A statewide summer reading experience
Read ME is Maine Humanities’ statewide community read offered in partnership with Maine State Library and Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance. Every summer, the program gets Mainers all reading books recommended by well-known Maine authors.
Hosted by public libraries all across the state, Read ME connects Maine’s reading community through shared experiences, supports Maine libraries in their work to provide quality summer reading initiatives, and elevates the work of upcoming Maine authors.
2026 Recommending Authors
Morgan Talty
Adult Fiction and Non-fiction
Morgan Talty (he/him) is a citizen of the Penobscot Indian Nation, a national bestselling author, and a professor of English and creative writing. His debut novel, Fire Exit (2024), was a Harper’s Bazaar Best Book and a Chicago Tribune and Portland Press Herald Best Book of Summer. Talty’s critically acclaimed short story collection, Night of the Living Rez (2022), was a national bestseller and won the New England Book Award. A winner of the 2021 Narrative Prize, his work has been supported by the Elizabeth George Foundation and National Endowment for the Arts (2022). Talty is an assistant professor of English in Creative Writing and Native American and Contemporary Literature at the University of Maine, Orono.
Alexandra S.D. Hinricks
Children’s and Young People’s Literature
Alexandra S.D. Hinrichs (she/her) is a poet and award-winning author of fiction and nonfiction children’s books, including The Pocket Book and The Lobster Lady. Her works have won Maine’s Lupine Award and Wisconsin’s Outstanding Achievement Award and been featured on news outlets such as ABC Morning News, CBS News, and The Washington Post. A former librarian, historical researcher at American Girl, and children’s bookseller, Alexandra is now the Children’s Book Editor at Islandport Press. She earned MAs in United States History and Library & Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She completed her undergraduate education at Colgate University. Originally from Massachusetts, she now makes her home in Bangor, Maine with her husband, three wild sons, two tame cats, and one curious tortoise. She is represented by Stephen Fraser of the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency.
2026 Books
Book selections will be announced in early 2026—stay tuned!
Library Registration
Library registration opens in early 2026—stay tuned!
Over 60 libraries participated in Read ME 2025. Join us again this summer!
Read ME is structured to enable even the smallest, most rural libraries to participate. All that’s required is a commitment to making each of the featured titles available to their patrons.
TOOLKITs
Everything you need to convene your community for Read ME.
Attend an Event
No Events scheduled for Read ME
Author TALKS
A Conversation with Nick Fuller Googins
Nick Fuller Googins discusses The Great Transition with Gibson Fay-LeBlanc of Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance.
A Conversation with Jennifer Lunden
Jennifer Lunden discusses American Breakdown with Gibson Fay-LeBlanc of Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance.
A Conversation with Shannon Bowring
Shannon Bowring discusses her novel The Road to Dalton with Gibson Fay-LeBlanc of Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance.
A Conversation with Marpheen Chann
Marpheen Chann discusses his memoir Moon in Full with Gibson Fay-LeBlanc of Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance.
A Conversation with Morgan Talty
Morgan Talty discusses his debut book Night of the Living Rez with Gibson Fay-LeBlanc of Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance
A Conversation with Meghan Gilliss
Meghan Gilliss discusses her debut book Lungfish with Gibson Fay-LeBlanc of Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance
2022: Phuc Tran Author Talk
Phuc Tran, author of the memoir Sigh, Gone, answers questions about writing, his book, family, and so much more.
2022: Meredith Hall Author Talk
Meredith Hall, author of Beneficence, answers questions from readers across the state of Maine.
2021: Kerry Arsenault Author Talk
Kerri Arsenault discusses her book Mill Town, a narrative nonfiction, investigative memoir, and cultural criticism that illuminates the rise and collapse of the working-class, the hazards of loving and leaving home, and the ambiguous nature of toxics and disease.
Latest News
Read ME 2024 Books
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Read ME 2024 Recommending Author
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Read ME 2023 Books
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New Read ME Partnership
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