Hype for the Future 63J: Waterville and Winslow, Maine

https://novatopflex.wordpress.com/2026/01/02/hype-for-the-future-63j-waterville-and-winslow-maine/

oggi, 15 ottobre / today, october 15th : an online meeting about a “wunderkammer” of contemporary italian poetry

https://www.casaitaliananyu.org/events/italian-poets-in-wonderland/

Wednesday, October 15, 2025
11:00 am – 1:00 pm (New York) // 17:00 – 19:00 (Italy)

as a part of
Settimana della Lingua Italiana nel Mondo
in collaboration with
Italian Cultural Institute in New York

Zoom Webinar
Italian Poets in Wonderland
Presenting the Digital Wunderkammer of Contemporary Italian Poetry

On Zoom
(register here)

Featuring:
Stefano Albertini, NYU
Luigi Ballerini, UCLA Emeritus
Fabrizio Bondi, Suor Orsola Benincasa University, Naples
Valerio Lo Bello, NetSeven

With the participation of:
Cecilia Bello, Università di Roma La Sapienza
Stefano Colangelo, University of Bologna
Ugo Perolino, University of Chieti
Vincenzo Frungillo, poet
Gianluca Rizzo, Colby College
Beppe Cavatorta, University of Arizona

In ENGLISH and ITALIAN:
https://www.casaitaliananyu.org/events/italian-poets-in-wonderland/

What if Italian poets were like those animals that, from a distance, seem like flies? Almost invisible at first glance, yet impossible to ignore once you find yourself in the same room with them. From this thought—and from a quotation by Jorge Luis Borges in The Analytical Language of John Wilkins—comes Itpoetry.org, the first digital platform dedicated to contemporary Italian poetry. The site is inspired by the bilingual anthology Those Who from Afar Look Like Flies, edited by Luigi Ballerini and Beppe Cavatorta, whose second volume will be released in November.

On this platform, a variety of voices—academic and beyond—connect online to discuss contemporary poets. The project was launched under the auspices of Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò at New York University, on the initiative of Luigi Ballerini and Fabrizio Bondi. Itpoetry.org was developed by the NetSeven studio in Pisa, which translated the structure of Flies into an interactive online experience, giving artistic form and digital animation to the often acrobatic and ironic ideas of Ballerini (UCLA emeritus) and Bondi (Suor Orsola Benincasa University, Naples).

The long flight of the “flies,” carried weightlessly by digital bits, aims to connect not only the two sides of the Atlantic but also the languages of new media with those of poetry—reaching unexpected and diverse audiences. All this stems from the belief that poetry, with its non-instrumental and therefore non-aggressive logic, “takes no prisoners.” Poetry can thus become a vehicle for peace; and it is our ongoing task to translate it—to interpret it, embody it, and carry it forward.

#asAPartOfSettimanaDellaLinguaItalianaNelMondo #BeppeCavatorta #CasaItalianaZerilliMarimò #CeciliaBello #ColbyCollege #contemporaryItalianPoetry #DigitalWunderkammerOfContemporaryItalianPoetry #FabrizioBondi #GianlucaRizzo #ItalianCulturalInstituteInNewYork #ItalianExperimentalism #ItalianPoetry #ItalianPoetsInWonderland #ItpoetryOrg #LaSapienza #letteraturaItaliana #LuigiBallerini #NetSeven #NetSevenStudio #NYU #poems #poesiaItalianaContemporanea #poetry #poets #SapienzaUniversitàDiRoma #SettimanaDellaLinguaItalianaNelMondo #StefanoAlbertini #StefanoColangelo #SuorOrsolaBenincasaUniversity #theDigitalWunderkammerOfContemporaryItalianPoetry #traduzione #traduzioni #translation #translations #UCLA #UgoPerolino #UniversitàDiRomaLaSapienza #UniversityOfArizona #UniversityOfBologna #UniversityOfChieti #ValerioLoBello #VincenzoFrungillo #webinar #wunderkammer #zoom

15 ottobre / october 15th : an online meeting about a “wunderkammer” of contemporary italian poetry

https://www.casaitaliananyu.org/events/italian-poets-in-wonderland/

Wednesday, October 15, 2025
11:00 am – 1:00 pm (New York) // 17:00 – 19:00 (Italy)

as a part of
Settimana della Lingua Italiana nel Mondo
in collaboration with
Italian Cultural Institute in New York

Zoom Webinar
Italian Poets in Wonderland
Presenting the Digital Wunderkammer of Contemporary Italian Poetry

On Zoom
(register here)

Featuring:
Stefano Albertini, NYU
Luigi Ballerini, UCLA Emeritus
Fabrizio Bondi, Suor Orsola Benincasa University, Naples
Valerio Lo Bello, NetSeven

With the participation of:
Cecilia Bello, Università di Roma La Sapienza
Stefano Colangelo, University of Bologna
Ugo Perolino, University of Chieti
Vincenzo Frungillo, poet
Gianluca Rizzo, Colby College
Beppe Cavatorta, University of Arizona

In ENGLISH and ITALIAN:
https://www.casaitaliananyu.org/events/italian-poets-in-wonderland/

What if Italian poets were like those animals that, from a distance, seem like flies? Almost invisible at first glance, yet impossible to ignore once you find yourself in the same room with them. From this thought—and from a quotation by Jorge Luis Borges in The Analytical Language of John Wilkins—comes Itpoetry.org, the first digital platform dedicated to contemporary Italian poetry. The site is inspired by the bilingual anthology Those Who from Afar Look Like Flies, edited by Luigi Ballerini and Beppe Cavatorta, whose second volume will be released in November.

On this platform, a variety of voices—academic and beyond—connect online to discuss contemporary poets. The project was launched under the auspices of Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò at New York University, on the initiative of Luigi Ballerini and Fabrizio Bondi. Itpoetry.org was developed by the NetSeven studio in Pisa, which translated the structure of Flies into an interactive online experience, giving artistic form and digital animation to the often acrobatic and ironic ideas of Ballerini (UCLA emeritus) and Bondi (Suor Orsola Benincasa University, Naples).

The long flight of the “flies,” carried weightlessly by digital bits, aims to connect not only the two sides of the Atlantic but also the languages of new media with those of poetry—reaching unexpected and diverse audiences. All this stems from the belief that poetry, with its non-instrumental and therefore non-aggressive logic, “takes no prisoners.” Poetry can thus become a vehicle for peace; and it is our ongoing task to translate it—to interpret it, embody it, and carry it forward.

#asAPartOfSettimanaDellaLinguaItalianaNelMondo #BeppeCavatorta #CasaItalianaZerilliMarimò #CeciliaBello #ColbyCollege #contemporaryItalianPoetry #DigitalWunderkammerOfContemporaryItalianPoetry #FabrizioBondi #GianlucaRizzo #ItalianCulturalInstituteInNewYork #ItalianExperimentalism #ItalianPoetry #ItalianPoetsInWonderland #ItpoetryOrg #LaSapienza #letteraturaItaliana #LuigiBallerini #NetSeven #NetSevenStudio #NYU #poems #poesiaItalianaContemporanea #poetry #poets #SapienzaUniversitàDiRoma #SettimanaDellaLinguaItalianaNelMondo #StefanoAlbertini #StefanoColangelo #SuorOrsolaBenincasaUniversity #theDigitalWunderkammerOfContemporaryItalianPoetry #traduzione #traduzioni #translation #translations #UCLA #UgoPerolino #UniversitàDiRomaLaSapienza #UniversityOfArizona #UniversityOfBologna #UniversityOfChieti #ValerioLoBello #VincenzoFrungillo #webinar #wunderkammer #zoom

Claudia Sheinbaum is a scientist. You know who else is a scientist? Dr. #NiravShah -- and he's thinking about running for governor of Maine! Boy, if there is anyone I trust, it's Dr. Shah. He was really upfront when he was the director of the #MaineCDC during the #Covid pandemic, and if he didn't know something, he admitted it -- and then would follow up at the next press conference! More of this, please...!

Dr. Nirav Shah says he’s considering run for Maine governor

Shah was the face of Maine’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and went on to become a top federal health official during the Biden administration.

Joe Lawlor, August 15, 2025

BRUNSWICK — "Maine’s former CDC director, Dr. Nirav Shah, is considering a run for governor.

" 'I think we are in a moment where all of us should be considering running for something,' Shah said in an exclusive interview with the Press Herald Friday. 'I’m considering throwing my hat into the governor’s race.'

"Shah said that if he ran, it would be as a Democrat.

" 'I’m considering, but have not yet committed to running,' he said. He said he didn’t have a timetable for when he would make a final decision.

"Shah, 48, became the face of Maine’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and went on to become a top federal health official during the Biden administration. He recently launched a #PublicHealth education program at #ColbyCollege, where he is a visiting professor.

"Shah had a high-profile role as the director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention during the pandemic, when he often appeared on TV and online explaining the coronavirus to the public and answering journalists’ questions. Chocolate bars were named after him, coffee mugs were inscribed with the words 'In Dr. Shah We Trust,' and he enjoyed a large online fan club.

"As a result of the state’s response to the pandemic, Maine had one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the nation, at more than 80% fully vaccinated.

"Shah left Maine in 2023 after being tapped by the Biden administration to become principal deputy director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. While at the U.S. CDC, Shah helped lead the response to the #BirdFlu.

"Shah also helped during the transition from the Biden to the Trump administration, where his last day on the job was Feb. 28.

Source:
https://www.pressherald.com/2025/08/15/dr-nirav-shah-says-hes-considering-run-for-maine-governor/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/4W5GK

#MainePol #ShahForGovernor #ShahForMaine

#Resist! Four Maine college presidents sign national letter decrying Trump education 'overreach'

Riley Board, Portland Press Herald, Maine
Tue, April 22, 2025

"Four Maine higher education leaders have signed on to a letter accusing the Trump administration of 'unprecedented government overreach and political interference.'

"Safa Zaki of #BowdoinCollege, Garry Jenkins of #BatesCollege, David Greene of #ColbyCollege and James Herbert of the #UniversityOfNewEngland all added their names to the letter, published Tuesday by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. More than 230 presidents of colleges, universities and scholarly societies throughout the country have signed so far.

" 'We are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight,' the letter reads. 'However, we must oppose undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live and work on our campuses. We will always seek effective and fair financial practices, but we must reject the coercive use of public research funding.'

"Though the letter primarily represents private institutions, leaders from a handful of state colleges and universities signed on, including University of Massachusetts Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes and Eastern Connecticut State University President Karim Ismaili. A spokesperson for the University of Maine system declined to comment.

"In recent months, the Trump administration has pulled or threatened to pull federal funding from higher education institutions that don't comply with his agenda on #StudentProtesters, admissions practices and #TransgenderAthlete policies.

"The administration has also revoked the visas of hundreds of international students. On Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union [#ACLU] of Maine filed a class-action lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security [#DHS] and other agencies behind the visa revocations, asking that a judge restore the visas of any New England students who have had them wrongfully removed, and protecting future students from the same actions."

Read more:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/four-maine-college-presidents-sign-224700038.html

#MaineResists #TrumpIsABully #HigherEducation #USPol #ResistAuthoritarianism #ResistFascism #CharacteristicsOfFascism

#Maine: #WatervilleME protesters urge passersby to ‘#DumpTrump’

More than 50 people gathered Thursday morning on the sidewalk in downtown Waterville to protest President #Trump and #ElonMusk.

by Amy Calder, February 27, 2025

WATERVILLE — "More than 50 people stood in a snowstorm downtown Thursday, protesting President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s efforts to dismantle government programs and cut the federal workforce.

"The 'Dump Trump' rally was organized by #ElizabethLeonard, an author, historian, and professor emeritus of history at #ColbyCollege, who on Feb. 5 led a rally at a #Tesla charging station less than a mile away.

"News of that protest went viral, prompting dozens of similar protests across the country at Telsa dealerships and charging stations. A Morning Sentinel story about that rally was featured on at least one national television show and in the Boston Globe as part of a subsequent interview with Leonard.

"She said she never thought the Tesla event would have such an impact.
'It’s just proof of the fact that a small group of people can make a huge difference, or you could say, where a butterfly flaps its wings, a breeze goes around the world,' Leonard, 68, said. 'We didn’t expect so many people to pay attention.'

"It was a chilly 29 degrees on Main Street Thursday as motorists beeped their horns in support of the protesters. Someone in a white car yelled 'Go home!' to the group.

"Some protesters held trash bags with signs attached that read 'Dump Trump.' Leonard said she agrees with scholars who say the world is re-living history as it witnesses #fascists rise to power and destroy #democratic governments.

"'This is all how it happens,' she said."

[...]

"Linda Woods, 73, and Beth Schiller, 68, both of Waterville, protested at the Tesla charging station rally Feb. 5 and were on the street again Thursday. They praised Leonard for starting the #TeslaProtest, which was widely mimicked.

"'I’m just sad that we have to do this,' Woods said. 'I’m tired of standing in the cold.'

"Schiller said she is horrified that people have been #brainwashed into believing the government is 'bad.'

"'They’re going to miss all the good things that government does for all of us when it’s been burned to the ground from #Project2025,' she said, referring to a conservative plan for restructuring government.

"Leonard said she is trying to contact #FederalWorkers in Maine who have been fired from jobs in areas such as the Transportation Safety Administration, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and Social Security Administration to bring them together and let them talk and know they are supported. Ruining people’s lives in that way is unacceptable, Leonard said.

"'They’ll all be at the #SoupKitchen, but there won’t be any money for that because the #Medicaid is gone,' she said."

Read more:
https://www.centralmaine.com/2025/02/27/waterville-protesters-urge-passersby-to-dump-trump/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/tR9RY
#MaineProtest #BadDOGE #USPol #MainePol #MaineProtests #Resist #ResistFascism #ResistDOGE

“Covid spurred the idea, ‘I can work from anywhere. It’s beautiful here.'”

The Wealthy Are Bringing Big Money and Luxurious Lodges to Maine’s Lakes

Large lakefront properties are selling for millions, as more homeowners trade beach houses for the region’s natural beauty and the opportunity to build big

“Maine has been the bargain for a long time and it’s now being discovered and everyone wants a part of it. You can’t blame them.”

🎁🔗:
https://www.wsj.com/real-estate/luxury-homes/maine-lakes-region-6d1fc1c5?st=1qvlk8fi2m3j5bc&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

#Maine #GreatPond #ColbyCollege

Me hace mucha ilusión que el 7 de abril el Colby Wind Ensemble interpretara mi obra para banda "Marchad, hijos del arte", bajo la dirección de Brendon Wilkins. Que mi música llegue a las hermosas tierras americanas de Maine es maravilloso. ¡Un honor! ¡Muchas gracias! Espero que la disfrutaran.

#colbywindensemble #colbycollege #colbymusic #composer #windband #music #músicadebanda #compositora

Next Tuesday, Prof. Lindsay Grace will be coming to Colby! Read more about Prof. Grace in last week's newsletter (or this week's coming soon), and we hope to see you on Tuesday!

#ai #artificialintelligence #ml #machinelearning #davisai #colbycollege