Maine Humanities Council
Home of the Harriet P. Henry Center for the Book

March 5, 2007 ~~~ Swan's Island

As the town of Swan's Island restores the historic Burnt Coat Harbor Light Station (built in 1872), residents hope to simultaneously restore an understanding of how the buildings were used. With the help of a 2006 planning grant from the Council, island resident Donna Wiegle began conducting oral history interviews with the surviving children of 1930s lighthouse keeper Roscoe Chandler. The oral histories will be combined with photos and explanatory text and presented at the March 5 town meeting, and a related exhibit will be on display at the Maine Lighthouse Museum in Rockland from January 15 through August 1, and a permanent outdoor exhibit will be established on Hockamock Head, adjacent to the lighthouse station. To learn more about this project, please visit www.swansisland.org and click on "Lighthouse."

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March 7 and 15, 2007 ~~~ Portland

In conjunction with its 2006-07 series, PCA Great Performances offers a series of fifteen scholarly, humanities-based pre-performance lectures to place the artists and their art forms in historical, literary, and social context. Unless otherwise noted, the free lectures are held backstage at Merrill Auditorium, starting 6 pm. On March 7, Dr. James Parakilas (chair of the music department at Bowdoin College) will lecture on "Universal Conflicts in Opera." Prior to the Pirates of Penzance on March 15, Richard Conrad, one of Maine's opera singers, will provide a fresh look on this Gilbert and Sullivan masterpiece. Additional lectures are still being planned; visit www.pcagreatperformances.org/EduAboutMusic.htm or call (207) 773-3150 for details.

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March 7, 2007 ~~~ Ellsworth

The Hancock County Cultural Network has planned a Brown Bag Artist Series for the first Wednesday of every month (with the exception of August) from April 2006 through March 2007. The intent is to encourage a varied audience to see behind the scenes of an organization or an artist's work. The final event in this series will take place on March 7 at Ellsworth City Hall. The speaker will be Stuart Kestenbaum of Deer Isle, poet and Executive Director of the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. Kestenbaum is the author of two books of poems, Pilgrimage (1990) and House of Thanksgiving (2003). He will read selections from his new manuscript, Prayers and Run-on Sentences (due to be published shortly), talk about the creative process, and touch on upcoming programs at Haystack. Speakers begin at noon and present for thirty minutes, then invite the audience to join in a discussion. For details, please contact Carolyn Hecker at (207) 348-2535.

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April 11, 2007 ~~~ Presque Isle

With help from University of Maine at Presque Isle history scholars and students, the Presque Isle Historical Society (PIHS) has created an exhibit chronicling the development of the town and its Main Street. Six movable panels cover such events as the construction of the B&A Railroad, the fire at the Braden Theatre, and the Centennial Celebration in 1959. The panels will be unveiled on University Day (April 11, 2007), then displayed in the library at the University of Maine at Presque Isle starting on April 28. In June and July, the panels will move to the Mark & Emily Turner Public Library in Presque Isle; subsequently, they will be kept at PIHS on 3rd Street. To learn more, contact PIHS at (207) 764-1403.

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April 26, 2007 ~~~ Cornish

Fourth, fifth, and sixth graders at Cornish Elementary School will spend February and March researching local history through field trips and interviews with older residents. Based on their research, students will design and create a permanent mural for the school's multipurpose room. They will be guided in this project by experienced educators, local historians at the Cornish Historical Society, and graphic artist Laurie Downey. A public presentation scheduled for April 26, 2007, will include the debut of a film about Cornish history and the unveiling of preparatory drawings for the mural. For details, please call the school at (207) 625-4393.

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May 24, 2007 ~~~ Portland

The Telling Room, greater Portland's community writing center, will present a forum called "A Sense of Place: Maine Writers on Maine" at the Salt Gallery on May 24, 2007. Four Maine writers-poet Betsy Sholl, spoken word performer Sontiago, novelist Monica Wood, and short story writer Lewis Robinson-will speak about their work and how it is informed by Maine. In addition, Joe Conforti, professor of American and New England Studies at the University of Southern Maine, will provide insight into the tradition of place-based writing in Maine. While it is open to the public, the primary audience for the forum is the teachers and students who participate in the Telling Room's educational programs. Related curriculum activities will be distributed to local middle and high school teachers months prior to the forum. For more information, please visit www.tellingroom.org.

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