The Hard Work of Hope with Michael Ansara

Join us for a conversation about organizing and activism in the sixties and seventies and today with someone from the front lines: Michael Ansara. 

Ansara will be speaking with Drew Darien, Professor of History and Interim Dean of Arts and Science at Salem State University, about The Hard Work of Hope, Ansara's latest book that traces his arc of discovery from the hope and moral clarity of the Civil Rights Movement to the ten-year struggle to end the war in Vietnam, with sit-ins, marches, confrontations, and antiwar riots.

He also explores issues that remain urgent: How does a movement build support when large parts of the country are opposed to its goals? How do you connect with people who disagree with you? How do you build organizations that unite across racial lines? How can we make progress on the unfinished business of the hard work of hope? Be a part of the conversation and find out!

Michael Ansara spent many years as an activist and an organizer starting with the civil rights movement of the 1960’s, going on to be a regional organizer for SDS (Students for a Democratic Society). He spent 10 years organizing opposition to the war in Vietnam. He was for 15 years a community organizer including directing Mass Fair Share. He has worked on political campaigns, coordinated voter registration efforts, and trained many organizers. He is the co-founder of Mass Poetry. He currently serves on the Board of the Redress Movement and the organizing team for Volunteer Blue. His poems have appeared in numerous journals and his essays have appeared in Vox, Arrowsmith, Solstice and Cognoscenti. His first book of poems, What Remains, was published in June of 2022 by Kelsay Books. His memoir, The Hard Work of Hope, was published by Cornell University Press in July 2025. 

Tickets: $20 | $10 Members | Card to Culture

This is a hybrid event. Zoom link will be sent to all registrants an hour before the program starts.

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