Word Literary Festival 2024: An Evening with Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Dr. Charlie Rolsky

Saturday, October 26, 2024

Sometimes the bravest thing we can do while facing an existential crisis is to imagine life on the other side. Marine biologist, policy advisor, and writer Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank for the future of coastal cities, and co-creator of the podcast “How to Save a Planet.” Her new book, What if We Get It Right?, asks: What would the future look like if we forged ahead with all the solutions to actually address the climate crisis? Her answer is a collection of provocative and joyous maps to an inspiring landscape of possible climate futures. Dr. Johnson will be in conversation with Dr. Charlie Rolsky, executive director of the Shaw Institute in Blue Hill.

Recorded by Matt Murphy.

Word Literary Festival 2024: Poets Aloud!

Saturday, October 26, 2024

The power of community supporting the art of poetry is ever present at Word’s annual POETRY ALIVE event. It’s an ideal opportunity to spend time with a variety of poetic voices. Please join us on Saturday, October 25, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. when we welcome the following poets to our stage: Kathleen Ellis, UMO Honors teacher and coordinator of Poets/Speak!; Dave Morrison, musician and author of 17 poetry collections; and Maya Williams former Poet Laureate of Portland, this year’s Ashley Bryant Fellow, and slam poet finalist.

Recorded by Matt Murphy.

Word Literary Festival 2024: A Conversation with Lev Grossman

Friday, October 25, 2024

What do you do when the world has lost its balance and your heroes are gone? Lev Grossman’s bestselling novel, The Bright Sword, is an Arthurian epic for our troubled times, the story of an idealistic young knight who arrives at Camelot ready to serve, only to find that King Arthur is dead and the Round Table is in shambles. With a rag-tag band of lesser knights and misfits, he sets out on a quest to make this ruined world whole again.

Grossman–author of the best-selling Magicians trilogy, basis for the TV series of the same title–will join Laura Miller, Slate books and culture columnist, to discuss the lasting power of our oldest myths and how to write about hope, heroism, and the dream of a better world.

Recorded by Matt Murphy.

Around Town 10/25/24: Local News, Culture and Events

Host/Producer: Amy Browne

Maine Publishers & Writers Alliance Epistolary Poetry Workshop, Saturday at the Jesup Library in Bar Harbor. FMI & to register: www.mainewriters.org/calendar/write-me-barter

St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church in Ellsworth’s Community of Hope gathering and open house Saturday. FMI: Contact Deacon Shaffer at [email protected] or leave a message at the church office, 667-5495.

Challenger Learning Center of Maine’s Annual Pumpkin Catapult Event: www.astronaut.org

About the host:
Amy Browne started out at WERU as a volunteer news & public affairs producer in 2000, co-hosting/co-producing RadioActive with Meredith DeFrancesco. She joined the team of Voices producers a few years later, and has been WERU’s News & Public Affairs Manager since January, 2006. In addition to RadioActive, Voices, Maine Currents and Maine: The Way Life Could Be, Amy also produced and hosted the WERU News Report for several years. She has produced segments for national programs including Free Speech Radio News, This Way Out, Making Contact, Workers Independent News, Pacifica PeaceWatch, and Live Wire News, and has contributed to Democracy Now and the WBAI News Report. She is the recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Environmental Journalism Award from the Sierra Club of Maine, and Maine Association of Broadcasters awards for her work in 2017 and 2021.

Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License

Around Town 10/24/24: Local News, Culture and Events

Host/Producer: Amy Browne

Chrissy Fowler, Executive Director of Belfast Flying Shoes, with details of events over the next few weeks with young musicians visiting from Ireland
FMI: www.belfastflyingshoes.org/award-winning-young-musicians-visit-from-ireland/

About the host:
Amy Browne started out at WERU as a volunteer news & public affairs producer in 2000, co-hosting/co-producing RadioActive with Meredith DeFrancesco. She joined the team of Voices producers a few years later, and has been WERU’s News & Public Affairs Manager since January, 2006. In addition to RadioActive, Voices, Maine Currents and Maine: The Way Life Could Be, Amy also produced and hosted the WERU News Report for several years. She has produced segments for national programs including Free Speech Radio News, This Way Out, Making Contact, Workers Independent News, Pacifica PeaceWatch, and Live Wire News, and has contributed to Democracy Now and the WBAI News Report. She is the recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Environmental Journalism Award from the Sierra Club of Maine, and Maine Association of Broadcasters awards for her work in 2017 and 2021.

Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License

Democracy Forum Special 10/23/24: Voting Rights and the Integrity of Elections in Maine

Host: Ann Luther, League of Women Voters of Maine
Production Assistance:
Linda Washburn, Amy Browne

Discussion held on Saturday, September 28, at the Moore Center in Ellsworth by the League of Women Voters – Downeast. Audio by Linda Washburn

Democracy Forum: Participatory Democracy, encouraging citizens to take an active role in government and politics.

This month:
Answering questions about the many ways in which Maine has excellent pro-voter election laws that are well administered and free from fraud, etc.

Guest/s:
1. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows
2. Joann Bautista, Deputy Secretary of State – Policy Advisor
3. Bangor City Clerk, Lisa Goodwin
4. Moderated by Ann Luther, League of Women Voters Downeast/

To learn more about this topic:
Visit LWVME.org

About the host:
Ann Luther currently serves as Treasurer of the League of Women Voters of Maine and leads the LWVME Advocacy Team. She served as President of LWVME from 2003 to 2007 and as co-president from 2007-2009.

Around Town 10/23/24: Local News, Culture and Events

Host/Producer: Amy Browne

Diana Merenda qualified write-in candidate for Congressional District #2
FMI: email [email protected]

About the host:
Amy Browne started out at WERU as a volunteer news & public affairs producer in 2000, co-hosting/co-producing RadioActive with Meredith DeFrancesco. She joined the team of Voices producers a few years later, and has been WERU’s News & Public Affairs Manager since January, 2006. In addition to RadioActive, Voices, Maine Currents and Maine: The Way Life Could Be, Amy also produced and hosted the WERU News Report for several years. She has produced segments for national programs including Free Speech Radio News, This Way Out, Making Contact, Workers Independent News, Pacifica PeaceWatch, and Live Wire News, and has contributed to Democracy Now and the WBAI News Report. She is the recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Environmental Journalism Award from the Sierra Club of Maine, and Maine Association of Broadcasters awards for her work in 2017 and 2021.

Theme music: BreakBeat Chemists I, 2015
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International License

Outside the Box 10/22/24: “Roots Too”

Producer/Host: Larry Dansinger

About the host:
Larry Dansinger (no pronouns) of Bangor came to Maine in 1974 and has been here ever since. Some of Larry’s activities since then: Done community organizing on numerous issues through INVERT and then Resources for Organizing and Social Change (ROSC), committed civil disobedience several times, grown a garden yearly since 1977, joined various food cooperatives and two men’s groups, refused to pay federal income taxes for war, lived on a community land trust for 23 years, and met a wonderful partner whom Larry has loved for over 40 years. Larry has produced Outside the Box features on WERU since 2007 and continues to look for unique ways of seeing almost any problem or situation.