Working Waterfront

Small business survival means building lifeboats

As a small business owner, particularly one whose business resides on an island overlooking the great Atlantic Ocean, thoughts about sinking ships are probably unavoidable just now. I find myself often comparing my efforts to keep New Era Gallery here on Vinalhaven open to those of the musicians on the Titanic—doing… SEE MORE

The view over Lunt Harbor on Frenchboro.

Working Waterfront

Let’s take a break (so we can get back to work)

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. By Natalie Hyde-Petersen There are a lot of big and important things going on right now, and at least for me,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

‘What’s goin’ on?’ is how ‘we’ solve problems

By Tom Groening We’ve seen, and maybe experienced first-hand, the conflict that comes when people have different ideas about safe public conduct in light of COVID-19. Recently, the issue was put before Judith Martin, aka columnist “Miss Manners,” on NPR, and I thought her response was enlightening well beyond the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

High school seniors undaunted by virus-tinged graduation

By Tom Groening Across the state, high school ended this spring with a whimper. Students graduated at the peak, or perhaps post-peak, of an unprecedented pandemic. And with graduation, they move into an uncertain and unknown future. But for three graduates in coastal communities—Peaks Island, Islesboro, and Eastport—the new normal… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

They name their boats after their daughters

By Tom Valleau No one can doubt that our commercial fishing industry is now suffering from a variety of problems, some long in the making and others quite recent. With each new development, Maine’s fishing prospects have grown smaller, going back to the establishment in 1984 of the Hague Line,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

‘Plague! Plague! Cholera! Go back!’

By Tom Walsh Like moths drawn to flame, artists of all stripes—painters, writers, sculptors—have been swarming coastal Maine for more than 100 years. Among painters, think Winslow Homer at Prout’s Neck, John Marin at Small Point, Andrew Wyeth at Cushing, and son Jamie on Monhegan Island. Among Jamie Wyeth’s fellow… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

‘An abundance of awesome’ for students in local papers

By Christa Thorpe In the past few months, teachers all over the globe have seen their email inboxes flooded with educational resources for remote instruction. One teacher’s Twitter comment received nearly 2,000 sympathetic reactions: “Anyone else feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the resources shared—it is an abundance of awesome… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Carolyn Chute returns with character-rich new novel

Review by Tina Cohen In the world of contemporary Maine literature, Carolyn Chute is a prolific and highly original author. Best known for her first novel, subsequently made into a movie, The Beans of Egypt, Maine (1985), she has written six more since then. Born in Portland in 1947, she… SEE MORE

This file image shows Bar Harbor's town landing

Working Waterfront

Governor’s order would kill Bar Harbor businesses, say owners

By Jacqueline Weaver Editor's note: Since this story was published in the June edition, Gov. Janet Mills has offered an alternative plan to the 14-day quarantine for out-of-state visitors. Bar Harbor business owners, from restaurants and shops to hotels and vacation rentals, are reeling from an executive order by Gov.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

From fishing to farming—scallops (and goats)

For some fishermen, Maine’s aquaculture industry has been a thorny subject that includes concerns like navigational safety and environmental health. But as a third-generation fisherman, Marsden Brewer of Stonington sees the development of a new scallop farming sector as an opportunity for fishermen to diversify their income streams, maintain a… SEE MORE