LEWISTON — Historian and author Steven B. Rogers will present a program on Friday, Sept. 8, at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College regarding the December 1917 munitions explosion in Halifax, Nova Scotia, that killed thousands.

The luncheon lecture — it’s the first of six this year — will begin at 11:30 a.m. in room 170 at 51 Westminster St.

The explosion is the subject of a novel Rogers is presently writing and he will share his research.

Rogers is originally from Chicago and has lived in the Washington, D.C., area since 1976. He has specialized in the teaching of Holocaust courses, including one taught at Bates College.

Previously, Rogers spoke to Senior College about his appointment as the first historian for the Office of Special Investigations in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, which assumed full jurisdiction for the investigation and prosecution of Nazi persecutors residing in the United States. He retired from the U.S. Department of Justice in March 2010 after 31 years of service.

He and his wife, Sally Ann, divide their time between Mount Rainier, Maryland, and New Gloucester.

The cost of lunch is $8 by advance reservation only. Reservations must be made by noon on Wednesday, Sept. 6.

FMI, register: 207-753-6510.

Steven B. Rogers