In: Book Group, Community, Events, Maine History, News, Online Program, Poetry
From DC to Dover-Foxcroft: The Long Road to Women’s Suffrage, a Maine Humanities Council Discussion Project

Join Thompson Free Library, Dover-Foxcroft Historical Society, and facilitator Cindy Freeman Cyr as we examine the Woman’s Suffrage Movement nationally, in Maine, and here in Dover-Foxcroft. Readings and film clips will explore important but lesser known chapters in the history of suffrage, addressing issues of power, inequality, and resilience.

This program is free; all readings provided. Discussions will be held online via Zoom on Tuesdays *August 25, September 8, and September 22* from 5:30-7:00. (Please note, the original dates have changed.)

To register, please contact Thompson Free Library at 207-564-3350 or thompsonfreelibrary@gmail.com.

The Discussion Project is a new, flexible text-based discussion program that meets the needs of Maine communities, whether working independently or as part of an organization. Working closely with Maine Humanities Council staff, communities bring their Discussion Project to life, using an MHC-prepared plan or creating their own.

In: Artists, Arts & Crafts, Authors, Children, Community, News, Poetry, Teens

Thompson Free Library is working to start our very own Community “Zine.”

What is a zine, you ask? A zine (pronounced “zeen” just like the end of the word magazine) is a homemade publication. Making a zine is all about self-expression and creativity, sharing thoughts, feelings, and creative passions through non-fiction writings, fan fiction, short stories, poetry, song writing, photography, comic or graphic novel strips, doodles, paintings, drawings, and more.

Zines can have an array of messages or topics, and ours will be shared in both neatly-bound and web- based presentations. Every zine we publish will begin with a creative prompt. Our first go-round idea is this:

Are you an avid film-buff with a head full of endless lists of the film titles you can’t stop talking about? Are you the 5K racer or marathoner forever in training or competitions? Is it cats and kittens for you, or dogs and puppies that have forever captured your heart? Do you find yourself foraging through antique stores looking for unexpected treasures? Got grandchildren? What’s your favorite genre: sci-fi, horror, mysteries, or perhaps it is romantic comedies? You a Trekkie? Is it your dream to be a groupie or even a roadie for Lady Gaga or Fallout Boy? A chess player looking for your next checkmate/game-over thrill? A solitary hiker of the wooded wilderness? A Nascar nut, budding chef, gadget-guru, or the next Eric Clapton on guitar?

We’re taking passions here, and ‘Passions’ is the prompt for our first issue. We invite your creative submissions for publication.

Submissions for this first Zine will be due by 5 pm on August 28th, 2020.

And by the way, if you can think up a catchy name for our community zine (or a future topic that might be fun) please let us know!

Request and Rules:

The Thompson Free Library is looking for community members from the Maine Highlands Region to submit a piece/pieces of work (maximum of 3 pages) to be published in an inclusive, all-ages publication. Submitting hand-written writing is fine as long as it is legible, plus we’re requiring 1-inch margins so the physical zine can be bound.

If you are submitting art or photographs, we are asking for pictures or scans of the art, we do not want originals; we want you to keep those.

Again, please remember that this is an all-ages, inclusive publication, so we ask that language and content be kept appropriate for everyone. Hateful content of any kind will not be published, and we furthermore reserve the editorial right to select or dismiss submissions at our discretion.

Please send submissions by email to thompsonfreelibrary@gmail.com or by snail mail to 186 E. Main Street, Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426.  If you have any questions, please email us or call us at 207-564-3350.

We can’t wait to do this project with our community members!

In: Community, Events, Music, Poetry

A Celebration of Maine’s Natural World through Poetry and Music

Two poets and two musicians will come together to celebrate Maine’s natural world through poetry and music on Sunday, November 17, 2:30-3:30 pm at the Dexter Universalist Church and Tuesday, November 19, 5:30-6:30 pm at the Thompson Free Library. This special Poetry & Strings program will feature poets Kristen Lindquist and Paul Corrigan reading their work, with musicians Susan Ramsey on violin and guitar and Ruth Fogg on cello.

There is something wonderful about the recitation of poetry and the performance of music that allows each art to stand on its own. But the cross-fertilization that arises when the two are combined is something even more special and uplifting, as these four performers have discovered with their unique program. Inspired musicians can make poetic images soar, transporting the audience by evoking thoughts and feelings beyond the words themselves and adding layers of thought and meaning.

Kristen Lindquist is a poet and naturalist from Camden. Her poetry and other writings have appeared in Down East and the Bangor Daily News, as well as many literary journals and anthologies. She writes a monthly Maine natural history column for PenBayPilot.com and has published three poetry collections; her book TRANSPORTATION was a finalist for the 2012 Maine Literary Award.

Paul Corrigan, from Millinocket, is a poet and essayist who has worked as a Baxter Park Ranger, a high school English teacher, and a whitewater rafting guide. His poems, essays, and stories are inspired by his lifelong love of the Maine woods. His poems have appeared in such publications as the Maine Times, Yankee, and the anthology MAINE SPEAKS, which is used statewide in the public schools.

Susan Ramsey shares her love of music around New England with folksinger/songwriter David Mallett and as the violinist for the touring chamber ensemble Highlands Classical. She also composes and arranges sacred and secular music for the North Country Strings. With a degree in music from Smith College, Susan directs the Foxcroft Academy String Program, operates a private music studio, and serves as Music Director for the Methodist Church in Dover-Foxcroft. The beauty of Maine inspires her to teach, perform, and compose music.

Ruth Fogg is also a member of the Highlands Classical ensemble and performs regularly with Susan as the North Country Strings Duo and the Arts Exchange Cello Ensemble. She currently teaches cello in addition to tuning pianos. She started playing the cello at the age of nine and has played in many groups since then.

In: Events, News, Poetry

Celebrate National Poetry Month with an Open-Mic Poetry Night on April 23 (Shakespeare’s birthday) at 5:30 pm!

What you are asked to bring:

  1. Poem(s) you’ve written to read, or
  2. Poem(s) someone else has written to read, or
  3. Friend(s) to read the poem(s) you don’t dare to read, or
  4. Ears to simply listen … and/or
  5. Your appreciation for poetry served up with crackers, cheeses, and juices!

This event is free and open to the public. All are welcome!

For more about National Poetry Month, visit https://www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/home

 

In: Events, News, Poetry

Thursday, December 13 at 5:30 p.m. Local poet and musician JT Curran will read from his volume of poems, “Beyond the Road,” accompanied by his son Jason Curran on the keyboard.

From Matrika Press: JT Curran moved to central Maine in the early 1970s, drawn in part by the homesteading movement which resonated with many who sought a rural lifestyle and greater connection to the land. He built a log cabin on his twenty-two acres of wooded paradise and helped raise three children with his partner of forty-seven years. He has worked as a woodsman and a carpenter, has cultivated his own fruits and vegetables, and has volunteered with many civic and arts organizations. He holds an M.A in Counseling and has provided counseling service to many individuals and groups. He has taught courses in psychology at the University of Maine and Eastern Maine Community College, and has had a twenty-five year career in education as a guidance counselor.

In addition to literary pursuits, J.T. is an active musician who has performed since his days in high school, where he sang doo-wop with fellow crooners in the Philadelphia based quartet, the Violators. He maintains an active performance schedule, singing and playing his guitar in venues throughout central Maine. 

JT’s poetry blends colorful observations with thought-provoking reflections.  With wit, compassion, irony, and humor, this book invites the reader to consider the signposts, off-ramps, co-travelers and vistas which populate our journeys. JT’s words reminds us that however we may navigate our experiences, our destination remains beyond the road.

Selected from collected works which span over fifty years, “Beyond the Road” is JT Curran’s first published volume of poetry.