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.
Please join us to support this important nonprofit journalism.
- Community
- People
- Opinion
- Environment
- Marine
- Inter-island News
- Business
- Columns
- Arts
- Education
- Climate Change
- Book Review
- Cranberry Report
- Journal of an Island Kitchen
- Salt Water Cure
- Op Ed
- Reflections
- Observer
- Fathoming
- Field Notes
- Rockbound
- Essay
- Energy
- Editorial
- In Plain Sight
- Letters to the Editor
- Wrack Line
- From The Helm
- Dispatches from World Ocean Observatory
- Sweetest in the Gale
September 13
Island Reader’s offerings reflect passion for place
Annual publication collects range of writing, art
Every year since 2006 the Maine Seacoast Mission has published The Island Reader, a wide-ranging anthology of poetry, prose, and artwork by residents of Maine’s unbridged islands. And every year the literary/artistic smorgasbord reminds us that islands are special places that people call home. The 2023 edition, no. 17, gets right to the point with this short poem by Arria…
September 13
Orr's Island's forgotten attraction
The famous author’s ‘other’ book
Harriet Beecher Stowe is renowned for her influential 1852 novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, which played a pivotal role in shaping national perspectives on slavery. During her husband's tenure as a…
September 13
Home to Downeast for compass reset
Eastport native’s novel sorts out youthful mistakes
Just East of Nowhere By Scot Lehigh (Islandport Press, 2023) Anyone passingly familiar with Eastport will recognize it immediately in Scot Lehigh’s new novel, Just East of Nowhere. We get…
September 13
The wonders of Maine life
Longtime visitor, now resident is impressed
In August 1973, our family arrived in Maine for a one-week vacation on Pemaquid Pond outside Damariscotta. The following year we arrived for two weeks, and then steadily we accumulated…
September 13
Downeast farms happily singing the blues
Wild blueberry growers diversifying, tout healthy product
When Lisa Hanscom leads tours of Welch Farm, she showcases a working wild blueberry farm, and a slice of her family history, too. Hanscom’s grandparents purchased the Roque Bluffs farm…
September 13
Yes, the rain hurt Maine tourism
Outdoor recreation saw biggest dips
During the rainy months of June and July, Aaron Lincoln, captain and owner of the schooner Olad and the cutter Owl out of Camden Harbor, would run into people he…
September 8
Honoring Maine’s immovable beacons
Lighthouse stories highlight important history
Lighthouse keeper Willie Corbett knew Velma Johnson was the woman for him when she arrived for a visit in a bosun’s chair strung between a ship’s mast and the island…
September 6
Washington County atlas revived
Crosen’s version of 1881 edition adds photos, facts
If you enjoy exploring old maps, photos, and other pathways of Downeast history, you’ll find inspiration in artist-editor Jane Crosen’s new Coastwise edition of Colby’s 1881 Atlas of Washington County.…
September 6
Almer Dinsmore honored with ferry name
Retired mariner served on Swan's Island run
Living on an unbridged island like Swan’s Island, I knew about the tradition of naming ferries in honor of previous, long-serving captains like our very own Henry Lee and others…
September 5
Inventorying a Downeast home
Author, photographer explores Schoodic region
More Than Meets the Eye: Exploring Nature and Loss on the Coast of Maine By Margie Patlak, Down East Books (2021) Wild and Wondrous: Nature’s Artistry on the Coast of…
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.
SIGN UP FOR OUR
E-WEEKLY
Get the latest articles from the Working Waterfront delivered to your inbox every week.
SIGN UP NOWTHE WORKING WATERFRONT
LATEST ISSUE
A nonprofit publication of the Island Institute which has been published for over 20 years.
LEARN MORE