Community Calendar

Father and Son, Steve and Josh Hrehovcik, Wednesday, April 30 at 5:30 PM
Steve will be here to discuss his new book “Rebel Without a Clue: A Way-Off Broadway Memoir” and his son Josh will share from his “Retro Roadtrip” series. Copies of the books will be available for sale and signing after the discussion. Light refreshments will be served. The Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library is located at 18 Maine Street, Kennebunkport. For further information, please call 967-2778 or visit our website at www.graveslibrary.org. Parking is available on Maine Street, Consolidated School (Route 9), and the Village Fire Station (North Street). Doors will open at 5:00 PM.

"There are moments in our lives, there are moments in a day, when we seem to see beyond the usual. Such are the moments of our greatest happiness. Such are the moments of our greatest wisdom. If one could but recall his vision by some sort of sign. It was in this hope that the arts were invented. Sign-posts toward greater knowledge." --Robert Henri

Join Artascope Members for our inaugural Inspired Artists Book Club meeting over Zoom on Saturday, May 3rd at 10am.

We will be offering these discussions quarterly. Catherine Bickford, Executive Director of Artascope, will assign the reading material and lead the conversation.

Our first meeting will cover the iconic book, THE ART SPIRIT, by American artist Robert Henri.

"In this book are the essential beliefs and theories of a great teacher and American artist, Robert Henri. While it embodies the entire system of his teaching, with much technical advice and critical comment for the student, it also contains inspiration for those to whom the happiness to be found through all the arts is important. No other American painter attracted such a large, intensely personal group of followers as Henri, whose death in 1929 brought to an end a life that has been completely devoted to art. He was an inspired artist and teacher who believed that everyone is vitally concerned in the happiness and wisdom to be found through the arts. Many of his paintings have been acquired by museums and private collectors. Among them are the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Wichita Art Museum, and Yale University Art Gallery." --Book description from "The Art Spirit"

Artascope Member: Free to attend

Non-Member*: $10

*Become a supporting member and attend for free! Our Friend of Artascope level provides access to art-related programming throughout the year, such as a quarterly book club where books about the impact of creativity on our communities and how it helps to build strength resiliency and connection are discussed, discounted admission to art events, and other opportunities to help local artisans thrive. Click HERE to become a supporting member.

PDF Option at archive.org: https://archive.org/details/artspirit0000henr/page/116/mode/2up

(Event cover images copyright of Robert Henri)

Artascope is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that raises money for its experiential education programs by offering art classes and studio memberships in Yarmouth.

Welcome to Poetry on the Porch at Pinecone Studio! Join us on Sun, May 04, 2025 at 3:00 PM for an afternoon of beautiful words and creative expression. Bring your original poem, share a published favorite or just come to listen and enjoy the cozy atmosphere of our porch setting. Whether you're a seasoned poet or just starting out, this event is open to all who appreciate the power of poetry. Don't miss this opportunity to connect with fellow poetry lovers and share your love for the written word. See you there!

Join us for a reading and more with local author Jule Selbo! Her latest installment in the Dee Rommel Mystery series is 7 Days.
Jule Selbo is an award-winning novelist living in Portland, Maine. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.

Please join us on Monday, May 12th (one day before the book's official release!) for the launch of Paul Doiron's newest book, Skin & Bones!

For the first time in print, Skin and Bones features a collection of eight gripping original short stories in the bestselling Mike Bowditch series—including one brand new, never-before-published story—from Edgar-award nominated author Paul Doiron.

Critically acclaimed for his brilliant crime novels, Paul Doiron proves he is also the master of short story in Skin and Bones.

A native of Maine, bestselling author PAUL DOIRON attended Yale University, where he graduated with a degree in English. The Poacher’s Son, the first book in the Mike Bowditch series, won the Barry award, the Strand award for best first novel, and has been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony, and Macavity awards in the same category. He is a Registered Maine Guide specializing in fly fishing and lives on a trout stream in coastal Maine with his wife, Kristen Lindquist.

The title of Emily Hass’ current exhibition, no one leaves home unless, is a line from the poem, “Home,” by Somali British poet Warsan Shire. Maine-based poet Anna Wrobel will recite the poem, then co-host a conversation with Hass about her artwork and about the impact of forced migration on people and cultures.

Welcome to the 5th Annual Lewiston/Auburn Community Read with the Lewiston and Auburn Public Libraries. This year’s book pick is We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Maine author Ryan T. Higgins.

Join us on May 17th at 11am in Callahan Hall at the Lewiston Public Library for a Meet and Greet with Ryan T. Higgins, Penelope and Bruce!

Enjoy a book reading and interactive drawing with Ryan T. Higgins, photo opportunities with Ryan, Penelope and Bruce, and book signing.

Free copies of We Don’t Eat Our Classmates will be available while supplies last.

Print copies of the book are available for checkout. Ebooks and audiobooks are also available on the statewide CloudLibrary app for those with library cards.

We encourage everyone to post photos of you or a loved one reading the book on social media accounts with #TheLewistonRead.

Free. In person.

For more information, contact the Children’s Department at 513-3133 or LPLKids@LewistonMaine.gov

Saturday, May 17 at 3 PM. New England Author Jessica Shattuck. As part of the Patsy Bray Mahoney Lecture Series, we are pleased to welcome Jessica Shattuck to the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library on Saturday, May 17, at 3 PM. Ms. Shattuck will read from her latest book, “Last House” (William Morrow, May 2024) and talk about the writing process. Jessica Shattuck is The New York Times Bestselling author of the novels “Last House” (William Morrow, May 2024), “The Women in the Castle” (William Morrow 2017), a New York Times Bestseller, #1 Indie Next Pick, and winner of The New England Book Award; “Perfect Life” (W.W.Norton 2009) and “The Hazards of Good Breeding” (W.W.Norton 2003) which was a New York Times Notable Book, a Boston Globe Editor’s Choice Best Book of the Year, and a finalist for the 2003 PEN/Winship Award. Refreshments will be provided by the Graves Library Snack Team. Copies of the book will be for sale and signed after the program. The Library is located at 18 Maine Street, Kennebunkport, Maine. Please call the Library (967-2778) with any questions. Additional parking is available at Kennebunkport Consolidated School (Route 9) and the Fire Department Parking Lot (North Street). We hope you will join us for this very special afternoon.

The Portsmouth Athenaeum is delighted to welcome Oliver de la Paz, celebrated poet and educator, for a special reading on Sunday, May 18, at 3:00 PM at the Portsmouth Athenaeum. A reception will follow, providing an opportunity to meet poet, Oliver de la Paz and purchase a copy of his book.

Currently serving as the Poet Laureate of Worcester, MA (2023-2025), de la Paz is the author and editor of seven books, including The Boy in the Labyrinth, a finalist for the Massachusetts Book Award in Poetry, and the forthcoming The Diaspora Sonnets (Liveright Press, 2023). His work masterfully explores themes of identity, migration, and personal mythology, earning him multiple Pushcart Prizes and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

As a co-founder and co-chair of Kundiman, de la Paz is a champion of Asian American literature, and his presence promises to inspire both poetry lovers and emerging writers alike. For more about Oliver de la Paz, visit oliverdelapaz.com.

To reserve a spot for you and your friends, visit: https://portsmouthathenaeum.org/events/artsathenaeum-2025-poetry-reading-with-oliver-de-la-paz/

Please join us for a special event featuring author and comedian Jamie Loftus to celebrate the paperback release of her bestselling book, Raw Dog!

This paperback edition includes Jamie's road trip map and illustrations by the author throughout, in addition to a brand-new author introduction.

Part travelogue, part culinary history, all capitalist critique—comedian Jamie Loftus's debut, Raw Dog, will take you on a cross-country road trip in the summer of 2021, and reveal what the creation, culture, and class influence of hot dogs says about America now.

Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs is part investigation into the cultural and culinary significance of hot dogs and part travelogue documenting a cross-country road trip researching them as they’re served today. From avocado and spice in the West to ass-shattering chili in the East to an entire salad on a slice of meat in Chicago, Loftus, her pets, and her ex eat their way across the country during the strange summer of 2021. It’s a brief window into the year between waves of a plague that the American government has the resources to temper, but not the interest.

JAMIE LOFTUS is a comedian, Emmy-nominated TV writer, and podcaster. She’s worked as a staff writer on Teenage Euthanasia, Robot Chicken, and Star Trek: Lower Decks, and wrote and starred in her own web series for Comedy Central. She writes and hosts popular limited-run podcasts—“My Year In Mensa” (2019), “Lolita Podcast” (2020), “Aack Cast” (2021), and “Ghost Church” (2022)—and cohosts, with screenwriter Caitlin Durante, a podcast on the How Stuff Works Network called “the Bechdel Cast.” She has her baby teeth bronzed and loaded into a slingshot.