The Inquisitor by Angela Tucker 

Meet Barbara Jordan: a civil rights icon whose powerful voice masked a complex private life. 

Explore the life and legacy of Barbara Jordan in The Inquisitor. Jordan was a groundbreaking Texas congresswoman whose sharp intellect and moral clarity transformed U.S. politics. From Nixon’s impeachment to civil rights battles, her voice demanded accountability, while she privately faced struggles few ever knew of.

The screening will be followed by a talk facilitated by Emilia Toth (she/her). She is the youth programs manager for League of Women Voters of Maine and Maine Students Vote. 

(63’, Engl., Engl. captions, 2026, US)

FMI and registration, please visit the library's website:
https://ellsworth.libcal.com/calendar/EPL-Events/epl-presents-an-indie-lens-pop-up-screening-of-the-inquisitor

The Blue Hill Public Library is sponsoring a screening of the documentary film a Peace of Forest on Wednesday, March 18 at 7PM in the library's Pearson Room. A Peace of Forest is the first-ever feature length wildlife movie filmed and produced in Maine.

Created in Whitefield, Maine, a Peace of Forest is a grand 87 minute film, described by audience members as, “The most beautiful film I have ever seen, exhibiting our natural world,” and “This film is a gift; it is so rich.”  

Touted as a quiet film, a Peace of Forest is a one-of-a-kind cinematic adventure, allowing viewers to experience a wild, peaceful and mysterious world that is filled with complex relationships and ways of wonder. A Peace of Forest celebrates the beauty and intimacy of wildlife in Maine with surprising, tender, and exquisite interactions of wildlife during undisturbed moments in Maine’s natural world. The film makers and producers, Lee Ann and Thomas Szelog, will host a Q&A with the audience immediately following the movie.

The film has a runtime of 87 minutes, and is free and open to all as part of the Robert K. and Linda B. Slaven Events Series, which began in 2020 in recognition of gifts made to the Blue Hill Public Library’s Campaign for Endowment from the Anahata Foundation. The goal of the series is to bring diverse and previously inaccessible events on a variety of topics to the Blue Hill Peninsula. 

For more information, please contact the library at 374-5515 or email Assistant Director Kayleigh Thomas at kayleigh.thomas@bhpl.net. 

You’re invited! Join the Word community for camaraderie and conversation. No agenda, just talking writing, reading, and life. Order a drink or some nosh and settle in with like-minded friends, new and old.

Gather, a long-time Maine Writers and Publishers Association program, offers writers at all levels of experience six opportunities a year to get together and takes place simultaneously at various sites around the state on the third Wednesday of alternate months. Gather events are not open readings, manuscript exchanges or organized writing-prompt sessions, but offer opportunities for the literary-minded to meet and plan any of those things and more.

We’ll meet at 6 p.m., Wednesday March 18 at
Marlintini’s Bar and Grill, 83 Mines Road, Blue Hill
No reservations are necessary.

Splish Splash! Do you have what it takes to be a fish farmer? Come join Tess from the University of Maine 4-H to be the next future fish farmer!  On Wednesday, March 18th from 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm at the Blue Hill Public Library, youth will have a chance to test their fish-herding skills with a fin-tastic hands-on activity. We'll collect, test, and decipher if the water quality of mystery samples is good enough for our beloved pet fish. Youth will also walk away with some basic knowledge about fish health! What a way to spend an afternoon!

UMaine Cooperative Extension is your doorway to University of Maine expertise. For over 100 years, they've been putting university research to work in homes, businesses, farms, and communities — in every corner of Maine. Their educational efforts focus on the Maine Food System and Positive Youth Development through 4-H programs with a focus on the STEM disciplines. They are part of the nationwide Cooperative Extension System, which works through the land-grant universities in each U.S. state.

Coastal Kids Science Series with 4-H is a monthly program where youth can dive deep into the natural wonder of water.  From learning about amazing marine animal adaptations, to exploring the roles of Maine's working waterfront - we've got something for everyone!  This program is free and cosponsored by the library and the UMaine Cooperative Extension. For more information, contact Youth Services Librarian Claire at claire.malina@bhpl.net or call 374-5515.

Join your neighbors and meet new friends at the Surry Contra Dance!

6-7pm Community Dance: easy and fun family-friendly dances. Dance or join the Open Band! No charge, donations welcome.
7-10pm Contra Dance: all dances are instructed, no partner or experience is needed! $15-$25 suggested, under 18s pay 1/2 their age.

These dances are year-round, every 2nd Saturday of the month at the Surry School, 754 North Bend Rd. Chem-free event!

See performer schedule and get more info at surrycontra.org or follow on FB / IG

Brooklin Food Corps workshop: Molly DellaRoman and Tim Skillen from 5 Star Nursery and Orchard will demonstrate how to prune fruit trees for health and good fruit production. Bring tools if you have them, but we will have some to share. This is very hands on, so work gloves and safety glasses (or sunglasses) are recommended. Free and open to all. (Rain/snow date, March 15.)

Now in Blue Hill! This new Beginners Contra Dance series is a small, casual contra dance, suitable for newbies and experienced dancers alike! Dance or join in the open band with any instrument. $5 suggested. Chem-free event!

These dances are the 2nd & 4th Thursdays of the month at the Congo Church, 22 Tenney Hill, Blue Hill. See calendar at surrycontra.org or follow @SurryContraDance on FB / IG

This dance is part of the Surry Contra Dance series. Join us every 2nd Saturday of the month for the full contra experience!

Join us for this devotional practice of chanting the names of the divine and singing sacred songs.

Open to everyone. Bring instruments. Meet in the Sanctuary. Suggested donation: $3-$5 (for church rental)

The library is sponsoring a series of discussions with Denis Sweet, a former teacher at Bates College, investigating our current moment by making use of contemporary and classic writings in literature, social criticism, biology, and philosophy.  This session of meetings will take place on Tuesday mornings at 10AM in the library's Howard Room from February 3 to April 28.  

Kairos – a time of impending danger and instability balanced on a knife’s edge that can tip into disaster or into a new resolution. Kairos is a time that demands clarity of mind - our time. To gird ourselves, we study foundational classic and contemporary writings in philosophy, literature, social criticism, and ecology.

Radical Romanticism
Radical Romantic writers and artists in Germany from around 1790-1820 expanded the sense of what it means to be human.  They introduced the unconscious and the uncanny, and discovered profound meaning in nature. We will discuss writings by Novalis, Wackenroder, Friedrich Schlegel, Tieck, Kleist and E.T.A. Hoffmann, and paintings by Caspar David Friedrich, with the films Pan's Labyrinth and Andrei Rublev. 

To facilitate discussion, the number of participants is limited to twelve. Registration can be done through the library's online calendar. For more information, please email Assistant Director Kayleigh Thomas at kayleigh.thomas@bhpl.net or call 374-5515.

The Blue Hill Public Library is sponsoring a film and hands-on arts series with local artist and gallery-owner Margret Baldwin. Margret will host an art history film screening followed by a hands-on art project the week after. The series for 2026 will focus on abstract painters and their distinct styles. 

Georges Braque is the subject for March, and everyone is welcome to join us for a showing of Picasso and Braque Go to the Movies, with a runtime of 62 minutes on Thursday, March 12 at 6PM. This film explores the relationship between fine art and early cinema, especially as seen in the works of cubist artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.

Margret is a certified art instructor with 25 years in the public school system and private teaching experience. She expanded her exposure to art and artists through her curatorial experience during eight years of employment at the Blue Hill Public Library. She has exhibited widely, and in the summer runs her neighborhood “Little Gallery” in Surry.

This program series is generously sponsored by the Friends of the Library, and is free and open to all. For more information, please contact Kayleigh at kayleigh.thomas@bhpl.net or by calling the library at 374-5515.

Join BHHT and IHT as we welcome Maine author/illustrator and Maine Master Naturalist, Rebekah Lowell, in a nature journaling workshop to cultivate your curiosity and learn how to find the wonder around you. We'll learn what nature journaling is, how it benefits us (and our world), then we'll get started in our nature journaling practice. We'll learn how to draw textures and explore some nature journaling prompts. Bring your favorite sketching supplies.

Register here: https://tinyurl.com/yvpz2edy

*CLOSED CAPTIONING is available.*

The Blue Hill Public Library and Penobscot Marine Museum are cosponsoring a lecture by Matt Wheeler, Digital Curator at PMM, on women photographers of Midcoast Maine in the late 1800s and early 1900s on Wednesday, March 11 at 7PM in the library's Howard Room. This talk will be accompanied by a display of photographs taken by the women discussed. 

The medium of photography arose in a time of great social change in Europe and the United States, and although women’s social positions at this time would not have included them in its initial development, women were involved in the early popularization and use of the medium. Constance Fox Talbot experimented with photography even as her husband William Fox Talbot was perfecting his process—the calotype, which generated the world’s first photographic negative—before its introduction in 1841. A handful of women began opening daguerreotype studios in Europe and the U.S. as early 1843, and were among the first professionals in this technical field at a time when most women who worked outside the home were employed as domestic servants, schoolteachers, nurses, or laborers in the textile industry.

These photographs, drawn from the Penobscot Marine Museum’s permanent collections, represent the work of five women photographers, all born in the latter half of the nineteenth century and based between Boothbay and Blue Hill. Some travelled the world with their seafaring fathers or well to do husbands; others never strayed far from their origins. Some were amateurs with varying skills; others transformed their talents into income. This exhibit explores the multitude of ways women exercised the latitude of expression created by photography, a medium that’s equal parts technical and artistic. Women incorporated camera work into their daily lives, as artists, amateurs, preservationists, professionals, and as travelers and explorers, while photography altered the way men, women, and children saw the world, themselves, and each other. These are women who helped photography emerge as an egalitarian pursuit: Evie Billings Kimball Barbour of Blue Hill, Harriet Hichborn of Stockton Springs, Joanna Colcord of Searsport, Ruth Montgomery of Boothbay, and Ida Crie of Rockport. 

Matt Wheeler serves as the Digital Curator at PMM and has been working in the Museum's Photo Archives since 2011. His educational experience includes coursework in digital curation from University of Maine, Orono, as well as ongoing professional development in evolving standards and best practices in the industry. He guides PMM in building sound digital collections with an eye to accessibility and sustainability. Matt grew up in Camden and Lincolnville, living on and appreciating Penobscot Bay, and enjoys engaging audiences in the digital age with stories of Penobscot Bay's cultural heritage. His personal photography explores the rich natural settings of the region.

This program is free and open to all, and will be held in the library's Howard Room. For more information, please contact the library at 374-5515, or email Assistant Director Kayleigh Thomas at kayleigh.thomas@bhpl.net.

Join Leah from 4-H at the Blue Hill Public Library on Wednesday March 11 from 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm, for a chance to design and engineer your very own mini sailing vessels. Kids will put their boats to the test and in the process learn what makes a sailboat sturdy. We can't wait to see how these deck hands combine creativity with a splash of science!

UMaine Cooperative Extension is your doorway to University of Maine expertise. For over 100 years, they've been putting university research to work in homes, businesses, farms, and communities — in every corner of Maine. Their educational efforts focus on the Maine Food System and Positive Youth Development through 4-H programs with a focus on the STEM disciplines. They are part of the nationwide Cooperative Extension System, which works through the land-grant universities in each U.S. state.

Coastal Kids Science Series with 4-H is a monthly program where youth can dive deep into the natural wonder of water.  From learning about amazing marine animal adaptations, to exploring the roles of Maine's working waterfront - we've got something for everyone!  This program is free and cosponsored by the library and the UMaine Cooperative Extension. For more information, contact Youth Services Librarian Claire at claire.malina@bhpl.net or call 374-5515.

Teens and Tweens are invited to the library to join "Skein Stitchers," a youth fiber arts group, every Monday from 3:00-4:00 p.m. Participants can hang out in the Y.A. area to work on knitting, crochet, embroidery, or other fiber projects, while socializing and enjoying a light snack. All experience levels are welcome. Experienced participants are welcome to bring projects with them to work on, and there will be materials available for new projects or beginners wanting to learn how to knit or crochet. Teen Services Librarian Kendall Chapman and volunteers Arlee Morris and Alison Rudel will be available to teach participants the basics, new stitches, or answer questions about knitting and crochet.  

This free program is sponsored by the library thanks to the generosity of the Friends of the Library. If you have any questions contact Kendall at kendall.chapman@bhpl.net or 374-5515.

RSVP for this event here.

Rosa Moore, director of H.O.M.E., will share the story of this unique refuge in our midst. Where else can you find a homeless shelter, a soup kitchen, a food pantry, child care, classes, consignment opportunities, a bargain barn, a diversion/family homeless outreach program, housing and other resources? 

 As our political, economic, environmental, and societal situations constantly shift, how do we live out our values of kindness, truth, mercy, simplicity, love and justice?  How do we stay rooted in hope, even though life is becoming increasingly uncertain and chaotic?

'The Legend of the Banana Kid' with Frogtown Puppeteers

Shows at 10:30 am and 1:00 pm - run time approximately 45 minutes.

Tickets are $10 with a 20% discount available when you purchase three or more tickets.

Click here for more information and purchase tickets.

Learn how images can be transferred onto everyday objects using heat and pressure. In this short workshop, participants will use the Fab Lab’s mug press and dye-sublimation printer to create custom ceramic mugs. Choose from prepared designs or bring a simple image of your own to personalize your piece. Leave with a finished mug—and a look at how digital printing tools can turn ideas into useful objects. 

All levels welcome; all materials provided.

Family Friendly | This workshop is open to all ages. Children are welcome to participate with the supervision of an adult—a great opportunity to make and learn together.

Everyone is invited to join Dr. Kate McMahon at the Blue Hill Public Library on Thursday, February 26 at 7:00 p.m. for a talk on the 1800s slave trade in Down East Maine. Dr. McMahon will explore the ways in which Mainers participated in and benefited from the illegal slave trade during period, focusing on Down East Maine’s connection to global slavery and how enslaved people resisted. Dr. Kate McMahon is the Executive Director of the Castine Historical Society. She also serves on the Operational Committee of SlaveVoyages.org and is a co-founder and board member of Atlantic Black Box. This free program is sponsored by the library.

For more information, please contact Kayleigh at kayleigh.thomas@bhpl.net or 374-5515.

Public session

Knitters are invited to come sit by the library fireplace to work on and share projects with fellow knitters.The Knitting Group will meet every Thursday evening at 6 pm. Anyone is welcome to join this free event. Coffee and tea will be available to purchase.

The Blue Hill Chess Enthusiasts meet each Thursday evening for pick-up games of chess. All experience levels are welcome to drop in for friendly games any time between 5:00 and 8:00 PM.

Interested players can also join the Blue Hill Peninsula Chess Nuts group on lichess.org to play online games any time.

Join BHHT and IHT this month for a presentation from Island Soundscape Project with N.B. Aldrich, Karen Beeftink, and Steve Norton.

The Island Soundscape Project is a Maine-based arts research collaborative. Their work sits at the intersection of art, ecology, and education. They believe that through listening we can gain a unique understanding of the world we inhabit, one that can both complement and contrast with the world we see.

N.B.Aldrich is a New Media artist, musician and educator who creates installation, performance and acousmatic art. He is Art faculty at the University of Maine.

Karen Beeftink has degrees in music theory and composition; recreation, parks, and tourism resources; and leisure studies. Her background includes soundscape research in Patagonia. She is faculty at University of Maine, Machias, and serves on the Board of the Downeast Coastal Conservancy.

Steve Norton is a sound artist, musician, researcher and educator. His work is currently focused on field recording, soundscape composition, and bioacoustics. He has degrees in music composition and performance, and electroacoustic music composition; he also serves on the Board of the Bangor Land Trust.

Register at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ngK9fir1QD6jTnSUWhrQgQ

*CLOSED CAPTIONING is available.*