Our Earlier Programs

This is a list of programs Colloquy Downeast has offered in the past. Since its inception in 2000, close to 3,000 participants have attended well over 120 colloquys. Because of widespread interest some colloquys were offered twice.  It is clear from your feedback that these colloquies have helped to broaden horizons, and to deepen the understanding of the participants.

2020 /21

Are Corporations People? with John O’Shea
How Important are Character and Ethics in an Election?  with Peter Sly
Seaweeds with David Porter
Dis-Ease: literature of pain and redemption with Tyler Knowles
Words We Hold Dear: Personal Literary Touchstones with Marge Irvine
Covid 19 and Climate Change with Norm Olsen
Responding to the Climate Crisis with Philip Osgood

2019 /20

Gun Violence – Gun Rights – Gun Regulation with John O’Shea
Climate Change: Global to Local with Paul Mayewski
The Roberts Court with David Snow
Rebirth of Dialog with Mike Wolf and Peter Sly
Rethinking American Foreign Policy with Seth Singleton
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: In His Own Words with Judy  McGeorge and Bill Case
Turtle Island/New World with Hans Carlson

2018 /19

Trends in Sustainable Landscape Design with Avy Claire and Cathy Rees
The Vietnam War: Looking Back with John O’Shea
The (not so cold) Cold War with Courtenay Haight
The Imagination of Marsden Hartley with Margery Irvine and William Irvine
Composing in Fast Motion with Scott Cleveland
Trump in Historical Context with Kenneth Hillas
Bioluminescence with David Porter
Shells Etc. with Alison C. Dibble
Nearby History with Jan Eakins

2017/18

Plagues, Perils and Pestilence of the Past with Ricard Jacoby
Law & Literature with John O’Shea
China’s Military and Naval Expansion into the South China Seas with Bob Sargent and Courtenay Haight
Why Art? with Arnold Berleant
The State of the World by Mid-Century with Kenneth Hillas
A Moment of Truth: Spirituality in the Anthropocene with Dennis Sweet
The Supreme Court in a Trump World with David Snow
American Forests and Changing Climate with Si Balch
The Thinking Brain with Charlie Stone and David Porter

2016/17

Lucretius’ On the Nature of Things and Greenblatt’s The Swerve: Poetry As Scientific Literature? with Judy McGeorge
What? We Don’t Have An Equal Rights Amendment? with Posie Cowan
Palestine & Israel: Two-state, one-state or what state? with Peter Sly
The Dramatic Moment with Michael Donahue
War in the Pacific with Bob Slaven
Photography as Art with Farnham Blair
American Sea Writing with Peter Neil
Parsing the Anthropocene: What does this new era of global environmental crisis portend? with Dennis Sweet
The Past and Future (?) of Humankind: challenges to what we thought we knew about human history with David Porter and Charlie Stone
“Many are the Afflictions of the Righteous”: The Literature of Illness with Margery Irvine
Creativity and the Spirit with Lucas Richman
Precision Medicine with Jackson Lab staff: Steven Munger, PhD., Gareth Howell, PhD., and Carol Bult, PhD.
Churchill and Orwell by Thomas E. Ricks with Judy McGeorge

2015/16

Environmental Issues: the Importance of Historical Perspective with Andrew Miller and Richard Jacoby
Ovid’s Metamorphoses with Judy McGeorge
The American Dream: Four Plays of Arthur Miller with Michael Donahue
Journalism in America with Michael Taylor
Extinction with David Porter
Marcel Duchamp: a Founder of Modern Art with Farnham (Mike) Blair

2014/15

Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. Is it Really so Controversial? with Andrew Miller
The Evolution of Comedy with Michael Donahue
Politics and Persuasion: the Use of Language to Influence Public Opinion with Scott Miller and Margery Irvine
Feminist Activism in the Arts with Posie Cowan, Audry Le, Pat Wheeler and Allison Brown
MacArthur! with Bob Slaven
Examining Public Discourse inthe Age of Technology with Margery Irvine
Science, Religion and Faith: Quest for Understanding and Meaning with Ron Lesko
Bach: the Man and the Music with Marcia Sly
Forest Ecology and Economics with Si Balch
Poetry of the English Renaissance with Mike Blair and Tony Newton
Poetry in the Bible with Vesta Kowalski

2013/14

Theatre of the Absurd – with Michael Donahue
Implications of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act for Our Community- with Richard Freeman
Womens Rights: the Successes, the Setbacks and the Future – with Posie Cowan, Kathy Bonk, Deborah DeWitt and Audrey Le
E Pluribus Unum? – with Peter Sly
Origins of Political Beliefs – with Ron Lesko
Creativity: How Does That Happen? – with Paul Perkinson
Greek Tragedies: Family feuds and Dasterdly Deeds – with Ruth Davis and Jane Garfield
African-American Poetry – with Farnham (Mike) Blair
United States Entry into World War I – with Tony Newton and Tim Thomas
Symbiosis and the Evolution of Cooperation – with David Porter
“In Flanders Field the Poppies Blow”: Literature and Art during the World War I Period – with Margery Irvine

2012/13

A Survey of Modern American Theatre with Michael Donahue
Bodhicitta: The Buddhist Synthesis of Wisdom and Compassion with Philip Osgood
The Role of Government and the Future of Democracy in an Age of Austerity with David Snow and Tom Bjorkman
What Makes a House Appeal to You? with Farnham ‘Mike’Blair
The Cold War: Bipolarity to Multipolarity with Ron Lesko and Tim Thomas
Winston Churchill, Statesman and Writer with John Roberts
The Arab Awakening: Can America Cope? with Ron Lesko
Chowder, Baked Beans and Blueberry Pie with Brooke Dojny
Blue Hill Peninsula Geology with Roger Hooke

2011/12

Buddha Has Landed! Buddhism In America with Philip Osgood
Enjoy 21st Century Poetry with Farnham ‘Mike’ Blair
The First Amendment with David Snow
Learning History through the Historical Novel: Patrick O’Brian and the Royal Navy with Capt. Robert Slaven & Lowell ‘Tim’ Thomas
Origins of Chinese Xenophobia with Courtenay Haight & Tony Newton
Samuel de Champlain: Early Explorer of Maine and Father of New France with John M. Roberts
American Power: Our Prospects on the Future World Stage with Ronald J.P. Lesko
Biodiversity  with David Porter
Sustaining a Community Scale Fishery: Ecological and Policy Issues with Robin Alden & Ted Ames
Shackleton with Ruth Davis
The Globalization Paradox: Democracy and Capitalism in a World of Nation States with Richard Howe
Superheroes for Grown-Ups: Graphic Memoirs with Margery Irvine
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Lion, Fox, Enigma with Ron dePaolo
Achilles and Odysseus with Jane Garfield

2010/11

Romantic Poets: The Sonnet with Ralph Pettie
Food in Film and Literature with Harry Kaiserian
Woodrow Wilson with Lowell (Tim) Thomas
The Supreme Court and FDRwith David Snow
Abraham Lincoln with John Roberts and Lowell (Tim) Thomas
Maine Painters of the 20th Century with Bill Irvine
Collapse with Ruth Davis and David Porter
Democratic Impuls in America with Tom Bjorkman
Early Indians in America with Bill Haviland
This Time is Different! Financial Crashes with Tony Newton
The U Boat Battle in the North Atlantic with Capt. (ret.) Robert Slaven
Beyond Soundbites – Understand The American Health Care System with Dr. Eric Steele

2009/10

The English Romantic Poets with Ralph Pettie
At Home With Mushrooms with David Porter
Turning Point: The Impact of Midway on the Pacific War with Capt. Bob Slaven
Northern Maine: Can We Protect Livelihoods and Landscapes? with Peter Sly
Abigail and John Adams: America’s First Couple with John Roberts, M.D.
The Wars of Ancient Greece: David against Goliath with Jane Garfield, M.D.
The Rise of Independent Film with Mike Blair
Writing On The Edge: 200 Years of Maine Literature with Margery Irvine
Worldviews: Conversations Between Science and Religion with Allen Myers
Israel and Palestine: Is There Still a Chance For Peace? with Norman H. Olsen
The Drug War: A Futile Battle? with Ron dePaolo
Opera: From Libretto To Musical Drama with Linda Lesko

2008/9

Design: Is It Style, Fashion, Artistic, Funtional or the Result of Necessity? with Chris Raphael
Modernizing Your Bridge Game with Ginger Dewing
Genetic Engineering with David Porter
Pearl Harbor: Revisiting the Revisionists with Capt. Bob Slaven
You Can Write A Memoir with Mike Blair
Is the U.S. Finished as a Global Leader? with Bob Sargent
God and Mammon: Religion in the Age of Globablization with the Rev. Alice Hildebrand and Rich Howe
Alexander Hamilton: Impassioned Founder with John Roberts, M.D.
The Eyes Have It: The Relevance of Art in Our Lives with William Irvine
From Books To Movies: Four Books, Seventeen Oscars with Mike Blair
The Greek and the Persian War with Jane Garfield, M.D.
The Sports Culture with Ron dePaolo

2007/8

Isambard Kingdom Brunel: The Man Who Built the World with Eckley Herrick, Ph.D.
The Fall and Rise of Capitalism in the 20th Century .. and in the 21st? with Rich Howe
Reading The Bible For First Time with the Rev. Alice Hildebrand
You, Too, Can Write A Good Poem with Franham (Mike) Blair
Religion, A Force in World Affairs with Ronald P. Lesko
An Afternoon at the Opera with Linda Lesko
Alexis de Tocqueville: Insightful Visitor with John Roberts, M.D.
Energy .. We Can’t Live Without It .. But How Do We Live With It? with Ron dePaolo
The Mexican-American War of 1846-8: Just Conflict or Land Grab? with Tony Newton
A Hands-on Workshop on Digital Photography with Betsy Braunhut
U.S. Foreign Policy Free for All with Bob Sargent

2006/7

Interpreting The Land: Our Inherited Bias with Dorothy Wurman
Writing Nonfiction with Ron dePaolo
Cancer 2006 with Drs. Arthur Weiss, M.D.& Kenneth Bovee, D.V.M., M.Med.Sc
Lord Admiral Nelson with John Roberts, M.D.
Europe Seen From An American Context: Unity or Disunity? with Ronald J.P. Lesko
Making The World In Performance with Judith Jerome
Ulysses S. Grant with Lowell “Tim” Thomas
Gordon Parks: Photographs and Writing with Farnham (Mike) Blair
Eastward. Cultural and Economic History of Coastal Maine with John Roberts, M.D.
The American Health Care System: Policy, Politics, Values with Phil Caper, M.D.
What’s Happening To The Media? with Ron dePaolo

2005/6

Unlocking Poetry with Farnham (Mike) Blair
Scopes’ Trial with Ruth Davis
Nano-Technology with John Roberts, M.D., and Charles Tarr
George Washington with John Roberts, M.D.
Van Gogh with Farnham (Mike) Blair
Writing Nonfiction with Ron dePaolo
21st Century China with Bob Sargent
Fisheries of Maine with Robin Alden and Ted Ames
Freedom and Democracy with Ronald J.P. Lesko
Andrew Jackson with Lowell “Tim” Thomas
Responsibility of Corporations with Rich Howe

2004/5

Picasso with Farnham (Mike) Blair
Capt. Cook’s Encounters with John Roberts, M.D.
American Indian Policies with Peter Sly
Countering International Terrorism with Robert Sargent
Short Stories, Enriching Personal Insight with Linda Lesko
The Middle East with Ronald J.P. Lesko
The Roots of Classical Music with Win Pusey
Four Films About Artists (Frida Kahlo (1907-1954), Jackson Pollock (1912-1956), Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988), and R[obert] Crumb (1943- ) with Farnham (Mike) Blair

2003/4

Religious Belief in America with Ronald J.P. Lesko
Nature Nurture with John Roberts, M.D.
Down The Rabbit Hole (on Advertising and Marketing) with Margret Hannah
The Art of Film with Farnham (Mike) Blair
U.S. Foreign Policy of the 21st Century with Robert Sargent
John Marshall with Lowell “Tim” Thomas
Indians of Midcoastal Maine with Bill Haviland
Enjoying Poetry with Farnham (Mike) Blair
End of Physics? with Charles Tarr
Globalization with Rich Howe
Benjamin Franklin with John Roberts, M.D.

2002/3

Dreams – C.G. Jung’s Analytical Psychology with Brad Pusey
Unlocking Poetry with Farnham (Mike) Blair
Apocalypse with Robert McCall
Design with Chris Raphael
James Madison with John Roberts, M.D.
Indians of Midcoastal Maine with Bill Haviland

2001/2

The Symphony with Irving Forbes
Genes & Time with John Roberts, M.D.
U.S. Intelligence with Robert Sargent
Risk Assessment with Charles Tarr
Global Violence with Ronald J.P. Lesko
Thomas Jefferson with John Roberts, M.D.
Fairy Tales with Nita Barbour
Geology of the Blue Hill Peninsula with Fred Beck