On the 250th anniversary of Common Sense, join the Stowe Center for Literary Activism for an evening of shared reading, conversation, and civic reflection.
Together, we will revisit Thomas Paine’s revolutionary pamphlet, read selected excerpts, and explore its enduring declaration that “In America, the Law is King.” With scholars and community leaders, we will draw throughlines between Common Sense’s anti-monarchical message and present-day challenges to democracy—and consider what action looks like now.
Featured Speakers
Dr. Sarah Moon
Sarah Moon is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Writing Studies, Rhetoric, and Composition at Roger Williams University. Her scholarship explores community and classroom writing in performance. A playwright, she facilitates the Coventry Playwrights Collective new play workshop and Write Your Roots, a food-centered community writing and performance project. She holds a PhD in Rhetoric and Composition from the University of Connecticut and an MFA in Playwriting from Brandeis University.
Dr. Scott Gac
Scott Gac is an author, historian, and teacher, and a Professor of History and American Studies at Trinity College in Connecticut. His work on American music and social activism has appeared in Choice, Rethinking History, and Reviews in American History. His most recent book is Born in Blood: Violence and the Making of America (Cambridge University Press, 2024).
Community Reader Bios
We are delighted to feature leaders from Hartford-area social justice organizations as community readers.
Norm Moghtaderi
Norm Moghtaderi is an improvisor and actor with Sea Tea Improv in Hartford, CT. Norm can be seen performing regularly at the Sea Tea Comedy Theater and venues across the region, including the Mark Twain house where he portrays Twain’s literary characters for Clue mystery tours. He completed the improvisation training program at the renowned Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City. Norm is a labor and housing justice advocate, he is pro-union and anti-imperialism. While Norm can be seen teaching improv at schools and workplaces across the state, he is most passionate about making sure your dog is entertained.
Madelyn Macbryde
Madelyn Macbryde is an artist, singer-songwriter, actor, and comedian based in Connecticut. She is a teaching artist at the Wadsworth, Oddfellows Playhouse, and other arts organizations. She is a member of the Coventry Playwrights and performs in their special productions. Madelyn performs regularly at the Sea Tea Comedy Theater in Hartford and occasionally at UCB in New York. In all her work she strives to promote messages of love, liberation, justice, and truth.
Tianna Glass-Tripp
Tianna Glass-Tripp is a playwright, comedic writer, and storyteller living in Bloomfield, CT. Along with her wife Charmagne, she owns Gripp Productions; an artistic production company with a focus on community. In this role she has directed and produced several live shows in Greater Hartford. Additionally, Tianna is an intuitive healer, a cat mom, and a karaoke powerhouse.
Kamora Herrington
Kamora Herrington is an experiential educator working at the intersections of identity and community. She is the recipient of the New Haven Pride Center’s Dorothy Award, the CT Voice Award for Advocacy, and a 100 Women of Color Award. Her work supports individuals and organizations committed to personal and professional growth through cultural humility.
Kamora’s Cultural Corner: KCC provides both a metaphoric and physical space to learn to use the gifts and privileges of our unique and shared identities. Approaching cultural humility through a Black Queer and Afrocentric perspective we create and navigate Brave Spaces with the intention of building and supporting organic community connections.
David Hopkins
David Hopkins is President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Hartford.
Urban League of Greater Hartford: Since 1964, with a legacy rooted in fighting for equal opportunities and against the injustice of discrimination, our programs and services have helped Hartford area residents overcome barriers to achieve their life goals.
Sam Pudlin
Sam Pudlin is a founding member of the Hartford Jewish Organizing Collective.
Hartford Jewish Organizing Collective: HJOC brings together Hartford-area Jews to fight for the liberation of all people through political action, community-building, and religious ritual. Focused on the connection between the local and the global, it has been a force for housing justice, public education, and the liberation of Palestine. Founded in 2023, it has since grown into Hartford’s largest Jewish congregation.
