Speaking on American Nations for USM's One Book event, Feb. 26

I'm very appreciative that the University of Southern Maine's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute has decided to make American Nations the subject of its annual One Book, One Community event this year.

On Tuesday, Feb. 26, OLLI has organized a half-day event featuring a keynote from yours truly, followed by sessions led by USM faculty on various aspects (and possible deficiencies) of the book.

Participation is limited to OLLI members and per-registration is required, but if you will it to be so -- and pay the $25 registration fee and join -- anything is possible. Call (207) 780-4406 to negotiate with the powers that be.

Here's the run-down of Tuesday's event:

8:30 a.m. Check-in and morning coffee/tea;102 Wishcamper Center, USM, Portland, Maine.

9 a.m. Keynote Address: Colin Woodard

10 a.m. Concurrent Sessions:

#1: Abraham Lincoln, the Salvation of the Union and the Death of Slavery
(Draper Hunt)

#2: Newcomers to the American Nations (John Sutherland)

#3: Political Implications of Woodard’s Thesis (Richard Barron Parker)

#4: We Were There, Too: Women’s Place in the American Nations (Sherrie Chapman, Joy Larrabee,
Kathleen Sutherland)

11 a.m. Repeat of 10 a.m. concurrent sessions (see above)

Noon Wrap-up session followed by lunch.


And there are the bios of the other presenters:

Sherrie Chapman has Master’s degrees in history and public administration from the University of New Hampshire. She alsocompleted three years of post-graduate study in American history and museum studies at the University of Delaware. She has taught several history courses at OLLI.

Draper Hunt, Professor Emeritus of History, USM, has taught OLLI courses regularly since 1998. His books include Hannibal Hamlin of Maine: Lincoln’s First Vice-President and Brother Against Brother: Understanding the Civil War Era.

Joy Larrabee has a B.S. in Nursing and an M.A. in Women’s Studies from The Ohio State University. She has taught at Ohio State, Otterbein College, and the University of New England, as well as at OLLI, where
she was a presenter at the 2012 Wrinkle in Time.

Richard Barron Parker, Professor Emeritus, Hiroshima Shudo University, taught American Law and Politics in Japan for more than 20 years. He has a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Chicago and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

John Sutherland is Professor of History Emeritus, Manchester Community College in Connecticut. He has taught at OLLI for nine years.

Kathleen Sutherland is Associate Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Women’s Studies, Bowling Green State University in Ohio. She has been teaching courses on the Middle East and Women’s Studies at OLLI since 2005.