Maine Humanities Council

Home of the Harriet P. Henry Center for the Book
“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. Films on Labor

Martin Ritt’s The Front, starring Woody Allen, takes a dark comedic view of blacklisting during the McCarthy Era.

Recently, the MHC gave a grant of $5,000 to the Maine Jewish Film Festival for a series called Labor in Three Parts. It’s an interesting and relevant theme in today’s world, and we encourage readers of this newsletter to attend.

The theme encompasses concentration camps, organized labor, and blacklisting with a series of films that highlight the often-unheralded role of Jews in the enduring quest for equality and self-determination. Films include “Clara Lemlich: A Strike Worker’s Diary,” the story of Clara Lemlich, who endured arrests and beatings as a result of her efforts to organize garment workers in Manhattan’s Lower East Side; and “Yoo-hoo, Mrs. Goldberg,” which profiles Gertrude Berg, star and producer of the 1950s sitcom “The Goldbergs,” who took a stand against McCarthyism.

Film directors, producers, union organizers, Holocaust survivors, and scholars will participate in a series of forums and lectures throughout the nine days of the festival. In addition to the traditional venues, films will be screened at the Teamsters Local 340 union hall in South Portland and the North Dam Mill in Biddeford. This year’s festival opens on March 29 and runs through April 6. For a schedule of events, visit www.mjff.org.

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2. News from the MHC

The March book list from Born to Read features the theme of wind. Books in this mostly-whimsical list show wind as a playmate, a maker-of-sounds, and a force of nature, borrowing, giving, but most of all blowing things away.

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Podcast Update—The MHC’s Humanities on Demand always has new podcasts of recent events. Looking at this list regularly will ensure that you don’t miss anything, especially if transportation to the sites of these events is an issue. Save gas and listen to an MHC podcast, requiring no special equipment other than your computer.

One of the newest is a series of “flash readings” from faculty members of the Stonecoast MFA program from the University of Southern Maine. In this series, each writer shares three minutes of his or her work before introducing the next writer. This podcast was recorded at the 2008 Stonecoast MFA program in February.

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3. Spotlight On: Our Facilitators

MHC facilitators discuss
photo: Jeff Aronson

On February 14, the MHC held a workshop on facilitation led by consultant and teacher Betsy Burtis for the talented people who lead our programs. Topics included the issue of facilitating versus teaching, challenging group dynamics, and meeting the needs of adult learners. The 20 facilitators who attended began the day by musing over the question: “What do you want your participants to know, feel, and do?” Their responses reveal much about what MHC facilitators think when leading programs.

To share a few:

Mary Alice Brennan-Crosby from New Books, New Readers wants participants to know that they have a mind that’s wonderful and unique, to feel the exhilaration of making connections between readings and experience, and to do more voluntary reading for recreation, knowledge, and self-growth.

Sharon Abair works with child care providers in Born to Read, and wants them to know that learning is a lifelong process, to feel like they’re very competent, and to keep coming to trainings. She wants them to know the power of literature and storytelling in children’s lives, and how much can be achieved just by choosing the right book. She loves hearing participants say, “I’m just going to be a lot more discriminating in choosing books for my program.”

Bud Hall is a probation officer who has been involved with the Stories for Life program. He wants probationers to develop an understanding of the cognitive process of decision-making, and possibly to re-evaluate their normal process of assessing life situations.

David Richards leads New Books, New Readers and Let’s Talk About It. His instinct upon hearing the first question was to reverse the order of “know, feel, do,” dropping “know” to the bottom of the list. He’s much more interested in having his participants feel the power and pleasure of ideas. He wants them to talk, but he also hopes to get a sense for what’s going on internally for the participants who don’t talk as much.

Jeff Aronson has been involved with almost every Council program over the years. In all cases, he said, he would love participants to walk away with a sense of context, to feel that they’re part of that context by being part of the discussion program, and to recognize the intellectual strength that gives them.

(Thanks to Brita Zitin for her notes on this event.)

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4. Grants and Events

Events funded by MHC grants include a series of film screenings [link to specific paragraph] on the history of lobstering and the fishing industry in Winter Harbor; a Waterville poetry performance with girls from Winslow Junior High and women from Colby College; and an exhibit in Hinckley about the meaning of “home”.

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The recently funded grants list includes:

$1,000 to the University of New England Gallery of Art, Portland, for Textiles/Translations
A series of five educational programs exploring textiles from many cultures and their common themes and symbols, as well as their sources of inspiration for artist Alice Spencer. (Arts & Humanities Grant)

$1,000 to the New England Museum Association, Arlington (MA), for Save Your Collection, Share Your Story, Sustain Your Mission: A Primer for Small Museums and Historical Societies
Two-day workshops in Hinckley and Kennebunk that will provide basic training in all areas of museum operations.

$1,000 to Schoodic Arts for All, Winter Harbor, for Lobstering and Fishing Industry in Downeast Maine film series and discussion
Celebrating the Fishing and Lobstering industry in Downeast Maine: a film series and discussion in March, April, and May 2008.

$1,000 to Merriconeag Waldorf School, New Gloucester, for Merriconeag Waldorf School Poetry Festival
Poetry Festival for young writers attending local private and public high schools. Twenty of the best student poets will be honored at the Festival; they will read their work and participate in an interactive seminar on the role of poetry as an agent of social change.

$500 to the Vivian E. Hussey School, Berwick, for Maine Authors in the Schools
Two Maine authors will be invited to visit students in grades 2-4. The authors will talk about their inspirations, struggles, and life as a writer in Maine as well as the process of publishing a book. They will also answer questions from the students.

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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 One Moose, Twenty Mice; My America; Amber was Brave, Essie was Smart; The Unconsoled; and Ghosts from the Nursery: Tracing the Roots of Violence.

 

 

 

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6. Quote of the Month

“I love hearing how others react.”

—A Let’s Talk About It participant in a series held in Scarborough, Fall 2007.

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