Join us in the Art Gallery for a celebratory book launch of 2050: Vermonters Take a Swipe at the Future, essays collected by Bill Mares, edited by Jane Smith, illustrated by Don Hooper. This collection of humorous, serious, and dystopian essays and stories features contributions from thirty-seven Vermonters. Readers will be Mark Breen, Jane Kitchel, Scudder Parker, Eric Duncan, Brett Stanciu, Ben Doyle. Green Mountain Books will be selling copies, and essay authors will be signing. A reception with refreshments will follow the reading. The event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.
Thirty-seven Vermonters—from students and octogenarians, businesspeople and academics, to poets and journalists—take a half-serious, half-humorous approach to imagining life in Vermont in twenty-five years. What they all have in common is a deep love of Vermont. 2050: Vermonters Take a Swipe at the Future is the final literary project of Bill Mares, who died in 2024.
“As this marvelous book makes clear…that sense of underlying community will bring us through.” —Bill McKibben, author and climate activist
“Humans have a hard time seeing the future. With the exception of a few visionaries, we are a species mired in survival mode. But in this collection of essays, Vermonters dare to imagine what the state could feel like 25 years hence, based on knowns and unknowns. No one drives anymore. An 80-story skyscraper towers over Burlington. Most of the population is non-white and fiscally conservative. And yet, Vermont is a place full of potential and remarkable for its lack of nostalgia. A place apart from what we know now.” —Anne Galloway, founder of VTDigger
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:
Samantha A. Alger, Emily Bernard, Al Boright, Mark Breen, Kevin Chu, Steve Conant, Ben Doyle, Eric Duncan, Tom Evslin, Val Gardner, Allen Gilbert, Midhat Hadzik, Joseph F. Hagan Jr., Adam Hall, Mairead Harris, Allison Hooper, Stephen Kiernan, Jen Kimmich, Jane Kitchell, Jim Lengel, Astrid Longstreth, Neale F. Lunderville, Emma Marvin, Christy Mitchell, Melinda Moulton, Scudder Parker, Jordan Posner, Fred Schmidt, Bill Schubart, Angela Shambaugh, Brian Shupe, Gus Speth, Toussaint St. Negritude, Brett Ann Stanciu, Bob Stannard, Leath Tonino, and Jim Welch
What will Vermont be like in 25 years? A wide array of Vermonters – from teachers to maple syrup producers, and meteorologists to former legislators – predict our future in this fascinating collection of essays. Some are gloriously optimistic; some are disturbingly dark. What shines through is the writers’ love for Vermont. The state is full of idealistic people with great ideas, and one of the best features of our little state is that aspirations can often become reality. Read closely as even the funny submissions put forth some serious predictions – and solutions – to the challenges Vermont is facing.
“My hope is that this collection of essays by Vermonters about Vermont’s future will inspire people to take action. It’s wise, insightful, provocative, and underscores the importance of being proactive. It is also a ton of fun!” Howard Dean, Governor of Vermont 1991-2003
“By every statistical measure--volunteerism, trust in neighbors, faith in leaders--Vermont has more social cohesion than anyplace in the country. As this marvelous book makes clear, it's that solidarity--that sense of underlying community--that will bring us through, in some form or another. Freedom, unity, beer, syrup, a commitment to our neighbors; as Ethan Allen once remarked, 'the gods of the valley are not the gods of the hills.' Long may it be so!” Bill McKibben, Author and Climate Activist
