History
The Monadnock Summer Lyceum has a long history of supporting free speech and open debate. Its forerunner, the Peterborough Lyceum, was founded in 1829 by the Reverend Abiel Abbot. Despite his traditional Andover/Harvard education, Abiel Abbot refused to condemn unorthodox opinion and preached a message of tolerance. For this he was accused of heresy by Lyman Beecher and nine other New England clergy and stripped of his Coventry, CT ministry. When the Unitarians of Peterborough boldly called Abbot to lead the congregation in their newly built, Bullfinch-style church, Abiel quickly moved to found the Lyceum, a forum for diverse opinion and, five years later, the first free public library in the English-speaking world.
Peterborough renewed its commitment to free speech in 1970, when Dr. David Van Strien resurrected the forum as a the Monadnock Summer Lyceum, held in the same original historic structure. The Monadnock Summer Lyceum is known as "a feast for the thoughtful" and features prominent speakers from a wide variety of backgrounds and disciplines who discuss topics of importance to our time.
General
Audio CD and audio cassette copies of the presentations by speakers of previous seasons are available at the same Peterborough Town Library established by Abiel Abbot in 1833.
The Monadnock Summer Lyceum is a not-for-profit organization, supported by individual tax-deductible contributions.
Free babysitting is available.
The Church sanctuary and Parish Hall reception area are handicapped accessible.
New Hampshire Public Radio
Lectures are recorded for NH Public Radio before a live public audience every summer Sunday morning, check schedule for times. Members of the public are invited to attend, with childcare provided all at no charge. The venue is fully handicapped accessible, including devices for the hearing impaired. Audience members are encouraged to arrive a few minutes early, before recording begins. Recorded presentations are followed by an open question and answer session, which may extend beyond the recorded interaction. After the presentation audience members are invited to meet speakers personally at a reception in the parish hall.
The Monadnock Summer Lyceum Series is broadcast on Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. on New Hampshire Public Radio on the following stations: WEVO 89.1 Concord; WEVO 90.3 Nashua; WEVO; WEVN 90.7 Keene; WEVO 91.3, Littleton; WEVH 91.3 Hanover; WEVJ 99.5 Jackson; WEVO 104.3, Dover; WEVC 107.1 Berlin.
Please see the NHPR webpage for the broadcast schedule.
Arts Alive - Advancing Arts and Culture in the Monadnock Region
www.monadnockartsalive.org
Friends of the Lyceum
25 Main Street