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NEW LOCATION: Family Picnic In The Park Concert Series

NEW LOCATION!  See Magic Fred in the Multipurpose Room at the RW Black Community Center, 48 Lebanon St, Hanover.     Join us for a series of Wednesday evening concerts perfect for […]

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Chess Club

Drop-in for a game of chess; beginner to seasoned players. Open to kids, teens, and adults of all ability levels.  Contact sam.milnes@thehowe.org with questions. 

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Excavations and Exhibitions: Digging into Archeology and the Art Museum

Howe Library and the Hood Museum of Art are collaborating on this year’s national summer reading theme, “Unearth a Story,” with particular reference to paleontology and archaeology. The Howe has chosen to […]

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Past Programs

Russ Cohen, naturalist and wild foods enthusiast, grew up in Weston, Mass, where he spent much of his free time in the woods, thereby cultivating a strong spiritual connection to nature. He received his bachelor's degree in land use planning from Vassar College in 1978, and received a masters in Natural Resources and a law degree from The Ohio State University in 1982. Until retiring from state service, Russ was employed by the Riverways Program (now part of the Division of Ecological Restoration) of the Mass. Department of Fish and Game since 1988, and served as its Rivers Advocate from 1992 until June of 2015. Other past employers have included the Nature Conservancy, the Land Trust Alliance, The Hillside Trust, a land trust in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Massachusetts Audubon Society. This program was cosponsored by Howe Library and the Hanover Conservancy. https://www.hanoverconservancy.org/
Edible Plants
Chelsea Hanrahan, volunteer investigative genetic genealogist with the DNA Doe Project, presents on how genealogists use DNA research to assist law enforcement, shares real-life case examples, and discusses ways the public can contribute to this important work. Since 2021, Hanrahan has combined her lifelong interests in genealogy and true crime through her work in investigative genetic genealogy. In addition to volunteering with the DNA Doe Project, she serves as a researcher for the New England-based podcast Murder, She Told and works with the F.A.I.R. Lab at the University of New Hampshire to support forensic anthropology research and public education efforts surrounding genetic genealogy. This talk took place at the Howe Library in Hanover, NH on July 7th, 2026.
Investigative Genetic Genealogy and the DNA Doe Project: A Crash Course
Anthropologist Laura Ogden discusses the ongoing legacy of Charles Darwin in the Fuegian Archipelago of southernmost Chile, with particular focus on the ways Darwin’s depictions of Indigenous people in the region continues to shape the present. Her talk is based on a decade of research in the region, including collaborations with ranchers, conservation organizations, and the Yagán Indigenous community. This talk took place at the Howe Library in Hanover, NH, on May 7, 2026. Laura Ogden is Professor of Anthropology at Dartmouth College. Her current book project, supported by a Guggenheim Fellowship, is called 'The Book of Birds: A Memoir of Extinction,' and explores our obligations to species threatened with extinction.
Darwin, Colonialism, and the Lost Tribes of the Fuegian Archipelago
Paul Musselwhite, Professor of History at Dartmouth, discusses the Upper Valley at the time of the American Revolution, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Paul Musselwhite is a historian of early America with a particular focus on the political economy of early plantation societies in North America and the Caribbean. This talk was co-sponsored by the Howe Library and the Hanover Historical Society, and took place at the Howe Library in Hanover, NH, on May 13, 2026.
Celebrating the 250th: Frontier of Revolution: The Upper Valley in 1776
What does it take to make the outdoors open to all? Join us for an energizing conversation with three inspiring speakers who are breaking down barriers to trail access—through innovative design, inclusive planning, and game-changing adaptive equipment. This program reimagines what an “accessible trail” can be, highlighting practical solutions and powerful stories that are reshaping our shared landscapes. This talk took place at the Howe Library in Hanover, NH on April 30, 2026, and was co-sponsored by the Howe Library, the Hanover Conservation Commission, and the Hanover Bike Walk Committee. Abigail Johnson is an emerging leader in inclusive outdoor design and community-centered planning. Jeff Alexander is a changemaker as the Director of Strategic Partnerships & Business Development at Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports. Russell Hirschler is a leading voice in community trail development and accessibility as Executive Director of the Upper Valley Trails Alliance. Moderator Jennie Chamberlain serves as a Hanover Selectboard member, lectures in Film & Media at Dartmouth, and is an advocate for mobility justice, active transportation, and sustainability.
Inviting Everyone Into Nature
Colin Calloway, Professor of History at Dartmouth, discusses the Native American experience during the time of the American Revolution, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This talk was co-sponsored by the Howe Library and the Hanover Historical Society, and took place at the Howe Library in Hanover, NH, on April 28, 2026. Colin Calloway is the John Kimball Jr. 1943 Professor of History and Professor of Native American and Indigenous Studies at Dartmouth College.
Celebrating the 250th: The Native Americans' Revolution
This talk was co-sponsored by the Hanover Conservation Commission and the Howe Library, and took place at the Howe Library in Hanover, NH on April 21, 2026. Rev. Dr. Andi Lloyd, a former professor of biology at Middlebury College and currently the co-pastor at the Church of Christ at Dartmouth College, discusses the spiritual dimensions of the climate crisis, exploring how eco-spiritual and eco-theological perspectives can help to illuminate a path forward in a climate-changed world. Rev. Dr. Andi Lloyd is an ecologist and an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. She received her B.A. degree in Geography from Dartmouth College in 1989, an M.S. in Biology & Wildlife from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 1992, and a PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Arizona in 1996.
Spiritual Dimensions of the Climate Crisis
Local author Courtney Floyd to discuses her debut fantasy novel, Higher Magic. Higher Magic is an incisive, irreverent, and whimsical cozy dark academia novel for fans of Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde series and R.F. Kuang’s Babel, a struggling mage student with intense anxiety must prove that classic literature contained magic—and learn to wield her own stories to change her institution for the better. Courtney Floyd grew up in New Mexico, where she learned to write between tarantula turf wars and apocalyptic dust storms. She currently lives at the bottom of a haunted mountain in the woods of Vermont with her partner and pets. Her debut fantasy novel, Higher Magic, was published by MIRA Books in October 2025. Courtney has a PhD in British Lit and a penchant for irreverent literary allusions. Her short fiction and poetry can be found in publications including Haven Spec, Small Wonders, and Fireside Magazine, and her cozy horror audio drama, The Way We Haunt Now, is available on all major podcast platforms. Find her online at courtney-floyd.com. This talk took place on April 16, 2026 at the Howe Library in Hanover, NH.
Author Talk with Courtney Floyd

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