Articles
Enjoying the exclusive, literary life on Vinalhaven
Everyone knows there are many things that set Vinalhaven apart from the rest of the world. The thing that really distinguishes us, however, and pretty much everyone acknowledges this too, is our Gentlemen’s Book Group. Begun about a decade ago by an enterprising lobsterman trying to rise above his station, the book group has grown
Polishing a piece of the past: Vinalhaven’s old engine house
During a long and recent period of historic preservation, a trend we are grateful for, much discussion has been evolving and has now emerged about whether a strict adherence to the characteristics of the original is always the best approach toward restoring or otherwise affecting the salvation of an historic building. A popular and sensible
Essay
Justice is mine A few weeks ago the Chief Justice of the United States administered the Oath of Office as he recited it for President Barak Obama. Perhaps he was recalling his visit to Vinalhaven last summer and comparing this lofty and prestigious Washington moment with that less auspicious occasion on the island. The Chief
Essay
Birds of a Feather I’m not a bird watcher but I did notice, last week, an eastern phoebe light on a weather stick outside my window. The stick was tiny and delicate but the phoebe was even more so and the stick’s trajectory, thrusting upward, (high pressure, clear day ahead) didn’t change when the half-ounce
Islanders
Camden, Maine: Down East Books, 2005 336 pp, paperback, $16.95 Legitimate! This book, although written by a woman from away, is legitimate! A lot of folks have written about these islands. Some of them flew through for a taste then took their romantic notions to some mainland hideaway and cranked out a book full of
Travels with Charlie
Eight years ago a little topical paper appeared in all the right places. The paper was the Feminist Times and it was distributed in the coastal area at outlets where one expects to find an open-ended invitation to join the revolution. The Good Tern, Second Read, Belfast Co-op, Marketplace, interesting venues like these, got a
Rich and Famous
I am ready for the big time. Sales of Away Happens (www.upne.com) are brisk, among the top ten this month at University Press of New England, and I am readying myself for fame, notoriety and wealth. I presented this rosy forecast to my wife, to whom the appeal of elevated notoriety is (I keep forgetting)
Ham on Wry
There is a critical distinction between us on these islands, any small island for that matter, or between any isolated community and populations elsewhere. It’s a topic I’ve written about before but, because it is such a big deal, it bears re-visiting. The difference lies in our unavoidable interaction. We can’t get away from one
The Simple Truth
“LX” I’ve been struggling with a simple truth visited on me in early October. I’ve known for decades that it was coming and when it was coming and, for eight weeks or so I have been dimly aware that, as expected, it did come. Still, it came much sooner than anticipated. My simple truth is
New Hope for Men
I had an encounter one recent morning with a middle-aged woman at the ferry terminal. She wore what I took to be a puzzled expression but appeared to be crying a little and was fanning herself vigorously although it was comfortably cool outside. I waded forth, and observed, “Excuse me, you look like you’re having