“Join or Die,” Again; Fetterman, Pence, Anita Hill Coming to the UV

Yes, if you are keeping count, this is my third post (it’s that compelling) about the film, Join or Die, based upon Robert Putnam’s book, Bowling Alone. The White River Indie Film Festival screened the movie last February (click here), and it is a riveting exposition of Putnam’s lifelong research about the critical need for social connection in a civil society, and the dangers inherent in its disappearance in recent times.

As part of a series, Democracy on Film, Dartmouth College, in conjunction with the Hopkins Center, will present the film, Join or Die, on October 8 at 6:30 p.m. in Loew Auditorium. And social scientist and author Robert Putnam himself—he’s practically a NH neighbor— will be there for a pre-film discussion. Tickets available here.

In addition to Democracy on Film, Dartmouth College has quickly brought together the 2024 Election Speaker Series leading up to the Presidential election on November 5 and beyond. The speaker series is open to Dartmouth students and the general public. It is . . . “part of a new course on the election that will give 70 students a chance to interact in a small-group setting with the speakers.” (Nothing would make me happier than to be a perpetual student, which, incidentally, may explain my thirty-six years in academia, although on the other side of the podium).

Former Vice-President Mike Pence will be speaking on October 31, just five days before the election, Senator (D-Pa.) John Fetterman on October 23. Civil rights leader Sherrilyn Ifill on September 24 and columnist Bill Kristol on September 26. Later in the year, Professor Anita Hill, whose testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the confirmation of then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas brought the issue of sexual harassment into the public consciousness, will speak on February 20. More information, including additional speakers, locations, times, and any last minute changes, can be found here. Scroll to the end to see the three other films being presented as part of the Democracy on Camera series.

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And in case you are wondering . . . Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.