Difficult Conversations Series

DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS WORKSHOP SERIES No matter how competent you are, we all have conversations that cause anxiety and frustration. Whether you're trying to manage a delicate situation at work, navigating a disagreement with a neighbor, or managing a dust-up at home, many of us tend to avoid those "difficult conversations." This "Difficult Conversations" workshop series can help. All workshops will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. This workshop series, based on the book Difficult Conversations by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen, offers tips and a chance to practice bringing up the hard stuff with less stress and more success. Workshop participants will receive a free copy of this book with a list of program sponsors on the inside cover. Pre-registration is required for each workshop. Call Karen at
223-9606 or email klblazer@montpelier-vt.org.

We had an overwhelming response to the first workshop– The Basics of Having a Difficult Conversation with Kathleen Moore and Ginny Sassaman. We will hold a second workshop on this topic on February 28 at 6:30pm. Whether trying to manage a delicate situation at work, talk to family members about a loved one’s needs, navigate a disagreement with a neighbor, or voice opposition regarding municipal affairs, many of us tend to avoid or stumble through these “difficult conversations”.

February 21 – Difficult Conversations with Neighbors with Brooke Hadwen
How do you talk to your neighbors about the fumes that come in your window when they leave their car running? The dog that barks each time you sit in your yard? Or the ball that keeps coming over the fence onto your garden? Learn ways to give information, ask for what you need, and negotiate differing expectations.

Space is limited so please call to register!

Exploring the Sacred

EXPLORING THE SACRED: The Feminine in the Cosmos and in the Human Person with Dr. Ted Brenneman, Professor Emeritus, Religion, University of Vermont. This series will focus on the quality of the feminine and the way this quality expresses itself in the configuration and processes of the earth. Brenneman will explore various facets of the feminine by examining a group of goddesses that express and live out particular qualities of the essential or “archetypal” feminine: the feminine in its first and most fundamental form. The first presentation was cancelled due to the Valentine's Day blizzard, but we will meet Wednesday, February 21 and 28, at 7pm in the Hayes Room at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.

Thai Woven Fish Workshop

"You've never seen a room full of gray haired people so focused and enjoying themselves making a craft that fourth graders usually do." That was Chris Brown's assessment of the Thai Woven Fish Workshop that he attended with his wife, Connie, this past Saturday at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. (Not everyone had gray hair although the majority did!) The workshop was taught by Suchada Sanonguthai, a Thai AFS Visiting Teacher at Montpelier High School and Primprao Dejdamrong, a Thai AFS Visiting Teacher at Randolph Elementary School. We learned how to weave paper into the shape of fish using wall paper or recycled 2006 Vermont Life calendars. The woven fish is a symbol of perseverance and prosperity. It took perseverance to learn how to weave the pretty fish. I felt like I was all thumbs. Once we got the hang of it we had 15 people crafting fish after fish. Chris and Connie Brown were in the library today. They are addicted at weaving fish - they make them every day. I must admit I have five new fish on my kitchen counter. I experimented with using construction paper with one fish. Connie is using ribbon. Today two other people told me how much they enjoyed the workshop. I keep looking at the woven fish mobiles on display at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library for more design ideas. Who knew a time honored domestic Thai craft would capture our imagination!