First Wednesdays Series: Bringing Information and Insight to the Upper Valley

Welcome to the new season of First Wednesdays!

This popular series comes to us through the Vermont Council of Humanities and the local sponsors that make the individual presentations possible.

With the exception of the May program, all events are held at the Norwich Congregational Church. Programs begin at 7 p.m. It isn't necessary to make a reservation.

All programs are free and open to the public. Venues are handicapped-accessible.

March 7: The Vanishing Twentieth-Century American Composer

The well-known pieces of twentieth-century American classical music, such as music by Copeland, Gershwin, and Barber, are only a slice of a far larger body of work. Dartmouth music professor Steve Swayne considers how this music was viewed in the 1940s and 1950s, in comparison to the present time.

April 4: Letters to Jackie: Condolences from a Grieving Nation

Author Ellen Fitzpatrick discusses the public's response to President Kennedy's death and shares condolence letters written to Mrs. Kennedy which provide a remarkable window into the nation's character at the time.

May 2: Why Lincoln Matters: To Presidents, To History, To Us

The final program of this year's series will be held in the Filene Auditorium of Moore Hall at Dartmouth College.

Presented with the Dartmouth History Department, this program considers the immensity of Abraham Lincoln's legacy. His memory has been used, boldly updated, and occasionally abused. Preeminent Lincoln historian Harold Holzer considers how we see, appreciation, adopt, and interpret Lincoln--and why he still very much matters.