We're thrilled to announce that "Telling Our Story," a community-based project designed to capture, preserve, and celebrate the stories of the mills and logging industry in the Androscoggin Valley, will be launched this month in the Berlin/Gorham area. New Hampshire author and storyteller Rebecca Rule will serve as story-gatherer in residence, living in the community, facilitating story-sharing sessions and recording the stories for preservation. Some stories will be shaped into a play. Becky will also be interviewing individuals about their experiences, including mill workers, their families, and other community members whose economic and social lives are deeply connected to the mills. The project will include visits to senior programs, nursing homes, and local gathering places to talk to area residents and Becky will also lead writing workshops, for those who'd like to get their stories down on paper, and storytelling workshops for those who would like to learn how to tell their tales. The project is a partnership between the Androscoggin Valley Community Partners, the Family Resource Center at Gorham, the United Way of Northern NH, and the Arts Alliance and its local members, with funding from the NH State Council on the Arts, the NH Humanities Council, and Public Service of New Hampshire. The Alliance will work to coordinate "Telling Our Story" with Plymouth State's "Beyond Brown Paper" project, the Northern Forest Center's "Ways of the Woods" traveling exhibit (coming to Gorham March 29-31), and other related projects. If you would like more information on the story-gathering sessions, want to be interviewed, or know someone who might have some good stories to tell, contact Rebecca Rule at (603) 545-4336 or email rebeccarule@metrocast.net.

AANNH Awarded Dana Foundation Grant We're pleased to report that AANNH has been awarded a two-year Rural Initiative grant by the Dana Foundation to pilot "Extending the Dance Map/A Northern New England Rural Dance Project." We'll be identifying and training dancers across northern New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine to work as teaching artists in local public schools. The project, coordinated in partnership with the New England Consortium of Artist-Educator Professionals (NECAP) and the state arts agencies and departments of education of the three states, will offer training and a support and communication network for dancers in our region. The project also aims to seed interest and authentic integration of dance education learning experiences in our schools. The pilot begins this May with "Lighting a Spark," a statewide dance convening. Call or email us if you'd like to learn more about the project.

Partner with AANNH to Bring Programs to Your Community: AANNH’s 2006-2007 programming for schools and community partners continues – and we’re already working with our member organizations to plan for 2007-2008. During the coming months we’ll be bringing artists in all disciplines to educational sites, libraries and senior centers, and we’d be happy to help your organization connect to those programs or create your own. For more information on how your school or community can work with AANNH, visit our website, download our 2006-2007 Programs for Schools and Communities brochure and our Artist Listing, or email us at programs@aannh.org.