Making Do: Writing Childhood in Older Age

Charlotte Giovanella Fullam grew up in Porter, Maine in the 1940s and early 1950s. She is the eldest of three daughters born to a sophisticated Bostonian and the musical son of Italian immigrants. With gentle humor, Fullam paints vivid portraits of family members and neighbors while recounting her deep connection to the natural world. Drawing from rich memories, family photographs, and journals, Fullam captures rural New England and the formative experiences that shaped her.

This author conversation takes place on Saturday, January 10, at 2:00 PM (doors 1:30 PM). Tickets are $7 for Mechanics' Hall members, $10 for general admission.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Charlotte Giovanella Fullam was born in Portland, Maine in 1941 and lived much of her life in Porter where she grew up. An intrepid traveler from the age of four, she first crossed the Atlantic Ocean for a summer in France when she was eight. Trained as an arts educator, Fullam co-founded the New Country School in West Baldwin, taught art in Maine School Administrative District #55 and finished her teaching career at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham. She now lives on Munjoy Hill, overlooking the rising tides in Portland Harbor.

ABOUT THE CONVERSATION PARTNER

Jessica Esch is a writer and illustrator who uses art, craft and good humor to spread ideas and build community. A voracious reader fueled by curiosity, her idea of fun is figuring out how to say a lot with a little. If you can’t find her online, she’s tucked away somewhere with her typewriters and dog uu (pronounced you-you) in the great state of Maine.

PARKING & TRANSPORTATION

Mechanics’ Hall is located at 519 Congress Street. Our main entrance is between Loquat Shop and the Art Mart. The Greater Portland Metro’s Congress & Casco Street Stop is directly in front of our building, served by routes 1, 7, 8, and 9B.

Parking is available at the Arts District Garage, which has entrances on Casco and Brown Street, with a rate of $5 per hour. Metered street parking is available on Congress, Casco, Cumberland, Free Street, and other nearby streets. Free hourly street parking is available between Parris and Alder Street.

ACCESSIBILITY

To enter our building, patrons will need to navigate a single step or use a modular wheelchair ramp. There is a wheelchair-accessible elevator to the third-floor ballroom.

If you have a particular accessibility question or request, please contact us at [email protected].

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Host or Publisher Mechanics' Hall (Maine)