How should life be?
We see Maine’s bicentennial year as an invitation to look back with new eyes at what’s already happened, to look around with renewed care at what’s happening now, and to grapple with big questions.
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Featured news & announcements
NEH Announces $29 Million for 215 Humanities Projects Nationwide
Aug 14, 2019
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) today announced $29 million in grants for 215 humanities projects across the country. “NEH grants help strengthen and sustain American cultural life, in communities, at museums, libraries, and historic sites, and in classrooms,” said NEH Chairman Jon Parrish Peede. “As the... read more
Poetry Express on WERU
Aug 13, 2019
We are now partnered with WERU Community Radio to broadcast recordings of selected Poetry Express readings! Tune in every Sunday morning at 9:30 am or visit the station’s archives to hear past airings. Poetry Express is a collaborative program with the Maine State Library, bringing Maine poetry and... read more
Mini Grant awards | Summer 2019
Aug 6, 2019
$1,000 for “Bill of Rights Concert” – Youth Journalism International, Auburn $1,000 for “Community Reflections on Inclusion and Social Justice“ – Heart of Biddeford, Biddeford $1,000 for “Culinary Historian Michael Twitty Discusses ‘Kosher/Soul'” – Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, Portland $1,000 for “Environmental Writing as a Tool for Giving Voice... read more
Join us for Toni Morrison’s Beloved
Aug 1, 2019
Join us as we: Explore close readings of Beloved with scholars from Maine and beyond. Build bridges between themes, times, places, and people. Enjoy a reception, lunch, and dinner reflecting the foodways of the book. Have discussions on race, family, spirituality, belonging, and more. Tickets are on a... read more
