Archive

The Coffee & Conversation series at College of the Atlantic has featured dynamic talks with a range of scholars, practitioners, and thought leaders. Discussions have explored topics such as climate justice, Indigenous knowledge, ocean conservation, human rights, sustainable agriculture, and public storytelling. Each conversation highlights interdisciplinary approaches to global and local challenges, fostering dialogue across environmental, social, and cultural fields.

C&C 2024 Youtube Playlist

The North Spore Story with Eliah Thanhauser
Eliah Thanhauser ‘09, co-founder and CEO of North Spore, speaks with COA Trustee Tony Mazlish about North Spore, the mushroom cultivation company he and fellow COA alums started in 2014.

Land Justice with Darren Ranco
Darren Ranco, anthropologist, professor, and member of the Penobscot Nation, speaks with COA professor Todd Little-Siebold about the emerging work around land justice and Wabanaki communities’ efforts to identify and protect culturally and ecologically significant sites throughout Maine.

Closing the Financial Literacy Gap for Women and People of Color through Podcasting with Morgan Lavoie
Morgan Lavoie, co-founder of Money News Network, speaks with COA board chair Beth Gardiner about leveraging the changing media landscape to empower new audiences and level the playing field.

The Solutionary Way with Zoe Weil 
Zoe Weil, president of the Institute for Humane Education, speaks with environmental journalist Andy Revkin about her new book, The Solutionary Way: Transform Your Life, Your Community, and the World for the Better. 

Unaccompanied: Stories of Brave Teenagers Seeking Asylum with Tracy White
Tracy White speaks with COA professor Palak Taneja about her new graphic novel, which tells the story of five teens fleeing their home countries and seeking asylum in the United States. 

From This Old House to COA with Steve Thomas
Emmy Award-winning host of This Old House, Renovation Nation, and Save Our History, Steve Thomas speaks with COA Provost Ken Hill about their recent COA course, Wood, Stone & Steel, and Steve’s journey from TV sets to the COA campus.

 

C&C 2023 Youtube Playlist

Sci-fi and Our Climate Reality with Kim Stanley Robinson
Kim Stanley Robinson speaks with COA professor Susan Letcher about climate change, writing utopian fiction, and the “last, best hope” to save the planet.

At First Light with Carl Little,  Anne Collins Goodyear, Frank Goodyear, and Walter Smalling
Carl Little leads a discussion with Anne Collins Goodyear, Frank Goodyear, and Walter Smalling about their book At First Light and the communities of artists and craftspeople who practice in Maine.

Electrifying Transportation with Duncan McIntyre
Duncan McIntyre joins COA Trustee Roland Reynolds to discuss the future of vehicle electrification and how electric school buses are key to addressing climate change and ensuring healthy kids and communities.

Dinner with the President with Alex Prud'homme
Alex Prud'homme joins COA Trustee Beth Gardiner to discuss his new book, food, politics, and the history of breaking bread at the White House.

Mission Alignment in Investment Portfolios with Sandra Urie
Sandra Urie speaks with COA Trustee Joyce Cacho about opportunities for institutions of higher education to invest in an equitable, low-carbon, regenerative economy.

Building Acadia with Anne Kozak
COA professor emeritus Anne Kozak speaks with COA Trustee Cookie Horner about her new book, the development of Acadia’s infrastructure and roads, and the often-untold stories of the women involved in the founding of the park.

Visions of Food Justice - Community and Carceral Systems in Maine with Regina Grabrovac, Leslie Soble, and Rebekah Mende
Across the nation people are working to transform food systems. Carceral food systems are no exception. In Maine, the Downeast Restorative Harvest project is breaking ground on a community garden to engage jail and prison residents, members of the recovery community, agriculture educators, and other community members in growing food for the jail’s kitchen and for donation to local food assistance programs. Maine State Prison has developed a robust horticultural training program to provide healthy food and meaningful vocational training for residents. Nationally, groups like Impact Justice are working to expand access to nourishing food in prisons and jails as a fundamental human right. In this panel, Dr. Kourtney Collum led a discussion with Regina Grabrovac, Leslie Soble, and Rebekah Mende about their work and expertise on these and other projects to realize food justice and build community food security in Maine and beyond.

C&C 2021 Youtube Playlist

Innovation at Pandemic Speed with Dr. Burt Adelman
Drug development expert Dr. Burt Adelman and College of the Atlantic trustee Will Thorndike join the COA 2021 Coffee and Conversation series with a discussion about drug innovation.

The New Antiquarians with Michael Diaz-Griffith
Michael Diaz-Griffith ’09 and College of the Atlantic trustee Beth Gardiner join the COA 2021 Coffee and Conversation series for a talk about material culture.

Advocating for the Environment with Sue Inches
Sue Inches ’79 and College of the Atlantic professor emeritus Rich Borden join the COA 2021 Coffee and Conversation series to discuss Inches’ new book, Advocating for the Environment, How to Gather Your Power and Take Action.

Making Something from Everything with Ashley Bryan
Artist Ashley Bryan joins College of the Atlantic professors of visual arts Dru Colbert and Nancy Andrews for this COA 2021 Coffee and Conversation talk about Bryan’s many decades crafting whimsical puppets. 

The Exiles with Christina Baker Kline
Author Christina Baker Kline joins Karen Collins for a COA 2021 Coffee and Conversation talk about her newest novel.

The Future of Higher Education in America with Nan Keohane
Former Wellesley College and Duke University president Nan Keohane and COA President Darron Collins ’92 discuss about the opportunities and challenges on the horizon for higher education.

Forest for the Trees with Roger Milliken, Jr.
Forest industry expert Roger Milliken, Jr. and College of the Atlantic Cody van Heerden Chair in Economics and Quantitative Social Sciences Davis Taylor join the COA 2021 Coffee and Conversation series for a talk about forest economics, ecology, and land decolonization.

Maine Cabin Masters with Chase Morrill
Chase Morrill ’00 and College of the Atlantic McNally Family Chair in Philosophy and Human Ecology Dr. Heather Lakey ’00, MPhil ’05 join the COA Coffee and Conversation series to talk about Morrill’s journey from COA to a beloved TV show that profiles his work to restore and save historic Maine cabins.

Masterpiece, WGBH’s National Programs with John Bredar 
John Bredar joins COA trustee Will Thorndike for a discussion of the process behind the selection of the Boston station’s popular programs.

Saving Our Oceans with David Shaw 
David Shaw, the co-chair of the Aspen Institute’s High Seas Initiative, joins College of the Atlantic Steven K. Katona Chair in Marine Sciences Dr. Sean Todd to discuss ocean conservation at COA’s final Coffee and Conversation of the 2018 summer season.

Pantsuit Nation with Libby Chamberlain
Libby Chamberlain, founder of Pantsuit Nation (and nearby Maine resident), discusses the intersection of online community and offline activism and how her popular Facebook Group ignited a wave of civic engagement after the 2016 presidential election.

John Bunker - A Coffee and Conversation with Todd Little-Seibold
Apple expert and former President of The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association’s (MOFGA) Board of Directors John Bunker, examines the history of apples in Maine with COA faculty member in history, Todd Little-Seibold.

Daniel C. Dennett - A Coffee and Conversation with Gray Cox
Gray Cox, COA professor of political economics, history and peace studies joins Tufts University's Daniel C. Dennett, Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy, and Co-Director of its Center for Cognitive Studies.

Dr. David Hackett Fischer - Coffee and Conversation with Dr. Jamie McKown
For all local historians and history buffs, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Dr. David Hackett Fischer and James Russell Wiggins Chair in Government and Polity Dr. Jamie McKown will open our summer conversation series with a discussion focusing on the history of MDI. 

Dr. Douglas Tallamy - Coffee and Conversation with Carrie Graham
Dr. Douglas Tallamy, chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware in Newark, will share his knowledge and research in the world of insects with Carrie Graham, manager of the George B. Dorr Museum of Natural History.

Roxana Robinson - Coffee and Conversation with Karen Waldron
Roxana Robinson is a critically acclaimed fiction writer and author of four novels and three collections of short stories. She and faculty member in literature, Karen Waldron, share their perspectives on writing and the creative process.

Russell Libby - Coffee and Conversation with Dr. Molly Anderson
Russell Libby, the Executive Director of Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association (MOFGA) will speak with the inaugural holder of the Partridge Chair in Food and Sustainable Agriculture Systems, Dr. Molly Anderson.