In 2004, the Free Town Project launched a plan to take over Grafton, NH, and completely eliminate its government. Public funding shrank, and the anything-goes atmosphere soon caught the attention of Grafton’s neighbors: the bears. Citizens ignored hunting laws and regulations about food disposal. The bears smelled food. Author Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling presents the story, as told in his book, A libertarian walks into a bear : the utopian plot to liberate an American town (and some bears).

Matthew Hongoltz-Hetling is a freelance journalist specializing in narrative features and investigative reporting. He has been named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, won a George Polk Award, and been voted Journalist of the Year by the Maine Press association, among numerous other honors. His work has appeared in Foreign Policy, USA Today, Popular Science, Atavist Magazine, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, the Associated Press, and elsewhere. He lives in New Hampshire.

Presented thanks to the Friends of Gleason Public Library. Please register to receive the Zoom link for this free program.