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Home of the Harriet P. Henry THE NEWSLETTER OF THE MAINE HUMANITIES COUNCIL | S P R I N G 13 Center for the Book

ANNUAL REPORT ISSUE

1 Letter from the Executive Director 2 A Valley in the Landscape Making room for students 4 A Love Letter to the Maine Humanities Council Inspiring. Amazing. Incredible. 6 On Literature & Medicine Making connections 8 Let’s Talk Rural Empowering libraries across the State 9 Letters About Literature 2012 writing winners 10 In Memoriam… Remembering Carolyn Sloan 11 Visual Literacy for All Ages Looking at the world around us 12 Katahdin to Comic Books Adapting a Classic Maine Tale 14 Grant Highlights

16 Our Impact Across Maine 2012 From “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry,” Grants & Program Activity, part of an MHC-funded film series Donors, Financials in Lewiston (see page 15). photo: ted alcorn The Maine Humanities Council—a statewide nonprofit

organization—enriches the lives of Mainers through literature,

history, philosophy and culture. Our programs, events, grants

and online resources encourage critical thinking and conversation

across social, economic and cultural boundaries.

A LETTER BOARD OF DIRECTORS STAFF Chair Ann L. Kibbie Hayden Anderson, PhD Peter B. Webster Brunswick Executive Director FROM THE South Portland [email protected] Thomas K. Lizotte Vice-chair Dover-Foxcroft Trudy Hickey Patricia B. Bixel Office and Grants Manager Anouar Majid EXECUTIVE Bangor [email protected] Portland Treasurer Diane Magras Michael M. Martinez John R. Opperman Director of Development Lewiston DIRECTOR Portland [email protected] David Richards Secretary Gina Mitchell Skowhegan Judith Daniels Program Assistant Union Liam Riordan [email protected] Bangor Karen Myrick Paul Doiron Kenneth Templeton Administrative Assistant/Receptionist Camden Brunswick [email protected] Daniel Gunn Maryanne C. Ward Nicole Rancourt New Sharon Pittston Program Officer [email protected] Stephen Hayes Jim Wells Anne Schlitt Falmouth Norway Assistant Director Kathryn Hunt [email protected] Bangor Elizabeth Sinclair Director of the Harriet P. Henry Center for the Book [email protected] Charles Thaxton Development and Marketing Assistant [email protected] Julia Walkling Program Officer CALL FOR NOMINATIONS [email protected]

The Maine Humanities Council We dedicate this issue seeks to expand its list of potential to Carolyn Sloan; see page 10. nominees to fill future openings on its Board of Directors. The Council seeks a wide geographic representation and range of civic and/or academic experience. To notify the Council of your interest, please send a letter and a résumé to: Governance Committee Chair Maine Humanities Council 674 Brighton Avenue Portland, ME 04102-1012 Would like to explore you questions of the human experience through a myriad of perspectives The Maine Humanities Council Maine is an affiliate of the National with the Endowment for the Humanities. Humanities? Editor: Diane Magras Council Design: Lori Harley In January I went to a reading by Maine’s to bring Mainers together for a shared people together to read, share, talk, Poet Laureate, Wesley McNair. Wes theater experience and community and think together makes a difference. was reading from his new memoir, and discussion around the difficult issue Engagement with the humanities is an he spoke, in part, about the power of of domestic violence in Maine. essential part of a human life well lived. poetry to express feeling and connect In partnership with the local Kiwanis This is not an elitist notion. On the individuals with the broader human Club, the Council funded a seminar in contrary, the humanities get to the heart experience. As Poet Laureate, one thing Dexter for parents of pre-kindergarten of what binds all of us together, regard- he’s working to do is to restore the children and provided three new less of age, reading ability, or station in connection between poetry and the children’s books to every attendee life. It’s not simply that the humanities broad public that is its rightful audience, to help and encourage the children enrich our lives — though certainly they a connection that has become strained. of that town as they “begin their do. Just as important, the humanities It’s no coincidence that Wes is such literary journey.” have real-world benefits. Robust public a good friend of the Maine Humanities Of course, the ongoing regular engagement with the humanities Council. We, too, are in the business of programs of the Council continued in strengthens our communities and makes building connections. Our work revolves 2012 to make connections in important us better able to face the problems and in large part around helping Mainers ways. New Books, New Readers scholar challenges we must address together. to connect with their communities, their Elizabeth Cooke described the experi- Through the humanities, we can histories, and their neighbors. ence of her Farmington program’s harness the power of human connection You’ll read about some of these con- low-literacy adults: to help understand our past and shape our nections in this Annual Report, and common future. I believe there’s nothing This series offered an experience I hope you’ll be inspired by the exciting more important we could be doing. of empowerment to the partici- work going on throughout the state. Enjoy this Annual Report. I hope pants: they saw their own experi- To take just a few examples from 2012… you’ll find inspiration in the stories ences reflected in the lives of the The Council helped to fund The of Council programs and grants through- characters; our participants have Hero Project, in North Berwick. Over out Maine’s 16 counties, made possible not been alone…. I have seen the course of the school year, 85 high through the support and partnership of [participants’] skills improve, school students studied historical and the generous individuals and institutions however slowly and with small literary texts about the nature of morality you’ll see listed within. We are very successes. Several who were un- and heroism. They identified 21 indi- proud of the Council’s accomplishments able to try to read a line aloud viduals from their community who in the past year, we’re thankful for your several years ago now make it exemplify what it means to be a hero, support, and we’re excited and energized through a paragraph, reading and they wrote about these individuals. about the connections we can make with pride, and smiling when the The culmination of the Project was and the impact we can have in 2013 others in the group applauded a luncheon where the community came and beyond. these small steps forward. For together and the students presented some participants, this has been their work. the main social activity of the We initiated a statewide partnership month; for most, the central edu- with the Maine Coalition to End cational experience of the year. Domestic Violence and other domestic violence agencies to begin work on a There’s a key premise underlying every Hayden Anderson, PhD program (described on the back cover) thing the Council does: gathering Executive Director

674 Brighton Avenue Portland, Maine 04102-1012 T 207-773-5051 F 207-773-2416 [email protected] www.mainehumanities.org A VALLEY have been teaching in colleges observe the dynamics of the session. and universities since 1977, first After the 15 learners and their adult IN THE in Connecticut and for the past education instructors who also partici- 28 years in Maine. While I have pated in the fourth session had left the LANDSCAPE taught a number of undergradu- room, Julia sat next to me at the table ate courses in sociology, geron- on which lay my books, notes and other BY E. MICHAEL BRADY tology, and a travel-based teaching materials and said, “You did summer course on baseball and a good job, Mike. But I’d like to make American Society, most of my one recommendation: Try to talk work has been at the graduate a little less.” level in the Department of I contemplated this feedback for Counseling, Adult and Higher weeks. Of course — Julia was right! Education at the University of I talk too much. But for good reason, Southern Maine. It was after a keynote I immediately rationalized, for there address I gave at an Adult Education is so much to say about these wonderful IConference in New Hampshire in 2006, children’s books and their authors and a talk in which I reflected on implica- illustrators and the context in which tions of Mary Oliver’s poem “The they were written and the meanings Journey” for adult learning, that I met of these stories as they relate to our Julia Walkling. “I see that you are a central theme and… humanities man,” Julia said as she Try to talk a little less… introduced herself. My involvement It wasn’t long after receiving Julia’s with New Books, New Readers began less feedback that I was reviewing a favorite than six months later. book, Greta Nagel’s The Tao of Teaching, a text I have read several times and use in a graduate seminar I facilitate at the “You did a good job, Mike. But I’d University of Southern Maine. Two lines immediately jumped off their like to make one recommendation: respective pages: “Good teaching can take few words” and “Be a valley in the Try to talk a little less.” landscape. Your lowness will benefit your students.” How many times had – Julia Walkling, Program Officer, New Books, New Readers I read these words before (both passages were underlined)? And how many times Perhaps the most candid and helpful did I apparently believe that they feedback I ever received as a teacher applied to other teachers but not to me? occurred at the conclusion of my first Of course I knew (at least cognitively) New Books, New Readers series at that discussion is about participants Sanford Community Adult Education. being able to express their points of As she often does, a practice which to view and experiences. Of course I knew this day I admire, Julia attended the (intellectually) that good teaching final session of our four-part “Memo- involves at least as much listening as ries” series in order to meet participants, speaking. But it appears as though distribute Maine Humanities Council I didn’t know these principles well bookmarks, and most importantly enough to have put them into practice

2 MHC even in an environment as ripe for genuine discussion as New Books, New Readers. Over the next several years working with New Books, New Readers, I con- sciously took Julia’s feedback to heart and tried to use fewer words and become the valley in the landscape. I learned over time that listening is a rare and difficult, albeit lovely, virtue in teaching and one that is integrally related to other important virtues. For example, listening relies on patience (yes — I may think I know the answer to the question I just posed, but it’s much better to allow one of the learners Michael Brady and Julia Walkling reviewing a New Books, New Readers text. photo: charles thaxton to express this answer). As the great German Lyric Poet Rainer Rilke was to listen more effectively in New Books, learned to read but now has motivation fond of saying in his letters about art, New Readers. First, whenever I ask to do so because she has just become love and other important matters, a question, I count to 10 in my head a grandmother and wants to be able “patience is everything!” And if this before I utter another word. It’s so easy to read to this child, something she was mantra applies anywhere, it applies to instantly jump into the silence and never able to do with her own children; to teaching. answer one’s own question, a habit in and from the county jail inmate who, Listening both requires and engen- which I was well-practiced. I also use because of one terrible mistake, has lost ders empathy. How can we understand small exercises such as asking students his freedom, is separated from family, what our students think and feel unless to create mind-maps or write a “One and has serious work to do to repair they express themselves? And how Minute Paper” in which they can relationships in what has become an can they express themselves if we, summarize their impressions of a book interrupted life. I learn from these their teachers, don’t allow ample space or jot down feelings about the main fascinating people by listening. in the discussion for their voices to be concepts we have been discussing. I am grateful that, way back when welcomed and then truly listen to those Students are always invited but never I first began as a Humanities Scholar voices when they speak? compelled to share their mind-maps with New Books, New Readers, I listened Listening also requires among the or one-minute papers with the rest well to those six words of feedback most difficult of virtues for some of the group. from Julia. Because I did, I am a better teachers, perhaps especially college In recent years I believe I have teacher today. professors: humility. Being the valley become a better teacher because I have in the landscape is not easy for scholars worked to turn down the volume of my who have doctoral degrees, publish own voice and turn up the volume of my books and articles, and who even get students’ voices. New Books, New Readers occasional invitations to deliver keynote has been a watershed experience in this E. Michael Brady is Professor of Adult addresses out-of-state. But we can’t regard. There is so much to learn from and Higher Education at the University listen well without at least some degree the immigrant from Somalia who over- of Southern Maine and also serves as of humility, and we can’t teach well, came a myriad of political and economic Senior Research Fellow at USM’s Osher that is, really well, without listening. barriers to make his way to America; Lifelong Learning Institute. He is also There are several ways I now try from the 50-year-old woman who never a regular MHC scholar/facilitator.

SPRING 13 3 A LOVE Inspiring. Amazing. Incredible…. An endless ribbon of words would do nicely LETTER TO THE to describe my past eight years on the board of the Maine Humanities Council. MAINE But, if I really had to choose only one word to express what it was like to serve HUMANITIES on one of the most outstanding boards in Maine and the nation, what it was COUNCIL like to be ushered into the heart of the humanities, and what it was like to feel, BY SHEILA JANS see, and touch the diversity of our state, I’d choose the word “transformative.” We’re all inclined to exaggerate from time to time, but for me, this is on-the- ground truth: my experience with the Council has been life-changing. In 1997, I moved to the St. John Valley in northern Maine from Canada, plunging soon after my arrival into cultural development. My first connection with the Council was as an earnest applicant seeking funds to support a variety of humanities-based initiatives in this rural, underserved part of the state. Over the years, other regional and state development efforts brought me into contact with the Council. By 2005, I was elected to the board and my immersion began. Soon into my tenure, it became pretty clear to me why the Council is such an effective organization. It is unwaveringly faithful to sound structure and policy, balanced with reflective planning and strategic action. I took my responsibilities as a board member seriously, but I’d be disingenuous to say that my time wasn’t punctuated with lots of healthy doses of bellyaching laughter. Along with skills in fundraising, organizational development, financial management, and boundless literary and scholarly abilities, my fellow board members were incredibly funny and endlessly engaging. I made many

4 MHC new friends and delighted in countless and an unforgettable evening with fastly present in helping to shape illuminating conversations. Wesley McNair, Maine’s Poet Laureate. more meaningful lives for one Three times a year for eight years, With a sense of privilege, I was given another. Many thanks to the I traveled up, down, and across the state the chance to glimpse into the vastness Maine Humanities Council for board meetings and then several of the human spirit, with its companion and to all the folks who joined additional times for other humanities triumphs and struggles. All of these me on the path for everything events. Every place brought a new story experiences, in every part of Maine, I’ve learned. and the gift of another sweet memory. sparkled my The salty summer air in Castine is now path. It was a part of me, along with the tormented enormously winter waters in South Portland, and fulfilling to hear the crispy sound of autumn’s fallen how Council leaves in Lewiston. I also remember programs and the school gymnasium in the town grants made a of Steuben filled to capacity to celebrate direct, relevant, a little girl’s award-winning letter and significant of the Council’s Letters About Literature difference in program. I was so excited to be there people’s daily with the entire community to honor lives. I am proud her achievement. And the gathering to have been of local residents in Bar Harbor, where part of ensuring we explored how the humanities can the Council’s be part of the solution when small commitment communities tackle challenges like to serving all Sheila Jans, at home in Madawaska. photo: daniel picard consolidation or loss of identity. of Maine. In northern Maine, my interest I am grateful. I am grateful for being Sheila Jans ended her eight-year term was to increase opportunities for the able to sit at the table with such smart, on the Maine Humanities Council Council’s exceptional programs. So creative, and kind people to build a board in 2012. She is a cultural affairs I helped encourage a stronger presence better Maine through the humanities. consultant in Madawaska. of Let’s Talk About It, one of its signature And grateful for how my experience programs, and organize events such as enriched me as a professional and as the community discussion What do a volunteer on other nonprofit boards Borders Mean? Other humanities and committees. I’ve come to better moments included an award-winning understand what humanities means — theatrical performance about the history to me, that is. I’ve discovered that it’s of taxation in Maine (of all things!); not complicated, really — it’s about an international gathering of artists, exploring what is true, no matter what historians, and community activists; “it” is, and being solidly and stead- “It was enormously fulfilling to hear how Council programs and grants made a direct, relevant, and significant difference in people’s daily lives.”

SPRING 13 5 ON LITERATURE bring to the clinic their cultural backgrounds, religious and spiritual beliefs, & MEDICINE and personal histories — of the medical and non-medical kind. This is especially BY ABBY CUTLER true at a VAMC, where a large gulf exists between the patients (who have all served in the military) and their FOR ME, it’s always been about stories. participants across 14 sites. I heard healthcare providers (who for the most But it hasn’t always been about patients. testimony from healthcare providers part are non-veterans.) Tools offered by I didn’t grow up wanting to be who reported significant increases in a program like Literature & Medicine — a doctor. In high school and in college, colleague camaraderie and openness, which uses literature as a proxy for I pursued my passions for writing, empathy and compassion toward experiencing things like war, illness, and literature, and East Asian Studies. patients, appreciation and understand- death — seem uniquely suited to help After graduation, I chose to chase ing of different perspectives, general providers empathize with patients who a career in journalism and began morale and satisfaction with one’s work, return from service not only physically by writing an article for Synapse and motivation to do better at one’s and emotionally wounded, but feeling as (the eZine for the Maine Humanities job. The program also demonstrated though no one can possibly understand Council’s Literature & Medicine® far-reaching effects: interviewees what they’ve been through. Consider the program) on recent changes in the described sharing their thoughts and following quote from one participant, doctor-patient relationship. My readings with non-participating staff who happened to be a veteran himself: appreciation for the healthcare members and even patients. And profession notwithstanding, it took an overwhelming 100 percent of Usually I go into a patient’s room me several years to forge my own participants endorsed the program and and unless they know I’ve served relationship with science and medicine. expressed interest in both expansion in the military, I have real diffi- By the time I started medical school and future participation. culty reaching them. There’s a at age 28, I was convinced that all For those of us familiar with Literature strong bond among our patient the qualities I most valued about & Medicine, this was not surprising. After population — a common experi- myself — compassion, conscientious- all, the program — a hospital-based ence, which you won’t find at a ness, curiosity — would best be spent facilitator-led reading and discussion [community] hospital. Here, our serving patients, not readers. But by group for hospital staff members — had patients aren’t just bodies to be the end of my first year, I felt tired and been demonstrating the same outcomes cared for; they are people who overwhelmed — a shell of my former at non-VAMCs since its inception in have helped protect our country. self. I longed to trade in my textbooks 1997. In order to understand and best You don’t have to be in the mili- for novels, my medical journals for serve their patients, healthcare profes- tary to understand this, but you magazines. I wondered whether I’d sionals cannot rely solely on their own have to be around it to appreciate made a huge mistake. academic knowledge and life experi- what it means to serve. The As good fortune would have it, ences. Patients not only present their readings help bolster that under- I had arranged to spend that following complaints and indications; they also standing. summer evaluating the success of the Literature & Medicine: Humanities at the Heart of Health Care® program “It also reconfirmed my feeling that literature at newly participating VA Medical Centers (VAMCs). Over the course and reflection are vital components in of two months, I conducted interviews and focus groups with program a robust medical education curriculum…”

6 MHC Another participant — a non-veteran — I returned to medical school that fall Throughout medical school, I’ve echoed this sentiment: more committed than ever to advocat- endeavored to figure out how to turn ing for programs like Literature & my passion for stories into a profession I think the program is especially Medicine — in medical school, residency, of healing. Literature & Medicine important for non-veteran pro- and beyond. helped me realize that I don’t have viders because they say that unless It’s hard to believe I’m nearing the to choose between the two. you’ve walked in a soldier’s shoes, end of medical school, yet as I write you can’t possibly get it. Literature this I have just finished the long process puts something concrete in our of interviewing for residency. Medical hands. Otherwise, it would be school has been hard — certainly the like me trying to describe what most difficult endeavor I’ve ever under- Abigail Cutler is a fourth-year medical it’s like to live on Mars. That’s taken — and there have been moments student at the Pritzker School of Medicine our vets’ frustration: that we can’t when I’ve been nostalgic for my former at the University of Chicago. She is relate to them. The ‘You can’t life. But at the end of the day, the worlds pursuing a residency in Obstetrics & treat one unless you’ve been one’ of medicine and journalism have much Gynecology. Her writing has appeared philosophy. The literature helps in common. Every day we healthcare in The Atlantic and The Christian us connect a little more. providers are surrounded by stories — Science Monitor. incredible stories. We are asked to I learned so much that summer. Work- observe patients, ask them questions, ing with participants of Literature & listen to their tales, and report back Abigail Cutler’s Featured Article in the very Medicine was inspiring, reenergizing to our colleagues. We get to meet first issue of Synapse, the eZine of the Literature and validating. It also reconfirmed my interesting people and raise awareness & Medicine program. mainehumanities.org/ programs/litandmed/synapse feeling that literature and reflection are of important issues — all under vital components in a robust medical deadline no less. Unlike journalism, education curriculum and, on a personal the work doesn’t stop there level, proved to me that it was feasible but just begins. to incorporate my humanities background into my newly chosen career.

2004 spring

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Medical dside stern Maine ble be remarka bit ervice at Ea ::: bio ills than his ha Simply Listeningtler Medical S known for his ross bigail Cu tion sk uncommon for my by A 1968, was not hours acs of late- tler, Chief1948 of - ommunica hour ise, rom urpr rence Cu ides. It wasig ht and drivee, after Dr. Law beds (Onc ction lessct ualof his c ll. enter in Bangor f a iddle of the n C tients’ house ca ctitioners, my nner — a refle ma ssly losten anderal realized, pra to his s rticle isiting his pa hopele of v her to get up in the m most g rounds, but Feature A mself ble to take grandfat ound hi not becauseonom heic backgasked pointed expanse of the state to make a the tients well — night driving, he f religious heorir ec lives — and was a SPRING 13 ltural, regime, 7 he had drivenkne wellw intohis paCanada.)ere Likest in t lth care her heir cu lth care out t hey have grandfat home. ook a natural int rements,tien heats. T questions ab hem at tients have isit t heir pa because he t orty years. Intime today’s in tiny hea inc time to v tting listen to t ssion, and pa lls: the llo ers a time to heir profe house ca with t mother, a third-year psychiatry A lot has d-changedparty pay in f llotted less thanenty struggle torus findtrated cted. My tients by making ting. “Tw with thir gly f tient is astra enough sin negle her pa ru relax professionals singly out issues ome increancrea more ab icult bec eel i enerally,ti eachon she pa finds f situa tient and let him ite ome to f nnot learn c ome to her. G discuss anyti diffons, wr with her, a reet the espas to medica ples and make resident, camust c meet robotic tients icient to g much l djust eel pa hour to isit, a rely suff rounding up sam listening, half an ice erview. “I often f minutes is hobaw things aresi ncgoing,e the last v our int empathic ort sen round the off rep ble a to encounterer —s.” lth care that may have ari ider today is tter criptions, scram ltitask — suff with be pres ortant part muof the time needed referrals,” she told me in lth care provtients any most imp need to ide pa ood hea eeping up and the ometimes even find urdened by the tients is being cut, the demands on heaeek, but k enough. unb with pa sing. To be a g not time gical advancesreceive to (and prov s hnolo ournals eachme diciw ne isher self aboutctice Even as with tec medical j professionalsurren aret increa ments inre -educate eep c lth care professionals to k dies. For just as the pra Most heawildering arrayscien oftific develop : 2 : 3 : 4 care. must educatetheir andbo 1 gical and ider to read) ahno belo as well as with tec lth care provctives ood hea erspe A g tients’ p her pa it might seem), by tempting librarians with fascinating series (“Defining Wilderness: Defining Maine” and “So Near and So Far: An Exploration of Cuban Literature” are especially popular ones), and by always being available to answer questions, offer advice, or simply listen at any point of the process. In fact, Lizz Sinclair, Program Director, who manages Let’s Talk About It, got to know Faye and Jackie quite well by phone so that hugs Nancy Troeger and Hayden Anderson in the Abel J. Morneault Memorial Library were clearly the next thing coming in Van Buren. photo: anne schlitt when they actually met in person. Behind the scenes, too, Lizz helps LET’S TALK RURAL librarians choose the right series, making recommendations from our list of 48 based on their goals for their TOWNS REACHED IN THE RURAL LIBRARY INITIATIVE communities. She also chooses the Albion, Allagash, Belfast, Blue Hill, Castine, Ellsworth, Greenville, Harrison, Houlton, perfect scholar/facilitator from within Lovell, New Harbor/Bristol, Newfield, North Berwick, North Bridgton, Norway, our roster of statewide intellectual Pittsfield, Princeton, St. Agatha, Steuben, Tenants Harbor, Van Buren, Waterford, Wayne talent. (Indeed, librarians often grow very attached to theirs.) Abandoned schools, unused buildings, community members while helping And funding, of course, is the final sometimes just a basement: these are a library become recognized as a crucial object in this picture. We’re very fortunate often the birthplaces of rural libraries. community center. to have had a three-year grant from the What a community might see as a useless It’s hard for a rural library to start a Betterment Fund (ended in 2012) that structure can be a golden start for a book- public program, especially a new library. supported Let’s Talk About It in rural centered community organization as long Will anyone besides nine friends come? libraries statewide. With additional as a person with a vision is involved. Do people in the community want to support from donors — many of whom Faye O’Leary Hafford did this in commit to a four-session reading series? were Let’s Talk About It participants Allagash, creating a library with her Will the facilitator click with the themselves — we reached 29 rural libraries namesake from a classroom in an audience? Is it too much work to expect in 2012 alone, with audiences ranging abandoned school. Jackie Ayotte began of a volunteer staff? from 9 to 32 in our most rural sites. the Long Lake Public Library in St. Faye and Jackie probably had these Thanks to foundation funding and Agatha in a few rooms as a collaboration worries, but both gave Let’s Talk About It thanks to our donors, together we’ve been with her local historical society. Both a chance and now are among our most able to engage communities throughout are now bustling centers of community stalwart partners. the state in thoughtful, fun, and mean- activity within towns of fewer than The MHC listens to and finds ingful discussions with one another, 300 and 800 residents, respectively. solutions to rural libraries’ fears. We exploring (as a participant in Albion And both are regular partners of prove how valuable the program is wrote) “a range and depth of ideas and Let’s Talk About It, the MHC’s free through encouraging librarians to talk stories of what makes us human.” reading and discussion program. Let’s together about it (this is how Faye got To become the library where such Talk About It serves all of Maine, provides started, having heard from Jackie that thoughts are inspired is a worthy future an in-depth cultural experience for offering the program wasn’t as hard as indeed, for a once-abandoned space.

8 MHC LETTERS Letters About Literature is a national project sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in partnership with the Maine Humanities Council. Support ABOUT for this program is provided by the David Royte Fund and the Library of Congress. LITER ATURE In Letters About Literature, students write to an author — living or dead — about how that author’s work changed them somehow. Students write about their relationships with the author’s characters or themes and often describe how they have grown as a result of these connections. In 2012, Maine had 117 entries from students across the state, grades 4 – 12, judged by a panel of humanities representatives.

LEVEL I WINNERS (GRADES 4 – 6) 1st Place Brooklin School, Brooklin > Excerpt: Leigh Brooks to Tamora Pierce 2nd Place Stepping Stones Montessori, Chelsea Honorable Hichborn Middle School, Howland; Your books taught me that girls aren’t just silly Your books taught me to be bigger than Mention Dora L. Small School, South Portland and useless, only fit for “women’s work” and all of the small, narrow-minded people certainly not at all good for saving the world. who make fun of you because they’re afraid They taught me to take what comes at me, to to do what you can. So they make them- not be afraid of being who I am, and to try for selves feel better by being mean. If you my dreams no matter what (or who) stands in worry about all of them, you’ll spend your my way. If you dare to try for what you want whole life ‘worrying about the state of your most, someday all your work will pay off. clothes whilst the armies advance.’ LEVEL II WINNERS (GRADES 7 – 8) 1st Place Lewiston Middle School, Lewiston > Excerpt: Patience Rousseau to Ann M. Martin 2nd Place Brooklin School, Brooklin Honorable Cony High School, Augusta; When I think back on reading the Main books inspired me to keep going, and Mention Dr. Lewis S. Libby School, Milford Street series, I know it helped me to make to realize that she’s in a better place now, it through my mom dying. I think back, and that she’s happy now. I also feel that and if Flora and Ruby survived both of I should look on the bright side of every- their parents dying, even though it’s fiction, thing and not be sad always. She was I know I can make it through this. These hurting on Earth, now she has no pain. LEVEL III WINNERS (GRADES 9 – 12) 1st Place Scarborough High School, Scarborough > Excerpt: Sarah Huber to Ann M. Martin 2nd Place Bangor High School, Bangor Honorable Scarborough High School, Scarborough Across the table from me every Christmas think of you; it is about how you feel inside. Mention Eve is my cousin Garret…. He opens his I’ve always been uneasy…when I had mouth to speak but no words come out; his to introduce him to my friends because hand gestures just say it all: “More bread,” I never knew how they would react. “Pass the milk,” but these simple things As I read about Hattie and how she never express who he really is…. Garret made such an effort to make Adam happy, has a social disorder…. it just makes me realize that there is more …I never knew how to make a connec- to life than popularity status: what really tion with him. I wanted so badly for him means the most is family and self-worth. to just scream how he really felt, but that Sometimes I wonder if he is happy — day never came. After reading your book, if he knows who we are. I want to reach I realized that it isn’t about what others out to him, make him feel loved.

SPRING 13 9 IN MEMORIAM

carolyn sloan VISUAL LITERACY 8.1.48 – 12.11.12 FOR ALL AGES

BY LIBBY BISCHOF Carolyn Sloan shared her interest in books and ideas with the Maine Humanities Council beginning in 2002. The creator of the Deep in a Book and Children and Nature trainings for “The relation between what we see parents and early childhood educators respectively, the brains and what we know is never settled. behind the New Books, New Readers text selections, and a beloved Each evening we see the sun set. We know facilitator for several sites, Carolyn brought a broad and deep that the earth is turning away from it. imagination to our work. She was a scholar in a classic sense. Yet the knowledge, the explanation, Prior to joining the MHC, Carolyn taught Kindergarten never quite fits the sight.” through grade 10, focusing on curriculum design, including – John Berger, Ways of Seeing literacy, for grades 1-6 in an integrated classroom. As a facilitator, she worked with groups at Portland Adult Education and Biddeford Adult Education. Carolyn majored in English as an undergraduate at Duke University and did graduate work in ancient and early modern history at Memphis State Univer- sity — an interest that always kept conversations with her peppered with fascinating facts. She also did graduate work in reading and education early in her teaching career and kept up her interest in linguistics by taking courses in French, Greek, German, and Latin. Carolyn’s fascination with geography and linguistics sparked her interest in the opportunity to interact with Adult English Language Learners and to select books and discussion questions that work to help lower-level ELL students transition to English. She once described how she would perform scenes from a book EXERCISE and adapt them for her audience — mimicking a king in a Beauty and the Beast story for senior Sudanese and Somali refugees, Glance at this (or another) and swiftly realizing that a crown and a scepter wouldn’t do — it image for 5 – 10 seconds was amazing how she could facilitate a powerful book discus- 1 (which is longer than sion for people who didn’t speak the same language. you probably look Sadly, Carolyn passed away in early December after a long and at most images). courageous struggle against leukemia. Carolyn’s energy, laughter, Make a list curiosity, and wisdom benefited all of us at the MHC. She will be of what you see. missed by many but will be remembered by many, too, each time we read and each time we think of the worlds she loved most. • Put two minutes If you are interested in making a gift to the MHC 2 on your timer and in Carolyn’s memory, please visit our website look at the same [www.mainehumanities.org] or contact Diane Magras, image for 120 seconds. Director of Development, at [email protected], Make a list 1-866-637-3233 x208, or 207-773-5051 x208. of what you see.

10 MHC OHN BERGER’S seminal of all kinds — on the television, the visual facts, not interpretations. text, Ways of Seeing, was first computer screen, in newspapers and Then, only after you’ve objectively published in 1972 as a compan- magazines, and even on our smart- described what’s before you, begin ion piece to a four-part BBC phones and tablets as we scroll through to think about audience, intention, series of the same title. It emails, Facebook posts and Instagram and meaning. As an historian, I also quickly became an important feeds. We are used to looking at images encourage my students to place images foundational reading for those quickly as they flood before us daily at in their historical context — what was who study and teach visual an often breakneck pace. The first step going on at the time that can help us culture and art history. In the then, to teaching and acquiring visual to better understand the meaning above quote, Berger expresses literacy, is to slow down our gaze. To of an image for those who first viewed a fundamental conundrum in really see and begin to understand the it? Does the image mean something the teaching and understanding object or image in front of us, we must different to us? of visual literacy — the unsettled take the time to really look at it, and Finally, when teaching visual relationship between what we see and really looking requires more than a glance. literacy, it is extremely important what we know. In its most basic defini- Try the exercise indicated at bottom. to keep in mind perspective and Jtion, visual literacy is the ability to Finished? How much more detail did perception. Young children see understand, create, and use visual images. you become aware of when you spent objects and shapes. As they develop, Thus, the visually literate person is two minutes gazing at an image? Did they begin to discern concepts and aware of a whole host of “ways of seeing.” two minutes feel like an eternity? It relationships from images. When we Ways of seeing and understanding can takes time to see and to understand. It’s look at an image, we do not all see (and should) be taught and cultivated also important to withhold judgment the same thing. This seems like a among students of any age, from pre-K and to first describejust what you see simple statement, but it bears think- and early childhood to adult learners. (and not what you think the image ing about. Perception is key. For We live in an overwhelmingly visual is about or trying to communicate). instance, visual images are filtered world. From the moment we wake up, Look at shapes, colors, compositions, through our perception, which can many of us are bombarded with images patterns — take it all in. First list differ on account of our age, gender, race, culture, socio-economic background, and past life experiences. Visual literacy is an important skill set for thriving in our 21st-century world. But to acquire these skills, we must firstslow down and really look at what’s in front of us.

Libby Bischof is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Southern Maine. This is an excerpt from a talk of the same title that she gave during the MHC’s “Introduction to Visual Literacy: Strategies for ‘Reading’ Art” at Bowdoin College on October 13, 2012.

SPRING 13 11 OR YEARS, most fourth- and get it right. But this new version graders in Maine could also needed to have new information.” tell you the story of Donn Lynn’s version of Donn’s story included Fendler, the twelve-year new details and original Bangor Daily old who was stranded on News headlines from the time. “It was Katahdin for more than a a balancing act of honoring the ‘old’ week with only his scouting story while adding ‘new’ information.” skills and wits to keep him That balancing act also required safe. For many, Fendler careful mediation between authorial seemed like a real life voice, narration, and illustration — the version of Brian from Gary process Lynn described sounded more Paulsen’s Hatchet; indeed, like creating a storyboard for a film than Fendler’s own story became simply retelling the story. “I’m used to the basis for the classic tale of survival, writing in paragraphs. So much of the Lost on a Mountain in Maine. story is told through Ben’s illustrations FAs timeless as this story is, Lynn that the words had to be pared down Plourde, a Maine children’s book author in places.” and educator, was interested in revital- Lynn’s other books are works of izing it for a modern audience. She, fiction, but Donn’s story, being a true along with Fendler, set out to create but now distant event, was trickier K ATAHDIN a new, engaging version of his story to pin down. “I had the advantage of of childhood bravery. They enlisted the being able to interview Donn,” she said. TO COMIC BOOKS: help of Ben Bishop, a young Portland But the challenge remained: “Creating comics artist and illustrator who first dialogue from over 70 years ago — LYNN PLOURDE gained attention for his graphic novel no one remembers exactly what was Nathan the Caveman in 2008. Lynn told said, so I literally had to put words HELPS TO ADAPT the MHC that Bishop was able to turn in Donn’s mouth.” the illustrations around in three months. Creating Lost Trail also gave Lynn A CLASSIC The result was Lost Trail, a powerful the opportunity to learn about the graphic novel adaptation of Lost on a educational potential in comics and MAINE TALE Mountain in Maine, published last year graphic novels. “I have been amazed by DownEast Books. at the power of graphic novels with BY CHARLES THAXTON Lost Trail was Lynn’s first time students,” she told me. “I’ve given working on a graphic novel, and the numerous school presentations on Lost final product proves a great example Trail — how it was created and how of collaboration across the artistic and students can write their own graphic storytelling arts. The MHC spoke novel scenes. Students are mesmerized. with her about the process of adapting When you can hear a pin drop in a the story, as well as the possibilities room filled with three or four classes of the graphic novel form. of 5th and 6th graders, you know Lynn told me about the challenges you’re onto something,” she said. involved in updating such an established Educators, students, and librarians Maine story. “It’s a classic as well as have all attested to the value of this a true story; and so, the new version emerging medium. “Teachers have told needed to honor Donn Fendler’s story me that it’s the students who have

12 MHC “When you can hear a pin drop in a room filled with three or four classes of 5th and 6th graders, you know

you’re onto something.” – Lynn Plourde, author and educator forced them to use graphic novels in the artists and writers — comics journalism, Lynn Plourde, Donn Fendler, and Ben classroom. Librarians say they can’t keep biography, travel writing, and memoir Bishop participated in a Bangor MHC graphic novels on their shelves. Students are all emerging genres. teacher program in 2012 that celebrated have told me that Lost Trail is told ‘their Lynn recommended several resources Lost Trail, created dialogue around visual way’.” The graphic novel format lends for teachers interested in integrating literacy, and encouraged a passion for itself to narrative as well as visual literacy graphic novels into their curriculum. graphic novels in both students and K - 12 skills, both of which are increasingly Scott McCloud’s Making Comics is teachers. You can find Lost Trail at local important in making students informed, now a classic, as well as Drawing Words bookstores and online. Lynn’s website: skeptical consumers of media. Graphic and Writing Pictures by Jessica Abel and www.lynnplourde.com. Ben Bishop’s novels and comics are increasingly being Matt Madden. Her own website has website: www.bishart.com. recognized not only as useful teaching activities related to Lost tools, but as genuine works of art. Trail, and local events like left & above: Cover and pages from Lost Trail. below: Lynn Plourde, Graphic novel and comic adaptations Maine Comics Festival or author; Donn Fendler, subject; and Ben Bishop, illustrator who all worked together to create Lost Trail. photo: downeast of classic literature are popular (Lynn businesses like neighbor- mentioned graphic versions of Pride and hood comic shops are also Prejudice, The Diary of Anne Frank, and good resources. The final Ulysses), and so are original stories like authorities on comics, she Art Spiegelman’s influential Holocaust reminded me, are often graphic novel Maus (1991) or Marjane the students themselves. Satrapi’s coming of age tale set during “Teachers shouldn’t the Iranian Revolution, Persepolis (2000). be afraid to use students The medium is also quickly becoming as a resource — learn an experimental arena for contemporary from them! ”

SPRING 13 13 HIGHLIGHTS 2012 GRANT GRANT 2012

BOOTHBAY

$500 Rachel Carson: Celebrating

| the 50th Anniversary of Silent Spring In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, The Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens collaborated with Maine Audubon, the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, and others to present a series of public programs on Rachel Carson, the legacy of Silent Spring, and her emphasis on the connect- edness of all living things. darling

> Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens chris : ewing

photo james : photo | PORTLAND / SOUTH PORTLAND ethel $1,000 The Longfellow Choral Festival | The Longfellow Choral Festival is held each year to celebrate the life and works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, presenting his poems set to music by major Victorian composers. This year’s festival celebrated Longfellow’s friendship with Norwegian violinist Ole Bull (1810-1880) by presenting concerts and discussions about their connections. > The Longfellow Chorus

FARMINGTON

$1,000 Shakespeare in Performance:

| “The Tragedies” This two-day conference in May of last year PORTLAND included panels, lectures and performances $7,500 Ovations Offstage for students, scholars, and general public. | The conference explored stage and screen Grants to Portland Ovations helped support a variety of humanities-based programming, including a pre- adaptations of Shakespeare’s tragedies. performance lecture series, interpretive panels at Merrill Auditorium and an online exhibit to highlight > University of Maine at Farmington the history of performing arts in Portland. This year’s programming highlighted Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, the music of Cape Breton and Burundi, and contemporary chamber music (shown: string quartet ETHEL). > Portland Ovations

14 MHC HIGHLIGHTS FORT KENT, HOULTON, BANGOR, EASTPORT, CHERRYFIELD SWAN’S ISLAND, STONINGTON, APPLETON, WATERVILLE, TURNER, BATH, YORK, CHEBEAGUE ISLAND, PORTLAND

$7,490 Poetry Express | This project, an initiative of Maine’s Poet Laureate Wesley McNair, featured a statewide reading and listening tour highlighting the richness of contemporary poetry and its connection to the lives of citizens of all occupations, experiences, and backgrounds. > Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance museum

abbe

llc

courtesy : sorry

photo never

BAR HARBOR courtesy : $7,283 N’tolonapemk: Our Ancestor’s Place | This grant helped fund museum infrastructure at the Abbe Museum, which focuses on Maine photo

| Native American art, history and archeology. Native Americans have lived on Meddybemps Lake in Washington County for at least 8,600 years. The Passamaquoddy people have named this site weiwei N’tolonapemk, which in Passamaquoddy means, “Our Relatives’ Place.” This exhibit tells the story ai of N’tolonapemk through archaeological evidence (such as the fish effigy shown above) and the stories and knowledge of the Passamaquoddy people. The exhibit runs through October, 2013. > Abbe Museum thaxton

charles : photo LEWISTON/AUBURN

$1,000 L/A Film Forum | The public libraries in Lewiston and Auburn have been sharing hosting duties for the presentation of this series of contemporary independent films followed by reflective, scholar-led discussion. The screenings and discussions continue through May. Some of the films shown have included: “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry,” a close look at the Chinese dissident artist (shown); “Question One,” a documentary on the first campaign for same-sex marriage in Maine; and “Scotland, PA,” a darkly comic reimagining of Macbeth. > Lewiston Public Library and Auburn Public Library

PORTLAND

$1,000 Voices of Light: The Passion of Joan of Arc | To commemorate the 600th anniversary of the birth of Joan of Arc (c. 1412), the Choral Art Society presented “Voices of Light: The Passion of Joan of Arc,” PRINCETON a multi-media project combining a silent film screening of Carl Theodor $500 | Digitizing Passamaquoddy Historic Documents Dreyer’s classic film and a contemporary score by Richard Einhorn. The event also included a pre-performance lecture by University of Southern Maine The Passamaquoddy Tribal Historic Preservation Office used this grant Professor of English and medieval specialist, Kathy Ashley. to prepare its extensive historic collection of tribal documents for digitization. > The Choral Art Society This work is in partnership with the University of New Hampshire, which plans to apply for a Preservation and Access Grant from the NEH to support digitiza tion of regional tribal archives. > The Passamaquoddy Tribal Historic Preservation Office

SPRING 13 15

GRANTS & PROGRAM ACTIVITY FROM GIVING GRASSROOTS at 207-773-5051, or diane of Development, Director Magras, Diane or contact (11.1.11 you inspiredIf con feel to We forgenerosity. are their grateful report. in this described programs the oneanother, of themselves, understanding by supporting world. and state the They the enrich abetter to participants program MHC lead They that inspire exchange the of perspectives below. map the within seen clearly be scope ofcan the which for across Fund make people donors adifference Council Maine— Annual Humanities Maine Fiscal YearFiscal 2012in the received gifts represents followsthat The list makedo a difference. To you. Thank You all of our donors: really

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03.2). ) 10.31.12

t @ ribute, please fill out the enclosedenvelope,the fill out please ribute, mainehumanities.org. mainehumanities.org.

LETTERS ABOUTLITERATURE NEW BOOKS,READERS LITERATURE &MEDICINE POPULATION DENSITY TEACHER PROGRAMS LET’S TALKABOUTIT BOARD MEETINGS HISTORY CAMP PUBLIC EVENTS GRANTS

MHC

FROM GRASSROOTS GIVING

Humanities Partner Tom & Kate Cheney Chappell 2 012($100 -$249) Anthony Corrado The MHC awarded $96,878 through 59 grants to Maine Anonymous (4) Crosby Consolidated Fund nonprofits, reaching 50 different towns and approximately 177,678 people. Susan Abt of the Maine Community Charles B. Alexander Foundation at the Ann Marie Almeida recommendation Tenney & Newell Augur of Oliver S. Crosby FEDERAL, ANNUAL FUND Lincoln & Gloria Ladd Laura & Douglas Henry Sally & Ron Bancroft Marilyn Crowley STATE, The Maine Humanities Thomas & Leslie Lizotte (in honor of Harriet Henry Martha Barkley Judi & Jim Czimbal CORPORATE, Council is grateful for James McKenna on what would have Paul & Cathleen Bauschatz Sally J. Daggett & FOUNDATION its unrestricted Annual & Jane Orbeton been her 89th birthday) Edmund & Ruth Benedikt Judith Daniels GRANTS Fund support. These gifts, Merle Nelson** Merton G. Henry Eve Bennett Elizabeth L. Davis Anonymous quite simply, make our Sally & Ted Oldham Erik C. Jorgensen Victoria & Erno Bonebakker George K. Dreher The Betterment Fund programming possible, John R. Opperman & Tamara M. Risser Jane & Frank Bragg Marilyn H. Dwyer Margaret E. Burnham allowing us to maintain Alfred & Dorothy Suzi Osher William T. & Elizabeth L. Gayle Brazeau Susan Emmet Charitable Trust a statewide mission Memorial Foundation Knowles Fund of the Midge & John Burns Peter M. Enggass The Deering Fund and serve every corner Harriet & Steven Passerman Maine Community of the Maine Community of Maine. We’re proud Paul Royte** Foundation Foundation to devote the space Anne Russell Katharine & Robert Lynn The artwork peppered throughout this section Helen & George Ladd to thank all of our donors George L. & Clara S. Shinn Marcy Plavin was generously donated by the respective artists Charitable Corporation at all levels — whether Foundation Mary Lee Rushmore to be auctioned for the benefit of the MHC’s Library of Congress the gift is $1 or $10,000. Kenneth Spirer & Joan Leitzer Bob & Judy Tredwell fundraiser last fall — see the full list on page 20. Morton-Kelly Every one of them makes Ann Staples Waldron Anne Broderick Zill Charitable Trust a difference. Maryanne & John Ward National Endowment Peter & Margaret Webster Humanities for the Humanities MHC Circle Pip & Judy Wick* Companion Mr. Thomas Pierce ($1,000+) Joe & Carol Wishcamper ($250 - $499) Mattina R. Proctor Peter J. Aicher Fund of the Maine Anonymous Foundation Carol M. Beaumier Community Foundation Rick & Anne Brown The Alfred M. Senter Fund Patricia Bixel at the recommendation Susan & James Carter Elmina B. Sewall Madeleine G. Corson of Joe & Carol Wishcamper Elizabeth Davidson Foundation Diversified Communications Douglas E. Woodbury Lois MacKinnon Davis State of Maine at the recommendation & Judith A. Fletcher Diane Garthwaite U.S. Department of Josephine H. Detmer Woodbury & Matthew Liang of Education John S. Emerson* Mr. & Mrs. Daniel A. Zilkha* D. Brock Hornby The Vincent B. Jill M. Goldthwait Theodora J. Kalikow & Barbara G. Welch Barbara Goodbody *New Books, New Readers Sheldon & Audrey Katz Supporting Organization Geoffrey M. Gratwick **David Royte Fund Susan Lyons at the Maine Community & Lucy G. Quimby Audrey Maynard Foundation Martha S. Henry Humanities Angel Sarah S. Meacham ($750 - $999) Dr. Daniel K. Cyrus & Patricia Hagge & Professor Patricia Onion ashley bryan: hand-painted lino block print from Ann Kibbie Larry & Edis Risser i’m going to sing, black american spirituals, volume two & Kevin Wertheim Patricia Sanborn Literature & Dorothy & Elliott Schwartz Medicine: Humanities at the Heart Humanities Benefactor Nan & Bill Stone Susan & Franklin Burroughs Elaine Ford & Arthur Boatin of Health Care® reached 7 Maine ($500 - $750) Anne & Jack Thompson Joan Bussiere George & Patricia Fowler Einar & Betsy Andersen Suzanne Trazoff Corley Anne Byras Ed Friedman medical centers and 22 more Mr. William Case, III Alice N. Wellman Helen Cafferty Phil Steele & Francesca nationwide, with participation by Douglas Chamberlain Woodbury Fund of the & Otto Emersleben Galluccio-Steele Phillips-Green Foundation, Maine Community Janet & Thomas Carper Laurie A. Gibson over 600 health care professionals. at the Recommendation Foundation Donna Cassidy & Stephen P. Beale of Douglas Green & Michael Lawrenson Mr. Peter Gillingham

ANNUAL REPORT 12 17 Nancy N. Masterton Peter Schwindt Roderick Collette Mr. & Mrs. Charles Prinn, III Robert E. McAfee, MD Elizabeth Scully Allan & Linda Currie Tom & Tracy Quimby Students from 57 Sarah F. McMahon Mr. & Mrs. Peter L. Sheldon Jay Davis Jo Radner Maine communities submitted 114 Wesley & Diane McNair The Wigobels Diana Dionne-Morang Rebecca Robbins Raines letters to Letters About Literature. (in honor of Erik Jorgensen) Sue St. Pierre Linda J. Docherty James D. Redwine, Jr. Patricia Messler Dick & Penny Stevens Anne Dolbashian Deborah Reed Zareen Taj Mirza Lawrence Stevenson Jacques & Eva Downs Win & Vici Robinson (in honor of Dodie Detmer Holmes & Didi Stockly Martina Duncan Sydney Roberts Rockefeller & Humayun Mirza) Lucy & Woodie Stroble Harland Eastman Stephen & Wilma Rose Joan W. Morrison Judith & Peter Sullivan Anne C. Edmonds Scott & Joan Samuelson Marta Morse Marcia Teichner Mr. & Mrs. Benson Ford Mr. & Mrs. Henry W. Saunders Clifton & Susan Olds Ken & Mary Pat Templeton Ardelle Foss Victoria Sears Kathryn J. Olmstead Linden Thigpen Harold & Elizabeth Gibbs Charlotte J. Sharp Dr. & Mrs. Harold Osher Philip Thompson Connie Goldman Kenneth Shure (The Maine Community Faith A. Vautour Carolyn E. H. Gontoski & Liv Rockefeller Foundation) Candace & Edward Walworth Professor Dennis Grafflin Dr. & Mrs. Wickham Sarah Otterson Dr. & Mrs. H. B. Wheeler Catharine W. Guiles Skinner Lisa Paige Jean T. Wilkinson Maxine Harrow Deborah A. Smith James & Jo Pendleton Michael D. Wormser Stanley R. Howe & Reginald W. Dyche Stephen J. Podgajny Margery Y. Irvine Mr. Benjamin Soule & Laura Bean Humanities Associate Zip Kellogg Seth & Laura Sprague Rick Rector ($75 - $99) Margaret J. Kravchuk Linda Tatelbaum holly meade: carved woodblock and watercolor, Liam Riordan Emily Rand & Harold Hamilton Alalia & Frederick Thaler “goat,” from on the farm Mr. & Mrs. Clifford S. Russell & Norman F. Breitner Matthew Laney Barbara Trafton Susie Saunders Marybeth & James Burbank Eileen Fletcher Leighton Diane C. Vatne Jane & Harry Sawyer Michael Chaney Nat Lewis Yolanda Theunissen Frank Glazer Stephen & Polly Larned Ms. Ann Schonberger Jacqueline & Irvin Cohen Jr. Kathryn R. Lunney & Richard C. Veit Marian A. Godfrey Alice Larrea Mr. & Mrs. Jon Schwartz Jack & Noreen Evans Robert & Marlene Mailloux Ms. Diana Weatherby Emery Goff Nancy M. MacKnight on behalf of Bruce & Judy Fenlason Simeon & Judith Maslin Roberta M. Weil Susan & Jerry Goldberg John Marr Marjorie Rosenbaum Phyllis & Al Fuchs Abbott & Nancy Meader Nathaniel Wing Ann A. Guild Joe & Merna Guttentag Mr. & Mrs. Vance N. Morgan Nancy Ziegler Daniel P. Gunn E. E. Hirshler Richard & Eleanor Morrell Judith Hakola Ira, Jessica & Lily Hymoff Ms. Sabrina T. Nickerson Additional Janet Henry New Books, New Mr. Michael M. Martinez Hilda & Don Nicoll Generous & Vernon Moore Jean McManamy Nancy Orr Support Mr. Willard J. Hertz Readers partnered with adult Selma Shure Leonard M. Passano (Under $50) Kathryn Hunt education and literacy volunteers William & Ursula Slavick & Elizabeth Howe Anonymous (4) Mary Hunter Ms. Joan Sturmthal Rosalie Tyler Paul Jeffrey B. Aronson & James Parakilas programs in 17 Maine communities, David Weiss Jane Pringle Ragnhild Baade Diana Jeannotte holding 132 sessions and 31 series, Carolyn Jenks reaching close to 700 low-literacy Humanities Friend Beryl Ann Johnson ($50 - $74) cathryn falwell: mixed media collage from turtle splash! and from scoot! David R. Jones adults, English Language Learner Anonymous & Angela J. Connelly students, and inmates at the state’s Robert & Rosemary Susan A. Kaplan Babcock Dr. Carol F. Kessler prisons and jails. Through its New John & Judith Bielecki Diana Krauss Books, New Readers program, the Paul Brunelle & Jere LaPointe Burgess Advertising Karen Stathoplos MHC gave away close to 6,000 & Associates, Inc. & Kim Krauss books to adults struggling to read Michael D. Burke Neil Lamb Professor Steven R. Cerf Skowhegan Family Medicine in the State of Maine. Jan Church Bill Laney Jim & Joan Cohen

18 MHC Richard E. Barnes Eliot R. Cutler Dr. Elizabeth Hart, MD charlotte agell: watercolor from dancing feet and from sail sunset Hilary Bassett & Melanie Stewart Cutler Stephen Hayes Susan Bell & Phil Hart Judith Daniels & Carol McCarthy Roger K. Berle Ms. Deb Deatrick Janet Henry Patricia Bixel Barbara DeCoste & Vernon Moore The Reverend Dr. Susan Doughty George & Cheryl Higgins Judith H. Blanchard Martina Duncan Alison & Horace Hildreth Constance Bloomfield & John S. Emerson Marcia Lunt Howell William McFarlane Greg & Deborah Fahy Kathryn Hunt Bear Bonebakker Taffy & Eliot Field Donna Jones Captain Peter G. & Susan J. Bonebakker Annie & Chad Bonney Elizabeth Bowen Let’s Talk About It Deborah Bowman partnered with 24 libraries across Marjorie A. Boyd, MD Nancy Brain Maine, holding scholar-facilitated & John Watson reading and discussion programs Scott & Ann Brown for nearly 350 community members. Reverend & Mrs. R. A. Gertrude Hickey Bonnie Shulman Suzanne Brown Bamforth David B. Humphrey Jeffrey & Sherri Simmons Linda Bucklin Susan & Whitney Blair Sheila Jans Elizabeth Sinclair Ann Carroll George H. Bouchard Sue Jorgensen Susan L. Tananbaum Donna Cassidy Constance Fuhrman Sheila & Philip Jordan Peter & Suzanne Bowman John & Polly Kaiser & Joe Frazer & Michael Lawrenson Frederick & Nancy Gale Erik C. Jorgensen Ann Patricia Burnes Harry & Berna Kaiserian Deborah Taylor The Center for Global Noel Genova, PA-C & Tamara M. Risser Mr. & Mrs. Robert E. Cash Donald J. King Pamela Taylor Humanities, University Roger & Betty Gilmore Larry & Carol Kalajainen Margaret Cruikshank Richard & Sandra Lawrence David & Susan Webbert of New England Jill M. Goldthwait Theodora J. Kalikow Diane & David Cutler Mary E.M. & Robert Lingley Rose M. Wohl Professor Bruce Clary Ronald & Susan Hall Ann Kibbie Carla Dickstein Diane & Michael Magras Joseph & Dorothy Conforti Lori Harley & Kevin Wertheim John & Marie Dudley Natasha Mayers Ms. Lisa Feldman Eloise McLaughlin SPECIAL FUNDS Marjorie Ford Annie Medeiros lisa jahn-clough: gouache from alicia has a bad day; Geneva M. Frost Mary Ann Moore Dorothy Schwartz gouache and colored pencil from felicity and cordelia: a tale of two bunnies Diane Garriepy Nan & Bob Morrell Opportunity Fund Mark Grover Karen Myrick Stephen J. Podgajny Edward & Rebecca Hamblin Dorothy E. Pratt & Laura Bean Ruth Hannan Marta Rieman Jennifer Hayden Steven & Sharon Saunders The Fund for Michael & Bridget Healy Mr. & Mrs. Charles Scontras Literature & Medicine Created in honor of Victoria Bonebakker, who founded cathryn falwell: mixed media collage from turtle splash! and from scoot! Literature & Medicine at the MHC over a decade ago, the Fund raised $104,614 for the program in 2012, including a $50,000 match from the estate of the program’s early facilitator Marli Weiner.

Mrs. Joyce T. Aicher Peter J. Aicher Charles B. Alexander Mr. & Mrs. Charlton H. Ames Kathleen Ashley

ANNUAL REPORT 12 19 FY’12 IN A NUTSHELL:

William T. & Elizabeth L. Douglas E. Woodbury Knowles Fund of the & Judith A. Fletcher Maine Community Woodbury Over 120 educators Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Daniel A. Zilkha from 79 Maine schools attended Professor Carol A. Kontos an MHC Teacher Program. Lincoln & Gloria Ladd PROGRAM- Abbe Levin RESTRICTED Sally & John Lincoln GIFTS Thomas & Leslie Lizotte Maureen Bien Christina Teale Pamela Lord The Reverend Miriam Kellogg Truslow Born to Read Catharina Bonebakker Maas Dr. Catherine G. Borchert Marymargaret Walker Madeleine G. Corson Nancy M. MacKnight Jean A. Bott Katharine J. Watson Irena Makarushka chris van dusen: gouache from mercy watson Jim & Sarah Bowie Peter & Margaret Webster Letters About Literature Carla Marcus Marjorie A. Boyd, MD Pip & Judy Wick The David Royte Fund Caroline P. Marshall Mary Alice Brennan Mr. & Mrs. Daniel A. Zilkha Tamara Marz Laurie Quinn Joseph & Mary Turley Charlotte Brown Winter Weekend & Brian Zucker Patricia D. Ramsay Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Urquhart Jim Bulteel One Evening in Maine Sponsors Veneta Masson, RN, MA & Steven H. Horowitz, MD Ann Staples Waldron Carol Cardon On 9.13.12, MHC supporters Winter Weekend Robert E. McAfee, MD David Richards Maryanne & John Ward Marcia Carter gathered to celebrate the sponsorships support Alan McIlhenny Timothy Richardson Peter & Margaret Webster Francis S. Cheever legacy of Robert McCloskey’s New Books, New Readers & Elizabeth Ackerson Thomas Roeder Carol & Carter White Mary Murray Coleman Maine, this on the 60th and its audience of adults Ms. Dina McKelvy, MA, MLS Mac & Sue Rogers Susan DeWitt Wilder Alexis DesRoches anniversary of his classic who are struggling to read. Elizabeth A. McLellan Neil Rolde & Paul Austin Josephine H. Detmer work One Morning in Maine. These collective gifts are an Wesley & Diane McNair Brian Rollins Joe & Carol Wishcamper Barbey & Ned Dougherty Jane McCloskey joined us, important contribution to this Sarah S. Meacham Caroline Sample Fund of the Maine Deborah Downs and seven incredible Maine program’s annual income. Margaret Morfit Jean Donovan Sanborn Community Foundation & Jon Gale artists donated works to an Marian Morgan John Ryan & Jenny Scheu at the recommendation Anonymous John S. Emerson auction that was part of this Margaret R. Muir Dorothy & Elliott Schwartz of Joe & Carol Wishcamper Barbara Barrall Diane Garthwaite autumn fundraiser. We were John R. Opperman Mark Segar & Matthew Liang grateful not only for their Denise Pendleton Elizabeth Sinclair Roger & Betty Gilmore support, but also for their & John Lightner Betty S. Smith Stephen Hayes presence that night. Stephen J. Podgajny The Wigobels & Carol McCarthy In-Kind (artists) & Laura Bean Richard & Alice Spencer Alison & Horace Hildreth Charlotte Agell Katherine Pope Candice Stover Dr. & Mrs. William Holt Ashley Bryan & Christopher Harte Kathleen Sullivan Drs. Donald & Sally Hoople Cathryn Falwell through the Spicewood & Robert Stevens David Johnson Lisa Jahn-Clough Fund of the Maine Philip Thompson Janet Kehl Holly Meade Community Foundation Martha Trower James & Beth Kilbreth Melissa Sweet Cornelia Kittredge Chris Van Dusen Lincoln & Gloria Ladd Sarah S. Meacham melissa sweet: watercolor and mixed media, “the three osos,” Harley Design Harriet Mill (invitation, from rubia and the three osos; print from a collage, “plums,” Jurgen Niffka menu design) from a river of words: the story of william carlos williams Lisa Paige Heather S. Parsons Donations Mac & Sue Rogers Joan Bussiere Mary Lee Rushmore Mr. Paul Doiron Susie Saunders Holly Hock Katarina Sawtelle & Christopher Dumaine Elizabeth G. Serrage Robert & Kathleen Flory Judy & Mike Stein Sheila & Philip Jodan Nan & Bill Stone Nancy M. Macnight Richard & Louise Sullivan Alice N. Wellman

20 MHC FY’12 IN A NUTSHELL: FINANCIALS OUR

SPECIAL THANKS 2 URING Fiscal Year 2012, the Maine 2 TO OUR ,6 9 IN-KIND DONORS Humanities Council had operating 7 9 $ The following organizations Programs, income of $1,572,763 and operating • Regrants, and people have generously % and Technical 4 1 expenses of $1,329,054. Grants 7 donated time, support, 5 Assistance %

and services beyond the call from the National Endowment •

of ordinary programming: Administration 2

for the Humanities made up an 0

, Peter Aicher 2

important component of the budget. Fundraising 9

Belfast Free Library 0 & Marketing The Black Tie Company This support was supplemented

The Center for

by a diverse range of other income 1

Global Humanities %

•

streams, from the State of Maine,

at the University $ 1

of New England ,

generous support from 1 4 Charlesbridge Publishing 2 Harley Design private foundations, HealthReach HomeCare the individual E & Hospice 1 contributions highlighted 9% X Hospice of Southern Maine 94 • 4 $ P , 3 Hospice Volunteers in this report, and program 2 0 0 3 E 6 , of Hancock County $ 4 N 1 D • Base Grant income. Both the income 6 Husson University % and Other 8 S and the expense figures 3 Competitive Lewiston Public Library E

The Machiah Center reported in these charts from theGrants NEH S Maine Medical Center :

Other Grants $ McArthur Public Library and in the Council’s Mid-Coast Forum 1 audited financial ,

Contributions 3 on Foreign Relations 1

statements include 8 Steve Moore and Gifts %

•

Portland Public Library , in-kind contributions $

University of Maine 8 5

of time, mileage, Program, 0

at Augusta 1 4 3

Investment, and 8

In-kind In-kind

and materials valued 0 Other Income

6 Contributions

at $223,012. $

•

MATCHING GIFTS %

•

3 Lilly Endowment, Inc. $ 1 0 2 , 2

Stewart R. Mott 3

Charitable Trust

The Maine Humanities Council is the state affiliate E of the National Endowment for the Humanities. R

ANNUAL REPORT 12 21 MAINE HUMANITIES COUNCIL Home of the Harriet P. Henry Center for the Book

674 Brighton Avenue Portland, Maine 04102-1012 mainehumanities.org

Please help us keep costs down by notifying us of duplicates and/or errors. You can update your info or request to be added/removed from our mailing list by calling 207-773-5051 or emailing [email protected].

JOIN US FOR PERFORMANCES…

…selections of A Streetcar Named Desire, used in a riveting performance on the topic of domestic violence by nationally acclaimed theater company Outside the Wire, commissioned by the Council.

April 16: Portland April 17: Lewiston April 18: Bangor …PRESENTATIONS…

…a statewide commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, offering a full day of national and Maine-based speakers on the beginnings of the Civil War; its causes, constituencies, politics, and personalities; cultural aspects of the Civil War era; and why the War still matters to us 150 years later.

April 27: Portland

…HISTORY CAMP…

…a History Camp for 7th through 12th grade students, Digging Up the Past: Archeology and History at Colonial Fort Richmond.

June 24 – June 28: Augusta & Richmond

FMI: MAINEHUMANITIES.ORG