FITCHBURG SPEAKS: The Road Less Traveled - A Storytelling Event (part one of two)

Perseverantia: Fitchburg State University Podcast Network

This is the first of a special two part release.
Fitchburg Speaks showcases stories from members of the greater Fitchburg community. Faculty, Students, and Community members were invited to share stories on the themes of the paths less taken in life and the obstacles we overcome along the way.

This event was held at Fitchburg State University in April 2024, before a live audience in the Falcon Hub in the Hammond Campus Center.

Fitchburg Speaks was the culminating event from a year of programming inspired by the 2023 Community Read book, WHITE MOUNTAINS STATE, a memoir about hiking and summiting New Hampshire's 48 Highest peaks written by Keith Gentili, a 1993 Fitchburg State graduate.

Today, we'll hear four stories -- including

• a Fitchburg State professor's unexpected takeaways from bucket list hikes on Vermont's Long Trail and California's Muir Trail.
• a story about forgiveness and healing between a daughter and mother
• the reflections of an educator and author who learned the power of persistence as the first female cadet at any military school in the United States

and, lastly,

• another Fitchburg State professor's encounter with the kindness of strangers while hiking with a friend.

The Fitchburg Community Read is a collaboration between Fitchburg State University, local libraries, and the surrounding communities. For more information about the programming around the 2024 selection -- A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell -- visit www.fitchburgcommunityread.com.
Thank you to this week's storytellers: Dr. Michael Hoberman, Jasmin Valentin (ENGL '25), Nancy Fillip, and Dr. Chris Picone.

Episode transcript can be found here.
***

This production is a collaboration between the Fitchburg Community Read, Fitchburg State University and the English Studies department, and Perseverantia: the Fitchburg State Podcast Network.

Victoria Kiolbasa (COMM '25), a student in the Communications Media Department, recorded this event and produced this series.
Click here to learn more about Perseverantia. Join us for programming updates on Instagram. Or reach out with ideas or suggestions at [e-mail].