The Salisbury Forum

05/07/2026

Yale constitutional scholar Akhil Reed Amar joined us last month for a conversation that felt especially timely.

As America approaches its 250th, Amar traced the arc of the founding proposition that all men are created equal: where it came from, where it fell short, and how it has been remade across generations.

The full program is now available on our website. Link in bio.

04/23/2026

Tomorrow night, we are asking one of the biggest questions in American history and we have one of the best people in the country to help us think through it.

As America approaches its 250th birthday, what does it actually mean that "all men are created equal?" Yale constitutional scholar Akhil Reed Amar, who has been cited by Supreme Court justices across the ideological spectrum in over 50 cases, is bringing his landmark scholarship to the Salisbury Forum stage, and we cannot wait.

Come for the conversation. Stay for the book signing. Audience members have the chance to receive a copy of his newest work, Born Equal: Remaking America's Constitution, 1840–1920, and Professor Amar will sign copies after the program.

This is exactly the kind of evening that reminds you why these conversations matter. See you there!

Walker Auditorium, The Hotchkiss School
Friday, April 24 | 7:30 PM
Please allow extra time for parking — accessible parking available on campus

Sign up at the link in bio.

04/19/2026

Professor Akhil Reed Amar has been cited by Supreme Court justices across the ideological spectrum in more than 50 cases. That is not an accident. It is what happens when scholarship is rigorous enough to transcend politics.

This Friday, April 24 at 7:30 PM, comes to the Salisbury Forum stage to ask a question that feels more urgent than ever: what does it truly mean that all men are created equal?

As America approaches its 250th birthday, there is no better moment to sit with that question, and no better guide to help us think it through.

Audience members have the opportunity to receive a copy of his landmark book, Born Equal: Remaking America's Constitution, 1840–1920, and Professor Amar will sign copies following the program.

Walker Auditorium | The Hotchkiss School
Friday, April 24 | 7:30 PM
Sign up through the link in bio.

Please leave time for parking. Accessible parking is available on campus.

04/12/2026

As America approaches its 250th birthday, what does it really mean that "all men are created equal"?

Join us Friday, April 24, at 7:30 PM for an evening with one of the country's most celebrated constitutional scholars. Yale's Akhil Reed Amar, who has been cited by Supreme Court justices across the ideological spectrum in over 50 cases, brings his landmark scholarship to the Salisbury Forum stage.

The best part? Audience members have the opportunity to receive a copy of his book, Born Equal: Remaking America's Constitution, 1840–1920, and Professor Amar will sign copies following the program.

Walker Auditorium, The Hotchkiss School
Friday, April 24 | 7:30 PM

Please leave time for parking. Accessible parking is available on campus.

The Hotchkiss School is a smoke-free campus.

Sign up through the link in the bio.

03/26/2026

It is almost here! Our forum with Russell Shorto, Peter Vermilyea, and Rhonan Mokriski is TOMORROW, Friday, March 27th at 7:30 PM. A few spots still remain, register for yours ASAP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1985188619601?aff=oddtdtcreator

Historian and author Russell Shorto will speak in conversation with Peter Vermilyea and Rhonan Mokriski to discuss Shorto’s Revolution Song: The Story of America's Founding in Six Remarkable Lives. Revolution Song is this year’s selection for Salisbury READS, an annual collaborative project that encourages the entire community to read a selected book together and engage in discussions and related programs. This program is presented in partnership with the Salisbury Association, the Troutbeck Symposium, and the Scoville Memorial Library, in connection with Salisbury Commemoration 250 and CT 250.

Russell Shorto is the director of the New Amsterdam Project at The New York Historical and senior scholar at the New Netherland Institute. He is the author of eight books of narrative history, including the national bestseller The Island at the Center of the World.

Peter Vermilyea, an award-winning history educator and author, teaches at Housatonic Valley Regional High School and for the University of Connecticut. His next book, Litchfield County in the Revolutionary War, will be published in the Spring of 2026.

Rhonan Mokriski, a co-founder of the Troutbeck Symposium, has been teaching at his alma mater, Salisbury School, since 1996. For his dedication and innovative approach to teaching, Mokriski was named the 2024 Gilder Lehrman Connecticut History Teacher of the Year.

03/15/2026

Registration is now open for our March 27th event with Russell Shorto, Peter Vermilyea, and Rhonan Mokriski. Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/russell-shorto-in-conversation-with-peter-vermilyea-and-rhonan-mokriski-tickets-1985188619601?aff=oddtdtcreator

Friday, March 27, 7:30 PM, at Housatonic Valley Regional High School

Historian and author Russell Shorto will speak in conversation with Peter Vermilyea and Rhonan Mokriski to discuss Shorto’s Revolution Song: The Story of America's Founding in Six Remarkable Lives. Revolution Song is this year’s selection for Salisbury READS, an annual collaborative project that encourages the entire community to read a selected book together and engage in discussions and related programs. This program is presented in partnership with the Salisbury Association, the Troutbeck Symposium, and the Scoville Memorial Library, in connection with Salisbury Commemoration 250 and CT 250.

Russell Shorto is the director of the New Amsterdam Project at The New York Historical and senior scholar at the New Netherland Institute. He is the author of eight books of narrative history, including the national bestseller The Island at the Center of the World.

Peter Vermilyea, an award-winning history educator and author, teaches at Housatonic Valley Regional High School and for the University of Connecticut. His next book, Litchfield County in the Revolutionary War, will be published in the Spring of 2026.

Rhonan Mokriski, a co-founder of the Troutbeck Symposium, has been teaching at his alma mater, Salisbury School, since 1996. For his dedication and innovative approach to teaching, Mokriski was named the 2024 Gilder Lehrman Connecticut History Teacher of the Year.

01/25/2026

Registration for our Friday, February 6th forum "Illusory Magic: A Brief History of the Craft Told in Moving Pictures and Spoken Word, with Strange Stories, Amusing Anecdotes, and Wondrous Sleight-of-Hand" with Jon Burnelle is now available on our website: www.salisburyforum.org

Jon Brunelle will present a brief history of the craft of illusory magic together with a sleight-of-hand demonstration, while taking a look at how magicians’ control of information and secrecy has changed over time. Jon practiced sleight-of-hand magic professionally during the 1970s and ’80s, performing at Hollywood’s Magic Castle and winning First Prize in a national close-up magic competition held by the Society of American Magicians in 1978. During his later career, he presented satiric slideshow lectures in collaboration with New York’s electronic music and video artists. His solo show, Better Love Through Surveillance, had successful stagings in downtown New York theaters during the 2010s. Jon has been a full-time resident of Norfolk since 2020.

01/24/2026

New year > new logo! 🎉 21 years of bringing forums to the northwest corner of Connecticut 👏🏻

01/02/2026

2026 is here and our first events of the year are on the calendar!

Two ways you can be the first to know when registration becomes available:
1. Join our email list at www.salisburyforum.org
2. Follow us on Eventbrite at https://bit.ly/salisburyforumeventbrite

12/31/2025