Bookseller Ben Koenig presents his research around Dorothy Canfield Fisher for whom the former Vermont children’s book award was named. As our understanding of our culture and our history improves, we all are faced with the sometimes uncomfortable work of progress. Please join us for what is sure to be a thought-provoking dialog.
“In 1957 the Vermont Department of Libraries created the Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Children’s Book Award, honoring an author who at that time was world famous. When
she died the following year, The New York Times said of her, “She worked in many
causes, urging women to use their new-found freedoms, championing the rights of
children, promoting new educational ideas and defending humanity wherever she
thought it oppressed.”
However, in 2017, after sixty years of honoring Fisher, the Vermont Department of
Libraries removed Fisher’s name from the award. It claimed that Fisher was a supporter
of the eugenics movement which negatively affected many Vermonters.
Today, the allegations against Fisher are unavoidable. But are they true? Was she really a
eugenicist?
Bookseller, Ben Koenig has come to believe that Fisher’s good name has been
needlessly maligned. He will discuss her life, her writings and the Vermont book prize
formerly in her name. His extensive research also raises important questions about how
we make judgments today, the dangers of “going viral” on the internet, and about how to
navigate the complexities of judging a person's entire life.” - Ben Koenig
