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Maine Council for English Language Arts March 2026 Conference:
Big News! The MCELA Annual Conference Will Alternate Locations–
Starting in Bangor for March 2026!
We’ve heard you–and we’re responding with thoughtful change. Based on feedback from our attendees across the state, MCELA is thrilled to announce that our annual March Conference will now alternate locations between Southern and Northern Maine each year to better support educator access and reduce travel barriers. This year’s conference will be held in Bangor, Maine, at the Cross Insurance Center on Friday, March 20, 2026, with a special Pre-Conference Poetry Night on Thursday evening, March 19th, at the Penobscot Theatre Company in downtown Bangor. This shift reflects our continued commitment to accessibility and community. We’re excited to be able to inspire professional learning, foster local partnerships, and spread MCELA energy to new regions of the state. We’ll return to Portland in 2027, then back to Bangor in 2028, continuing this annual rotation.
Click the blue links below for our registration pages:
📗 2026 MCELA Annual Conference Registration
Friday, March 20, 2026
Keynote Speaker: Sawsan Jaber
Please note: All registrations are now taken online. No more paper registration. You can elect to pay when you register or get an invoice when you register that you can send to your district office to pay.
Pre-Conference Event
📘 Poetry Night at Penobscot Theatre
Thursday, March 19, 2026 (evening time TBD)
Poet: Dawn Potter
📔 Interested in sponsoring or being a vendor at our 2026 conference? Contact us at [email protected].
🧳 Hotels adjacent to The Cross Center:
Residence Inn
Hollywood Casino
Fireside Inn & Suites
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March 2025 Conference:
Click the blue links below for our registration pages:
📗2025 MCELA Annual Conference, Friday, March 21, 2025
Please note: All registrations are now taken online. No more paper registration. You can elect to pay when you register or get an invoice when you register that you can send to your district office to pay.
📘Pre-conference event,
Poetry Night at Portland Stage, Thursday evening, March 20, 2025.
📔Click here for hotel booking information with conference rate of $139 plus fees per night.
Interested in sponsoring or being a vendor at our 2025 conference? Contact us at [email protected].
Past Conferences and Programs for Reference:
March 2024 Conference:
MCELA Annual Conference, Friday, March 29, 2024
at Holiday Inn By the Bay Portland, Maine
Conference=6 contact hours
Pre-Conference Event, Thursday, March 28, 2024, Poetry Night @ Portland Stage, food & drinks provided by Portland Stage.
Poetry night=1 contact hour
Full Conference Program: Google Doc with real-time updates
Click here to register for 1 or both events online!
Our pre-conference event Poetry Night is now free thanks to our partnership with Portland Stage.
Click here for a printable registration form for your P.O.
Click here to reserve a room at the Holiday Inn By the Bay for our discounted room rate of $139 on Thursday, March 28, 2024.
Want to make it a weekend? You can now book Friday, 3/29/24 and/or Saturday, 3/30/24, too, at the same conference rate!
Interested in sponsoring our event or purchasing a vendor table? Contact Patti Forster, MCELA President, at [email protected]
2023 Conference:
MCELA Annual Conference March 17, 2023 at The Westin Portland Harborview in Portland, Maine (see below for program of sessions).
Conference=6 contact hours
Poetry night=1 contact hour
Full Conference Program as a Google Doc with updates: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14qNVPs3YA6jfyzbUM89uLGI0VrTFJeRhkal3z-vAyqY/edit?usp=sharing
Plus, our pre-conference event Poetry Night is now free thanks to our partnership with Portland Stage.
Click here to register for 1 or both events online!
Click here for a printable registration form!
Click here to reserve a room at the Westin Portland Harborview for our discounted room rate of $129 on Thursday, March 16, 2023.
Want to make it a weekend? You can now book a Friday night room, too, at the conference rate!
To book a 2nd night at the conference rate, call the Westin sales office directly and let them know you are booking with the MCELA conference rate. Westin Sales office: 207-517-8822.
Interested in sponsoring our event or purchasing a vendor table? Contact Patti Forster, MCELA President, at [email protected]
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2020 Conference:
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Previous Conference Programs:
2019: Facing the Wind: Navigating Knowledge Through Language and Literature with Keynote by Gillian French
2018: Cultivating Professionalism: Community, Experience, Expertise with keynote by Maria Padian
2017: Embracing the Art of ELA Through Reflective Practice with keynote by Annie Murphy Aviles
2016: Maintaining a Steady Compass: Purpose, Practice, Proficiency with keynote by Paul Doiron
2015: Provoke Curiosity, Inspire Learning: Navigating New Courses to Proficiency with keynote by Kate Braestrup
2014: Core Challenges: The Classroom Re-Imagined with keynote by Terry Farish
2013: Mindful Teaching: Connect, Collaborate, Create with keynote by Eileen Landay
2018: Cultivating Professionalism: Community, Experience, Expertise with keynote by Maria Padian
2017: Embracing the Art of ELA Through Reflective Practice with keynote by Annie Murphy Aviles
2016: Maintaining a Steady Compass: Purpose, Practice, Proficiency with keynote by Paul Doiron
2015: Provoke Curiosity, Inspire Learning: Navigating New Courses to Proficiency with keynote by Kate Braestrup
2014: Core Challenges: The Classroom Re-Imagined with keynote by Terry Farish
2013: Mindful Teaching: Connect, Collaborate, Create with keynote by Eileen Landay