Working Waterfront

Wisdom from my mother-in-law

This month’s deadline at the end of April has me staring at my 70th birthday arriving in May. I admit to having mixed feelings about it, but so far the only birthday that really bothered me was my 40th. I remember having tea with my mother-in-law, Anna, and her friend,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A supreme encounter on Vinalhaven

A few years ago, the chief justice of the United States administered the oath of office to president-elect Barack Obama. Perhaps he was all the while recalling his visit to Vinalhaven the previous summer and comparing this lofty and prestigious Washington moment with that less auspicious occasion on the island.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The tragic end of MDI’s Capt. Rumill

On the night of Oct. 10, 1905, John Taylor, captain of the Blanche King sailing off North Carolina’s Cape Fear, observed something that raised his concern. Taylor saw “a four-masted schooner, sailing erratically outside the usual shipping channel, with her red light hanging from its rigging.” What Taylor soon discovered… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Money for art and where to find it

If you were an artist looking for funding during the Renaissance, you might have hit up the Medici family. Today, the best sources are government commissions and private foundations, according to a presenter at the Island Institute’s Artists & Makers Conference on April 28. “I’m assuming you’re here because, like… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Feds learn about community, in-person

Kathleen Billings, Stonington’s longtime town manager, articulated some deep truths to representatives of the Northern Border Regional Commission (NRBC) during a recent visit. “This is our home,” she said. “Once you are on an island, there’s a different culture to it. You have to be self-sufficient. You have to figure… SEE MORE

Kelp harvest underway. PHOTO: JACK SULLIVAN

Working Waterfront

Aquaculture: A bigger picture

Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production sector in the world. The United Nation’s sustainable development goals identify aquaculture as playing a key role in development that safeguards “food security, livelihoods, human dignity, and natural resources.” As we find ourselves needing to produce more food to support a growing population,… SEE MORE

The opening session of the 2023 Artists & Makers Conference.

Working Waterfront

When artists gather, sparks fly

The staff at the Island Institute’s Archipelago store and gallery again presented its Artists & Makers Conference this year after a pandemic pause, celebrating the theme “Together Again!” More than 100 attended to take in eight sessions, live music, Pecha Kucha-style storytelling presentations, and more. The vibe at the conference… SEE MORE

An aerial view of North Haven, looking west. PHOTO: WILLIAM TREVASKIS

Working Waterfront

The spider web that is town government

Reflections is written by Island Institute 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. In a town the size of North Haven, all projects, tasks, functions, and dilemmas are interconnected. A select board… SEE MORE

The 2022 Island Institute Island Fellows.

Working Waterfront

Island Institute Fellows have front-row seats

Over the 24 years of Island Institute’s Fellows program, we have learned a lot about what it means to be a part of a community. Island Institute Fellows navigate a complex space where work and life often blend together because their job requires building deep relationships in their community. They… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

The ‘solastalgia’ of pandemic life

Pete and Alice in Maine By Caitline Shetterly, HarperCollins (2023) REVIEW BY CARL LITTLE The pandemic interrupted the lives of many families, including the foursome that take center stage in Caitlin Shetterly’s first novel, Pete and Alice in Maine. The title’s couple and their daughters, Sophie, 11, and Iris, 5,… SEE MORE