Working Waterfront

Edith Wright’s town dock

The waterfront on Little Cranberry Island, aka Islesford, is the beating heart of this remarkable community off the southern end of Mount Desert Island. Lobster boats and their crews come and go from the fishermen’s co-op, ferries arrive and depart, islanders mingle—the place is abuzz. In her lively watercolor “Town… SEE MORE

Arts

Working Waterfront

A new Rockland exhibit celebrates seaweed

Seaweed is having a moment—well, actually, more like an era. Attention to algae has been growing for many years now, led by environmentalists and entrepreneurs. While their goals might at times clash, both groups focus on this coastal mainstay: the weeds in the water. Another cohort taking notice—artists—is becoming increasingly… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Carol Sloane and the appeal of pilings

“I am particularly fond of the Impressionists,” painter Carol Sloane noted in an email exchange. “Their view of life resonates with me,” Sloane wrote, “how every time we look at something it seems to transform.” Sloane seeks a similar impression of the world when working around tidal water and in… SEE MORE

Arts

Working Waterfront

A new board game simulates lobstering in Penobscot Bay

Lobster fishing is a blend of strategy, hard work, and good fortune. The right gear, the right timing, and the right places to set strings of traps can be no match for the weather, or the whims of the market, but fisherfolk persevere, and often end a season in the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Love and art: a gift to Monhegan

This summer the Monhegan Museum of Art & History’s special show features an extraordinary gift: 91 artworks by some of the greatest artists associated with the island. To Monhegan, With Love: The Susan Bateson and Stephen S. Fuller Collection represents what museum director Jennifer Pye in the exhibition catalog calls… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Two journalist memoirs get personal

Boat Baby: A Memoir; By Vicky Nguyen (2025, Simon & Schuster) The Uncool: A Memoir; By Cameron Crowe (2026, Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster) Sometimes, the best stories journalists tell don’t make it to print or broadcast. Maybe it’s a source’s off-the-record revelation, off-topic confession, or angry outburst. Two journalist… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Boats along Maine’s coast inspired painter Janice Moore

One day, painter Janice Moore recalls, she was out driving with her son Joseph Coleman who was scouting locations for his short film Vacationland (2022). Moore relishes these opportunities to explore with her son as she usually goes on solo road trips in search of painting subjects. “He’s very creative,”… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Old-time cussidness in Ruth Moore’s The Walk Down Main Street

My mother, who was born, grew up, lived, and died in Portland and environs, was not much of a talker. She had that taciturnity sometimes associated with old-time Mainers. Mainers who, Robert Creeley once told me, “say as little as possible, as often as possible.” But like a lot of… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Paul Trowbridge pursues ‘the real stuff’

Born in Bar Harbor, Paul Trowbridge grew up in Maine in the summers. He had, he writes, “a real affinity for boats and the docks that came with them.” His parents spent 10 years on Crow Island off Deer Isle, coming and going by way of the lobster dock at… SEE MORE

Arts

Working Waterfront

School of rock

The band mounted the stage, confidently striding up the ramp to find their places behind the microphones and amplifiers. Earlier that afternoon they had loaded everything out of their practice space, working together as a team to make sure nothing was left behind. Their sound check was efficient, and they… SEE MORE