Salt, Stone and Stars: Celebrating the Timeless Pastoral

Please join us in an afternoon of words and image to celebrate the deep resonance between two pastoral works separated by nearly a century but joined by the timeless rhythms of shepherding, and both connected to Vermont. Helen Whybrow will read from her memoir, The Salt Stones: Seasons of a Shepherd’s Life (Milkweed Editions, 2025), and Jody Gladding will read from her translation of Jean Giono’s novel, The Serpent of Stars (Archipelago Books, 2026).

The connection between these books is personal and profound; Whybrow first discovered Jean Giono’s 1933 novel in a local bookstore years ago, and found in its description of Provençal shepherds an initiation into the rich narrative traditions of the pastoral life. Her memoir, The Salt Stones, traces her journey into becoming a shepherd at Knoll Farm in Fayston, Vermont and, throughout, The Serpent of Stars serves as her muse. The Salt Stones was longlisted for the National Book Award and named a New Yorker Best Book of 2025. Jody Gladding, an acclaimed poet, and translator of over 30 books, lives in East Calais. Her beautiful translation of Giono’s The Serpent of Stars is being reissued in February 2026.