Conversations on the Green

Conversations on the Green produces a nationally syndicated PBS public affairs program, Common Ground with Jane Whitney, which brings together recognized expert voices and artists in town-hall style conversations about the country’s most critical issues and ideas.

Powered by an animating spirit that parallels America’s founding, Common Ground started a decade ago as a local speakers’ series, a grassroots effort to raise money for charities working with the most vulnerable residents of Connecticut’s pine-crowned Litchfield hills.

Then called Conversations On the Green, the series’ began as an effort to connect its rural community to the larger world. Its multi-pronged educational mission has evolved over the years into giving national voice to the voiceless while rejuvenating the democratic principle that out of many, we are one.

A testament to the power of community activism, Common Ground is tied to current events but transcends conventional talk show boundaries by featuring long form interviews and cross-pollinating historical, political, social and ethical perspectives. Panelists have included writers, historians, scientists, legislators, politicians, theologians, critics, analysts, and others.