Connecting Maine communities with
extraordinary speakers
Our dream is that everyone in Maine feels able to share with others those things that are most meaningful to them, and that everyone in Maine might have the chance to listen to and learn from those people who are ready to share their gifts.
Maine Speaks supports individuals and organizations all over Maine who want to bring people in their community together to learn from and talk with a speaker who will share their expertise and lived experience in engaging ways.
The cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) continue to impact us deeply. To help close the deficit left by the termination of our General Operating Support grant from NEH, we are reducing Maine Speaks programming by 50% during the 2026 fiscal year, with only 25 total programs offered. Despite this setback, we will continue to do our best to ensure that programs reach all 16 counties.
The audience hung on every word. They stayed after the program to ask many questions.”
—Site Coordinator
Speakers
Our roster of nearly 40 speakers help the people of Maine explore complex topics and broaden perspectives.
Browse speakers by topic to find the right talk for your community.
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Darren Ranco
Chair, Native American Programs and Director of Native American Research, University of Maine
Jacqui Lowman
professor emerita of Professional Communication and Journalism and founder and president of BEYOND LIMITS: Awaken Your Potential.
Libby Bischof
Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education, University of Southern Maine
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Host a Maine Speaks presentation in your community
Our roster of nearly 40 speakers draw on expertise and experience gathered through their work and lives to bring an idea or topic to life for the audience.
ABOUT OUR SpeakerS
Help the incredible people of Maine explore complex topics, gain insight, and broaden perspectives.
If you have an idea, topic, or experience to share with audiences across Maine, we want to hear from you!
Our speakers come from all walks of life, have deep experience and/or expertise, and are eager to help the incredible people who live in Maine explore complex topics, gain insight, and broaden perspectives.
Some of our speakers share a topic they work with professionally, as writers, teachers, professors. Others speak from their lived experience: the stories, lessons, and perspectives of their lives.
We are not currently accepting applications to join our speaker cohort.
TOOLKIT
Toolkit for Maine Speaks
Everything you need to help you convene your community for Maine Speaks.
News
We Met Our Mellon Match
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Help Us Reach $50,000
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We’re Pausing Two of Our Programs
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DOGE Targets the Humanities
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