Monadnock Ledger Transcript – Amos Fortune Forum Announces Lecture Series

The 77th annual Amos Fortune Forum has announced speakers for its upcoming summer lecture series.

This free series takes place every Friday at 8 p.m. from July 5 through August 16. All presentations will take place in the Meetinghouse at the Jaffrey Center. This summer, the forum will offer space and seating on the Meetinghouse Common for participants who wish to arrive early and bring a picnic. This space will be set up on Friday evenings at 6:30 p.m.

The series is designed to inspire and stimulate conversation and offers an opportunity to listen to and interact with this summer’s keynote speakers.

On July 5, baseball historian Rob Hannings will present “America’s Pastime: A Journey Through Local Baseball History.” On July 12, international portrait artist Annette Polan will present “Judge Sandra Day O’Connor: A Portrait in Words and Pictures.”

Nora Lewis, staff writer for the Black Heritage Trail of NH, will present “The Path from Slave to Patriot: Amos Fortune and Other Early African Americans in NH” on July 19.

On July 26, Mark Beckwith, Bishop Emeritus of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark (NJ), will deliver the lecture “Seeing Beyond Polarization.” Folk musician Gordon Perry will present “The Folkway: Fifty Years Out” on August 2.

On August 9, Kerstin Burlingame, Park Ranger for Interpretation and Education, will speak with the lecture “America’s Preeminent Sculptor You’ve Never Heard Of: Augustus Saint-Gaudens,” and the former Secretary of State of New Hampshire will conclude the series on August 16 with the lecture “Will the 60th U.S. Presidential Election Be the Last?”

A recording of each event will be available on YouTube shortly after the presentation. Program information is available at amosfortune.org.