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

Perseverantia: Fitchburg State University Podcast Network

This is the second 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 stories of how

• one man's perception that life's stumbling blocks are really stepping stones lead to a well lived in the world of writing, academia, and his community
• a university professor's journey from Kenya to Fitchburg included a life lesson in finding "confetti moments" in even the smallest achievements
• a writer and Fitchburg City Councilor reflections on and research into her Armenian heritage lead to a a recognition of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day in the city of Fitchburg

and, lastly,

• a passion for theater and reading lead a college student to appreciate how the stories we tell keep memories alive.

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: Zachary Bos, Dr. Jescah Apamo-Gannon, Sally Cragin, and Julia Dufresne (ENGL '26).

Episode transcript can be found here.
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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.

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