Book Club: January 14: The Director
2026-01-14 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Vermont
The Director, by Daniel Kehlman, is a New York Times top five fiction books of 2025

This fascinating historical novel follows the later career of G.W. Pabst, the brilliant German film director who created Pandora’s Box and the Threepenny Opera, and who made both Garbo and Louise Brooks world famous. A few years before World War II, Pabst and his wife and son settle in Hollywood, then in Paris, before he is pressured to return to Austria where his aging mother lives, on the eve of the invasion of Poland. We observe him and his family as they each learn to live in the Third Reich’s reality of strongmen, implicit threats and ethical choices. Pabst remains a director first and foremost, attempting to imprint his visual style to any film he may find himself forced to make. He faces the prospect of compromising every creative principle he once held. Timely and complex, and often quite funny, this is a portrait of one man’s test of integrity in an increasing fracturing world. You must register to participate.

Feb Club, February 27 in Stowe
2026-02-27 16:00 - 18:00 | Trapp Bierhall, 1333 Luce Hill Road, Stowe, Vermont, 05672, United States
Here’s the plan … go downhill skiing at Stowe, do Nordic at the von Trapp Family Lodge and Resort, or go to the Ben & Jerry’s factory in Waterbury and spend the rest of the day shopping in Stowe Village. Suit Yourself, then come by the Trapp Bierhall from 4-6 pm to bend an elbow with some fellow Yalies and some friendly folks from Brown. Who knows? Afterwards, stay for some food, head off to dinner elsewhere, or call it a day and call it a Feb Club. a mid-winter excuse for conviviality.

Book Club April 22
2026-04-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Vermont
Henry Knox’s Noble Train: The Story of a Boston Bookseller’s Heroic Expedition That Saved the American Revolution.

Mark your calendar April 22, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

During the brutal winter of 1775-1776, an untested Boston bookseller named Henry Knox commandeered an oxen train hauling 60 tons of cannons and other artillery from Fort Ticonderoga near the Canadian border. He and his men journeyed some 300 miles south and east over frozen, often treacherous terrain to supply George Washington for his attack of British troops occupying Boston. The result was the British surrender of Boston and the first major victory for the Colonial Army. This is one of the great stories of the American Revolution, still little known by comparison with the more famous battles of Concord, Lexington, and Bunker Hill.

This exciting tale of daunting odds and undaunted determination highlights a pivotal episode that changed history. Register here.

Special Guest Announcement:We are delighted to welcome Stuart Lilie, Vice President of Public History at the Fort Ticonderoga Association, who will join our discussion to share insights on Henry Knox’s remarkable journey and the enduring legacy of Fort Ticonderoga in Revolutionary history.

For Spring 2026, the Yale Club of Vermont Book Club features a work that is both timely and of local interest. Almost exactly 250 years ago, Henry Knox transported cannons through frozen terrain from Fort Ticonderoga to Massachusetts to help relieve Boston from the British.

Fort Ticonderoga is a regional gem and, along with the Ethan Allen associations, looms large in Vermont history. The 250th anniversary of the “Noble Train” has been marked by extensive reenactments between our region and Boston.

Join us on Zoom on Wednesday, April 22, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. for a lively discussion of the book and the history of the Revolution in northern New England.

The Yale Club of Vermont now formally invites all New England Yale Clubs to join us for these virtual book gatherings. Many of our clubs include members spread across remote islands, mountain towns, and wooded communities, where coming together online offers a meaningful way to connect. Alumni from across the region — and others who find their way to us — are warmly welcome.

Registration is now open!

Yale Day of Service
2026-05-09 08:00 - 20:00 | Vermont
Two Options for May Day of Service:

South: Board member Lisa Catapano-Friedman writes: Help Habitat for Humanity complete a beautiful, highly energy efficient home on Greenview Drive in Bennington that they are building with a family of six refugees. This is the fourth Habitat home on this road, with another currently in progress in the neighborhood. The organizer for Habitat is Tye Poquette and he can be contacted at HERE, and he can tell you how to sign up.

North: The Yale Club of Vermont is honored to participate in the Yale Day of Service on Sat 5/9/26. Join us at ANEW Place in Burlington, Vermont, a transitional shelter for homeless individuals with a focus on supporting their goal to permanent housing. Our group of Yale volunteers will plan and prepare a meal in the shelter’s kitchen and serve dinner to around twenty guests. Feel free to bring a dish or side to prepare if you wish, but no need! There will be plenty to prepare. Also please feel free to bring your musical instrument to entertain the guests during dinner if inspired! We will meet at 4:30 and dinner is served around 6 or 6:30. If you can’t join us that day, drop a line to let us know if you might be available and interested another time, as we are sure to return throughout the year. Being together and being of service in the spirit of Yale is the goal of the evening! Email Laura McGevna to sign up.

Summer Picnic
2026-07-26 12:00 - 16:00 | Lake Elmore State Park, 856 VT Route 12, Lake Elmore, Vermont, 05657, United States
Enjoy yourself at the Yale Club of Vermont’s 2026 summer picnic at Lake Elmore State Park. We’ll meet at the Picnic Pavilion, close to the beach, with swimming, boat rentals, hiking trails, camping, and snack bar. Elmore is particularly amenable to children. We’ll listen to readings from several contributors to 2050: Vermonters Take a Swipe at the Future, by Bill Mares and Jane Smith. We’ll have grills for cooking, so bring your own food and drink. Questions may be directed to Jim Lengel, Yale College ’71, who has a camp on Lake Elmore. RSVP below.

Book Club: This is Where the Serpent Lives
2026-08-19 19:00 - 20:00 | Vermont
This is Where the Serpent Lives, by Daniel Mueennuddin (Yale Author!)

In the great tradition of lawyers turned writers (Kafka, Henry Fielding, Wallace Stevens, Elizabeth Strout, and so on) Daniel Mueenduddin is a graduate of Yale Law School, but his passion is writing. Join us to discuss This is Where the Serpent Lives; his prior collection of short stories In Other Rooms, Other Wonders was longlisted for the the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.In this debut, four separate stories in Pakistan interconnect across generations to weave a tale of Pakistani society, ambition, love, corruption, from top to bottom, including chauffeurs, aristocrats, gangsters, and the elite class educated in the West. The Guardian proclaims the book an “epic of power and class across generations in Pakistan [that] is brutal, funny and brilliantly told.” We agree!

Join us on Zoom Wednesday, June 24th, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. for a lively discussion!

Register here.

Questions? Feel free to email YCV Book Club Liaison Mary Jane Mona, maryjanemona@gmail.com
