Working Waterfront

A wonderful life begins close to home

Much of my political philosophy—maybe too much—springs from the 1946 film It’s a Wonderful Life. Policy questions are more nuanced and complex than talking heads on cable news suggest, and this film might be dismissed by some, as its villain says, as “sentimental hogwash” and overly simplistic. I see the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Book introduces Maine to new neighbors

Dear Maine: The Trials and Triumphs of Maine’s 21st Century Immigrants By Morgan Rielly and Reza Jalali (Islandport Press) Review by Tina Cohen I’ve just read online that in 2021, and 2022 so far, Maine is the “whitest” state in America, at 93.2 percent. (Not far behind are Vermont at… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Stonington hosts ‘Jane’s Walk’ on Saturday, May 7

Stonington and community collaborators will host on "Jane’s Walk: Pier to Pier, a Walk Through Time, Fishing, Quarrying and Culture" on Saturday, May 7. The event gathers friends, neighbors, and visitors for a free, short, 90-minute guided walk which begins at 11:30 a.m. on Stonington’s Commercial Fish Pier and ends… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Native stories keep heritage alive

Stories Our Grandmothers Told Us Edited by Wayne Newell and Robert M. Leavitt Resolute Bear Press Review by Carl Little In his introduction to Kuhkomossonuk Akonutomuwinokot: Stories Our Grandmothers Told Us, Wayne Newell notes that the traditional Passamaquoddy stories he and Robert Leavitt collected “create a bridge between the knowledge… SEE MORE

Allen Island, with part of Benner Island visible at right. Monhegan Island is also visible at the top of the image. PHOTO: COURTESY COLBY COLLEGE

Working Waterfront

Colby takes over stewardship of Wyeth islands

Colby College in Waterville has become the new steward of two historic islands where renowned American artist Andrew Wyeth painted some of his greatest works, inspired and influenced by the landscape and architecture that were curated by his wife, Betsy Wyeth. Colby has taken ownership of Allen and Benner islands… SEE MORE

Detail from one of Nora Flanagan's quilts.

Working Waterfront

Cutting up and stitching the coast back together

Nora Flanagan renders the beauty of Maine’s cool blue coast in a warm and tactile form. Her applique quilts, born from scraps of fabric, are as evocative as any painting and, given the process by which they are created, rely on a kind of abstraction—scissor-sliced color swatches—that serves to represent… SEE MORE

Landscape with Drying Sails, Stuart Davis

Working Waterfront

Jazz harbor: Stuart Davis in Gloucester

Located 25 or so miles northeast of Boston on Cape Ann, Gloucester is among the busiest fishing ports on the East Coast. An important shipbuilding center dating back to the early 1700s, over time the town became the hub for a fishing fleet that frequented the Grand Banks. Gloucester was… SEE MORE

Ashley Bryan PHOTO: COURTESY ASHLEY BRYAN CENTER

Working Waterfront

Ashley Bryan: The prophetic voice

In the fall of 2020, the Bates College Museum of Art mounted a remarkable exhibition, “Let’s Celebrate Ashley Bryan,” in honor of a gift of the award-winning author/illustrator’s work that came to the museum the year before from Henry Isaacs and Donna Bartnoff Isaacs, the artist’s longtime friends and Little… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Bernd Heinrich races the clock

Racing the Clock: Running Across a Lifetime By Bernd Heinrich Review by Carl Little Bernd Heinrich boasts a double life. He is a brilliant field scientist, known for ground-breaking work, including numerous articles and books on a host of flora and fauna, from irises and chestnut trees to honeybees and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

What’s said and left unsaid

Oh William! By Elizabeth Strout (2021) Review by Tina Cohen People like Lucy Barton can drive me crazy. In Elizabeth Strout’s first novel about her, My Name is Lucy Barton, I had a very different reaction— I liked and was cheering for her through her struggles. Lucy returns in Strout’s… SEE MORE