Working Waterfront

Trail death probed with obsessive detail

Trailed: One Woman’s Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders By Kathryn Miles; Algonquin Books of Ch2022; $28.95. Review by Dana Wilde Kate Miles arrived at Unity College in 2001 as a writing instructor and a backpacking enthusiast at a school devoted to backpacking. She’d heard that a Unity student and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Chris Van Dusen does it again

Big Truck, Little Island By Chris Van Dusen (Candlewick Press, 2022) Review by Carl Little Grandchildren Maria, 9, Serita, 8, and James, 5, are children’s book author/illustrator Chris Van Dusen aficionados. Allow Gahbi (their nickname for this grampa) to boast a bit: they’ve memorized The Circus Ship, made up music… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

An island’s story reveals a life

Autobiography of an Island: A Memoir By Sarah Faragher (2021) Review by Carl Little In 2004, while visiting Great Spruce Head Island, painter Sarah Faragher had the occasion to explore nearby Bear Island. Conversing with a Bear islander, she learned of Birch Lodge, a humble dwelling that could be rented… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Peter Kilgore’s island poetry

[caption id="attachment_31703" align="alignleft" width="350"] Peter Kilgore[/caption] In some alternate history of Casco Bay, Peter Kilgore is the poet laureate of Long Island. His terse, descriptive lyrics written during the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s evoke so purely the sights, sounds, and sensibilities of the island as experienced by human beings, if… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A prince of tides builds his own pools

Life Between the Tides By Adam Nicolson (2021) Review by Tina Cohen Adam Nicolson is a British writer with who’s written on history, landscape, and literature, so it is no surprise that his book seemingly focused on coastal ecology— life between the tides—would include those other interests as well. He… SEE MORE

The Cranberry Isles Life-Saving Station photographed in about 1885.

Working Waterfront

When mariners in distress got help

Whether it is for work or play, anyone spending significant time on a boat knows that help is a radio call away, and that other beacons and signals can be relied upon to alert to the need for help. But how would that work if there was no one designated… SEE MORE

Alison Evans with her oyster-inspired ceramics.

Working Waterfront

Sea-inspired ceramics succeeding in Boothbay Harbor

When it was time for ceramist Alison Evans to “get real” about her life, she “naturally” gravitated back to a community where she spent much of her youth: Boothbay Harbor. “It’s one of the most beautiful places in the entire world,” said the 46-year-old owner of Ae Ceramics and Ae… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

String theory—violin lessons embraced by islanders

Reflections is written by Island Fellows, recent college grads who do community service work on Maine islands and in coastal communities through the Island Institute, publisher of The Working Waterfront. “Violin lessons at the Islesboro Community Center for all ages, free of charge! Sign up with Anne McKee by June… SEE MORE

Eastport was the intended site of the Passamaquoddy Tidal Power Project, the first attempt by the federal government to fund an energy generating dam fueled by the tides. It was a project thoroughly supported by President Franklin Roosevelt, seen here examining a model still viewable in Eastport today. The project was terminated after Congress didn't support further funding, but its influence—including a push to provide housing for 5,000 workers that led to the building of Quoddy Village—left lasting impacts on the port city.

Working Waterfront

A love letter to my hometown

Writing Images of America: Eastport—about the place I grew up—was like writing about a very old and dear friend. Doing so from a distance of more than 1,100 road miles was like remembering someone intensely missed. At first, the distance was a distraction—but then I realized I was writing about… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A survey of recent Maine settlement

Sideshots: Stories from a Land Surveyor’s Traverse through the District of Maine By John T. Mann, illustrated by Earle Mitchell (2020) Review by Dana Wilde In the 1970s, Maine was changing, especially along the coast. After nearly a century of being a summer destination for tourists and hideout for the… SEE MORE