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September 15
Memoir traces abuse, addiction, and revival
Actor who keeps a home in Rockport confronts his past
Walking With Ghosts By Gabriel Byrne (Grove Press, 2021) Since reading Gabriel Byrne’s recently published memoir Walking With Ghosts, I’ve delayed watching the newest HBO season of In Treatment in favor of first re-watching the previous three, which aired 2008-2010. Those star Byrne, who won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of a therapist. It occurred to me to wonder…
September 15
‘Stitching Ourselves Together’ tells Native art story
Bar Harbor’s Abbe Museum revives art form
The first part of the title of the gem of a show, “Stitching Ourselves Together: Mi’kmaq Porcupine Quillwork” at Bar Harbor’s Abbe Museum resonates with multiple meanings. Yes, it refers…
September 15
Finding the origins of the nation’s origin story
Colin Woodard’s latest book explores American myth
Six months to the day after supporters of President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, Colin Woodard stood on the grass of Camden Public Library’s amphitheater, looking over the harbor where…
September 8
A sober measure of ocean resilience
‘Blue’ economic sector is small, but impacts are large
When we talk about ocean resilience, we are talking about capacity to heal and sustain ocean systems over time when interrupted by natural events such as extreme weather, flooding, and…
September 8
Revisiting Isaac’s Storm
Account of deadly Texas hurricane is a warning
Isaac’s Storm: A man, a time, and the deadliest hurricane in history By Erik Larson Now that nearly everyone with a three-digit IQ has come to realize that “denial” is…
September 2
Islesboro grad immersed in Polynesian culture
Traditional navigational skills taught and absorbed at sea
In September 2020, I left Islesboro for a gap year on the island where I grew up, Oʻahu, in Hawaii. Having a whole year to be back home was incredible,…
September 1
Homegrown eels
American Unagi will raise elvers to market size
Story and photos by Leslie Bowman Maine’s most lucrative fishery by the pound is its spring elver run, and as such, it seemed an obvious candidate for aquaculture. In Asia…
August 30
MDI lab gaining ground in tissue regeneration
Salamander, mouse are playing role in research
Many salamanders can readily regenerate a lost limb, but adult mammals, including humans, cannot. Why this is the case is a scientific mystery that has fascinated observers of the natural…
August 30
Making sense of Maine ‘talking circles’
Natives, European descendants gathered in 1980s, ‘90s
The Gatherings: Reimagining Indigenous-Settler Relations By Shirley N. Hager and Mawopiyane, University of Toronto Press I confess to being skeptical when I opened The Gatherings: Reimagining Indigenous-Settler Relations, a book…
August 30
Progress through personal connection
Relationships are key to science and fishery work
Reflections is written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront.…
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.
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