Maine Humanities Council

10/13/2026

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Thanks to a Maine Humanities Capacity Building Grant and funding from the Seth Sprague Education Foundation, Matt has been able to work with consultant James Francis to expand our exhibit on the Wabanaki. We invite you to put some history in your holiday weekend with a visit to 27 Commercial Street in Bath, Maine.
Maine Humanities Council

10/09/2026

Last weekend, one of our Read ME featured authors, Andrés Vera Martínez, invited Lizz to the Kid Lit Book Fair at Portland Public Library. Andrés’ book Monster Locker was also our youth pick for the Library of Congress National Book Festival. This was an exciting stop during the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance Maine Literature Festival.

It was delightful! Lizz scored some sweet photos from the draw off competition featuring Sarah Sax, Andrés Vera Martínez, and Tom Booth. Young folks got to shout out their favorite dinosaurs and what they would like to see them doing. The artists had 3 minutes or so to draw this. The kids there got to select their favorites.

Children were creating dragonfly lanterns and dinosaur drawings, listening to stories, reading books, and having a wonderful time.

We also saw our friends from Indigo Arts Alliance, who celebrated the Beautiful Blackbird Festival by handing out free books! It was great to see our friends at Portland Public Library, Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, I’m Your Neighbor Books, and other amazing authors and illustrators.

We were thrilled to catch up with one of last year’s Read ME authors and former National Book Festival representative, Ryan Bani Tahmaseb, author of Rostam’s Picture-Day Pusteen! Thanks for saying hi, Ryan!

10/08/2026

Even though Maine saw a significant drop off in challenges, the American Library Association reports that there were still over 700 attempts to censor library materials and services in 2025. Swipe through to see book bans by the numbers.

10/07/2026

The American Library Association created this interactive map that tracks the book ban attempts across the country. Maine in particular saw a spike in 2023 with 17 attempts to ban 60 titles. Since then, the attempts have dropped off dramatically. But in other parts of the country, book bans are still very present.
We'll share more about the data tomorrow. If you want to learn more, head to the American Library Association or the Banned Books Week pages and websites for more.

10/06/2026

Thanks to the work of the American Library Association, we have data on the top 11 most challenged books of 2025. Swipe through to see the most challenged book in the U.S. last year. Have you read any of these books?

10/05/2026

It's Banned Books Week! We'll be sharing all about banned books and censorship in the state of Maine and beyond.

This year's theme "Protect the Freedom to Read. Let Books Be." The Banned Books Week Coalition writes: "Banned Books Week 2026 is an opportunity to inform communities about this escalation in censorship while also highlighting the importance of the right to read and readers’ access to information. October 10, 2026, will be Let Freedom Read Day, a day of direct action against censorship. Together, we can protect the freedom to read during Banned Books Week and throughout the year."

Join us as we lead up to Freedom to Read Day at the end of this week!

09/29/2026

Over the weekend, Samaa and Lizz gratefully attended the 3rd annual convening of the Malaga Island descendants. The event was organized by the Malaga Island Descendants Association (MIDA) in collaboration with Maine Coast Heritage Trust. During the day, we heard from a genealogist who traced the stories of the families present on the island during the 1912 eviction and their descendants who are now living across New England and in state beyond New England. We also heard from historians and archeologists who talked about the importance of preserving artifacts and documents in cooperation with living descendants.

It was deeply impactful to learn details about the families that survived the eviction and those who didn't, and to witness the annual reunion of the diverse group of descendants who share in the historical trauma of displacement.

Pictured in slide 3 is the beautiful alter made by Danielle Arroyo.

09/28/2026

🍽️ Pull up a chair. There’s a seat at the table for you. TOMORROW!

Shared Tables, Shared Stories is coming to Millinocket on Tuesday, September 29, from 5:30–8 p.m. at The Gathering Place, a community space belonging to Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness.

Come early for a guided medicine walk, then gather around the table for a potluck-style supper, storytelling, creativity, and conversation about the people, cultures, and histories that shape Millinocket today.

Bring a favorite dish to share if you’d like, or simply bring yourself. Everyone is welcome.

FREE and open to all ages. Registration is required.

Shared Tables, Shared Stories is presented by the Maine Arts Commission, Community Plate, Maine Humanities Council, and Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness.. Supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Gathering Place, 51 Rice Farm Road, Millinocket
Tuesday, September 29 | 5:30–8 p.m.

Register through the link in our bio.

09/26/2026

Join us for a delicious and heartwarming evening of potluck dinner, stories, and community at The Gathering Place in Millinocket this coming Tuesday, September 29, from 5:30-8 at the

Shared Tables, Shared Stories invites people to gather around the table for meaningful, place-based conversations about the past, present, and future of the place we now call Maine.

As the United States marks 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, there will be many ways to reflect on our shared history. This gathering offers something a little quieter: a table, a meal, and a conversation that might begin with a simple question like, “Where are you from?” or “What should we remember?”

🍲 Bring a Dish, Share a Story
This is a potluck, so your ticket “in” is the dish you bring. And don’t worry if you can’t bring a dish. You are still welcome!
Before the supper, participants will receive a series of story prompts to help guide our conversations around the table.

This is a FREE event.

Presented by:
Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness
Community Plate
Maine Arts Commission
Maine Humanities
Maine Semiquincentennial Commission

We hope you’ll join us at the table. Bring a dish if you can, bring your stories, and come ready to listen, share, and connect.

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This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

09/25/2026

To round off our Read ME Recap is a brief look at our Statewide Author Talks with Read ME authors Lewis Robinson and Margot Anne Kelley! These talks are now available on YouTube, just visit the link in our bio.



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Read ME is Maine Humanities’ statewide community read offered in partnership with Maine State Library and Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance. Every summer, the program gets Mainers all reading books by Maine authors.