[B]RATTLEBORO — Everyone’s Books co-owner Nancy Braus was stocking Vermont calendars one fall when, leafing through a plethora of postcard views, she noticed something missing.
“Year upon year we have looked at everything available — churches and covered bridges and colored leaves — and thought, ‘None of these have people.’ And year upon year we’d say to ourselves, ‘This has got to end.’”
That’s why Braus has created a “We Are Vermont!” 2018 calendar to put a face on the state — and raise money for a cause.
The bookseller established her business in 1984 to offer a counterculture alternative to an increasingly chain-store world. Step into her downtown storefront and you’ll find paperbacks, periodicals and posters championing progressive politics, cultural diversity and environment awareness.
Envisioning a 12-month wall calendar, Braus sent out a call for photographs.
“Our goal,” the request said, “is to share the creativity, passion, diversity and progressive activism of Vermonters through beautiful color images.”
In response, people submitted pictures of everything from Brattleboro kindergartner Lucy Mnookin holding a “Rise Together” sign to U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders meeting constituents. Another showed the crowd — nearly 20,000, by some estimates — circling the Statehouse in January at the Montpelier Women’s March.
Braus gave the photos to Dede Cummings, a Brattleboro designer and founder of Green Writers Press. Cummings, in turn, passed on her graphic work to Springfield Printing, which turned out the finished product using recycled paper and soy-based ink.
Braus and Cummings have donated their services and supplies so all money raised will benefit the anti-climate change group 350Vermont. People can find the $15.95 calendar at several independent bookstores or by contacting Everyone’s Books at 802-254-8160.
Vermonters also can submit images and input for an anticipated 2019 edition.
“How can this calendar,” it asks inside, “be more beautiful and more useful as a tool to help us work together to create a healthier, more sustainable, and more joyful state and world?”
“We plan to do it annually,” Braus confirmed. “Hopefully we can create an ongoing source of funds as well as something people look forward to.”
