At a time when technology seems transcendent, Christopher Kaufman Ilstrup holds that the humanities are more important than ever.

That may be stating the obvious for Kaufman Ilstrup who is in his fourth year as director of Vermont Humanities. But he believes that solutions to urgent world problems require the perspectives of literature, the arts, religion, philosophy and history.

“We’ve been talking about the humanities not in the context of debating academic questions, but how to apply the humanities to everyday life,” he said.

In recent years, Vermont Humanities has addressed the migration crisis (“Searching for Home: Journeys, Quests and Migrations” in 2019) and democracy in America (“Democracy 20/20” in 2020).

This year, UVM’s Office of Engagement is the primary sponsor for the 48th annual fall Vermont Humanities Conference “This Mazéd World: The Humanities and Climate Change.” The conference brings the humanities out of the classroom and into the public square, with a mix of events hosted by venues all around the state. Among the featured presenters are author and climate activist Bill McKibben and NPR reporter Eric Westervelt.

Four “First Wednesdays” talks related to the theme of climate change begin on Wednesday, October 6 and the conference will conclude with a week of virtual events held from October 18 to 22. Most events are free. Pre-registration to receive the zoom links is required.

Presented in partnership with the UVM Lane Series, the conference concludes with a special live performance “Rising Tide: The Crossroads Project with the Fry Street Quartet” October 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the UVM Recital Hall. Confronting a planet under siege and a future in peril, the Crossroads Project creates live performance experiences that address global sustainability and provide a path toward meaningful response.

Bees Besieged by Our Changing Climate

October 6, 7 p.m., on-line, hosted by the Manchester Community Library

All 20,000 species of bees worldwide are at risk as global climate change affects their forage, reproduction, and behavior. Based on his 50 years as a backyard beekeeper, author Bill Mares addresses the macro and micro effects of a rapidly warming planet on Vermont’s bees.

The Path to Climate Justice is Local

October 6, 7 p.m. online, hosted by Middlebury College

Puerto Rican climate justice leader Elizabeth Yeampierre has helped pass climate legislation at all levels, including New York’s progressive Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. In this talk she describes how intergenerational BIPOC activists are changing the landscape of national climate priorities by speaking up for themselves and their neighborhoods.

History in Hot Water: Climate Change and the Shipwrecks of Lake Champlain

October 6, 7 p.m., online, hosted by the Norwich Historical Society and the Norwich Public Library

Lake Champlain is home to hundreds of well-preserved shipwrecks that help tell the story of our region. But climate change is altering the lake’s underwater cultural heritage. Susan Evans McClure and Christopher Sabick from the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum consider the impact of historical objects changing before our eyes.

Are “We the People” Up to the Task?

October 6, 7 p.m., online, hosted by the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum

In the U.S., all power is derived from the people. But can we expect the American public to meet the demands of climate change? Constitutional scholar Meg Mott explores the paradox of self-governance when the natural foundations of life itself are changing. (Registration required.) 

Thinking Through the Future with Bill McKibben

October 18, 7 p.m., online

From the biblical book of Job to the latest science fiction, literature can help us learn what it means to have suddenly become so large and can also give us clues to how we might shrink ourselves and our society a little. (Registration required.)

The Zone is Us: Sacrifice in the Space-Time of Climate Change

October 19, 7 p.m., online

Gleaning from classical mythology, UVM professor Adrian Ivakhiv suggests three paths for navigating climate-related trauma: those of Chronos (science), of Aion (arts and humanities), and of Kairos (action without guarantee).

Discussion: Are “We the People” Up to the Task?

October 20, 7 p.m., online

Join constitutional scholar Meg Mott for a lively discussion based on her October 6 First Wednesdays talk at the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, which will be recorded and offered in advance of this event. Ask your questions of Meg and add to the conversation! (Registration required.) 

Vermont Teen Shakespeareans Save the Planet

October 21, 7 p.m., online

In 2021, the Get Thee to the Funnery Shakespeare camp for teenagers discussed global warming and climate justice through the play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Funnery founder Peter Gould and a panel of informed, passionate, articulate, and wise campers describe their experience.

NPR’s Eric Westervelt on Bigger Fires, Hotter Days, and Drier Lands

October 22, 12:15 p.m., online, hosted by Middlebury College

Mega fires, excessive heat and widening drought all underscore how climate change is fueling the routinization of extreme weather, with consequences for all of us. (Registration required.)

Rising Tide: The Crossroads Project with the Fry Street Quartet

October 22, 7:30 p.m., in-person and streaming from the UVM Recital Hall, Burlington, presented in partnership with the UVM Lane Series.

With an original score by composer Laura Kaminsky as well as music by Haydn and Janáček, the Fry Street Quartet provides the backdrop to a compelling film and expert scientific storytelling by physicist Dr. Robert Davies of Utah State University. (Tickets required – get a discount code on the Vermont Humanities website. UVM students can attend in-person or streaming for $5).

To find out more about these programs and to register please visit the Vermont Humanities Fall conference website.