We have received reports from authors of someone claiming to be “Dan B.” from Hartford Area Humanists who arranges a book discussion and then asks the author for a fee. The Humanist Association of Connecticut and Hartford Area Humanists never asks authors to pay to have their book discussed.
Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity.
Humanism and Its Aspirations
Upcoming Events
Monthly Meeting - Spirits of Empire
Monday, July 20, 2026, 6:30PM
Historian Tisa Wenger will talk to us about her new book, Spirits of Empire: How Settler Colonialism Made American Religion in which she asserts that American religious history cannot be separated from the nation’s imperial foundations. From the Declaration of Independence onward, U.S. expansion relied on the seizure of Indigenous lands, accompanied by narratives that cast Native peoples as obstacles to “civilization.” Within this context, diverse communities adapted, contested, and reshaped religious categories. She shows how white settlers defined “religion” in ways that supported their political authority, a dynamic she terms “settler secularism.” This framework positioned certain traditions as worthy of protection while marking others as primitive or threatening, reinforcing hierarchies that persist today.
Tisa Wenger is Professor of American Religious History at Yale and was named a 2021 Guggenheim Foundation Fellow in 2021. She specializes in the intersections of race, religion, and empire in U.S. history. Her previous works include We Have a Religion (2009), Religious Freedom (2017), and co-editing Religion and U.S. Empire (2022).
If you missed her Author Talk at the Unitarian Society of New Haven on May 13, you won’t want to miss this!
We’ll meet for coffee and conversation at 6:30 PM followed by Tisa’s talk at 7:00 PM.
Board Meeting
Sunday, July 26, 2026, 7:00PM
All members of the Humanist Association of Connecticut are welcome to attend. If you have something to bring to the board or wish …
Online event
Northern Social Dinner
Tuesday, July 28, 2026, 7:00PM
We’ll be meeting again in Wallingford at Pacific Buffet & Grill (https://pacificbuffetandgrill.com/). Come join us for…
Humanist Explorations
Saturday, August 1, 2026, 2:30PM
This is our monthly Humanist Explorations meeting. We meet at 700 Hartford Turnpike in Hamden for a presentation followed by a…
Social Dinner
Monday, August 3, 2026, 7:00PM
Join us at Thai Stories for our monthly Social Dinner, and discuss a wide range of topics with like-minded people. (We’re…
Book Discussions
"The Triumph of Seeds" by Thor Hanson
Saturday, August 15, 2026, 2:30PM
Our book for August is The Triumph of Seeds: How Grains, Nuts, Kernels, Pulses, & Pips Conquered the Plant Kingdom and Shaped Human History by American conservation biologist and author Thor Hanson.
From Amazon: We live in a world of seeds. From our morning toast to the cotton in our clothes, they are quite literally the stuff and staff of life: supporting diets, economies, and civilizations around the globe. Just as the search for nutmeg and pepper drove the Age of Discovery, coffee beans fueled the Enlightenment and cottonseed sparked the Industrial Revolution. Seeds are fundamental objects of beauty, evolutionary wonders, and simple fascinations. Yet, despite their importance, seeds are often seen as commonplace, their extraordinary natural and human histories overlooked…A fascinating scientific [and historic] adventure, [this book] is essential reading for anyone who loves to see a plant grow.
“A fascinating, inspiring, and entertaining book…Hanson takes one of the least-impressive-looking natural objects and reveals a life of elegance and wonder.” – New York Times Book Review
"Against Empathy" by Paul Bloom
Saturday, September 19, 2026, 2:30PM
Our book for September is Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion by psychologist Paul Bloom.
From Amazon:
We often…
"The People, No" by Thomas Frank
Saturday, October 24, 2026, 2:30PM
Our book for October is The People, No: A Brief History of Anti-Populism by American political analyst and historian Thomas…
You can download the New Haven Free Public Library’s flyer for the 2024 book discussions at the Wilson Branch.
Our Calendar
Be sure to sign up for our e-mail list to get advance notification of events.
You can RSVP for most HAC events via meetup.com.
Newsletter
Titles selected for our book discussions can be found in most local libraries or ordered from bookstores such as Barnes and Noble.
HAC is a chapter of the American Humanist Association and a UU Humanists local group.