For almost 20 years, The Island Reader has featured the work of residents living on Maine’s unbridged islands. Each edition, published annually by Maine Seacoast Mission, contains a range of stories, prose, art, and photographs from a wide variety of island residents and is also edited by islanders. The recently published Vol. 18 is “the unbridged edition” and features the work of 46 islanders.
This year’s Island Reader includes poetry, a ghost story, short stories, beautiful photographs, vibrant paintings, and other art that encapsulates what it means to live on an unbridged island.
Submissions come from 14 islands stretching from Casco to Frenchman’s Bay including residents of Chebeague, Cliff Island, Frenchboro, Great Cranberry, Isle au Haut, Islesford (Little Cranberry), Long Island, Matinicus, Monhegan, North Haven, Peaks Island, Swan’s Island, and Vinalhaven.
A dedicated team of co-editors including Gary Rainford of Swan’s Island oversees content and selects what is included in each edition. This year’s editors are Kendra Chubbuck of Isle au Haut, Ingrid Gaither of Great Cranberry Island, M.T. (Toby) Martin, Jr. of Islesboro, and Kimberly Peabody of Matinicus. Douglas Cornman, the Mission’s director of island services, is also a co-editor and serves as a liaison between the editorial team, the Mission, and the islands.
“Maine’s islands have offered creative inspiration for as long as people have lived on them. The Island Reader is in a unique position to showcase art for islanders who may not necessarily have other options to do so,” said Cornman, in a news release. “The work of young artists, whether in age or experience, is published beside the work of those who have created for years. The common denominator for the work is its reflection of island life. Every piece offers a glimpse into the artist’s experience as an islander.”
From July 1 to Jan. 15 the editorial team welcomes submissions for the 19th edition. Submissions of visual art, poetry, and prose are accepted from writers and artists living on unbridged Maine islands.
To order a hard copy of the 18th edition or to see virtual copies of previous editions, visit seacoastmission.org/sunbeam/island-outreach/the-island-reader/.
