Programs for all Mainers
The Maine Humanities Council helps people of all ages and educational levels deepen their understanding of themselves, their communities, and the world. Through programs that convene conversations around books, and grants that reward local innovation, the Council works to make Maine a more thoughtful, literate, and humane place in which to live.
The Council’s programs are conducted under the umbrella of the Harriet P. Henry Center For the Book, through which the Council serves as Maine's affiliate of the Library of Congress Center for the Book.
General Audiences
Let’s Talk About It, a free, facilitated book discussion program for adults, has been hosted by local libraries all over the state. This program is undertaken in conjunction with the Maine State Library, with the support of the Maine Community Foundation.
Winter Weekends explore a great work of literature from a number of perspectives over the course of a weekend. Selections have included Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf, Moby Dick, Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, Cervantes' Don Quixote and, in 2009, Tolstoy’s War and Peace. We also offer occasional programs on music and other topics.
Community Seminars engage dedicated readers in scholar-led book discussion programs in locations: Augusta, Bangor, Camden, Falmouth, and Portland. The Community Seminars are one of the oldest civic discussion programs in the country.
Thoughtful Giving is a Council program initiative to bring together diverse audiences across Maine in reading and discussion programs that explore the intersections between giving, serving, and civic life. Why do people give? Why do certain people give to certain causes but not to others? How do you know if your giving is doing any good? These are the sorts of provocative questions being considered in Thoughtful Giving.
Specialized Adult Audiences
New Books, New Readers is a free, facilitated book discussion program for adults who are learning to read or who are infrequent readers. Participants are given copies of the books, the first many of them have ever owned. New Books, New Readers serves approximately 500 Mainers each year in towns and prisons throughout the state.
Stories for Life offers probationers and probation officers the opportunity to meet with a scholar to discuss readings (such as short stories by Raymond Carver, Annie Proulx, and Ernest Hemingway) and reflect on the lives and choices of the characters. Stories for Life is offered in cooperation with the Department of Corrections.
Let’s Talk About It is also offered in prisons.
Literature & Medicine: Humanities at the Heart of Healthcare® brings doctors, nurses, hospital trustees, and support staff together monthly for facilitated discussions of literature that illuminates issues central to caring for people. This program has taken place in the majority of hospitals in Maine as well as other healthcare facilities. Thanks to support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Council has expanded this program to other states.
Children and Youth
History Camps, one-week seminars for high school students who enjoy history, are offered in the summer. Each camp revolves around a theme related to a Maine person, historical site, or event, and may be offered in collaboration with other organizations.
Youth-at-Risk programs use the humanities and the arts to enrich the lives of young men and women who are incarcerated, in group homes, or on probation.
Letters About Literature is a national student essay contest for students in grades 4–12 through the Center for the Book. The Maine Humanities Council/Harriet P. Henry Center for the Book is the Maine sponsor.
Teachers
Born to Read promotes the importance of reading aloud to babies and young children, providing training, books, and support to childcare providers, parents, home visitors, and volunteers from partner organizations. Born to Read staff are currently developing new book collections to be accompanied by activity guides and trainings on the themes of diversity, conflict resolution, and nature.
Teaching American History is an ongoing initiative to to introduce teachers to primary source research techniques and significant figures in Maine and U.S. history. Three grants from the United States Department of Education have enabled teachers in Gardiner, Gorham, and Oxford Hills to benefit from this program.
Other teacher programs use a variety of formats and a wide range of content to give K-12 educators a way to refresh and enrich their professional lives through new scholarship and collegial exchange. One consistent offering is Views of the East, a program co-sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Maine, intended to bring China, Japan, and Korea to Maine schools.
Archives
By visiting these archived web pages, you can learn about some of the past programs and activities of the Maine Humanities Council. This is a great way to "attend" a conference or "view" an exhibit that you missed!
