Reading & Artist Reception: Pastoral Stories of Shepherding

Join us for an evening of two stories separated by nearly a century, but joined by the timeless rhythms of shepherding and their connections to Vermont. Celebrate the art of the Coach Barn, including a new installation, the Nine Square Wrap Project.

Helen Whybrow will read from her memoir, The Salt Stones: Seasons of a Shepherd’s Life, and Jody Gladding will read from her translation of Jean Giono’s novel, The Serpent of Stars.

The connection between these books is personal and profound. Whybrow discovered Jean Giono’s 1933 novel in a local bookstore years ago. Giono’s description of French alpine shepherds in the Luberon Mountains was an initiation into the rich narrative traditions of pastoral life. The Salt Stones is a celebration and meditation on pastoralism, tracing Whybrow’s journey of becoming a shepherd in Fayston, Vermont, and throughout, The Serpent of Stars serves as her literary touchstone. The Salt Stones was chosen for the 2026 Vermont Book Award, longlisted for the National Book Award, and named a New Yorker Best Book of 2025. Jody Gladding, an acclaimed poet and translator of over 40 books, lives in East Calais, Vermont. Her beautiful translation of Giono's The Serpent of Stars was published in 2004 and reissued in March 2026. Both books will be available for sale and signing with a percentage of books sales donated to Rural Vermont.

SAS Architects’ Bren Alvarez will discuss the artful and unconventional acoustic interventions that evolved during the recent Coach Barn rehabilitation, using both commercial and farm-sourced materials in collaboration with artists Nancy Winship Milliken and Andrew Milliken. An additional solution emerged simultaneously: a patchwork of acoustic squares wrapped wool and framed in cottonwood grid frames, creating a quilt-like display.

Since reopening the Coach Barn in September 2025, these functional art pieces have been expanded upon by community and staff, inspiring the new Nine Square Yarn Wrap Project. Meet the ten artists invited to collectively form a single work, a non-traditional take on a traditional quilt. Please arrive early to meet the artists and see their artwork prior to installation.

Nine Square artists:

• Ellen Spring
• Janet Van Fleet + Sabine Likhite
• Leslie Roth
• Lily Hinrichsen
• Marie Davis
• Martha Elmes
• Rachel Nevitt
• Susan Smereka
• Trista Ringer

The evening’s agenda:

• 5:00PM: Doors open and artist reception, including a viewing of their work
• 6:00PM: Welcome and introduction to the art in the Coach Barn
• 6:20PM: Reading with Helen Whybrow and Jody Gladding
• 7:30PM Reception and book signing