Shared Tables, Shared Stories is a statewide initiative designed to convene Maine residents in meaningful, place-based conversations about the past, present, and future of this place that we now call Maine. Through a series of community potluck suppers held across diverse regions of the state, the program will use food, storytelling, the humanities, and the arts to create welcoming spaces for dialogue, reflection, and connection.

The program is a partnership between Community Plate, the Maine Arts Commission, and Maine Humanities. Each supper will be tailored to its host community while sharing a common framework that encourages participants to explore identity, shared history, and aspirations for the future. Through conversations, artistic interludes, storytelling, and place-based reflection, participants will engage with the lived experiences and cultural traditions that shape our communities.

By centering local voices and place-based stories, the program highlights the unique histories, cultures, and contemporary experiences of each host community while connecting them to broader statewide and national narratives. Throughout the program, stories, reflections, and recipes will be gathered through cultural documentation and oral histories. Through shared meals and creative exchange, the project aims to offer accessible avenues to foster trust across differences and contribute to statewide reflection in advance of the nation’s 250th anniversary. At the completion of all of the state-wide suppers, a community cook-book commemorating this project will be available to all participants.