Talk with the Experts: A Panel Discussion about the Thoreau Documentary

This program will also be available streaming online. Register to Attend Virtually

Join leading Thoreau scholars featured in the new documentary for a free public webinar exploring the documentary.

In this lively conversation, the experts who helped shape the film will reflect on the themes introduced in the opening episode, discuss the historical context surrounding Henry David Thoreau, and share additional insights from the making of the documentary. This is an opportunity to hear directly from the scholars who appear in the film as they unpack the ideas, landscapes, and questions that frame the series.

Rebecca Kneale Gould, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at Middlebury College, and a former member of the Thoreau Society Board of Directors.

Rochelle Johnson, Professor of Environmental Studies and Bernie McCain Chair in Humanities at the College of Idaho, and former president of the Thoreau Society Board of Directors.

Elise Lemire, Professor of Literature at Purchase College ( State University of New York), and the author of three books about race and memory in the United States, including Black Walden: Slavery and Its Aftermath in Concord, Massachusetts,  and Battle Green Vietnam: The 1971 March on Concord, Lexington, and Boston.

The conversation will include time for audience questions.

Free and open to the public. Registration required.

Presented in partnership with the Concord Free Public Library. 

Ken Burns presents Henry David Thoreau, a film by Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers premieres on PBS on March 30 (Episodes 1 and 2) and March 31, 2026, at 9:00 p.m. ET (check local listings).