America at 250, with Special Emphasis on the Proposition that All Men are Created Equal
Friday, April 24th at 7:30 PM - Walker Auditorium, The Hotchkiss School
Akhil Reed Amar is Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, where he teaches constitutional law in both Yale College and Yale Law School. After graduating from Yale College, summa cum laude, in 1980 and from Yale Law School in 1984, and clerking for then Judge (later Justice) Stephen Breyer, Amar joined the Yale faculty in 1985 at the age of 26. He is Yale’s only living professor to have won the University’s unofficial triple crown: the Sterling Chair for scholarship, the DeVane Medal for teaching, and the Lamar Award for alumni service.
Amar’s work has won awards from both the American Bar Association and the Federalist Society, and he has been cited by Supreme Court justices across the spectrum in over fifty cases—tops among living scholars under age 70. He was an informal consultant to the popular TV show, The West Wing, and his scholarship has been showcased on many broadcasts, including The Colbert Report, Morning Joe, AC360, Fox News, and Erin Burnett Outfront.
He is the author of more than a hundred law review articles and several books. The Words That Made Us: America’s Constitutional Conversation, 1760-1840, came out in May 2021 and its sequel, Born Equal: Remaking America’s Constitution, 1840-1920 has just been published mid-September 2025. Amar also has a free weekly podcast, Amarica’s Constitution. Amar’s op-eds and video links to many of his public lectures and free online courses may be found at akhilamar.com.
In lieu of an honorarium, the Salisbury Forum will purchase copies of Professor Amar's latest book, Born Equal: Remaking America's Constitution, 1840–1920, to distribute to audience members. Professor Amar will sign copies following the program.
Please Note: The Hotchkiss School is a smoke-free campus.
Historian and author Russell Shorto in Conversation with Peter Vermilyea and Rhonan Mokriski
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.
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
Friday, February 6th at 7:30 PM at The Salisbury School
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.