Events - Feb 9 23

In January, MSMT is launching the Turn Up The Limelight campaign. Our goal is to raise $500,000 by the end of the 2023 season. As a part of this campaign, we will be shedding some “limelight” on what it takes to produce Broadway-quality theatre in Brunswick, Maine with backstage tours, exclusive interviews with our annual and production staff, and inside looks at the MSMT production process. For more information please visit: msmt.org 

Edible Arrangements would like to offer you an opportunity to purchase floral bouquets at a great price-$20!  Each Wednesday they receive a limited supply of bouquets that go unsold and would rather they be used to brighten someone’s day.  Bouquets vary in variety (roses sometimes available) and size, and are on a first-come, first-served basis at their location at 2 Station Avenue in Brunswick. 

The bouquets are wrapped only and are not available for delivery or reservation, but stop by and see if you can grab a bunch for someone who needs a floral uplift!  Call or stop by for more information.  See sample photos below

   

 

We’re back again with full programming after a two-year absence. Join us as we embark on a month-long celebration of Longfellow, poetry, and community. All events are free!

LONGFELLOW DAYS 2023
TRAVEL ABROAD & WITHIN

Longfellow Days is Brunswick’s month-long celebration of the great American poet, who lived here while he was a student and, later, as a faculty member at Bowdoin College. Throughout February – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s birth month – entertaining cultural events all over town will explore themes that are suggested by the poet’s life and work. This year’s event is titled “Travel: Abroad and Within.”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was inspired by traveling, whether internationally or close to home. His adventures shaped his writing, even when his subject had nothing to do with journeys or locales. Truly, travel can happen over great distances or within our thoughts.

Please Note – Date Change for Longfellow Trivia Challenge – Friday, February 17, 1 PM has been changed to February 24, 1 PM

 

Thursday, February 2, 2-3 PM
Exhibition Excursion

A docent-led tour of two BCMA exhibits illuminating aspects of HWL’s time in Italy. Antiquity & America: The Ancient Mediterranean in the United States features sculpture and paintings that influenced artists like Longfellow. In Light of Rome: Early Photography in the Capital of the Art World, 1842-1871 reveals the eternal city’s impact on the development of early photography. Co-sponsored by the Pejepscot History Center.

Bowdoin College Museum of Art

Sunday, February 5, 1 PM
The Coursen Readings, Part One

      

Many superb writers have graced Brunswick and its vicinity through the years. We feature twelve of them in a four-part Sunday series named for the late poet and Longfellow Days’ friend, Herbert Coursen.  We begin with Maine poets Jen Walker Grace, Claire Hersom, and Marcia Simmons. Refreshments.

Fireplace Room, Curtis Memorial Library

Tuesday, February 7, 6:30-8:30 PM
Parsing a Poem: Devilish Dante 

    

A literary and social event hosted by Gary Lawless, who guides us in exploring the First Canto of Dante’s Inferno, translated by Longfellow, as well as “Mezzo Cammin,” Longfellow’s sonnet written while grieving the sudden death of his first wife. Refreshments and cash bar.

OneSixtyFive, The Inn on Park Row 

Friday, February 10, 1 PM
Poetry Reading with Wesley McNair

  

Wes, the Poet Laureate of Maine from 2011-2016, will read from his recently published volume Late Wonders: New and Selected Poems.

Unitarian Universalist Church, 1 Middle Street

Saturday, February 11, 10:30 AM
Morning at the Movies

Be transported back to Victorian America by I Heard the Bells, the 2022 feature film about Longfellow and the inspiring story behind the beloved Christmas carol. Introduced by Tricia Welsch, Bowdoin College Professor of Cinema Studies.

Eveningstar Cinema, 149 Maine Street

Watch the movie trailer here

Sunday, February 12, 10 AM
A Lyrical Service

Poetry is the focus of this ecumenical service, led by Rev. Kharma Amos and with music from Jud Caswell. Visit the Bible that Longfellow signed and donated to his church in 1878.

Unitarian Universalist Church, 1 Middle Street

Sunday, February 12, 1 PM
The Coursen Reading, Part Two 

    

Maine poets Cate Marvin, Jefferson Navicky, and Jonathan Pessant are featured. Refreshments.

Fireplace Room, Curtis Memorial Library

Wednesday, February 15, 12 PM
Poetry & Travel: Longfellow in Europe

As a Professor of Modern Languages, Longfellow toured Europe, expanding his worldview and his art. Gary Lawless, another continental traveler, speaks about HWL, poetry, and the value of travel in strengthening the creative arts. This event is part of the Midcoast Senior College’s Winter Wisdom program.

Morrell Room, Curtis Memorial Library

 

DATE CHANGE: Friday, February 24, 1 PM
Longfellow Trivia Challenge

We bet you know more than you think you do and, either way, you are sure to have fun. Trivia master Andrew Hamilton emcees, and there’ll be prizes!

Unitarian Universalist Church, 1 Middle Street

 

Saturday, February 18, 12:30 & 2 PM
Tours of the Joshua L. Chamberlain Museum

Longfellow Days and the Pejepscot History Center co-host visits to one of Longfellow’s residences in Brunswick – later home of Maine Governor and Civil War General Joshua Chamberlain.

226 Maine Street

 

 

 

Sunday, February 19, 1 PM
The Cousen Readings, Part Three

    

Maine poets Dennis Camire, Jim Donnelly, and Anna Wrobel are featured today. Refreshments.

Fireplace Room, Curtis Memorial Library

Wednesday, February 22, 2 PM
Community Poetry Reading at the Highlands

Local bard David Sloan will read from his work and host this informal poetry-sharing gathering for the community.  Bring yours or favorites by others. Refreshments.

Georgetown Parlor, Maine Lodge, The Highlands, 30 Governors Way, Topsham

 

 

 

 

Thursday, February 23, 12:30 PM
Community Poetry Reading at Thornton Oaks

Poet David Sloan shares his own writing and hosts this informal verse-sharing session for the community. Bring yours or favorites by others. Refreshments.

Merrymeeting Room, Thornton Oaks, 25 Thornton Way (off Baribeau Drive)

 

 

 

 

Sunday, February 26, 1 PM
The Coursen Readings, Part Four

    

Maine poets Kara Douglas, Valerie Lawson, and John Reinhart are on deck for our final Coursen Reading. Refreshments.

Fireplace Room, Curtis Memorial Library

 

Monday, February 27, 6:30 PM
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HENRY!

He’s a mere 216 today – and always deserving of a fuss. Ren Bernier hosts our popular poetry open mic, and we invite you to add your voice! Come share your poem or another’s that you love, and enjoy some delicious cake, courtesy of Union Street Bakery.

Unitarian Universalist Church, 1 Middle Street

 

 

 

 

 

Longfellow Days is an annual program of the Brunswick Downtown Association, with support from Bowdoin College, Nathaniel Davis Fund, Eveningstar Cinema, OneSixtyFive: The Inn on Park Row, Union Street Bakery, and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick. 

Check out this site and our Longfellow Days Facebook page for updates.

And Joyful New Year Wishes to All!

 

https://www.uubrunswick.org/longfellow-days-2023/

 

 

What are the “Arts”? with Linda Docherty

Thursday, February 9 at Noon, via Zoom

To kick off our 2023 annual theme—Fine/Folk: Critiquing Our Artistic Past—Linda Docherty leads us through a whirlwind chronology and slideshow of how attitudes about the “arts” writ large have changed over time. What is art? Who is art for? What is its purpose? She’ll help us set a foundation for how we think about the arts all year.

Linda Docherty, Associate Professor of Art History Emerita, Bowdoin College, is a specialist in American art and criticism to 1945. She has published on art and national identity, art and spirituality, portraiture, images of women, Winslow Homer, and Isabella Stewart Gardner. Her current project explores the relationship between Isabella Stewart Gardner’s spiritual life and creative work.

Tickets: $5 PHC Members; $8 General Admission

Zoom link sent in your Eventbrite confirmation email.

The Theater Project is proud to present Do You Feel Anger by Mara Nelson-Greenberg, directed by Christopher Price, running February 9th – 19th on the Theater Project stage!  Do You Feel Anger is an absurdist comedy about the danger of a world where some people’s emotions matter more than others. It follows Sofia, an empathy coach, hired to work at a debt collection agency, and she has her work cut out for her.  This show will feature talk backs after the Sunday matinees with HR professionals from Range Culture Co!

Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances are at 7:30 PM, and Sunday matinee’s begin at 2:00 PM. The show runs about an hour and a half, and is for mature audiences only.  All TICKETS are pay-what-you-want and can be purchased on our website, www.theaterproject.com, 0r by calling our box office at 729-8584. You don’t want to miss this powerful show! CW: overt sexual harassment and unhealthy workplace.