FARMINGTON — The third annual Western Maine Storytelling Festival will be July 19-21. The evening storytellers July 19-20 will be Abenaki storyteller and writer Bruchac and his son, Jesse Bruchac, and Susan Poulin, creator of Ida LeClair. On the evening of July 19, the Bruchacs will present the family show, “Learning from Our Monsters,” a group of scary, but educational, stories from Wabanaki and Haudenosaunee traditions, according to a news release.

A highlight of the night of July 20 is one of Susan Poulin’s “I Married an Alien.” In addition to “Learning from Our Monsters,” the festival will feature several programs of Native American stories and culture, beginning with an afternoon workshop July 19 for teachers, youth workers and parents led by Joseph and Jesse Bruchac. On July 20, Passamaquoddy/ Maliseet and Abenaki language-keepers Roger Paul and Jesse Bruchac will present a program for children, and in the afternoon the Farmington Historical Society will co-sponsor a performance by folklorist Jo Radner, “Braving the Middle Ground: Stories of Pre-Revolutionary Northern New England.”

Other festival programming will include a poetry reading by Maine’s Poet Laureate Wesley McNair; regional quilt artists sharing their quilts and the tales behind them; “Stories in Song” with singer-songwriters Matt Shipman, Erica Brown, and Matt and Shannon Heaton, cosponsored by Skye Theatre; and “Western Maine Talkers,” cosponsored by the Rangeley Lakes Region Logging Museum, featuring stories of life and work experiences in the logging industry. Loggers, including Lance White, of Dixfield, will bring trucks and logging equipment for visitors to examine.

The festival is funded, in part, by grants from the Maine Expansion Arts Fund and the Sciences and Arts Foundation Fund of the Maine Community Foundation, the Maine Humanities Council, the Maine Arts Commission (an independent state agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts), and by donations from local businesses and individuals. Maine Public Broadcasting Network is a media partner for the Festival.

The events during the day July 20 are free and open to the public. Tickets are required for the workshop, evening performances and Sunday afternoon concert.

For more information, call 860-6622, email western mainestorytelling@gmail.com, or visit westernmainstory telling.org.

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Schedule of events

Friday, July 19

* Workshop by Joseph and Jesse Bruchac, “The Circle of Stories,” 2-4 p.m., UMF Education Center Lobby, 186 High St. Cost is $15.

* Storytelling Performance by Joseph and Jesse Bruchac — “Learning from Our Monsters, 7-8:30 p.m., Emery Community Arts Center, Academy Street. Cost is $10 for adults, $5 for youth 15 and younger.

Saturday, July 20

* Mawnukot: Celebrating Wabanaki Peoples — Jesse Bruchac and Roger Paul, 9-10:30 a.m., First Congregational Church, 235 Main St.; free.

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* Western Maine Talkers — The Logging Industry, 11 a.m.-noon, First Congregational Church, 235 Main St.; free.

* Stories Wrapped in Quilts — Maine Mountain Quilters, 1:30-2 p.m., Farmington Public Library, 117 Academy St.; free.

* The Poet as Storyteller — Wes McNair, Maine Poet Laureate, 2-3 p.m., Farmington Public Library, 117 Academy St.; free.

* “Braving the Middle Ground” — Jo Radner, Storyteller/Historian, 3:30-5 p.m., North Church, 118 High St.; free.

* Storytelling Performance by Susan Poulin — “I Married an Alien,” 7-8:30 p.m., Emery Community Arts Center, Academy St. Cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children 15 and younger.

* The Tale End — teller reception and storytelling swap, 9-10:30 p.m., Thai Smile & Sushi Restaurant, 103 Narrow Gauge Square; free admission.

Sunday, July 21

*”Stories in Song” — Singer-songwriters Matt Shipman, Erica Brown, and Matt and Shannon Heaton (cosponsored by Skye Theatre Performing Arts Center), 2-4 p.m., Emery Community Arts Center, Academy St. Cost is $15 for adults, $5 for children 15 and younger.

Ticket required: combination adult ticket cost $40; all other events are free and open to the public.


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