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November 21
Navigating the joyous holiday season as a religious minority
North Haven’s Christmas is full of light and song, but sharing other traditions is important
I love Christmas on North Haven. Colored lights criss-cross Main Street, the community gathers at Waterman's for hot chocolate, cookies and carols before a tree lighting, and we usually have at least a dusting of snow. Paradoxically, perhaps, for a Jewish person, I look forward to the church service the most. We've been in California with my in-laws for the…
November 21
North Haven siblings, friend launch brewery
Taproom opens in island’s Calderwood Hall
Ben Lovell didn't plan to return to North Haven and open a brewery after graduating from Bowdoin College, but after spending time in New York, he returned to his island…
November 21
The Gulf of Maine: return of the seaweed
Surveys show verdant bottom, but few urchins
By Susie Arnold, Ph. D. and Heather Deese, Ph. D. It may look the same from the surface, but the Gulf of Maine is changing faster than nearly all other…
November 21
Urchin harvest begins Downeast
Scenes from dragging aboard Eastport's Pandalus
The sea urchin harvest season began Oct. 1 and continues through March 3. Kasey Nicholas Smith, a student at the University of Maine at Machias, was aboard the Pandalus of…
November 17
Available Light: The intersection of poetry and Castine
Philip Booth’s life and work were nurtured on the Maine coast
Available Light: Philip Booth and the Gift of Place Jeanne Braham; Bauhan Publishing, Peterborough, New Hampshire, 2016; color photographs; 144 pages, paperback, $23.95. In the mid-1980s, Island Institute co-founder Philip…
November 17
Bath's beloved trolley driver loves his town...
...And it loves him back
The city of Bath has its well-known institutions. The Maine Maritime Museum, Bath Iron Works, the Chocolate Church Arts Center, the Patten Free Library. But the city’s best kept secret…
November 17
Clock is ticking on vision for Southport's 'Ruth's House'
House overlooking Hendricks Head Beach envisioned as education and community center
It’s linked by a small bridge to busy Boothbay Harbor, but don’t tell Southport residents that theirs isn’t an island community. Summer houses, used by multi-generational seasonal visitors, line the…
November 17
How to understand Maine's 'High North' opportunities
Set aside opening Arctic and consider Scandinavian markets
By Dan Bookham Since 2013 when the Icelandic steamship line Eimskip established operations in Portland, there has been growing buzz around Maine’s ocean-driven connections to our north. Ship calls to…
November 17
In politics, it's location, location, location
Maine voting results mirror our economic and community health
It’s a day in early May, and the TV weatherman on the midday report is practically giddy about the bright sun and unseasonably warm temperatures. But you’ve just ascended the…
November 17
Learning the meaning of ‘neighbor’ informs my work
Urge to age on home island reflects depth of community ties
Reflections is a monthly column written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in remote coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher…
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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