The Amos Fortune Forum plans to kick off its 73rd season with the first of seven speakers at the Jaffrey Meetinghouse next week.
Since 1946, the forum has provided a platform for speakers in the Monadnock Region to share their stories, some inspired by discussions held at the same Meetinghouse over two centuries ago.
The speakers were selected through a pool of suggestions from the Amos Fortune Forum Committee. People with ties to the Monadnock Region that had a story they were eager to tell were considered.
Nancy Beiter, co-chair of the committee, looks forward to what she believes will be an outstanding season. Unlike larger forums with a broader reach of participants, the value in the Amos Fortune Forum comes from its community focus, she said.
“That’s what distinguishes us. We’re a Monadnock community forum,” she said. “We have regulars and we very much welcome newcomers. People should understand that it’s their forum. We serve them.”
The speaking series starts on July 5 with Peterborough resident Sam Hackler, who will share stories of his time growing up in East Jaffrey in the 1950’s. He plans to capture the spirit and inclusiveness of the Jaffrey community in the post-war era with reflections of its people, places and events.
On July 12, Robert Goodby, Professor of Anthropology at Franklin Pierce, will be discussing the findings of the first human settlers in the Monadnock Region in his presentation titled, “The First to See Monadnock.” Goodby plans to delve into the social networks of these Paleoindian settlers that extended across northeastern North America.
One week later, on July 19, Goodby will be followed by nursing educator Anne Griswold Pierce. She will explain how Florence Nightingale’s prodigious nursing talents improved the health and welfare of the British soldier and, in turn, the rest of the world.
Incorporating a more modern topic, Jamie Trowbridge, President and CEO of Yankee Publishing, plans to capture the constantly changing media landscape and how businesses need to adapt to it.
“It’s not always obvious how curated media is going to survive,” he said. “It’s important that curated journalism and media finds its way to a sustainable place in our culture.”
Trowbridge’s roots with Yankee can be traced all the way back to one of its founders, his grandmother Trix Fagendorph, who has painted the covers of Yankee magazine for 30 years. Trowbridge hopes his audience on July 26 will be entertained by his many stories from his time in the media industry.
“Part of what I’m excited about is making a local connection to what has appeared in the pages of Yankee over the years,” he said.
On Aug. 2, Franklin Pierce University Librarian Paul Jenkins looks forward to sharing his passion and knowledge for the Beatles, a band he has taught courses about and co-edited a book on.
“I believe music is essential to the human condition and is one of the best ways for humans to express emotion,” Jenkins said. “I hope the audience takes away the fact that the Beatles are still very relevant to the music scene and contemporary culture.”
The sixth speaker, presenting on Aug. 9, will be Dublin resident Grace Aldrich discussing stories of race and the legal invention of whiteness in United States law and institutions. A practiced storyteller, Aldrich plans to share practices that transmute racism, restore freedom, build belonging and deepen humanity.
The final speaker on Aug. 16 is Ernest Thompson, best known for writing “On Golden Pond,” who plans to discuss storytelling. Throughout his nearly 50-year career, Thompson, has won an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a Writer’s Guild Award. He plans to close out the 2019 Amos Fortune Forum by inspiring his audience to look for stories in their daily lives.
Each speaker will present at the Jaffrey Meetinghouse at 8 p.m. on their respective dates.
For more information, visit www.amosfortune.com.