Maine Senior College Network news & updates | |
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Welcome to the August issue of the Maine Senior College Network newsletter.
Sea Shanties became very popular two years ago when Scottish postal worker Nathan Evans's version of "The Wellerman" went viral. If you enjoy sea shanties and would like to learn more about their history, consider taking a trip to Machias and singing a few choruses with members of Sunrise Senior College.
Some Fall course catalogs are available, while a few summer activities are happening around the state. Clubs, aka Special Interest Groups (SIGs), are great opportunities for members to make friends beyond the classroom. Read about Lewiston Auburn's five clubs and get some fun ideas for your senior college.
Finally, we have a Tess Gerritsen mystery book review from Pat Reiff. Pat reviews the New York Times bestselling author's book "The Shape of Night."
Enjoy your Maine summer!
Anne Cardale
Program Director
Maine Senior College Network
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Sunrise SC
"Singing Out in the Age of Sail" (Part B)
An in-person session with Stephen Sanfilippo
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Did you miss “Singing Out in the Age of Sail – Part A?” Why not attend this second session that builds on what was discussed during the first session?
In this presentation, Dr. Stephen Sanfilippo will continue to discuss the important role of singing in the life and work of sailors in the middle half of the 19th century. Become engaged in learning more about historic songs of the maritime trades that he has researched - the chanteys are of wide and far origins, and many of the ballads are from Maine. Learn more details about why the chanteys varied and how they assisted the sailors in doing the hard work being done on the ship.
Stephen will discuss many interesting details about the songs, and then you can listen as he performs them in the manner very similar to the way the men on these ships sang them (you will have the opportunity to join in on the chorus). It is NOT necessary for attendees to have any musical training to participate in singing these chanteys. You will also hear and discuss ballads by seamen when they were off watch.
The ballads being discussed are found in "Bygone Ballads of Maine," volume 1: "Songs of Ships & Sailors," and Stephen will be discussing them and comparing them with ballads with similar themes that he found in his research with his wife, Susan here in Downeast Maine and in Suffolk County, New York. With some of the ballads being presented, you will have the opportunity to hear early field recordings by traditional singers of these ballads.
Presenter: Dr. Stephen Sanfilippo has a Ph.D. in History and has done extensive research into the period between 1840-1850. He is a performer of historic songs of the maritime trades since 1973. Stephen is a retired assistant professor at Maine Maritime Academy, teaching “Maritime History through Historic Songs of the Sea,” and is an organizing member and leader of a monthly Chantey Sing at Pembroke (Maine) Library since 2006.
Important Class Information: This is an in-person-only class!
Location UM@M’s room Science 102.
Click on the blue button below to register.
Register soon! The class is almost full!
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Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
SAGE Lecture Series - Registration opens August 16, 2023
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Lectures run from September 12 - October 31
Tuesday Mornings, 9:30 - 11:30 am.
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Join OLLI's eight-week lecture series.
Registration opens August 16, 2023
Attend in-person or online via Zoom.
Cost - Individual lectures $10 each.
OLLI Members Only may pre-register for the entire series for just $50.
Download PDF Brochure
September 12
A Vision for the Future of the University of Southern Maine
PRESIDENT JACQUELINE EDMONDSON, PH.D., 14th President of the University of Southern Maine
September 19
The Impact of Global Migration on US Domestic Refugee Resettlement & Maine’s Unique Challenges & Opportunities
TARLAN AHMADOV
President, Azerbaijan Society of Maine; Former Maine State Refugee Coordinator; Expert on Refugee Resettlement & Migration
SEPTEMBER 26
Lifeflight of Maine: Primary Provider of Critical Care Air & Ground Transport in Maine
TOM JUDGE
Executive Director, LifeFlight of Maine
OCTOBER 3
Artificial Intelligence (AI): Its History, Data, Algorithms & Accountability
SHANKAR NARAYAN
Attorney & Advocate for Community-Centric Technology; Board Member, CETI (Creative Emergent Agency)
October 10
The Roux Institute: Shaping Tech Talent & Innovation in Maine
DAN KOLOSKI
Professor, Professional Studies, Northeastern University
October 17
Edible & Medicinal Wild Mushrooms: Explore the Benefits, Avoid the Risks
GREG MARLEY, LCSW
Founder, Mushrooms for Health
October 24
Vertical Harvest: Maine’s First Large Urban Farm to Grow Produce Year-Round
NONA YEHIA CAROLINE CROFT ESTAY
Co-founder & CEO Co-founder & Chief Potential Office
October 31
Diving to the Andrea Doria: The Mt. Everest of Ship Wrecks
ROB STEVENSON
Author, Adventurer, & Ship Wreck Explorer
OLLI at the University of Southern Maine
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Lewiston Auburn Senior College
Clubs
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Senior Colleges offer classes and much more. Take the Lewiston Auburn Senior College (LASC), for example. They have five clubs, and as Lucy Bisson, the board president of LASC, says, one of the benefits of the clubs is the growing camaraderie that comes from spending time together outside of the classroom, sharing a common interest and making new friends along the way. Lucy added that LASC is always interested in hearing our members' ideas for new clubs.
To participate in the clubs listed below, you must be a current LASC member. Members of sister senior colleges should check to see what their college offers beyond the usual classes. Please note, sometimes the clubs are called Special Interest Groups (SIGs).
If LASC inspires you to start a club or Special Interest Group at your college, let your college leadership know!
Lewiston Auburn Senior College Clubs
Outdoor Adventure
Activities might include canoeing, kayaking, easy hiking, snowshoeing, zip-lining, etc. Activities and how often we meet will be determined by the membership.
Club Leader: Patricia Vampatella
Theater
Members will meet to visit theater productions around the southern part of the state. Members will meet depending on the schedules of the theaters.
Club Leader: Barbara Connell
Monthly Dine-Around
Members will meet to eat and socialize. The membership will decide the meeting schedule.
Monthly Dine-Around is currently looking for a new leader!
The Outsiders
Members enjoy weekly outdoor activities— hiking during the spring and summer months, mountain climbing in the fall, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in the winter, and kayaking in the summer. Members provide their own equipment and transportation. Outings are usually within a 30-minute ride from Lewiston to the destination and last several hours. These activities are generally at no cost to members.
Club Leader: Reine Mynahan.
Art Lovers
The purpose of the Art Lovers Club is to share artwork, tips, and sources for art materials. Members may also share their favorite artists, movements, and museums. This club meets every other week or so by ZOOM. You do not need to be an artist to join.
Club Leader: Judy Hierstein
LASC Clubs welcomes new members!
Lewiston Auburn Senior College
Wikimedia Image
Canoes by Edna Boies Hopkins,1917-1918
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News from other organizations | |
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Maine on Display: 19th Century Wall Maps and Bird's Eye Views"
Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education Summer Exhibition
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We are delighted to announce the opening of our new exhibition, "Maine on Display: 19th Century Wall Maps and Bird's Eye Views," in the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education gallery.
This summer show (July 18th through to October 7th, 2023) features a variety of gorgeous and detailed bird's eye views and wall maps of Maine counties, cities, and towns and includes popular viewbooks and postcards throughout the exhibition. The exhibition was co-curated by OML Executive Director Libby Bischof and USM Senior History (major) and Race and Ethnic Studies (minor) Rachel Gilbert.
If you're out and about in Portland, drop by the Portland campus, and see the show; we are open Tuesday-Friday, 10 am - 4 pm, and Saturdays by appointment. As always, the public is welcome to come and join you in your gallery visit.
If you stop by today, you'll also see a great variety of Maine summer vacation maps and ephemera laid out in our Reading Room.
We will have a celebration of the exhibit, with a catered reception and panel discussion, in early September, after the start of fall classes.
We hope to see you this summer!
Osher Map Library at USM
Osher Map Library
National Soldier's Home. Eastern Branch, near Augusta, Me. 1872
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AARP First Friday Coffee Talk - Aug. 4th@ 10:00-11:30 AM
In-person meeting.
AARP Maine State Office, 53 Baxter Boulevard, Suite 202, Portland
Presentation:
The Jewish Community Alliance will talk about their Refugee Resettlement Support program in Maine.
Click on their flyer below to learn more.
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The Shape of Night
by Tess Gerritsen
Ballentine Books 2022
Pages 268 Price $28
Reviewed by Pat Davidson Reef
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If you liked the description of Manderley in the novel “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier, you will love this mystery by Maine author Tess Gerritsen titled “The Shape of Night.” A mysterious old sea captain’s house overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, with mist covering its stately architecture, is rented for the summer by Ava. She is a Boston food writer looking for a retreat and privacy in Tucker Cove, an imaginary small town in Maine. Like all small towns in New England, everyone knows each other and quickly finds out that Ava and her cat, Hannibal, have arrived alone and are renting old Captain Brodie’s house.
This old structure is owned by a man who lives in Cape Elizabeth and rents it out seasonally. The real estate agent who takes Ava through the house does not mention that the local community thinks the house is haunted. There is a myth that Captain Brodie, who was lost at sea many decades ago, comes back to visit at different times. His portrait still hangs over the fireplace in the living room on the first floor. He seems to have a presence in the house. However, Ava is unaware of the myth and is fiercely independent. In addition, she is not the type of person who would believe in ghosts.
Yet during the first night, Ava thinks she sees a shadow of a man and wakes up searching for the image. She finds nothing but obscure shapes of mist rolling in from the sea.
A resident of Tucker Cove, Dr.Ben Gordon, befriends Ava and, while having Danish pastry with her in a small coffee shop one morning, is called away to the waterfront because a dead body has been found. Ava discovers that several murders have taken place in this coastal village, and she is inspired to investigate the rumors. She is shaken when she finds out the last person who rented “Brodie’s Watch,” as locals call the house, died. She wonders whether to stay for the summer or leave, eventually opting to stay. Ava is a writer and a creative person and finds herself attracted to the mystical elements of the old house overlooking the sea. However, when she hears voices and sees no one there, she wonders about her sanity. On one occasion, a voice says, “You are living in my house.” Is the voice coming from the painting of Captain Brodie? She says out loud, “I know that, but I live here now.” He retorts, “Some people forget that fact.”
The reader wonders if Ava is imagining this conversation. Is she having episodes of hallucination or experiencing some eerie metaphysical threat? If you like stories with supernatural events, this book is for you! It even includes a professional ghost hunter from Tranquility, Maine, hired to investigate Captain Brodie’s house. The author explores the paranormal, hidden desires, ghost appearances, psychological transferences, and sexual adventures, which might not be fantasies! The plot begins softly and is somewhat old-fashioned, and grows frightening as multiple murder cases emerge and the old house itself takes on a sinister role.
This story was published in 2019 and is unlike other Gerritsen books, which have more detailed medical descriptions and science woven into their plots. In real life, Gerritsen is a retired doctor who has written 13 books, including a special series entitled “Rizzoli and Isles,” which was turned into a television series and can still be seen on late-night reruns. Her writing is intimate and believable, exciting, and filled with descriptive details. She makes you feel that you are inside the story. She scared me to death in her debut novel “The Harvest,” published in 1996, which is a science murder mystery about harvesting hearts for transplants and very frightening!
However, “The Shape of Night.” is a cool mystery and romance to read during this hot summer. The story, located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Maine, follows the life of a woman writer who seeks privacy, beauty, and a release from the fast-paced world of Boston. She seeks the comfort of a small Maine town, thinking the pace of life will be simple and she will have more time to write. She finds many unusual experiences, and while life is beautiful, it is not simple. Keep an eye on this talented mystery writer. In November 2023, she will have a new fictional mystery about the C.I.A. living in Camden, Maine!!!! It will be exciting and make Maine a literary beacon in the nation.
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