Maine Humanities Council

• 1Winter Weekend 2008
• 2News from the MHC
• 3Spotlight On: Facilitator Profile: Born to Read
• 4Grants and Events
• 5What We’re Reading
• 6Quote of the Month

“In reality, every reader is, while he is reading, the reader of his own self. The writer’s work is merely a kind of optical instrument which he offers to the reader to enable him to discern what, without this book, he would perhaps never have experienced in himself. And the recognition by the reader in his own self of what the book says is the proof of its veracity.”

— Time Regained
Marcel Proust

1. Winter Weekend 2008

What is The Aeneid? An epic story of an ancient hero and his struggles with mortals and gods, a homage to the emperor Augustus, or an attempt to compete with Homer? The 2008 Winter Weekend explored these issues in-depth on March 7 and 8 at Bowdoin College in Brunswick to an audience of more than 150.

Winter Weekend was created for people interested in a text to hear a variety of lectures in order to deepen their understanding of that book and its historical and cultural context. It has also provided a chance for audience members to talk with one another about the issues within the talks. Keynote speaker Michael Putnam, MacMillan Professor of Classics and Professor of Comparative Literature at Brown University, who was a personal friend of The Aeneid’s translator, Robert Fagels (who died late last month), set off the weekend with a series of thoughts about what The Aeneid meant during the time of its initial writing and how it is useful for today’s readers. He spoke of the contradictions in the text (a key theme is the importance of subduing private emotion for the common good, which the hero does until the very end) and how, despite Roman ideals and political advances, human nature remains.

Other speakers included Peter Aicher, Professor of Classics at the University of Southern Maine, who situated the scenes from the epic in the topography of Rome through a fascinating slideshow, during which he discussed how topography could reflect power. Barbara Boyd, Henry Winkley Professor of Latin and Greek at Bowdoin College, and Andrew Walkling, Dean’s Assistant Professor of Early Modern Studies at the State University of New York at Binghamton, both discussed issues of translation. Boyd gave a broad view of the issue, while Walkling described a translation of The Aeneid in the context of 18th century English politics. Charles Calhoun, who manages MHC teacher programs as well as Winter Weekend each year, himself gave a talk, describing what The Aeneid could mean for 20th and 21st century audiences. It was a successful and thrilling event, and Calhoun deserves a round of applause for not only his talk but the work he put into this successful event.

Back to the Top

2. MHC News

Last month it was wind and now it’s rain for the April book list from Born to Read. Books explore the cultural significance of rain from a variety of perspectives, and also many ways that children can approach a rainy day.

***

Podcast Update-Performances of children’s books from the Portland Stage Company are part of the MHC’s Humanities on Demand podcast update. They include books for little kids on up through young teens. Also, Born to Read facilitator Vicky Smith (see below for more on her) reads Owl Babies aloud and shares some of her thoughts on early literacy. Remember, you need no special equipment beyond your computer, only to turn on the sound, to listen to these podcasts.

Back to the Top

3. Facilitator Profile: Born to Read

Denise Pendleton, co-founder and director of the MHC’s Born to Read program, first met Vicky Smith through casual conversation in their South Portland neighborhood. At the time, as children’s librarian at the McArthur Public Library in Biddeford, Vicky was visiting child care programs and reading to children on site, just like Born to Read volunteers were being trained to do. Denise realized then that Vicky offered the rare combination of a deep knowledge of children’s literature with a demonstrated commitment to child care providers and educators.

Vicky is a leader in her field(s) not only in Maine, but in the country. She holds both a Master’s in Librarianship from the University of Washington and a Master’s in Children’s Literature from Simmons College. In 2004, she was promoted to Director of the McArthur Library, but she continued her service as children’s librarian. She has served on Newbery and Caldecott award committees, contributed articles to School Library Journal and Horn Book Magazine, and reviewed books for Horn Book and Kirkus Reviews. (Just last month, she left McArthur to become the editor of children’s book reviews for Kirkus.)

Vicky became involved in Born to Read in 2001, as a member of an advisory committee for the development of the first Born to Read literature-based curriculum, Many Eyes, Many Voices: Talking about Difference through Children’s Literature. While the committee had close to 20 members, Vicky’s presence was key-so much so that the staff always planned meetings around her availability.

Vicky has since advised Born to Read on a second curriculum, Peaceable Stories, and on the development of the children’s literature seminar series. She has also served as a facilitator for six seminars in Southern Maine. Her gift as a facilitator is her ability to credit the expertise of participants while giving them the information and inspiration they need to become better at sharing books with children. Her talent as a storyteller has empowered many veteran teachers to try storytelling for the very first time. “At first I didn’t believe the book Tasty Baby Belly Buttons was appropriate,” said one participant, “but then Vicky showed us how to bring it to life by telling the story without the book.”

Not only is Vicky articulate, astute, and respectful, but her wit and obvious delight in children’s books rouse the most jaded and reluctant participant to action. One participant, the director of a well-established child care center, commented, “I always knew reading aloud was important, but I never knew it could be such fun. Now I really can’t wait to read to the kids.” This kind of response to Vicky’s facilitation is typical, and has been a significant factor in making Born to Read programs stand out in an increasingly crowded landscape of early childhood trainings.

Vicky has been a star facilitator for Born to Read, and now she stars in two new episodes on the Council’s Humanities on Demand podcast. Even parents (or grandparents!) who are already savvy about reading aloud will learn something from her brief introduction to early literacy, and when the parents’ voices get tired from all that reading, children can listen to her understated but evocative rendition of Owl Babies.

Back to the Top

4. Grants and Events

Events funded by MHC grants include a candid dialogue in Portland about sensitive issues in Judaism and Islam; a visit of Maine authors to the Vivian E. Hussey Primary School in Berwick; and workshops and performances by a nationally-recognized slam poet in Vinalhaven.

***

The recently funded grants list includes:

$1,000 to the Freeport Performing Arts Center, Freeport, for From Desert to Sea: A Celebration of Cultural Diversity
This project replicates much of the November 2005 visit from Folk Arts Rajasthani. Time will be adjusted to allow students greater access to them. More attention to making the concert available to students and teachers from surrounding schools makes this project more comprehensive and challenging.

$1,000 to the Kittery Art Association, Kittery, for Russell Cheney and His Artistic Contemporaries in Southern Maine
A full day symposium on the early 20th century artists of Southern Maine designed to complement exhibitions of Kittery artist Russell Cheney’s paintings at the Portsmouth Athenaeum and Portsmouth Historical Society. Speakers will explore Yankee Modernism in Maine through the artistic careers of Russell Cheney and his contemporaries.

$1,000 to the Bates Dance Festival, Lewiston, for Exploring the Contemporary African Dance Aesthetic
Filmmaker/dance scholar Joan Frosch will conduct a one-week residency including a lecture on African choreographers Gregory Maqoma and Nora Chipaumire and a screening of her award-winning film “Movement (R)evolution.”

$1,000 to the University of Southern Maine, Portland, for Beyond the Clash of Civilizations: A Dialogue for Muslim-Jewish Understanding
Public lecture by Professor Judea Pearl (father of murdered news reporter Daniel Pearl) and Professor Akbar Ahmed, a leading authority on contemporary Islam. The professors will candidly tackle sensitive issues in Judaism and Islam and their relationship to Christianity.

$1,000 to the Fifth Maine Regiment Museum, Peaks Island, for Found Treasures
The Fifth Maine’s 2008 exhibit, “Found Treasures,” will inform the public that all old items have value and can help current and future residents understand and find meaning in our community’s past.

$1,000 to the United Society of Shakers, New Gloucester, for Maine Festival of American Music
A multi-disciplinary four-day festival presenting the Portland String Quartet and members of Shaker Village at the Shakers’ historic home in New Gloucester. There will be two chamber music concerts, a day of workshops for amateur ensembles, and an evening devoted to Shaker culture and history, including a tour of the art exhibit “The Human and the Eternal.”

$1,000 to the Maine Historical Society, Portland, for Maine Folk Art Trail 2008
A symposium on Maine Folk Art, bringing nationally known scholars to engage the public in an exploration of the place of folk art in Maine history and culture. This is part of a statewide project focusing on Maine Folk Art.

$1,000 to the General Henry Knox Museum, Thomaston, for Colonial and Early American Weapons Exhibit
Exhibit and lectures highlighting Henry Knox’s career as Chief of Artillery and the nation’s first Secretary of War.

$1,000 to the Maine State Archives, Augusta, for Maine National History Day 2008
Maine National History Day is an annual educational competition for all Maine students in grades 6-12. Each year students prepare papers, exhibits, documentaries, performances, or Web sites that explore a broad historical theme. This year’s theme is “Conflict & Compromise in History.”

$1,000 to the Maine Alliance of Media Arts, Portland, for In Good Time: The Piano Jazz of Marian McPartland
A documentary film about jazz legend Marian McPartland. As McPartland turns 90, the film explores her life as a pioneering woman jazz musician, composer, and host of National Public Radio’s Piano Jazz.

$1,000 to Maine Reads, Portland, for Maine Festival of the Book
Maine Festival of the Book is a three-day extravaganza of reading and writing held May 15-17 in downtown Portland. Celebrating our rich contemporary literary scene and its heritage, the festival presents literature in all its forms, aiming to appeal to a range of tastes, audiences, and reading abilities.

$1,000 to Partners in Island Education, Vinalhaven, for Poetry Alive!
Funding for a slam poetry workshop for students in grades 6-12 at the Vinalhaven school. Mr. Hashim Allah will visit as a resident artist and work with students on writing, performing, and critiquing poetry.

$1,000 to the Portland Public Library, Portland, for Poetry Festival 2008
Activities feature a lecture and discussion with renowned Shakespeare scholar Dr. David Kastan; a four-session workshop for teens; readings, performances, and panel discussions with at least eight Maine poets; and a public poetry contest for all ages.

$972.50 to the Portland Harbor Museum, South Portland, for Defending the United States in a Time of Turmoil: The 1808 Fortification Program in the District of Maine
To acknowledge the 200th anniversary of Forts Preble and Scammell, Portland Harbor Museum will convene a full-day conference on June 21, 2008. Historians, archaeologists, and preservationists will discuss the legacy of the forts and consider the challenges to the forts’ survival.

$500 to the Bethel Historical Society, Bethel, for 2008 Lecture Series: “Maine History, Varied and Vivid
A series of six lectures from May through November exploring Maine history. Speakers include Neil Rolde, Donna Cassidy, and Earle G. Shettleworth.

$200 to the Maine Olmsted Alliance, Portland, for We Take to the Woods: Historic Preservation in the North Woods
Discussion of the Maine Dept. of Conservation’s successes and challenges protecting sporting camps, lodges, historic sites and the cultural landscape of Maine’s vast northern forests. Issues include public access, public process and future planning challenges.

Back to the Top

5. What We’re Reading

This booklist includes personal favorites of MHC staff members, as well as books used by MHC programs. This month, featured titles are The Doll and the Kitten, Birdsongs, Zen Ties, Here Comes Darrell, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and The Inspector Barlach Mysteries.

 

 

 

Back to the Top

6. Quote of the Month

“The person I work with is reading on a second grade level and has really enjoyed sharing his ideas with other people.”

—A New Books, New Readers tutor in Skowhegan.

Back to the Top