‘Make Shift Coffee House’ to offer food, music, civic conversation
The University of Maine will host a “Make Shift Coffee House” Oct. 23 where the community can gather to share food and music, and engage in an inclusive dialogue focused on the factors that influence votes.
The event, titled “Why do You Vote the Way You do?,” will be held at 11 a.m. in North Pod of Memorial Union. Craig Freshley of Good Group Decisions, Inc. will facilitate.
The “Make Shift Coffee House” concept was introduced by Freshley in January 2017 at an event in his hometown of Brunswick. The coffeehouses, which are intended to provide a positive opportunity for conversations with others of differing perceptions and opinions, have subsequently been offered across Maine to address the growing political divide and a troubling lack of civility in public, and particularly, political conversations.
Freshley previously hosted “Understanding Others’ Political Views” at UMaine in February 2018.
Music will be provided by the Eric Fay-Wolfe Trio, featuring UMaine students Eric Fay-Wolfe on piano, Benjamin Flanagan on bass and Reggie Kollman on drums. The trio will play a variety of jazz selections.
For more information about the event, which is free and open to the public, or to request a reasonable accommodation, call 581.3439.
The event is presented by the University of Maine Rising Tide Center in partnership with Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Good Group Decisions, Inc.