The Friends of Stowe Free Library Present

In Your Own Backyard:

Peter Miller's "Vanishing Vermonters: Loss of a Rural Culture"

The first program that will kick off the “In Your Own Backyard” series is Peter Miller with his most recent self-published work title “Vanishing Vermonters: Loss of a Rural Culture”.  Mr. Miller is a long time photographer who has won numerous awards, honors and grants. 

From the dust jacket of “Vanishing Vermonters”

Peter Miller is the author of several iconic books about the state of Vermont. Although his work is iconic, he’s icono­clastic because he chooses to produce his books on his own terms, self-publishing them with support from crowd funding—a decision he made long before many authors or photographers ever had the guts to take that chance. Miller did and he succeeded. His books are independent treasures of time and place in Vermont.

In 2012, he self-published a compilation of more than 60 years of his photography and writing in A Lifetime of Vermont People. The book was well-received by the pub­lic—but this time, in addition to praise, he began to hear a different kind of feedback. Readers wrote to Miller and shared their frustrations and disappointments about contemporary Vermont. As a result, and sharing similar feelings, Miller went on a journey around Vermont to interview those who might explain what was hap­pening in and to the state.

In these pages, you’ll meet Vermonters grappling with a vanishing way of life. Miller writes: “This is not my book—it belongs to rural Vermonters, often self-employed Vermonters who live simply while enjoying their life amidst the beauty of the Green Mountains. My people, I call them, seem to have been priced out of our state as taxes and the cost of energy esca­lated and real-estate prices soared.”

Interviews with former Vermont Governor and presidential candidate Howard Dean, Jen & John Kimmich of Heady Topper beer fame, commentator and writer Bill Schubart, University of Vermont politi­cal-science professor Frank M. Bryan and his co-author John McClaughry, and many others!

Please join us Thursday, September 21, at 7pm in the meeting room.  Light Refreshments will be provided.

Stay tuned to the calendar for the "In your own Backyard" series - Bill Schubart will be joining us in November!

A new resource available to you1  The Learning Express Library has the most comprehenisive selection of academic and career-related resources available.  It features skill building tools for reading, writing, math and science.  There is a test preparartion for high school equivalency and college admissions exams.  The workplace resources include tools for job searching, exploring new careers and preparing for occupational licensing exams.  This is a center for everyone.  There are targeted learning centers providing patrons of all ages with easy, one sop access to relevant interactive tutorials, practice tests and eBooks. 

Mango Languages allows patrons access to conversational language learning lessons in 22 languages, led by native speakers, including Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Thai, and more, as well as 14 ESL programs. 

Be sure to create a profile with your email address when you log in for the first time -- Mango will keep track of your progress, and you can work at your own pace, with no cds to return.

Do you have an additional library card from a library other than the Stowe Free Library? You must use your Stowe Free Library card number in order to log in to this resource correctly from the link above.

Our access to Mango Languages is made possible through a partnership with the Green Mountain Library Consortium.  

Access eBooks including Kindle and audiobooks. Through our membership in the Green Mountain Library Consortium and a generous initial grant from the Oakland Foundation, we are able to offer our patrons access to downloadable audio books and eBooks. Access the service directly at http://www.listenupvermont.org -- all you need to download is your library card.