Working Waterfront

A song of ice and floods

I’ve often wondered what it was like when glaciers carved out Maine’s coast and mountains. SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Staying focused on the climate crisis

There’s nothing like a near-record heat wave to make you feel like garbage. That’s my first thought as I write this during the sweltering days before July 4, sitting in my un-cooled home office, with a slight headache and sweat forming on my brow before 10 a.m. But stifling as… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Finding comfort in fictional competence

When the world’s a mess, as it often feels these days, I turn to “competency porn.” This brand of fiction depicts hyper-talented people solving difficult problems, and of course, it could describe many classic works. Odysseus makes it home. Poirot finds the killer. Furiosa frees the Citadel. But I only… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Scallops and me

I have a short and complicated history with scallops. Growing up in Maryland, my fondness for seafood mostly extended to the basics: canned tuna; flaky white fish; some crab, shrimp, and shellfish; occasional lobster and salmon. I don’t remember starting to eat scallops until a decade ago, and they quickly… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Looking for hope in a stormy season

In hindsight, I wonder if the name I chose for this column was too wishful. I took the phrase “Sweetest in the Gale” from Emily Dickinson’s poem, “‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers,” in which a bird stands for hope in dark times. “And sweetest - in the Gale -… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Earning a community’s trust

I’m not from Maine, but I’ve talked to many people since I got here. There are other ways I could open this piece, to introduce myself as the new editor of The Working Waterfront and Island Journal. But as I try to fill the big boots left by outgoing editor… SEE MORE