UMaine to present TV host Bill Green in conversation with NPR’s Brian Naylor

Popular Maine television personality and UMaine alumnus, Bill Green, will be the featured guest of the inaugural Framing Maine conversation series at the University of Maine on Nov. 9.

The 6:30 p.m. event, “Framing Maine: A Conversation with Bill Green,” will take place in Minsky Recital Hall, Class of 1944 Hall. Tickets are required for this free event and may be obtained online, at the Collins Center box office, or by calling 581.1755.

The event will begin with a talk by Green, titled, “Kids, Don’t Take My Advice: 45 Years of Braggin’ About Maine” — a play on his line, “Kids, don’t go braggin’ just ‘cause you’re from Maine,” with which Green ends his popular show “Bill Green’s Maine” every Saturday evening.

Following the talk, Green will be interviewed by NPR Washington correspondent and fellow UMaine alumnus, Brian Naylor.

The conversation will focus on Green’s 45-year career as a television reporter in Maine, and his passion for the people, places and stories that inspire his work as a news reporter and show creator and host.

“I’m thrilled to be doing this, because the University of Maine means so much to me,” Green says.

Storytelling is an essential part of our society, adds Green, and he credits UMaine with guiding him into a successful career telling stories.

“When you’re sitting in folklore class, you’re not exactly thinking, ‘This could lead to a great life.’ I have to chuckle because, for me, it did.”

Green also will be honored at the event by the UMaine Alumni Association, which will present him with the Black Bear Award.

“For several decades, Bill has been telling Maine’s stories with authenticity and passion,” says Kreg Ettenger, director of the Maine Folklife Center and coordinator of the Maine Studies Program at UMaine.

“We are thrilled to have Bill Green as the inaugural speaker in our Framing Maine series. Bill represents what this series is all about: highlighting people whose life work has helped to create the popular image of Maine as a place to live, visit or dream about visiting,” Ettenger adds.

“Framing Maine: Conversations with Storytellers and Imagemakers from the Pine Tree State” will highlight notable Mainers who tell the state’s stories through various media, including literature, art, music, print and digital media, and other forms. The next speaker in the series, scheduled for April 2018, will be singer-songwriter Dave Mallett, also a UMaine alumnus.

A reception featuring Green and Naylor will precede the event at 5:30 p.m. in Miller’s Café in the Collins Center for the Arts. Tickets for the reception are $50 and help support Maine Studies scholarships and programs.

Tickets to the reception are limited and may be purchased until Nov. 3 online, at the box office in the Collins Center for the Arts, or by calling 581.1755.

Framing Maine is supported in part by a grant from the Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Series. Additional sponsors include the Maine Studies Program and Maine Folklife Center; Clement and Linda McGillicuddy Humanities Center; College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; and UMaine Alumni Association. Bangor Savings Bank is the corporate sponsor for the inaugural event.

For more information, call Ettenger at 581.1840. To request a disability accommodation, contact Mary Heathcote at 581.4903.

Contact: Alan Berry, 581.1955