Midcoast Senior College is holding its annual Winter Wisdom lecture series beginning Jan. 6. Held on Wednesdays, these lectures will be presented on the Zoom teleconference platform this year. The schedule is as follows:

Jan. 6: Music as a Form of Community in the Time of Covid. Local songwriter and performer Jud Caswell will talk about what themes of contemporary life that influence his compositions and will perform his songs on his acoustic guitar as well.

Jan. 13: Universal Basic Income (UBI) in a Post-Pandemic World. Michael Howard, professor of philosophy at the University of Maine, will talk about Universal Basic Income, a proposal that would provide a monthly payment to cover basic expenses caused by high unemployment and businesses that have been forced to close.

Jan. 20: Remembering Topsham. Bob Williams, a retired Russian historian who lives in Topsham, will present a history of Topsham, Maine, from its days as an early river town, including early conflict with the Abenaki Indians, to Topsham’s thriving activity in shipbuilding and feldspar industries and now a tourist destination and retirement community.

Jan. 27: The Viking Raids in Ireland, 790–1000. Arriving first to plunder but then to settle, these seaborne raiders evolved from feared invaders to assimilated members of Irish society. Lecturer Jim Nelson, a native of Lewiston, Maine has published 25 books in both fiction and non-fiction genres. He has received numerous literary awards for his works on American naval history.

Feb. 3: The “Great White Fleet”: Black Sailors, Unions, and Racism on the Palmer Schooners. The Palmer Fleet of massive coal carrying schooners formed a critical component of New England’s early energy infrastructure. Its owner, William F. Palmer, was known for his relentless efforts to keep costs low, leaving the most marginalized sailors the most vulnerable. This talk examines the complex role of labor and racism in the early twentieth-century coal fleet. Lecturer Christopher Timm is Chief Curator of Maine Maritime Museum.

Each speaker’s talk will be pre-recorded and posted on the website for visitors to watch at their leisure, any time, free. Each speaker will host an on-line Zoom Q&A/Discussion at 1 p.m. on the date of their scheduled talk.

Registration is required to join the Zoom Q&A/Discussion at midcoastseniorcollege.org.

If you are new to Zoom and need assistance, call the Senior College at (207) 725-4900 or email mscoffice@midcoastseniorcollege.org.

Winter Wisdom 2021 is sponsored by The Highlands in Topsham.