Join us at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction for a special panel discussion around "Charity and Sylvia" by Tillie Walden, our Vermont Reads 2026 selection.

Walden will be joined by fellow non-fiction cartoonists Joel Christian Gill and Marek Bennett to discuss creating comics, and how they have used historical materials and references when making their books.

Please be sure to register ASAP as seating is limited! This event will be live-streamed and recorded.

By the People: Conversations Beyond 250 is a series of community-driven programs created by humanities councils across the United States, its territories, and the District of Columbia in collaboration with local partners. Together, these programs explore 250 years of the nation’s cultural life and imagine its shared future. The initiative was developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage as a complement to the 2026 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.