ROCKPORT — On Saturday, May 24, at 7 p.m., The Good Trouble Project will host its Spring fundraising concert to benefit Out Maine. The featured performer will be Jud Caswell and be hosted by local singer-songwriters John and Rachel Nicholas. The concert will be held at the Barn at Barnswallow Books, located at 166 Russell Ave, in Rockport Village.

SEARSPORT — Maine author of On Harbor's Edge, Kate Hotchkiss, will speak Saturday, May 3, from 1 - 2 p.m., at Anodyne Bookshop. The event is open to the walk-in public and free of charge.

The On Harbor's Edge series is a popular Maine, Vermont, and Minnesota book club feature, according to Anodyne, in a news release.

BELFAST — Join the Belfast Free Library and the Wawenoc Chapter of the Maine Genealogical Society on Wednesday, May 21, at 2 p.m., in the Abbott Room of the Belfast Free Library, for a presentation from Janine Carpenter called “House Stories,” about her ongoing project researching the historic houses of Searsport. 

ROCKLAND — The Rockland Public Library presents Lance Lee, Thursday, May 8, at 6 p.m. This event is free and open to all.

The first weekend in May is pottery weekend in Maine! The annual Maine Pottery Tour, set for Saturday, May 3, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, May 4, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This beloved event invites pottery enthusiasts, art collectors, and curious adventurers alike to experience the creativity and craftsmanship of Maine’s thriving pottery community.

Peter Clifford of Northport was a friend as well as a fount of information about all things maritime. Maine lighthouses, lost propellers, shipwrecks, he and I corresponded and visited often. We recently lost Peter in an auto accident. He will be missed. Peter provided the following material about the Battle of Mobile Bay and I write this column in honor of him.

Joseph Marthon of the Union navy had probably the best seat to watch the Battle of Mobile Bay. It was early August 1864 and the country had been fighting itself for over three years. 

ROCKLAND  — The documentary film Bad Press will be screened Saturday, May 17, at 5:30 pm., at the Strand Theatre. The film screening and post-film discussions will focus on the stakes of government censorship of the news.

BELFAST — Portland-based Kenya Hall and her trio bring a night of soul, funk, and unfiltered energy to Belfast’s Underground Lounge. This final show of this year’s series takes place on Thursday, May 8, from 7 to 9 p.m. The Underground Lounge is located at 17 Court Street, under the Basil Burwell Theatre.

ROCKPORT — Mother's Day evening, May 11, at 6 p.m., the Hyssong family will be in concert at West Rockport Baptist Church. A love offering will be taken.

CAMDEN — Adam Swanson will provide a piano concert Wednesday, May 7, at 1 p.m., in Hammer Hall. The music historian is the only four-time winner of the World Championship Old-Time Piano Playing Contest. His work centers around ragtime, early jazz and the Great American Songbook.

BELFAST — Paul Doiron, internationally acclaimed author of the hugely popular Mike Bowditch series set in Maine, will be at Left Bank Books, in Belfast, on Tuesday, May 13, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., to celebrate that day’s release of Skin and Bones and Other Mike Bowditch Short Stories, a collection of eight original short stories in print for the first time in the bestselling series. No reservations are required; Doiron will be at the shop’s center table to meet and greet his fans and sign copies of all his books.

ROCKLAND — Two new exhibitions will open at Triangle Gallery during First Friday ArtWalk in Rockland, May 2, from 4 to 7 p.m. 

ROCKPORT — From May 2 through 30, the Rockport Public Library will host a show of artwork created by students in the Five Town CSD Adult & Community Education program. The exhibit will showcase pieces by students enrolled in the current semester in different adult ed art classes including oil painting, watercolor, woodworking, carving, sewing, paper cutting, and pottery.

Works will be exhibited on both the upper and lower levels of the library.

CAMDEN — Love trees? Love poetry? The Camden Conservation Commission and Camden Public Library invite the public to celebrate their trees, Tuesday, May 20, from 1 – 2 p.m., at the Library. Camden, with its tree lined streets and canopied neighborhoods, has been a proud Tree City USA community since 1996.

“Bird Time on the Coast,” a program of the Friends of Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge, returns this year. This fan favorite includes local bird experts who will lead trips to some of their favorite bird hotspots along the coast of Maine.

Sometimes, an author's life story can be just as interesting as the novel she creates.

Jennifer Comeau's debut historical fantasy novel, A Moon In All Things (12 Willows Press), took 10 years to write and is about to launch this week.

ROCKLAND — Full Speed Ahead, a statewide festival of train movies and events, will take place May 6-11 at locations around Maine, including Rockland at the Strand Theatre, and in Belfast, at the Colonial Theater.

BELFAST — A reception with reading and refreshments will celebrate Waldo County Youth poems, Monday, May 5, from 4 - 5 p.m., at Belfast Free Library.

All children and teens who submitted poems during April are invited to share their work.

Prizes in different age categories will be awarded to winners and runners-up who will also have the opportunity to share their poems at a headline event at the 2025 Belfast Poetry Festival in October.  

LINCOLNVILLE — Lincolnville Community Library celebrates its 10th anniversary with an open house, April 26, from 2 - 5 p.m.

The library will also be holding Spring Vacation Arts Activities, Wednesday, April 23, from 2 - 5 p.m. Activities are designed for all ages and include pastel drawing, origami, stained glass art, mosaic art, and paperboy puppets.

CAMDEN — Camden Public Library welcomes award-winning author Natalie Dykstra for a book talk on her latest title, Chasing Beauty: The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner, Saturday, May 3, at 2 p.m.

Natalie Dykstra delivers the definitive biographical portrait of the ambitious and innovative—and until now misunderstood—woman behind one of America’s most important art collections.