NORWAY - The Norway Memorial Library has been selected by the Maine Humanities Council to offer "Let's Talk About It," a free reading and discussion group with copies of books available through the library.

The program will be offered by the Maine Humanities Council's Harriet P. Henry Center for the Book in cooperation with Maine State Library.

The series, "Entering Nature: Contemporary Views of the Human Self in the Natural World," will meet at 7 p.m. every other Wednesday, June 11 through Aug. 6. Discussions will be held at Norway Memorial Library, 258 Main St. The program will be free and open to the public.

Books to be read and discussed in the series include: "The Tree" by John Fowles, "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas, "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" by Annie Dillard, "Desert Solitaire" by Edward Abbey and "Arctic Dreams" by Barry Lopez. Books are available at the library.

Owen Grumbling, PhD, professor of environmental literature and chairman of the department of environmental studies at the University of New England, will facilitate the discussions.

He has co-authored "The Literature of Nature: The British and American Traditions" (Plexus, 1990). Recent publications include "Down the River with Edward Abbey" in North Dakota Quarterly (2004) and an article on "Nature Writing" in the Encyclopedia of New England Culture (Yale University Press, 2005).

When the Wells Estuarine Reserve at Laudholm Farm was being created, Grumbling headed the Committee on Facilities and Trails. As chairman of the Wells Conservation Commission since 1981 he has led establishment of the town's land bank and its system of wildlife commons.

"Exploring ideas and issues through literature has always been exciting, and fun," said Lizz Sinclair, director of "Let's Talk About It." "We find that there is great interest among adults getting together to discuss what they've read with others. Having a discussion leader like Owen Grumbling, who is both excited about the readings and skilled in facilitating, can help deepen the experience."

The program is offered to Maine libraries through the Maine Humanities Council by a grant from the Belvedere Fund and the Maine Community Foundation.

Call 743-5309 to register and visit the library to pick up the first book in the series. For more information about "Let's Talk About It" and the work of the Maine Humanities Council, see www.mainehumanities.org or call the office in Portland at 773-5051.