Athenaeum Bierstadt Fest Saturday, Sept. 19, 3-6 pm
Scott Davis
More information HERE .
Athenaeum News
RSVP for Vermont 250th Trivia w/ Vermont Historical Society, Tuesday, August 18, 6 PM
Linell Moss
Teams and individuals RSVP on the Athenaeum website.
Do you know which battle of the Revolutionary War was actually fought in Vermont? How about the original name for Camel’s Hump? Or who was the first governor of Vermont? Test your wits while spending time with family and friends.
Vermont History Trivia is great way to have fun with friends and family. Expertise isn't necessarily needed: questions are multiple choice to help newbies and history lovers of all ages engage with our state's past and present! For 2026, we've created special sets of questions that explore aspects related to the 250th anniversary of the U.S. within Vermont. You may learn about things like early Vermonters, significant battles, Indigenous culture, or Vermont place names.
You'll compete against other teams for prizes and learn fun new facts about the Green Mountain state. Join the Vermont Historical Society and the Athenaeum for fun & prizes.
Questions? Contact Megan Robinson at 802-748-8291 or mrobinson@stjathenaeum.org.
This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.
Call for Pies!
Linell Moss
Bakers of all types and sizes, raise your spatulas! The Friends of the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum will hold their annual Pie Sale on September 26 from 9 am until noon or when the pies have been sold. Donate a pie, or several pies, and help with our most delectable fundraiser. All monies raised will be donated to the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum for youth and adult programing and reading materials.
Please call 802-748-8291 or email friends@stjathenaeum.org to volunteer to bake a pie, or come in and sign up at the front desk.. We cannot accept pies that need to be refrigerated during the sale such as cream or meringue.
Summer Fall 2026 Event Calendar
Linell Moss
Friends of the Athenaeum Tea, Sunday, July 26, 1 PM
Linell Moss
Come enjoy delectable tea and treats in the air-conditioned splendor of the historic Art Gallery. Browse treasures in our silent auction.
$30.00 per Person/Limited Seating Available. RSVP by July 20.
3 ways to reserve your seat:
1) Mail your name, contact information and the number in your party, along with payment to the Athenaeum.
2) Stop by the first floor circulation desk and fill out a RSVP card, or
3) Sign up online HERE.
Proceeds from this event will support youth & adult programming for the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum.
Saturday, September 26-Friends of the Athenaeum Pie Sale
Linell Moss
Friends of the Athenaeum Pie Sale in front of the Athenaeum:9 am until pies are gone!
Pies $20.00 each; There will be a "1 free book at Secondhand Prose” coupon on each pie box. All proceeds support programming & materials for the Saint Johnsbury Athenaeum.
Secondhand Prose Sidewalk Sale & Cookbook Giveaway:9am - 1pm
At Secondhand Prose, 1222 Main Street, featuring a selection of cookbooks for FREE. Plus, every child who comes to the store gets one free children's book. All other book sales are priced by the buyer. So pick up your pie at the Friends of the Athenaeum Pie Sale, then come over and find your recipe for reading delight!
Secondhand Prose is operated by the Friends of the Athenaeum . All proceeds support programming & materials for the Saint Johnsbury Athenaeum.
Gallery Hall Exhibition Through September - "The Bellows Brothers" Photography by Bob Jenks and Jim Kipfer
Linell Moss
Fourth-generation St. Johnsbury photographer Bob Jenks collaborates with Jim Kipfer of Maine for a joint exhibition of their photographs entitled “The Bellows Brothers.” The exhibition will be on view during library hours from July through September in the second floor Hall Gallery. The Artists’ Reception will be held on Saturday, July 18 from 4-6 pm, and the public is invited to attend.
Robert C. Jenks, Master Photographer and Craftsman, is a 4th-generation photographer keeping the family-run business going. The business was established in 1886 by Robert’s great-grandfather, William H. Jenks. Robert graduated from Culinary Arts School in 1979 and didn’t feel like heading into work in a hot kitchen, so he started working for his dad and never stopped. He took over the business in 1986, following in the footsteps of his ancestors. Robert has a love for black & white images and hopes someday in the future to shoot only black and white.
Bob believes the Jenks Studio may be the oldest family-run studio in the United States. Other photographers may have been in business longer, but have sold out to non-family members.
Bob will show images shot by his great-grandfather, grandfather, father, and some of his own, including his recent photo of Stevie Van Zandt of the E Street Band and the Malvado Maple Mezcal produced by the St. Johnsbury Distillery.
James A. Kipfer is a fine art photographer whose studio is in Alna, ME. “I consider myself a photo-documentarian,” says Kipfer. “I focus on places that are distinct, with character, that are unique; places that are on the verge of disappearing either by nature or by man’s overwhelming need to homogenize our culture. My tools are analog, yet complex. I primarily use large format view cameras and gelatin silver film to record what I’m feeling. The quality of the finished contact prints capture a detail and depth that I feel is unmatched by modern digital images.”
Poetry Reading In The Art Gallery- Carlene Kucharczyk and Tim Mayo, Thursday, July 9, 6 PM
Linell Moss
Carlene Kucharczyk’s debut poetry collection, Strange Hymn, won the 2024 Juniper Prize for Poetry, and the 2025 VT Book Award for poetry. She is the recipient of a Creation Grant from the Vermont Arts Council and holds an MFA from North Carolina State University. Her work has been published in journals such as Mid-American Review, Green Mountains Review, Poetry Northwest, Tupelo Quarterly, and Conduit, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Kucharczyk earned an MFA in poetry from North Carolina State University and works at Dartmouth.
Tim May’s third full-length collection, Muscles Memories of Love and Disaster, was published in March, 2026 by Bainbridge Island Press. A ten-time Pushcart Prize Nominee, and a two- time finalist for the Paumanok Award, Mayo is also the recipient of three Vermont Writers Week Fellowships from the Vermont Studio Center. He lives in Brattleboro, VT, where he is a founding member and organizer of the Brattleboro Literary Festival author committee.
The event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.
Memory Café - Golden Ball Tai Chi, Tuesday, July 7, 10:30 AM
Linell Moss
Interested in improving your balance, boosting stamina, building community, and encouraging a sense of calm? After a well-received presentation of Golden Ball Tai Chi in January, Patricia Anderson will once again join the Athenaeum’s Memory Café, presenting a gentle form of Tai Chi and working with anxiety. Anderson has led the Golden Ball Tai Chi program in the NEK for over 20 years, and recently introduced the program to elementary students.
A compelling case for Tai Chi is presented in studies done by Harvard Medical School, the Veterans Administration, and reports published in the American Journal of Health. They showed, “evidence sufficient to suggest bone health, cardio fitness, better balance, and boost in mental health.”
What is a Memory Café? A welcoming social gathering for people living with changes in their memory or thinking, and the people who care about them, where participants have fun together, talk with others in similar situations, and try something new!
The event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.
Music in the Art Gallery –Jon Speer and The Meld, Friday, June 19, 1 pm
Linell Moss
Jon Speer is a local singer-songwriter from West Burke, VT. Although he has been writing songs for almost 35 years, he only recently began playing around the local open mics at the end of 2024 and has found a wonderful and supportive community who share his love for music. Although he was brought up on a good diet of grunge and rock and roll, Jon has naturally gravitated towards acoustic guitar from the beginning and over time has honed his skill in Travis style picking which helps him to achieve a dynamic sound, even when playing solo with bass, lead, and rhythm parts, all happening simultaneously, and sometimes while he is singing! He almost exclusively plays original music and his goals for 2026 include sharing those songs in more venues and getting started on a formal album, not likely to be released before 2027. His style would be described as Americana, Bluegrass, Indie-Rock, Country, and R&B. Come check him out and see what his newly acquired music community is so excited about! Jon will be joined by local multi-talented musician Stos playing harmonica.
Join us again in the fall on the third Friday each month for our series showcasing impressive and diverse NEK musical talent in the spectacular setting of the Art Gallery. Toussaint St. Negritude gets the series rolling on September 18.
These concerts are free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.
Music for Children with Katy Tessman, Wednesday, June 24, 10:15 am
Linell Moss
Come get your wiggles out with the upbeat music of singer-songwriter Katy Tessman.
A mother, singer-songwriter, author, and young survivor of breast cancer, Katy Tessmsan aims to help people find strength, courage, and optimism. This program will feature her music for children.
Since her 2023 album Fly
and 2025 EP Turnbuckles
, Tessman’s Mama-Americana style — celebrating life’s stumbles and summits — has earned praise from RnR Magazine
as “a quietly inspiring pleasure” and from Americana UK
for her “striking, pure country voice.”
In addition to her music career, Katy is also an award-winning children’s book author, celebrated as a CHANGEMAKER by Minnesota Women’s Press. “ Our Mama is a Beautiful Garden
” is her young family’s story battling breast cancer. The pandemic sparked a reawakening in Katy's songwriting, igniting a fresh surge of energy to start performing again. Using the wisdom she’s gained through breast cancer survival, heartbreak, and motherhood, Tessman’s songwriting helps her celebrate life’s stumbles and summits. This newfound inspiration led to her re-debut in 2022, marking a significant musical resurgence that led to selling out listening-room shows, releasing a handful of singles, A decade after her cancer diagnosis, Katy wrote a song that sums up the everyday-hero’s journey and published the accompanying lyric picture book, “ Hero Now Crowned
.”
Engaged in outreach events , Katy shares her story, talent, and positivity, offering comfort to others. Stories and songs truly heal and her aim is to evoke laughter and tears, spread smiles, while fostering a sense of hope and togetherness.
This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.
Livestream of TED Democracy Philadelphia: Founding Futures, Saturday, June 13, Sessions at 2 and 4 PM
Linell Moss
Libraries strengthen democracy every day.
This daylong symposium features 15+ brand-new TED Talks focused on the evolution and future of democracy, streaming live from Philadelphia during America’s 250th anniversary.
Join us for big ideas, thoughtful conversation, and a shared civic moment.
Presented in collaboration with Visit Philadelphia and partners nationwide, and sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts, this event connects local conversation to a national moment.
Click Here for Up to Date Speaker Lineup
RSVP Here for 4 pm session
These sessions are free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.
Author Jasper Craven Book Talk and Signing—God Forgives, Brothers Don’t, Wednesday, June 10, 7 PM
Linell Moss
Author Jasper Craven is a Northeast Kingdom native who got his start in journalism at the Caledonian Record. He today covers the military and veterans' issues for outlets including The New York Times, Harper's, The New Republic, The Nation, and New York magazine. In addition to God Forgives, Brothers Don’t (published on May 19, 2026), he is also the coauthor, with Suzanne Gordon and Steve Early, of the academic book Our Veterans . Follow him on X@Jasper_Craven.
In the tradition of Sebastian Junger’s Tribe and Chris Hedges’s classic War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning , God Forgives, Brothers Don't is a powerful investigation into the fraught history and ominous future of military education in the United States, and how it formed and fuels increasingly volatile strains of American masculinity.
Tunnel Books will be selling and the author will be signing books. This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.
Listen to Jasper on Vermont Edition on May 20: https://www.vermontpublic.org/show/vermont-edition/2026-05-20/journalist-jasper-craven-on-the-harms-of-american-military-education
Heist! How to Steal a Masterpiece (And Why You Probably Shouldn’t Try) with Erin Thompson: Wednesday, June 3, 6 PM
Linell Moss
How do thieves pull off museum heists? What happens to a stolen Picasso? Are there really so many lasers involved… or is that just Hollywood?
This talk explores the surprising world of museum heists, from the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa to a smash and grab targeting Yogi Berra’s World Series rings to the case of a Rembrandt swiped four times from the same museum. We’ll examine spectacular security failures, the curious psychology of art thieves, and how changing ideas about the purpose of museums continue to shape modern art crime. Along the way, you’ll learn what actually works in museum security, why some masterpieces vanish without a trace, and what drives someone to steal something they can never sell.
Erin L. Thompson ( www.artcrimeprof.com ) is America’s only professor of art crime. She holds a PhD in Art History and a JD, both from Columbia University, and teaches at the City University of New York. She is the author of Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of American Monuments (Norton, 2022) and The Styrofoam Mummy and Other Tales from the Dark Side of the Antiquities Market (Norton, forthcoming in 2027).
This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.
Crafting Change: Kingdom Animal Shelter, Saturday, May 23, 10 AM
Linell Moss
Stitch something meaningful at a charity crafting session led by the Yarn Bank. We’ll be making knitted and crocheted cat toys and blankets for Kingdom Animal Shelter .
All supplies are available at The Yarn Bank , but you’re welcome to bring your own. If you already have a pattern you enjoy, feel free to use it, and we will have patterns. Acrylic yarns of any weight work well when matched with the right needle or hook size. If you need help, The Yarn Bank is happy to assist.
Yarn, needle, and hook donations will be accepted by Megan at the Athenaeum leading up to the event. For any questions: mrobinson@stjathenaeum.org or 802-748-8291.
Supply List
Blankets (Crochet)
-
K size hook, Worsted weight yarn, Patterns
Blankets (Knit)
-
Circular or regular needles size #7 or #9, Worsted weight yarn
Toy Ball (Crochet)
-
G6 size hook, Worsted weight yarn, Polyfill (for stuffing)
This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.
A Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted (w/ Vermont Humanities), Wednesday, May 20, 6:30 PM
Linell Moss
“We The People” are invited to this presentation to learn the history of printing The American Revolution, and to engage in a conversation around an old printing press, pull a broadside, and imagine what The Next Revolution could be. Speaker John Vincent is a retired police officer, poet, letterpress printer, and director of A Revolutionary Press, a nonprofit, volunteer-run collective of artists in service to the Common Good in New Haven, Vermont.
When the hand-written Declaration of Independence was delivered to the local print shop the evening of July 4, 1776, it was massed-produced on the printing press overnight. But only after it was entirely set by hand, one l-e-t-t-e-r at a time, and locked up in a press bed to be pulled by hand, one copy at a time.
Methods employed by the earlier revolutionaries to foment and print their Revolution of 1776 are used today at A Revolutionary Press , the print shop in New Haven, Vermont.
John Vincent is also the co-curator of “Finding Hope Within: Healing and Transformation Through the Making of Art Within the Carceral System”, a traveling art exhibition in Vermont for 2023-2026. He presents on the historical and contemporary significance of hand-setting type on the printing press in context with the past and future Revolutions in this country. Learn more on his website .
This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public, sponsored by Vermont Humanities and the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum.
St J Arts & Culture Community Roundtable Discussion, Tuesday, May 19, 5 PM
Linell Moss
Join in for a conversation surrounding all things Arts & Culture in the town of St Johnsbury!This project, in partnership between Catamount Arts and the Town of St Johnsbury, aims to build on St. Johnsbury's long-standing arts tradition to leverage distinctive assets, strengthen community identity, and position arts and culture as a catalyst for community vitality, economic development, and cultural connection.
The Roundtable Discussion at the Athenaeum is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.
The Phoenix Queen with Author Sarah Emery- Book Launch and Reception. Monday, May 18, 6 pm
Linell Moss
A Vermont college student who has never known her origins discovers she is the last descendant of Anne of Cleves—and the only one who can resist the pull of the immortal Phoenix Queen—while falling for the Vatican agent sworn to protect her, even if loving him may be the most dangerous choice of al
Join NEK author Sarah Emery for the debut of her first novel, The Phoenix Queen —a paranormal romance and historical fantasy that weaves New England gothic atmosphere with Tudor intrigue.
Told through the witty, modern voice of a reluctant heroine, the story explores the dark allure of forbidden history and a destiny centuries in the making.
About Sarah
Author Sarah Emery is a long-time dreamer and first-time novelist. She has spent over thirty years building a career in healthcare leadership, teaching, and technology—most recently serving as Director of Medical Staff Services in a rural hospital.
In 2018, she bravely self-published her Action Research project, which achieved a *whopping* total of $0.00 in sales. Far from discouraging her, the experience sparked a determination to keep writing, and ultimately led to her debut novel, The Phoenix Queen. Blending history, paranormal lore, and romance, the novel draws on her lifelong obsession with the Tudor dynasty and her love of New England’s uncanny corners.
She lives in Vermont with a stack of history books, a vivid imagination, and the stubborn belief that it’s never too late to chase a dream.
This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.
Music in the Art Gallery Concert Series with Sue Persson. Friday, May 15, 1 PM
Linell Moss
Sue Persson is a singer/songwriter/guitarist who grew up in the Boston area. Originally a classical flute player, she was a member of the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra in high school but ignored her flute teacher’s urging that she attend conservatory after she discovered the guitar. In 1979 she moved to Vermont and has performed in the area since 1980, originally with her late husband Ed Ryan in the band Full Moon Revue. They were featured vocalists on the Re-Bops Oldies for Kids records released on Re-Bop Records.
Sue taught vocal and instrumental music for 30 years at the Concord, Barnet and Monroe (NH) schools. After her retirement in 2019, she opened her private studio in Barnet and currently has a busy schedule teaching songwriting, guitar, ukulele, percussion, brass and wind instruments. She is also a regular performer at the Danville Inn and Restaurant, appearing the second and fourth Thursday of every month.
Join us in the Athenaeum Art Gallery on the third Friday each month for our series showcasing impressive and diverse NEK musical talent. You'll encounter new and familiar performers in the spectacular setting of the Art Gallery. On June 19, Jon Speer and the Meld will close our spring season. Our Fall 2026 Music in the Gallery Series will commence on September 18 with Toussaint St. Negritude.
These concerts are free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.
Athenaeum Film Fan Comedy Series-- Team Comedy: Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, Three Stooges, Tuesday, May 12 6:30 PM
Linell Moss
Join the Athenaeum Film Fan Club for our monthly comedy movie with free popcorn and soft drinks. This month features America’s favorite comedy teams. With an introduction by host Damian Ryan.
There has been no shortage of comedy acts in American history, but perhaps the most famous and popular of them all is The Three Stooges, an act that has become synonymous with slapstick. Three bumbling but likable fools getting into all sorts of trouble due to their inability to think or behave properly, Moe, Larry and Curly quickly became a hit in comedy shorts on screen. Even as other similar acts like Abbot & Costello went on to make full length films, the Stooges continued to star in shorts.
By the 1920s, English comic Stan Laurel had been in dozens of films and American Oliver Hardy had appeared in hundreds, but it was not until they formed a duo together in 1926 that they began to truly be noticed. Once they did, however, Laurel & Hardy became one of the most famous comedy teams in American history, with a career that spanned 4 decades and included over 100 combined shorts and feature films. Even today, nearly 60 years after their last performances together, Laurel & Hardy are still popular, alongside legends like The Three Stooges and Abbott & Costello, and their routines are still watched across the globe.
Ironically, one of America’s most famous comedy duos, and the performers of the country’s most famous skit, came together in part because Lou Costello had already failed to cut it in the film industry. In fact, Costello had appeared in a Laurel & Hardy film in 1927 before meeting his partner, Bud Abbott, on the burlesque circuit in New York City.
This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.