The Blue Hill Public Library will hold a three-session discussion series in connection with the 35th Annual Camden Conference, on three Wednesdays: February 9, February 16, and March 2 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. This three-session in person/hybrid series is a component of the Camden Conference community events program, in connection with the 35th annual Camden Conference, “Europe: Challenged at Home and Abroad” which runs from February 25 -27 in Camden. Facilitated by Scott Miller and Bob Sargent, these three sessions are intended to help participants achieve optimal benefits from participation in the February 2022 conference by working through a list of questions and reflections about Europe that the facilitators deems to be relevant and provocative.

The Camden Conference website includes an long list of titles and links of recommened readings that can enhance the experience of the discussions and conference. Personal recommendations from Scott Miller and Bob Sargent includes:

Robert Kagan, Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order

Sir Halford Mackinder, The Geographical Pivot of History

T. R. Reid, The United States of Europe: The New Superpower and the End of American Supremacy

For supplemental data and analysis, participants should draw on personal favorite sources, electronic and otherwise.

Bob is a retired U.S. foreign service officer whose overseas assignments included Belgium, Bulgaria, The Netherlands, Tunisia, Turkey and Vietnam. Born in China of missionary parents, he is curator of “China: Exploring The Interior, 1903-04” a traveling exhibit of photographs of late Qing dynasty China taken by Sedgwick native R. Harvey Sargent. Co-founder of a Maine-China network, Bob visited China most recently in November 2008, and participated in the publication of Mapping the Frontier, R. Harvey Sargent’s personal memoir. He is a former member of the Camden Conference Board of Directors and Advisory Board and a three-time conference program chair.

Scott is a retired international banking executive whose overseas experience includes several years in Great Britain.

All are welcome to attend this free discussion series, though space is limited and registration is required. Join in-person in the Howard Room by registering through the library’s interactive calendar, or call the library at 374-5515. To join on Zoom, register here. For more information, email Kayleigh at kayleigh.thomas@bhpl.net. Materials recommended by the Camden Conference are available to check out from the library in print and digital formats.