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 29
Tom Glover’s gear and pier
Elements of working waterfronts inspire painter
The paintings on Tom Glover’s website are divided into eight categories. Some are broad, like “Seascapes” and “Abstracts,” others very specific: “Italy” and “Fenway” (he’s a big-time Red Sox fan). And then there is “Docks.” There you’ll find semi-abstract images of wharves bedecked with ropes, lobster traps, buoys—even personal flotation devices. And fish: mackerel and the like appear from time…
December 29
History in the flesh
Interviews with islanders bring the stories
Reflections is written by Island Institute Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working…
December 28
A circuitous Mayflower connection
Love and shipmates, a generational story
This is a remarkably coincidental and clearly destined love story resulting from the very diverse and circuitous travels of nine descendant generations of two Mayflower passengers, emerging, finally, 300 years…
December 28
Incandescent yellows and shades of brown
The season offers a rich, glowing palette… and rest
At our October book group meeting, before our discussion of Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, one of the members who attended from Pennsylvania via Zoom asked us, “What is the…
December 28
Beyond destroyers and Liberty ships
Small yards contributed to war effort, too
Maine’s role in the nation’s effort during the World War II is most frequently discussed in terms of destroyers and Liberty ships built, military fortifications sprinkled throughout Casco Bay, and…
December 28
Comfort me with mac and cheese
Talking turkey on cooking and eating sense
If ever there was a time when we all needed comforting, surely it is now. If ever there was a time when comfort food was a good idea, surely it…
December 28
What the flood took, and what it didn’t
Basement mishap stole memories, but refocused priorities
When we went to bed on Saturday night, the only thing on our minds was the leak between the addition and the original part of the house. The northeast wind…
December 28
Democracy dormant: How we got here
Heather Cox Richardson traces diverging values
Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America By Heather Cox Richardson, Viking/Random House (2023) Eventually, evil implodes. This might be the only perennial history lesson Heather Cox Richardson omits…
December 28
Lobster lady’s story meets lobster kids
New children’s book plays well on Vinalhaven
The Lobster Lady By Alexandra Hinrichs, illustrations by Jamie Hogan; Charlesbridge Publishing (2023) Island Readers & Writers, an organization connecting children and books in communities on Maine’s islands and Washington…
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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