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• Revelation

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• Upcoming Events

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• News from the MHC

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• Recent Grants

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• What We’re Reading

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• Quote 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

One of my colleagues here at the Maine Humanities Council is a former grade school teacher who first learned about the Council when she attended several of our teacher programs many years ago. She has often regaled me with stories of how meaningful these programs are to teachers, and I’ve listened and thought I understood exactly what she meant until I actually attended my first teacher program last month. This was part of our “Views of the East” program, a three-year study of Eastern culture, politics, and art, and the session I attended was about ancient scroll painting.

I was fascinated enough by content of that program to write an article about it for our upcoming newsletter, so I shall not repeat myself here, but I did want to share with all of you what I learned about our teacher programs from that experience. The programs serve primarily as inspirational ones, sharing fascinating materials that give teachers new ideas of how to apply existing topics of their curriculum (or adaptations of old topics) in the classroom. They are lectures mimicking the best of graduate-level seminars, the scholar sharing information enthusiastically and volubly with a great deal of audience participation. Teachers ask specific questions about applying this material to their classrooms, and the scholars have suggestions, too. But it’s more than just a how-to-teach-new-topics class. It is truly inspirational.

Remember the best class you ever took in college and how you felt when you left it. Remember your intellectual vigor and your rush to learn more, to somehow become an expert in this, to drink it up. That is exactly the kind of feelings that MHC teacher programs evoke.

If you’d be interested in attending one of our upcoming teacher programs, please let me know (contact diane@mainehumanities.org). These are not generally open to the public, but I’d be happy to reserve a space for one of the MHC’s friends, and I’ll share with you the list of upcoming teacher events as they are scheduled.

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I am delighted to report that we have more news with regards to the MHC’s upcoming Humanities Fest (October 21, 2006, Lewiston). This 30th anniversary celebration of ideas is designed for all ages with readings, demonstrations, presentations, and performances. The great storyteller, author, and artist Ashley Bryan will be leading off events for families at the Franco-American Center in Lewiston, while the activities geared mostly for adults (and kids keen on advanced learning) will be at Bates College.

I just saw the first schedule, and from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm, our Humanities Fest organizer has packed in quite a series. Each attendee will have to choose one presentation to attend per time slot, and that will be the tricky bit. For example, Peter Aicher will talk about power and idealism through a study of imperial missions from Greece and Rome. Also in that time slot, Donna Cassidy will share her insights about Marsden Hartley’s transnational modernism. Later, Rebecca Corrie will present a talk entitled, “In Pursuit of an Eastern Kingdom: Painting and European Ambition in the Ages of the Crusades,” a topic that she has contributed to for presentations at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Sharing her time slot, though, is David Carey talking about Mayan culture. And near the end of the day, to make choosing especially difficult, Mahmud Faksh will talk about Islam and the Arab World, while in the same slot Jo Radner will hold a presentation on storytelling for adults.

Invitations will go out next month with the full schedule, and when you get yours, please be sure to sign up in advance since individual presentations are likely to fill up quickly. The Humanities Fest showcases the MHC’s best scholars, and each talk promises to be fascinating. Do save the date: Saturday, October 21, 2006

(Brava to Victoria Bonebakker, who put this whole thing together.)

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Grant-funded events are listed here.

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The most exciting recent news from the MHC is that our esteemed director Dorothy Schwartz, who had broken quite a few hearts with the news that she will be retiring at the end of this year, will be followed by a truly worthy successor who happens to be very near and dear to those hearts (which are healing well). Thanks to the MHC Board of Directors for selecting Erik Jorgensen as the new executive director. Erik has long served as the assistant director at the Council, so we all know him well, but he still braved an impartial, long, and vigorous interview process, along with potential candidates from all over the country. Given Erik’s vast knowledge of Maine’s cultural climate, his devotion to the humanities, his work experience with historical societies and museums (not to mention the state legislature), and his whiz-bang budget skills, it is no surprise that he was the chosen one. It is to our great delight that our warm, kind, and sweet colleague will be in Deedee’s chair come January (and Deedee, need I even bother to say, is tickled beyond words). We are very proud of you, Erik. Congratulations. And congratulations, MHC.

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NEW MAJOR GRANTS

$5,000 to the University of Maine, Orono, for Somali Narrative Project
The Somali Narrative Project at the University of Maine was established in August 2004. The project spans five disciplines—history, sociology, communication, women’s studies, Maine studies, and Franco—American studies—in its effort to document the experiences of Somali immigrants in Lewiston. Initial interviews yielded enough material to create a reader’s theater script, intended to foster dialogue on race, religion, and immigration, which will be performed throughout the state starting in September 2006. As the project continues, more interviews will be conducted, transcribed, and translated to expand the reader’s theater performance. Eventually, scholars hope to incorporate the Franco-American immigrant experience in Lewiston and create some bilingual books or CDs of Somali folktales for use by English language learners. For a schedule of performances, please contact Kim Huisman, (207) 581-2361 or kim.huisman@umit.maine.edu.

$4,950 to the Penobscot Marine Museum, Searsport, for Faces of a Maritime Town
In 1880, 10% of all the master mariners in the United States came from Searsport, Maine—a town of only 2,500 people. For many years, the Penobscot Marine Museum has displayed photographs of over 300 Searsport ship captains. In 2006, museum staff and scholars will update and expand on this display, incorporating elements that reflect the true diversity of a maritime community: wives, shipyard workers, and others who played indispensable roles in the voyages of Maine’s famous Down Easters and other vessels. The lives of approximately 15 captains will be researched and interpreted through touch screen technology and printed tour cards to put a human face on the age of sail. To learn more, visit www.penobscotmarinemuseum.org or call (207) 548-2529.

$4,750 to Mainely Girls, Rockport, for A Girl’s Point of View Book Club
In 2005, Mainely Girls of Rockport received funding from the Maine Humanities Council to expand the Girls’ Point of View Book Club from the successful model established on Vinalhaven five years before. By creating a lending library to offset the cost of books, Mainely Girls was able to launch new clubs in Bath, Limestone, Boothbay, North Haven, Damariscotta, Belfast, and Islesboro. The clubs expose high school girls to young adult fiction and nonfiction depicting strong, resourceful female characters developing self-respect and autonomy—in sharp contrast to the girls they’re used to seeing on TV and in the movies. Adult women facilitators help the girls connect with, learn from, and talk openly with their peers about the books, fostering a lifelong enthusiasm for reading and discussion. In 2006, Mainely Girls plans to add thirty new sets of books to the lending library and establish twenty new clubs across the state. To learn more (or to find out how to start a club in your area), please contact Natasha Irving, program director for Mainely Girls, at (207) 230-0170 or megirls@midcoast.com.

$3,000 to WMPG-FM, Portland, for Malaga Island Radio Program
The story of Malaga Island is part of the enigmatic history of race in Maine. In 1912, forty-five poor, black, Irish, Portuguese, and “mixed-race” residents were forcibly removed from the island by the state because they were considered a blight on the coastal landscape and a financial burden to the town of Phippsburg. For years, this story has remained hidden, but it has recently resurfaced as a research topic and the subject of a 2005 Newberry Honor book entitled Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. WMPG radio will produce a 30-minute documentary radio program to build on this resurgent interest and reveal some of the connections between this hidden history and current attitudes toward race in Maine. The program will air in the fall of 2007, to coincide with a photo exhibit at the Salt Gallery in Portland and the launch of a website providing free access to both audio and visual content. Updates on production and airdates will be available on WMPG and at www.wmpg.org.

$3,000 to United Somali Women of Maine, Lewiston, for Being Somali in Lewiston:Fostering Community Dialogue and Learning Through Image and Reflection
United Somali Women of Maine, a nonprofit based in Lewiston, is sponsoring the production and dissemination of a multimedia educational DVD called Being Somali in Lewiston: Fostering Community Dialogue and Learning Through Image and Reflection. Professor Lacey Gale and photographer Kate Lapides generated the raw material for the project by interviewing Somali immigrants, particularly women and girls, in consultation with USWM staff. The fruits of their fieldwork—over 600 photos and sixty pages of interview transcripts—will be archived at the Maine Folklife Center and also distilled into a 15-minute DVD. Local musician Harum Hussein will contribute a soundtrack, while Robin Fleck, the English Language Learner Team Leader for the Auburn school system, will help to develop a curriculum guide. The curriculum guide will assist educators, community leaders, and service providers in using the DVD as a catalyst for discussion with a variety of inter- and intra-community audiences. To obtain a copy of the complete educational package (slated for completion in October 2006), please contact USWM Director Fatuma Hussein at (207) 753-0061.

$3,000 to the University of New England, Biddeford, for Different Lives
Biddeford, Maine is a former mill town whose residents have traditionally been Working class and largely Franco-American. The arrival of the private University of New England in the 1970s drew a professional class supported by labor from city residents. When UNE outsourced many of the jobs held by Biddeford natives, the resentment that had festered between these communities became impossible to ignore. Inspired by Studs Terkel’s Working, a team from UNE decided to explore the class divide in Biddeford through the lens of labor. Scholars have conducted over 50 interviews with Biddeford residents from a cross-section of occupations. Community partners including the Heart of Biddeford, Saco Valley Land Trust, and the Biddeford-Saco Rotary helped identify interview subjects, while UNE personnel from Media Services, Creative and Fine Arts, History, and the Office of Multicultural & GLBTQ Services lent their expertise. The final product will be a documentary film and companion book entitled “Different Lives”. Look for screenings starting this fall, or contact UNE Media Services at (207) 602-2434 for more information.

OTHER RECENT GRANTS

$1,000 to the St. Croix Historical Society, Calais, for One River, Two Cities, One Story
A community-wide cooperative exhibit of historic images, art, and artifacts to portray the unique and closely woven past of Calais, Maine and St. Stephen, New Brunswick—located on opposite sides of the St. Croix River.

$1,000 to SPACE Gallery, Portland, for The Innocents
An exhibit of photographs by Taryn Simon, accompanied by a series of lectures and films, focusing on people wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for years before finally proving their innocence.

$925 to the Pejepscot Historical Society, Brunswick, for History in Downtown
A major educational and recreational event, bringing Civil War re-enactors, historic craft demonstrations, and activities for all ages to downtown Brunswick.

$500 to the Norridgewock Historical Society, Norridgewock, for Norridgewock Indian Village Along the Kennebec-Chaudière Trail
This celebration of Native American history and culture will include speakers on the history of Norridgewock Village, trade with Canada, French as allies in wartime, and the archeology of a National Historic Landmark, as well as medicine drum dancing.

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In a small Icelandic village, sea birds provided the only eggs in town. They nested on the steep oceanside cliffs, though, which made it impossible to harvest those eggs. The ladies of the village determined to solve this problem the easy way and acquired a flock of chickens. But then the chickens, so happy with their lauded lives in this charming village, began to forget they were chickens. It seemed much better to be ladies instead, and soon they began to mimic everything the village ladies did. And they stopped laying eggs. It is up to the resourceful heroines of this Icelandic village to address the problem, and their solution is innovative, colorful, and fun. Born to Read uses this delightful story by Maine resident Bruce McMillan (illustrated with original paintings by Icelandic artist Gunnella).

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“The students felt that they were able to ‘learn a lot of English’ through the books. Not only did they spend time reading, but the discussion part of the program helped them to develop both their oral skills and critical thinking skills. I felt that these books helped frame authentic language around literacy better than anything else that I could offer. The fact that each student has their own copy of a book is a luxury in today’s funding environment. For many of my students, these were the only books that they had ever owned.”

—an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) teacher from Portland Adult Education, writing about the students who participate in NEW BOOKS, NEW READERS. This partnership between NEW BOOKS, NEW READERS and Portland Adult Education serves recent immigrants from countries around the world, including Somalia, Sudan, Cambodia, and Serbo-Croatia.

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