching for a year at St. Johnsbury Academy, he co-founded Peacham School in 1973, an alternative school grades 7 through 12 and served as Director of Peacham School for 5 years, while, at the same time, he received his doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts.

 

From 1979 through 2001, he served as Headmaster of Applewild School, a school located in Fitchburg, MA, serving students from pre-primary through ninth grade.

 

Summers and holidays were spent in his Barnet, Vermont home, a home the Marshalls bought in 1966 and a home they have lived in since Bill's retirement in 2001.

 

Volunteer work has been central to this retirement. Bill was a member of the Barnet School Board for 5 years, chaired the Caledonia Central Supervisory Union Board, serves on the NEK Audubon Board, and has been an Athenaeum trustee for seven years and served as its chair for 3 years.

checkthisout PoemTown St. Johnsbury

 PoemTown events are happening all through the month of April at various locations in St. Johnsbury.  Many area businesses have put poems in their windows.  If you would like to go on a scavenger hunt for these poems please see the complete listing of businesses and the poems they are displaying.

Poem Listing 

 

Athenaeum Lunchtime poetry readings Wednesdays in April  

Noon- 1:00 pm 

 

The poetry slam events are being held on:

  April 16 at the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum with Geof Hewitt  at 7:00 pm 

April 18 a Washburn Tattoo at 6:00 pm

April 23 at Kingdom Taproom at 7:00 pm

 

For those of you who are not familiar with the format of a poetry slam please  view this YouTube video of a slam from last year's PoemCity event in Montpelier hosted by Geof Hewitt.     

   

Poetry Slam with Geof Hewitt
Poetry Slam with Geof Hewitt
 
adultevents Upcoming Events for Adults
Lunchtime Poetry Reading, Wednesday April 8, 2015 - Noon- 1 pm

Arts and Culture Series: Lost Waterford with Helen-Chantal Pike
Wednesday, April 8, 2015 at 7 pm in the Gallery

Journalist and author Helen Chantal Pike discusses the changes in Waterford since the power company put in Moore Dam and flooded out the village of Upper Waterford, the location of her ancestral home.

 

Lunchtime Poetry Reading, Wednesday April 15, 2015 - Noon- 1 pm

Vermont Historical Society 70s Community Forum, Wednesday April 15, 2015 - 7:00 - 9:00 pm.
Be part of the project to collect, document and share the history of Vermont in the 1970s.

Poetry Slam with Geof Hewitt, Thursday , April 16, 2015 - 6 pm

Annual Meeting of the Friends of the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum - Saturday April 18, 2015 at 1:00 pm in the upper library. 
Please RSVP by April 10th via email at charise.baker@myfairpoint.net.

Friends of the Athenaeum takes part in the World Maple Festival , Saturday April 25, 2015
Please visit them from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Railroad Street and buy some delicious Maple Goodies to support the Friends of the Athenaeum.

Lunchtime Poetry Reading, Wednesday April 29, 2015 - Noon- 1 pm

First Wednesdays Series: Amelia with Nancy Nahra

Arts and Culture Series: Polly and the One and Only World with Don Bredes 
Wednesday, May 13, 2015 at 7 pm in the Gallery 

Renowned writer Don Bredes reads from his new dystopian young adult novel set in Vermont, featuring protagonist Polly Lightfoot, and discusses the popularity of young adult novels among adult readers. Underwritten by: Athenaeum Board of Trustees 

     

'50s Sock Hop Gala, Saturday, May 16, 2015 - 7 pm - 11 pm

Tickets are $35 each - includes admission and complimentary gourmet hors d'oeuvres.  Live music will be provided by the Bel Airs.  Dancing. Cash bar and Silent Auction. 

    

Readings in the Gallery, Sherry Olsen and Diane Swan

Thursday , May 21, 2015 at 7:00 pm   

The 2015 series will kick off with readings by Sherry Olsen and Diane Swan. 

 

First Wednesdays Series: The Shia-Sunni Divide with Former Iranian ambassador Mansour Farhang    
Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at 7 pm in the gallery
 Former Iranian Ambassador to the UN Mansour Farhang examines the origin and contemporary revival of this 1300-year-long divide and explores how contemporary challenges facing states and societies in the Middle East exacerbate the animosity. Underwriter: Vermont Council on World Affairs

Arts and Culture Series: Pumpkin Hill Singers
Wednesday, June 10, 2015 at 7 pm in the Gallery
F or over thirty years, the Pumpkin Hill Singers have been singing a wide variety of music including sacred harp, contemporary, world, early, and folk.  Hear them
perform and discuss their work. Underwritten by: Lyndon Institute 

 

ADELENew Youth Services Librarian joins the Team.



We are excited to announce that Adele West-Fisher has joined the team at the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum as the new Youth Services Librarian.

Adele West-Fisher comes to the Northeast Kingdom from St. Petersburg, FL where she was a Library Information Technology Specialist with Pinellas County schools for     years.   She has earned a M.Ed. from the University of Louisville and a Masters in Library Information Science from the University of South Florida.   Most recently, she worked on temporary contract at the St. Johnsbury Academy Library during Fall term.   She resides in Concord, VT with her husband and cat.
teenevents News from the Teen Room
News from the Teen Room:
We will continue to involve and engage local teens through our Teen Advisory Board, which meets monthly to discuss YA collection development, programming, fund-raising, and more!

Check out the new young adult novel by  Don Bredes' called  Polly and the One and Only World.  The author will be reading from the book and discussing the popularity of these young adult novels among adults at a Arts & Culture event on May 13, 2015 at 7:00 pm.

Teen Advisory Board meeting

Thursday, April 9, 2015 at 4:30 pm

For information email Adele West-Fisher at awestfisher@stjathenaeum.org  or call call 802-748-8291 x303 
kidseventsNews from the Children's Room
Storytime
Every Friday 10:30 in the Children's Room

News from the Children's Room:  Summer Reading 

This year's theme will be Every Hero has  A Story.  Look for more information in the 3rd Quarter newsletter about our kick-off event.

 

Red Clover Nominees: The 2015-2016 List of Red Clover Award Nominees has been released.  Most of these works are part of the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum collection and we hope that you will take the time to check them out.  To see the complete list visit:
Red Clover Nominee List 

 

 

What is a Red Clover book?
Each year a committee of librarians, teachers, and sponsors reviews all picture books published in the prior year and chooses ten stellar picture books as the Red Clover books for the next school year. The books are considered in their entirety when chosen; both text and illustrations must be considered exemplary.  To learn more about the books and the Red Clover program, visit the
Vermont Center for the Book. 

 

To visit the Red Clover Awards Website use this link: Red Clover Awards

 

If you have any questions or comments regarding the Children's Room please contact Adele West-Fisher, Youth Services Librarian,  at awestfisher@stjathenaeum.org.


RotarySt. Johnsbury Rotary Reads at Story Time


St. Johnsbury Rotary member Seleem Choudhury
 reads at our regular Friday morning story time.
The St. Johnsbury Rotary has generoulsy been donating funds to our Youth Adopt pro gram to aid in the purchase of books for the Children's room.  They are now giving their time as well, members of the St. Johnsbury Rotary will be reading aloud to the children during our Friday morning story time each month.  In March Seleem Choudhury, Director and Community Service Chair came to visit, and in April Jim Flynn, Director of Development at NVRH joined us.

Comic Catamount/Athenaeum Collaboration -
Create your Own Comics was a Hit!
Artwork by Logan McGregor
Creating Your Own Comics Class by Bill Tulp

 

I just finished a six-week class with six elementary boys at the Athenaeum called "Creating Your Own Comics", through Catamount Arts. The boys started right in with their own ideas about what they were going to do. They all started producing their own comics before I even got started.

 

I liked their energy, but wanted them to try some different things. We started out by looking at different genres of comics, or graphic stories, and then took some time to copy some of these different styles. Over the six-week class we worked on sequencing panels, facial expressions, character design, gesture drawing, dialoguing and word balloons, and a number of other activities.

 

They continued with their creative ideas and stories and were able to add some new ideas and techniques to their repertoire. At the end of the class I collected a few pages of their best work to compile a short comics anthology. I think we all had a good time and would like to continue the classes with younger students, both ones I've worked with and new ones. At some point I would also like to add classes for older students to get further along in the process.   

gallery News from the Gallery/Collections
Garden Time to Plan your Summer Garden?
 




 
Though some days it seems like it may never get here, gardening season is almost upon us!  Get a head start on planning this summer's garden by visiting the Athenaeum and perusing our selection of books on growing food or flowers for your table.  We have a wide selection of books on all aspects of planting, harvesting and getting the most from your garden.

 

 For a complete listing of the gardening books in the Athenaeum collection

please click on this link: GARDENING  

 

JervisJervis McEntee Paintings on Loan to FOHK


These Jervis McEntee (1828-1891) oils on canvas entitled The Doge's Palace (top) and The Woods of Asshockan, Catskills, 1871 (bottom) are currently on loan to Friends of Historic Kingston and will be part of an exhibit May-October 2015.  For more information as event time nears please check their website at: FOHK.ORG.   The Athenaeum staff and patrons will miss them, but is an honor to be able to share them with other art lovers.

The Smithsonian Archives of American Art contains five diaries written by Jervis McEntee from 1872-1891 which give many details on the art world at the time.  You can view them in their entirety at : Jervis McEntee Diaries

connectConnect with us
Facebook Did you know that we're on Facebook ? We post book reviews, library events, links to our YouTube videos, great old photos and much more.
  supportbox Support the Athenaeum Today!
 
This historic institution needs your ongoing support in order to continue to offer great services and events. Please consider becoming a supporting patron of this unique resource for our community. To make a donation online, visit our
home page at www. stjathenaeum.org.
friends Friends of the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum
Friends of the Athenaeum invites you to:
A Gathering of Friends

St. Johnsbury Athenaeum's Friends annual meeting

to be held Saturday, April 18th at 1:00 PM at the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum.

 

A review of 2014 will be discussed and a roster of nominations for the Executive Board will be presented and voted on for the next year. Light refreshments will be served. The meeting is open to all current and past Friend members and those interested in becoming a member. Please RSVP by April 10 th to Charise Baker, President at 802-748-9438 or charise.baker@myfairpoint.net.

 

The purposes of this organization are charitable, cultural, and educational. The membership is an association of persons who are interested in increasing, improving, and promoting the resources and services of the Athenaeum, providing hospitality at Athenaeum programs & events and raising funds to be used to benefit the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum.

 

The Friends of the Athenaeum manage a used book store called Second Hand Prose. The proceeds from the store and other fund raising activities help to fund Athenaeum programs and the store provides books for other non-profit organizations. If you are interested in volunteering at Second Hand Prose please contact Irene Trenholme. 

 

Members willing to serve in an executive capacity please contact Elinor Levy at emlevy@bu.edu  

 

Please come visit us at the World Maple Festival

Saturday, April 25, 2015 from 10 am to 4:00 pm 

 

The Friends will be participating in the St. Johnsbury World Maple Festival being held on Railroad Street in St. Johnsbury  We will have a table of maple goodies to sell and coupons for Second Hand Prose. We are calling for anyone interested in baking their favorite maple flavored pie, bars, brownies, cookies and other various maple treats for us to offer in our bake sale. For those of you who have participated in our pie sales you know that these fund raisers are very successful. Please contact Shara McCaffrey at  smccaffrey@stjathenaeum.org or 802-748-8291 if you are interested in donating a tasty treat for this Maple mania event.
 
For more information on Secondhand Prose please visit their page on the Athenaeum website at:   http://www.stjathenaeum.org/secondhandprose