BDN reports UMaine faculty, programs play role in Bangor’s literary scene
Several University of Maine faculty members and programs were mentioned in the Bangor Daily News article, “Local writers make collective effort to build Bangor-area literary scene.” In recent years, the number of arts and cultural events in Bangor has grown, and UMaine has had longstanding literary programming with its New Writing Series, according to the article. To promote the literary arts even more in the region, the Norumbega Collective, a group of area writers and poets, was founded in early 2014 by local English educators including Gregory Howard, a UMaine English professor, and Michele Christle, an adjunct English teacher at UMaine, the article states. Every one to two months, the group holds readings in downtown Bangor that feature fiction writers and poets, including Jennifer Moxley, a UMaine English professor. The group, which is planning a fundraising effort for later this year, has received funds from the UMaine Humanities Center and donations from audience members, the BDN reported. The Maine Edge also advanced the Norumbega Collective’s reading by Peaks Island writer Mira Ptacin. Ptacin will read from her critically acclaimed memoir “Poor Your Soul” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28 at The Rock and Art Shop in downtown Bangor. The talk will be held in cooperation with the UMaine Humanities Center’s annual Bangor Humanities Day.