In the year 2050, what will Vermont look like? And will it be somewhere you'd recognize, or want to live?

Thirty-seven Vermonters take a half-serious, half-humorous, half-ironic, half-dystopian and half-sympathetic look at what Vermont will be like in this unique collection of essays and stories. Contributors range in age and profession, from poets and journalists, to academics, farmers, and businesspeople, imagining Vermont's future.

The compilation begins on a serious note by novelist Stephen Kiernan on the many challenges facing Vermont now, then moves on to a mixture of humor, fantasy, and serious concern by prominent individuals such as Vermont Public's meteorologist Mark Breen and cofounder and CEO of the Alchemist Brewery Jen Kimmich; author Bill Schubart's afterword reminds the reader of Bill Mares' lasting contribution to Vermont literature.

2050: Vermonters Take a Swipe at the Future is the final literary project of Bill Mares, who died in 2024 and who took pleasure in challenging people to think. This book will do just that. It has been completed with editorial help from Jane Smith and illustrated by Don Hooper, a retired Vermont legislator and cartoonist.