On Sunday, July 9, Skidompha Public Library in Damariscotta hosted Maine Gov. Janet Mills, professor and author Heather Cox Richardson, and author Shannon A. Mullen for a discussion of Mullen’s recent book, “In Other Words, Leadership.”
The book chronicles the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Maine through the lens of one Maine woman’s letters of support to Mills. Ashirah Knapp wrote weekly letters to the governor about her life in Temple and shared her support for Mills’ coronavirus response plan.
Matthew Graff, Skidompha Library executive director, introduced the three guests to the packed atrium.
“I want to thank you for being here tonight,” said Graff. “It’s a very special evening for me to be hosting such esteemed guests tonight.”
Richardson served as moderator for the discussion, asking Mullen and Mills questions about the book, the pandemic, and the impact of both on their lives and the state.
“When I picked up this book to read it, not expecting much other than a political biography, I realized I had a new Maine classic in my hands,” Richardson said. “It is not just a story of the woman who wrote to the governor, it is not just a story of what the governor thought of the pandemic. It is a story about community and the strength that we have in the state of Maine, and I think it offers a recipe for not only the state but also the country going forward.”
The concept of the book originated at an event Mullen and Mills attended, at which the governor was asked if she had ever received hate mail. Mills said she had, but she received more words of support than negative ones. She mentioned the letters from Knapp, which she had been receiving for nearly a year. Mullen asked to see the letters, and after Mills summarized their contents, Mullen was fascinated.
“I said, I’ve got to read those letters,” said Mullen.
Mills invited Mullen to the Blaine House, the governor’s official residence, and shared the correspondence with her.
“I felt that this voice was one that had been missing from our discourse, or drowned out by this cacophony of rancor,” she said. “I thought, everyone needs to see these letters, so I asked the governor if I could pursue some way to publish them, and she said yes as long as Ashirah was open to that.”
Mullen also incorporated excerpts from the governor’s journal during the first year of the pandemic in the book.
Mills described her life during the pandemic, from the most difficult decisions to some humorous recollections.
Mills said advice from former Maine governors and the leaders of other states helped her through the early stages of the pandemic.
“I had a lot of conversations with Phil Scott, of Vermont; Chris Sununu, of New Hampshire; Charlie Baker, of Massachusetts,” she said. “The first spring, we were all talking about who’s going to open their beaches first, because whoever opens the beaches first, people are going to come there and spread the virus.”
The lives of Maine residents were at the forefront of Mills’ mind during the pandemic.
“The hardest part was knowing that people were dying, and trying to do our very best to prevent that,” said Mills.
Both Mills and Mullen expressed their hope to share the book with as many Mainers as possible.
“I wanted to make sure that we shared the book and that people in Maine got a chance to thank the governor in person in a lot of places in Maine,” said Mullen.
“We wanted to talk to as many people as possible,” Mills said. “I think the book is important. It was kind of emotional for me to read it, and to revisit those critical times, but I think it is important that we look at what happened and figure out the lessons that we need to learn from a period of crisis like that.”
The audience had the chance to ask questions of Mills and Mullen. The questions ranged from what advice the governor would give to future leaders, to if Mills had any regrets about her government’s response to the pandemic.
“Have people around you who will tell you what you need to know, not just what they think you want to hear,” Mills said. “If you and I agree on everything, then one of us isn’t necessary.”
After the talk, audience members had the opportunity to purchase “In Other Words, Leadership,” as well as books by Richardson and have them signed by Mullen, Mills, and Richardson. During the signing, the governor and authors shared stories and talked with audience members.
The event in Damariscotta is just one stop on the book tour. Other stops on the tour include Farmington, Brunswick, Portland, Rockland, Blue Hill, and North Haven. Mills said that she hopes to do more national interviews for the book, as she and Mullen did an interview with NPR’s “Here & Now.”
“My hope for this book is that it will have a really broad resonance,” Mullen said. “That people will give it a chance regardless of whether they are a Republican or Democrat, woman or man, old or young. Governor Mills is a Democrat, but I really hope that people will not avoid the book because they don’t have the same political alignment as she does.”
“In Other Words, Leadership” is available at bookstores, including Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shop.
