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Burnt Into Memory, with Storyteller Jo Radner
September 29, 2022 -- 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Some Mainers still remember – in fact, cannot forget – October of 1947, when, after a season of terrible drought, wildfires burned all over the state. Brownfield was one of the worst-hit areas: 80% of the town, including all churches, schools, post offices, and other public buildings, was completely destroyed in the space of a few hours.
Lovell storyteller Jo Radner spent a year interviewing people who experienced the Brownfield Fire – residents who did and did not lose their homes, as well as others who aided in the rescue and rebuilding effort. From those interviews and from letters and historical photographs and newspaper reports, Radner has created a powerful story of terror, courage, neighborly responsibility, recovery, and – yes – even humor. Join us in-person at the library for this unique evening of storytelling with master storyteller Jo Radner. All are welcome!
Please register by filling out the form below
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About Jo RadnerJo Radner has been studying, teaching, telling, and collecting stories most of her life, and has performed from Maine to Hawaii to Finland. After 31 years’ teaching at American University, Jo moved back to her home region of western Maine as a freelance storyteller and oral historian. She is past president of the American Folklore Society and the National Storytelling Network. Committed to strengthening communities by helping them find, shape, and present their stories, Jo conducts oral history projects and workshops for organizations, families, and individuals. To develop “Burnt into Memory,” the story she will tell here today, she spent a year interviewing people who lived through the terrible wildfire that destroyed the western Maine town of Brownfield in 1947. To honor and celebrate those who fought and fled the fire seventy-five years ago, she has created this story.
