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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April 18
When appliances fail on islands
The idea of convenience takes on new meaning
By Barbara Fernald Just before we were to leave for a family trip to Baltimore, the cooling fan broke in our oven. A call to Brown’s Appliance in Ellsworth confirmed that the whole back of the stove would have to come off to replace the broken part; not a DIY repair they could talk us through by phone. The part…
April 17
Casco Bay on front lines of climate change
Friends group working to raise awareness, engage volunteers
By Tom Groening Friends tell friends the truth, even when it’s unpleasant. And that’s what the nonprofit Friends of Casco Bay group—which marks its 30th anniversary this year—is doing, reporting on…
April 17
Going deep—maybe too deep—on the lobster industry
Writer embedded in fishing community, science, and research
The Last Lobster: Boom or Bust for Maine’s Greatest Fishery? By Christopher White; St. Martin’s Press, 2018 Review by Tina Cohen My review copy of The Last Lobster included some pages of…
April 17
Penobscot Marine Museum catalogues Maine collections
Thanks to a grant of $3,886 from the Maine Historical Records Advisory Board, the Penobscot Marine Museum has rehoused and cataloged four collections documenting quintessential 19th and 20th century Maine…
April 16
Art in the Middle East: How a national gallery was built
Suhail Bisharat of Chebeague Island recounts how fine art earned recognition in Jordan
By Tom Groening The scene sounded more like something from a classic caper movie than the art exhibition world. Speaking at the Island Institute’s Artists and Makers Conference in Northport…
April 16
Finding harmony in the ‘inland island’ of Millinocket
Outsider status changes after time spent with community
By Diana Furukawa Reflections is written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in remote communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The…
April 16
Islesboro librarian tackles thorny question with Rose
Origin of most famous plays in English language questioned in book
By Tom Groening Good luck to anyone trying to market Islesboro resident Melissa Olson’s The Rose by Another Name. It features spies, murder, deception, conspiracy, and political intrigue, yet it’s not…
April 16
Taking kelp from good idea to foodie favorite
Ocean’s Balance refining products, connecting distributors, and growing markets
By Sally Noble Seaweed was once that annoyingly crunchy dried stuff that Maine vacationers avoided on a summer beach. No longer. The hot new superfood is kelp, a large seaweed…
April 16
The Maine coast’s best novelist you’ve never heard of
Portland-based Agnes Bushell’s output is impressive, her characters well-wrought
By Dana Wilde Agnes Bushell feels lucky to live on the coast of Maine. The natural beauty of the ocean. “That sense of not being closed in,” she says. And…
April 16
Tiny Roque Bluffs working to create broadband network
Town officials inspired by Cranberry Isles, Calais-Baileyville
By Tom Groening Roque Bluffs is an idyllic coastal Washington County town, a peninsula south of Machias with rolling hills and fields leading to a state park with a pretty…
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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