In our recent Tidings, we forgot to include Martie Janeway’s report on
Summer 2020’s Speaker Series and Page Terners Book Club.
With apologies to Martie, we present her committee report below.
Small Point Club Speaker Series
The series was at first thought to be a “no go” due to COVID 19. However, at the Board’s April meeting, it was decided to reach out to the scheduled speakers to see if they would be willing to conduct their talks via Zoom. Only two of six speakers declined (one promised to participate next summer), so we were able to present a slate of impressive speakers after all. It turned out to be a great way to engage the Small Point community and to maintain a connection for those missing their normal Club experience.
One unexpected outcome was the realization that we can present future live presentations at the Club while simultaneously presenting via Zoom for Club members unable to attend in person. We can also create recorded archival records via Zoom.
Brady Kirchberg – July 30
Brady did a fantastic job as our inaugural Club speaker for the season. Twenty-five Zoom participants were glued to their screens, listening with rapt attention to Brady’s inside look at how the movie/tv industry functions. Brady vividly described his responsibilities as a location manager, as well as his experience in production management. He was engaging and funny with his responses to the group’s rapid-fire questions.
Recording:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/sbp74o5gy1t08k2/Brady%20Kirchberg%20Talk.mp4?dl=0
Kevin Sudeith – August 6-7
Kevin is an artist who specializes in Petroglyphs, an ancient art of rock carving. Since 2007, he has carved his way across North America, living out of his van, depicting in stone the lives and stories of the people and places he visits.
Kevin’s current project site is here in Phippsburg. His talk covered his previous projects, detailing the creative process as well as his decision-making process for what the carving subjects will be. His aim is to try to incorporate what is on the cusp of change in today’s physical and cultural world in order to mark the geological timeline for the future.
A small group of Club members joined Kevin the next morning for a field trip to a couple of his recently completed carvings in the Center Pond Preserve.
Recording:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/78wsy3p2kt27lv5/Kevin%20Sudeith%20Talk.mp4?dl=0
Isabel Farrington, August 20
Isabel is a producer, editor, and cinematographer with a focus on documentary storytelling for radical good. She is passionate about progressive politics and sparking positive social change through filmmaking.
Her talk gave us a peek inside the unique experience of producing video for Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential bid and Senate re-election campaign — documenting policy, movement-building, and history as it happened in real time. She shot, scripted, produced and edited digital and TV ads as well as social media content, directed documentary-style shoots with supporters and policy experts, and led production workflows for traveling crew and in-house ad work.
Recording:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h5laadk0hf254ux/Isabel%20Farrington%20Talk.mp4?dl=0
Roger Farrington & Ken Womack, August 27.
Ken is a world-renowned Beatles scholar, lecturer, and author. For the lecture he outlined the substance of his new book John Lennon, 1980: The Last Days in the Life which leads up to the crucial day of August 7th, 1980 – the first day of the Double Fantasy recording sessions at the Hit Factory in New Your City.
Boston photographer and Small Point summer resident Roger Farrington was hired to document the occasion in New York City. He described his experiences that day and showed some of the photos he took. One photograph of John & Yoko entering the Hit Factory on August 7, 1980 was published worldwide.
After they presented, Ken and Roger fielded questions from participants.
Recording:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fm3msyp6yvzvysq/Ken%20Womack%20Talk.mp4?dl=0
The SPC Page Terners Book Club
The Splendid and the Vile, July 29
At our first-ever Page Terners Book Club, 14 readers discussed Erik Larson’s book, which details the first year of Britain’s war against Germany (May 1940-May 1941) and reveals Churchill’s genius, oratory talent, idocyncracies, and family life from the perspective of those closely associated with him via diaries. The conversation was insightful, and it was fun to rethink the myriad of details that grabbed our attention while reading this fascinating book. A lot of the group members have read extensively about Winston Churchill but were unanimous in agreeing they gleaned new information due to Larson’s unique approach to the subject.
The Guest Book, September 2
Our next book club discussion was also illuminating, especially because the author of the novel, Sarah Blake, joined the conversation. Sarah began the session with a terrifically articulated, in-depth explanation of how the book evolved from small bits of ideas she found interesting into a multi-layered generational story. Drawing on her personal experience as a member of a family with its own Maine island, she used the Miltons’ island as a metaphor for the way a family holds itself apart from others with unspoken secrets, creating a fragmented history for the following generations.
Recording:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1rdw65w3pebttbx/The%20Guest%20Book%20with%20Sarah%20Blake.mp4?dl=0
At our August board meeting we decided to offer Book Club participation through the winter. Contact Martie Janeway to sign up!
