Join Dr. Lisa Brooks (Professor of English and American Studies and Chair of American Studies at Amherst College) for a presentation on the historical relationship between the Native Americans of the Wabanaki Confederacy and their waterways. This is the keynote event for the New… Continue Reading "Keynote Event: Lisa Brooks, “The River to Which I Belong: Relationships of Reciprocity and Resistance in the Waterways of Wabanaki”"

Alexandra Conover Bennett (professional canoe and snowshoeing trip leader and instructor) will first provide an on-the-water introduction to the north-woods stroke on Wilson Pond. Canoes will be available for attendees to try out the northwoods stroke themselves. Thereafter, Jerry Stelmok (canoe builder, artist, and… Continue Reading "Alexandra Conover Bennett and Jerry Stelmok, CANOE History Overview and Paddle Demonstration"

Join local CANOE enthusiasts for multiple slideshows of canoeing experiences featuring beautiful panoramic photography. Rollin Thurlow (2 p.m) will explore the history and construction of the wood and canvas canoe here in Maine in particular, while Garret Conover's presentation (entitled "Wildwater North," 4.p.m.) focuses… Continue Reading "Rollin Thurlow and Garrett Conover, CANOE Slideshow Double Feature"

The New Commons Film Series presents the 2018 Emmy-nominated documentary DAWNLAND, a powerful exploration of the US government's forcible removal of Native American children from their homes. As recently as the 1970’s, one in four Native children nationwide were living in non-Native foster care,… Continue Reading "The New Commons Film Series: DAWNLAND"

The New Commons Project proudly presents a poetry reading by Cheryl Savageau, author of the Pulitzer-nominated poetry collection DIRT ROAD HOME (the New Commons selection for October 2018). Savageau’s poetry retells Abenaki stories, often focusing on the unrecognized lives of women and the working… Continue Reading "Keynote Event: Cheryl Savageau, Poetry Reading"

Join Dr. Sabine Klein (Associate Professor of English at UMF) for a critical discussion of the deaths of approximately 80 Abenaki during a British massacre in Norridgewock, Maine in August 1724.

THE SIMPSONS has been a powerful force in American culture for over 30 years, blending satire on current events with the humorous pastiche of famous television, literary, film, and musical works. This panel discussion of members of the UMF community (featuring Dr. Steven W.… Continue Reading "Panel Discussion on THE SIMPSONS"

This special workshop will focus on the performance techniques of the world-renowned Bread & Puppet Theater. All students who participate in the workshop will also participate in the Sunday performance. Saturday, Nov. 9th 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.: Workshop Part 1 4 -6 p.m.… Continue Reading "Bread & Puppet Workshop"

The Essential Furthermore draws on the German peasant rebellions of the 14 and 15 hundreds to address the need for insurrection against the status quo of planetary ecological collapse, and hostility to the refugees created by natural and human-made disasters. The show demonstrates the… Continue Reading "Bread and Puppet Theater Presents: The Essential Furthermore"

Join Dr. Jonathan Gray (Professor of Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of Watching With The Simpsons: Television, Parody, And Intertextuality) for an analysis of the ways by which THE SIMPSONS' radical comedy impacted television history and audiences.

After hundreds of television episodes, THE SIMPSONS embarked on a feature-length film in 2007 appropriately titled THE SIMPSONS MOVIE. Following Homer's redemption and touching on issues like political corruption and environmentalism, THE SIMPSONS MOVIE is a perfect introduction to the Springfield universe for the… Continue Reading "The New Commons Film Series: THE SIMPSONS MOVIE"

The New Commons Film Series presents I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO, an Oscar-nominated 2016 documentary highlighting James Baldwin's observations on American history and racism. Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO is inspired by Baldwin's unfinished 1970s work Remember This House.… Continue Reading "The New Commons Film Series: I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO"