“I love the family and community atmosphere, which embraced my kids from pretty much the moment of our arrival.”

—Kristen Kelley

Maybe it is a Maine thing, or an island thing, or just not a Connecticut thing, because I was definitely deprived of this creative outlet as a child.

Margaret Wise Brown, author of such children's classics as Goodnight Moon, The Runaway Bunny and The Little Island, had a deep love for Vinalhaven.

Rita MacWilliam came to the tiny one-room, K-8 schoolhouse on Isle au Haut from a life of immersion in new cultural experiences that included working in other tiny schools in out-of-the-way settings.

I didn’t expect to hear that a student complained that I forced my kids to make a “gay wall.”

The Bowdoin, best-known for carrying explorer Donald MacMillan to the Arctic in 1913 and now owned and operated by Maine Maritime Academy (MMA), was out of the water this winter. It was one of the only times in her 95-year sailing career that she’d been so indisposed.

An openness to learning from one another, and sharing what works and what doesn’t from place to place is critical.

Eight students from Maine universities delved into the science and practice of marine aquaculture recently, thanks to an innovative new program developed by the University of Maine and University of Maine at Machias.

Benjamin Stevens of Islesford (Little Cranberry Island) graduated this month from Maine Maritime Academy in Castine.