Terry Farish, Connections Program Director for the last five years, is leaving NHHC to devote more time to writing, teaching, and her recently-published, highly successful novel, The Good Braider. During Terry’s tenure with Connections the program grew tremendously in reach, scope and influence.

Under Terry’s leadership the Connections program produced an English/Nepali picture
book, The Story of a Pumpkin, that has become a national model for creating literature to work with immigrant and refugee new readers. Terry spearheaded several of the Council’s most joyous events of the last several years including last fall’s Folktale Festival, author visits with Katherine Paterson and Naomi Shihab Nye, and the magical Night of Stories, Night of Song.

Thank you, Terry!

The Humanities Council is pleased to welcome Susan Bartlett as our new Connections Program Coordinator. Susan holds an MA in Literacy Education and has more than thirty years of experience working as a teacher, editor and writer in New Hampshire. She has taught high school English, designed oral history, storytelling, drama and literature programs for children and memoir writing classes for adults. Susan wrote adaptations for children’s theater at Andy’s Summer Playhouse in Wilton, directed community theater productions in Antrim, and edited short stories for the small Concord-based literary journal Bone and Flesh. For the past five years, Susan has designed and directed Rubia’s Sewing Confidence: a program for resettled refugee women in Manchester which integrates instruction in sewing, applied English language literacy, and business management. In collaboration with Burundian women in the Sewing Confidence program and partners throughout the state, Susan designed and implemented the NHHC-funded Whole Cloth Project in 2011.

Susan comes to the Literacy Coordinator position with five years of experience as a Connections facilitator. “I have worked primarily with new Americans: refugees and recent immigrants who are getting their bearings in this country,” she said. “It is profoundly moving to witness the power of stories to open up a sense of possibility in new readers. Literature can create unity, help people build new communities and develop a culture of belonging. Through exchanging stories, life has a sense of continuity, wholeness; we are not alone, the world and our lives have meaning.”

“I am delighted to join the NHHC team and have this opportunity to build on Terry Farish’s amazing legacy. Connections is a true gift to New Hampshire. Not only do we coordinate facilitated book discussions for at least thirty adult education programs each year, we now also have our own published Bhutanese folktale, adding depth to our library as well as our collective experience. I look forward to exploring more ways to collaborate with our readers, facilitators and teachers as we keep creating NHHC Connections.”

Susan lives on a small farm in Antrim with her husband, two teenage children, and an assortment of goats, chickens, donkeys and Australian shepherds. Contact her by e-mail or at 224-4071 x112.