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August 30
Sharing the weight of rockweed science
Data needed on algae’s carbon-storing role
On a recent Wednesday morning, a small group of volunteers walked the shoreline in Lamoine with buckets, mesh bags, large square plastic picture frames, and fish-weighing scales. Carefully picking their way across the slippery seaweed, they laid out transects, and began to count and weigh the rockweed, hefting pound after pound of wet, heavy algae. They are part of Project…
August 30
Human encounters are different here
Contemplating community, iced coffee on the side
Is it possible to write this column, titled “Reflections,” about the idea of reflection itself? Who knows. What I can say is that throughout my time as an Island Fellow…
August 25
Imagining coastal Maine, from 'Peyton Place' to 'Murder She Wrote'
Clashing popular imagery stirs identity reflection
When I moved to Portland in 1988, I did not come alone: hundreds, perhaps thousands of images tagged along providing me with a vivid mental map of this place where…
August 22
Going deep on Russian lit
Portland novelist takes on genre and succeeds
Monkey: A Russian Novel By Agnes Bushell; Littoral Books, 2022 Review by Dana Wilde Agnes Bushell’s latest novel Monkey is in some ways a very conventional and in other ways…
August 22
Biblical echoes in Maine community life
Reissued Ruth Moore novel still relevant
Speak to the Winds By Ruth Moore, Islandport Press edition, 2022, first published 1956 Review by Tina Cohen Ruth Moore (1903-1989) was born on Gotts Island off Mount Desert Island.…
August 22
Fine furniture born from island life
North Haven’s Christina Vincent’s work featured at Smithsonian
Near the end of my visit with Christina Vincent on North Haven she casually observes that her story could only come through island living. It’s not a dramatic story, but…
August 22
Young lobsters not surviving first weeks
Research focuses on juvenile food sources
There is a crustacean conundrum in the Gulf of Maine. Despite increased numbers of lobsters being born in recent years, the number of adolescents has declined. Something is affecting the…
August 22
Sprague doesn’t mail in the ‘Joy’ of her job
Her given name is Florence, but having arrived in the world five days before Christmas, her parents had the seasonal spirit when they gave her the middle name Joy. [caption…
August 12
Ashley Bryan’s ‘Beauty in Return’ at Farnsworth
Rockland museum features work through Dec. 31
[caption id="attachment_32028" align="alignleft" width="400"] “Family Gathering, Tremont Avenue, Bronx, NY” (1962) 48-inches by 48-inches, gift of the Ashley Bryan Center.[/caption] The exhibition “Ashley Bryan: Beauty in Return” is…
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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