The Working Waterfront newspaper reports on the people and forces that shape Maine’s coastal and island communities. As publisher, Island Institute’s premise is that the cultural, environmental, and community assets here are rare and valuable, and are worth fighting for.
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December 2

Outside, looking in on Maine coast

Novel turns on insular nature of small towns
Everyone Knows But You: A Tale of Murder on the Maine Coast By Thomas E. Ricks; Pegasus Books (2024) Early in Thomas Ricks’ novel Everyone Knows But You, FBI agent Ryan Tapia goes into the local diner on Liberty Island to begin a murder investigation. The Fisherman’s Pal, as the diner is called, is bustling with breakfast. Ryan sits at…
REVIEW BY DANA WILDE
December 2

A man’s love affair with airplanes

The late Jim Rockefeller’s columns show passion
From the Cockpit: Selected Writings by James S. Rockefeller Jr. From Strut & Axle, Owls Head Transportation Museum Journal 1979-2013 (June 2025) James S. Rockefeller Jr. (also known as “Pebble”)…
REVIEW BY TINA COHEN
November 28

On the record with lobster scientist Bob Steneck

In-the-water research led to understanding fishery
Bob Steneck can now add to his already impressive resumé membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The work that led to that honor for the former University…
BY TOM GROENING
November 28

Saving a Little Diamond shore

Casco Bay island fought erosion with nature, community
In September, I visited the small community of Little Diamond Island in Casco Bay to witness something remarkable: a shoreline restoration project marked by new science and sheer community determination.…
BY KAI HOLLOWAY
November 28

Remembering Susan Jones: A guiding light

Her editorial leadership helped sustain a voice
The Maine fishing industry lost a guiding light when Susan Jones passed away in early September in Stonington at the age of 78. Her leadership shaped the fishermen’s newspaper, Commercial…
BY ROBIN ALDEN
November 26

Saving Marshall Point

Locals preserved iconic lighthouse 35 years ago
One of the Maine coast’s most recognizable, beloved—and accessible—scenes might have had another fate. In 1988, a rumor circulated through St. George—which includes the villages of Port Clyde, Tenants Harbor,…
BY TOM GROENING
November 26

Why is there a grain silo on Rockland Harbor?

Answer reveals a maritime transportation footnote
Drive through the smallest no-stoplight town in the Midwest and you’ll encounter a hulking grain elevator. The ubiquitous structures define the landscape in the country’s grain-producing midsection. But what is…
BY PAUL KAROFF
November 26

State’s new economy anchored in the sea

UMaine president extols ‘blue economy’ future
On Maine’s rugged coast, where shipbuilding, fishing, and working waterfronts have defined generations, leaders say the future is once again tied to the sea—this time through aquaculture, marine technology, and…
BY JOAN FERRINI-MUNDY
November 24

A season for readying

Preparing for the winter slowdown on Islesford
I think of late October and early November as the “readying season.” We learn to adjust our timing and be flexible with changing arrangements. The mailboat, on its winter schedule,…
BY BARBARA FERNALD
November 24

Why serve baked beans in summer?

Eating out looks different on an unbridged island
Some people doubted anyone would want to eat baked beans in the middle of summer. On Islesboro the Masons do a ham-and-beans supper on the fourth Tuesdays of September through…
BY SANDY OLIVER

Island Postcards

EPISODE 10: Keep the Light Shining

Two ambitious young women swam around the entire Island of Isle au Haut during the summer of 2019 to raise money for crucial renovations to the lighthouse.

WATCH ALL ISLAND POSTCARDS

 

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