Brave Little State

  • Brave Little State
    Aaron Shrewsbury

What if you could decide what stories Vermont Public Radio should be covering, before they're even assigned?

That's the idea behind Brave Little State, a podcast where you ask the questions, you decide what VPR investigates, and then you work with us to find the answers.

So tell us: What question do you have about Vermont, our region or its people that you want us to explore? Submit it below, or leave us a short voicemail at 802-552-4880.

Our latest episode: 

You can access a transcript here. And here's what we're working on next:

  • "How many kids in Vermont are home schooled? How is home schooling regulated?" — Sue Leroux, Rutland County. Available February 21.
  • Ask Bob! Our senior political reporter Bob Kinzel will answer your questions about Vermont's Town Meeting, our congressional delegation, and more. Available March 2.

Subscribe for free, and never miss an episode:

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Brave Little State is made possible by the VPR Innovation Fund, and powered by Hearken. Our theme music is by Ty Gibbons. All questions asked make it to the question archive unless they don’t meet our guidelines for decorum, fairness or obvious conflicts of interest.

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Explore an interactive map of our on-the-ground reporting:

Map credit: Elodie Reed & Noah Cutter

Ways to Connect

As Colleges Close, How Will Vermont Schools Survive?

By & • Feb 7, 2020
A view on a college campus with trees and brick buildings.
John Billingsley / VPR

Low enrollment and financial troubles have caused a slew of Vermont’s small, independent colleges to shut their doors. What’s causing the problem — and is there a solution?

Vermont's 'Brand' Helps These Businesses. Do They Help Vermont?

By • Jan 17, 2020
A set of red barn buildings.
Elodie Reed / VPR

Tanya Ocker hears this refrain a lot: Vermont is not a business-friendly state. But she wonders about the businesses that emphasize our "brand." Do they help our economy? 

Why Does Vermont Have So Many Dollar Generals?

By & • Jan 3, 2020
A Dollar General store exterior with a person entering through the doors in an orange hat.
Angela Evancie / VPR

Perhaps you've seen one — or many — on your travels. You've probably noticed the sign first: Big, and yellow, with black letters. 

What Do Vermont Constables Do, Anyway?

By • Dec 20, 2019
A person stands next to a police car.
Nina Keck / VPR

What's the history and function of town constables in Vermont? That's what Richard Dumughn wants to know.

How Can Vermonters Drive Less?

By & • Dec 6, 2019
A bus in a station with a person crossing a crosswalk in front of it.
Elodie Reed / VPR

For a state that calls itself green, Vermont sure has a lot of drivers. So what can be done?

Will Burlington's Champlain Parkway Ever Get Built?

By • Nov 15, 2019
A woman stands with her hand on a tower of filing cabinets.
Emily Corwin / VPR

When Norwich resident Max Porter drives to Burlington to visit his mom, he gets off Interstate 89 and onto Interstate 189, a tiny spur of highway that ends at a crossroad, and cement barriers.

Why Are Child Care Professionals Paid So Poorly In Vermont?

By & • Nov 8, 2019
A woman stands in the center of children on a blue rug.
Elodie Reed / VPR

The smell of fish sticks, crayons, and the sweet-yet-slightly-grubby smell of small children. If you’re a parent, you know what we’re talking about. If you’re not? Welcome to child care.

What Is Your Dream Public Transit Improvement For Vermont? Tell Us!

By & • Nov 5, 2019
Buses at a station.
Taylor Dobbs / VPR File

Are you a train lover? A bus devotee? A carpool zealot? A regular person who also dreams of improved public transit? Brave Little State wants to hear from you.

A Conversation With Laura Johnson, Formerly Of Star Pudding Farm

By • Oct 18, 2019
A painting of a farmhouse with a dog outside.
Susan Abbott, artist / Courtesy Laura Johnson

In this bonus episode, Brave Little State speaks with the woman whose family named Star Pudding Farm Road, and made the property so special.

What Happens To Vermont's Recycling?

By & • Oct 4, 2019
Bales of plastic containers.
Elodie Reed / VPR

Are people following Vermont’s new recycling laws, and where does our recycling end up? That’s the question Julie Ste. Marie of Troy put to Brave Little State.

As Colleges Close, What Questions Do You Have About Higher Education In Vermont?

By & • Oct 2, 2019
The exerior of a building at Green Mountain College
Nina Keck / VPR File

Tell us: What do you want to know about Vermont's colleges and universities?

Tracing The History Of Dorset’s Mad Tom Road Back To 11th Century England

By • Sep 6, 2019
A street sign.
Angela Evancie / VPR

Near Manchester, in East Dorset, there are a road, brook and notch all bearing the same name: "Mad Tom." Where did this name come from?

Was Thetford’s Sawnee Bean Road Named For The Legendary Scottish Cannibal?

By • Sep 6, 2019
A road sign.
Angela Evancie / VPR

Did you know Brave Little State has a hotline where you can call and leave a message? That’s where we heard from West Windsor resident Nan Carman, who's had a burning curiosity about Sawnee Bean Road in Thetford for the past 40 years.

A ‘Hungry Farm’ And A Love Of Stars: Marshfield’s Star Pudding Farm Road

By & • Sep 6, 2019
A road sign.
Anna Van Dine / VPR

Katie Sullivan, who lives in Albany, Vt., is curious about a road name in a town just south of her, in Marshfield. “How did Star Pudding Farm Road get its name?" she asks. "Is there a Star Pudding farm?”

Hens, Horses, Hills? The Elusive Origin Of Putney's Hi-Lo Biddy Road

By Bianca Giaever • Sep 6, 2019
A green road sign.
Michael Hudson, Courtesy

Brave Little State got a funny question a while back from Michael Hudson, in Putney. He wrote, “For the love of God, please tell me the origin of Putney’s Hi-Lo Biddy Road!”

A(nother) Brief History Of Vermont Road Names

By , & & Bianca Giaever • Sep 6, 2019
A map.
Atlas of Bennington County, Vermont 1869 by F.W. Beers, Courtesy Dorset Historical Society

Brave Little State takes on more of your questions about mysterious Green Mountain byways in our Second Annual Brief History of Vermont Road Names.

Happy Birthday, Brave Little State!

By • Aug 2, 2019
A screen grab of the Brave Little State Instagram feed.
Brave Little State's Instagram feed / @bravestatevt

We celebrate the show's third birthday with a trip down memory lane to some favorite moments from our archive.

What's The Plan For The 'Pit' In The Middle Of Newport?

By & • Jul 5, 2019
Chain-link fence surrounds an overgrown area in downtown Newport where buildings once stood.
Liam Elder-Connors / VPR

A development project gone wrong. A community living with the fallout. And an uncertain path forward.

Does Vermont Have Any Patches Of Old Growth Forest?

By & • Jun 7, 2019
Ecologist Bob Zaino measures the diameter of a sugar maple in Gifford Woods State Park.
Angela Evancie / VPR

This month on Brave Little State, a question from listener Andrew Wild about Vermont’s most elderly woods.

What Draws So Many Writers And Poets To Vermont?

By • May 3, 2019
A black-and-white photo of Sinclair Lewis sitting in a lawn chair at Twin Farms
Vermont Historical Society, courtesy

This month on Brave Little State: Exploring the literary luminaries of Vermont, and why so many writers seem to thrive in the Green Mountain State.

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