LIVERMORE – People can join other history lovers, researchers, authors, independent scholars and the general public for the 12th annual Humanities Conference on Northern New England today, Friday and Saturday, June 2, 3 and 4, at the Washburn Memorial Library, Norlands Living History Center, in association with the University of Maine at Farmington.

Evening meals will be at the North Livermore Baptist Church. This year’s theme is “Northern New England: Does it Have a Unique Identity?”

The conference will begin at 12:30 p.m. Thursday with registration and end Saturday with a luncheon. Conversations will continue at the noon luncheons Friday and Saturday, and at dinners Thursday and Friday.

Public programs will be presented at 7:30 p.m. today and Friday at the North Livermore Baptist Church, including presentations on “Big Trees,” “Strong Man,” “Comodifying,” “The Black Fly” and “Maine Stories” by Margeret Yocom.

Thursday, Jane Curry of Minneapolis, Minn., will present “Samantha Rastles’ the Woman Question.”

Curry is a noted historian, storyteller, actor and author. Her program is educational, entertaining, and humorous. Her presentation is based on the writings of Marietta Holley, popular 19th century American writer. Holley was from upstate New York, but her writings is the same kind of dry wit, nave innocent perspective on Down East vernacular humor.

On Friday, Michael Parent of Portland will present his one-act play, “One More Thing.” Parent is an internationally-known storyteller and singer, as well as actor and playwright.

He portrays Jean-Paul Boisvert, a retired Franco-American millworker who is trying to get “back into the ballgame” of his life after the death of his beloved wife, Marie Louise.

Now, on his 67th birthday, Monsieur Boisvert sings old French songs, fields phone calls from his children and other family members, and ponders his fragile health and mortality. He also tells stories, some funny, others poignant, as he struggles to resolve a major piece of unfinished emotional business.

Susan Hudson will be the final speaker at 11 a.m. Saturday. She will tell a story of the time when clipper ships of New England dominated the seas from the harbors of North America to those of Asia and Europe. Often the captain’s wife was aboard, contributing quietly to her ship’s success. Her topic will be “The Captains’Wives: Clipper Ships and Their Women.”

Also speaking during at the session will be Phyllis von Herrlich, Augusta, whose topic will be “Dora Pinkham, Maine’s First Woman Legislator.”

All programs are open to the public. Registration is $15 for three days. Meals will be served at the North Livermore Baptist Church. Reservations are required. For more information and meal reservations, call 897-2236 or e-mail [email protected].