Conversations from the Pointed Firs | WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives

Conversations from the Pointed Firs 3/6/26: Dan Bartlett

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 21:00:43 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 2/6/26: Earle Shettleworth

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 21:00:09 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 1/2/26: Richard Parsons

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 21:00:21 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 11/7/25: Jane Crosen

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 21:00:50 +0000

Host: Peter Neill Producer: Spencer Albee Music by Casey Neill (Mock Turtle Music) Conversations from the Pointed Firs is a monthly audio series with Maine-connected authors and artists discussing new books and creative projects that invoke the spirit of Maine, its history, its ecology, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life. Airs the first Friday of every month from 4-5pm. Online at pointedfirs.org. In this episode, host Peter Neill speaks with Jane Crosen, a self-taught mapmaker who has spent four decades making and interpreting maps, and exploring Maine’s landscape. She found her niche in maps and editing working at DeLorme Publishing in Yarmouth, where she compiled the Gazetteer listings for the all-new 1981 edition of the Maine Atlas and began discovering the natural and historic treasures of her home state. Returning to her roots in Downeast Maine, she moved to the Blue Hill Peninsula where she found further opportunities to explore and grow as an editor, working for WoodenBoat and other publishers. Meanwhile her affinity with maps, Maine, and design inspired her to create a series of hand-drawn maps of Maine coast and lake regions. Along the way she began sharing her passion for map-reading and landscape interpretation through “map-sleuthing” slide talks and workshops. With a growing interest in Downeast Maine’s mapping history and heritage landscape, she discovered George N. Colby’s historic 1881 atlases of Hancock and Washington counties and found them a fascinating source. Since the original and facsimile editions were out of print, she decided to publish new editions of both atlases, arranging the maps in a more geographically consistent layout. Pairing Colby’s archival maps with period photos and excerpts, with an introduction and captions for context, her Coastwise Geographic Edition atlases capture Downeast Maine in the age of sail, in the last glow of a 19th-century coastal economy. For more about Crosen’s work and product line, visit www.mainemapmaker.com. About the host: Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. In 1972, he founded Leete’s Island Books, a small publishing house specializing in literary reprints, the essay, photography, the environment, and profiles of indigenous healers and practitioners of complimentary medicine around the world. He holds a profound interest in Maine, its history, its people, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life.

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 10/3/25: Ian Ludders

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 20:00:17 +0000

Host: Peter Neill Producer: Trisha Badger Music by Casey Neill (Mock Turtle Music) Conversations from the Pointed Firs is a monthly audio series with Maine-connected authors and artists discussing new books and creative projects that invoke the spirit of Maine, its history, its ecology, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life. Airs the first Friday of every month from 4-5pm. Online at pointedfirs.org. Ian Ludders, author of “Didn’t Do Much but a Little of Everything”, a micro-history of Dalton Raynes who’s workday diary from his 19th year, in 1897, serves as the book’s center, and of Bob Quinn who worked the land up into the 2000s. Ian Ludders, who annotated the text, worked as a day laborer with Bob Quinn before he moved to the island to work and fish with Bob and to manage Eagle for the Quinn family. “Didn’t Do Much but a Little of Everything” encapsulates life on the small community of Eagle Island, and was produced primarily for the small community of people who know and love it, though it will be of interest to anyone who loves Maine, island, and coastal living. About the host: Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. In 1972, he founded Leete’s Island Books, a small publishing house specializing in literary reprints, the essay, photography, the environment, and profiles of indigenous healers and practitioners of complimentary medicine around the world. He holds a profound interest in Maine, its history, its people, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life.

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 9/5/25: Noel Rubinton

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 05 Sep 2025 20:00:51 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 6/6/25: CIPPERLY GOOD and KEVIN JOHNSON

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 20:00:33 +0000

Host: Peter Neill Producer: Trisha Badger Recorded by Pepin Mittelhauser Music by Casey Neill Conversations from the Pointed Firs is a monthly audio series with Maine-connected authors and artists discussing new books and creative projects that invoke the spirit of Maine, its history, its ecology, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life. Airs the first Friday of every month from 4-5pm. Online at pointedfirs.org. Our guests for June 2025 on Conversations from the Pointed Firs are CIPPERLY GOOD and KEVIN JOHNSON, curators of Sardineland, a new exhibit at Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport, Maine that tells the stories of the maritime communities affected by the boom and bust of Maine’s Sardine Industry and Herring Fishery. Photographs, tools of the trade, art, and cultural artifact explore the industry’s ongoing impact on those who handled the herring—from the net to the can. About the host: Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. In 1972, he founded Leete’s Island Books, a small publishing house specializing in literary reprints, the essay, photography, the environment, and profiles of indigenous healers and practitioners of complimentary medicine around the world. He holds a profound interest in Maine, its history, its people, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life.

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 5/2/25: Tom and Lee Ann Szelog

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 02 May 2025 20:00:03 +0000

Host: Peter Neill Producer: Trisha Badger Recorded by Pepin Mittelhauser Music by Casey Neill Conversations from the Pointed Firs is a monthly audio series with Maine-connected authors and artists discussing new books and creative projects that invoke the spirit of Maine, its history, its ecology, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life. Airs the first Friday of every month from 4-5pm. Online at pointedfirs.org. Our guests for May 2025 on Conversations from the Pointed Firs are TOM AND LEE ANN SZELOG, often described as Maine’s most renowned wildlife photographers. Together they promote wildlife conservation and preservation through their films, lectures, exhibits, writings, and photographs. The Szelog’s specialize in photographing wildlife in remote locations, using the most ethical wildlife photography practices. About the host: Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. In 1972, he founded Leete’s Island Books, a small publishing house specializing in literary reprints, the essay, photography, the environment, and profiles of indigenous healers and practitioners of complimentary medicine around the world. He holds a profound interest in Maine, its history, its people, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life.

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 3/7/25: Karin R. Tilberg

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 07 Mar 2025 21:00:19 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 2/7/25: Avery Yale Kamila

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 21:00:23 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 12/6/24: Claire Ackroyd

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 21:00:18 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 10/4/24: Ian Ludders

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 20:00:08 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 9/6/24: Peter Ralston

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 20:00:31 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 7/5/24: Lucas Sinclair

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 20:00:47 +0000

Host: Peter Neill Producer: Trisha Badger Music by Casey Neill Conversations from the Pointed Firs is a monthly audio series with Maine-connected authors and artists discussing new books and creative projects that invoke the spirit of Maine, its history, its ecology, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life. Airs the first Friday of every month from 4-5pm. Online at pointedfirs.org. This month on Conversations from the Pointed Firs host Peter Neill sits down with Lucas Sinclair. Lucas was born in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine and spent his childhood in a hand-built log cabin with few amenities and a focus on living in harmony with nature. After graduating from high school Lucas immersed himself in outdoor wilderness adventures: hiking the Appalachian Trail, paddling the Northern Forest Canoe Trail, and fine-tuning leadership and technical skills with the National Outdoor Leadership School in Patagonia. He then pursued an interest in organic and sustainable food, and graduated from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School in London. Following his graduation he worked in the food and wine industry for nearly a decade in New York City, Seattle, and Maine. Lucas is an avid fly fisherman, boater, and mountain climber. Lucas is now the President of Elliotsville Foundation, Inc., a private operating foundation in Maine whose mission is to advance the dynamic relationship of innovative land conservation and community-based economic and community development in Maine. On August 24th, 2016, Elliotsville Foundation completed a multi-year campaign to establish Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument with an 89,000-acre donation of land to the National Park Service. Elliotsville continues to support the Katahdin Woods and Waters as well as conduct work to build more outdoor recreational infrastructure in Maine. Lucas is a former congressional candidate in ME-2 and now serves on the boards of the Quimby Family Foundation, Maine Conservation Voters, Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters, Maine Public, and the Northern Forest Center. He chairs the National Board of the Trust for Public Land and serves on the National Park Foundation’s National Council. He lives in Falmouth, Maine with his wife, Yemaya, and their two children. About the host: Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. In 1972, he founded Leete’s Island Books, a small publishing house specializing in literary reprints, the essay, photography, the environment, and profiles of indigenous healers and practitioners of complimentary medicine around the world. He holds a profound interest in Maine, its history, its people, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life.

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 4/5/24: Siri Beckman

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 05 Apr 2024 20:00:05 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 3/1/24: Kristie Billings

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 21:00:46 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 1/5/24: Loreen LaBar

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 21:00:40 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 12/1/23: Sarah Alexander

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 21:00:02 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 11/3/23: Joan Radner

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 20:00:38 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 10/6/23: Steve Tatko

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 20:00:45 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 9/1/23: John Bunker

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 20:00:05 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 7/7/23: Julia Lane and Fred Gosbee

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 20:00:29 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 6/2/23: Julia Bouwsma

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 20:00:21 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 4/7/23: Peter Beckford

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 20:00:11 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 3/3/23: Martha White

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 21:00:27 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 2/3/23: Dean Lunt, Editor-in-Chief, Islandport Press on the writings of Ruth Moore

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 21:00:12 +0000

Host:Peter Neill Producer: Trisha Badger Music by Casey Neill Conversations from the Pointed Firs is a monthly audio series with Maine-connected authors and artists discussing new books and creative projects that invoke the spirit of Maine, its history, its ecology, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life. This month: Dean Lunt, Editor-in-Chief, Islandport Press on the writings of Ruth Moore. Guest/s: DEAN LUNT is founder and the editor-in-chief at Islandport Press, an award-winning publisher of books and other media that strives to tell stories that are rooted in the sensibilities of Maine and New England. An eighth-generation native of downeast Maine, Dean Lunt was born and raised in the island fishing village of Frenchboro. His ancestors arrived on Mount Desert Island in the late 1700s and many of them moved across the bay to settle Long Island in the early 1800s. In 1999, Lunt founded Islandport Press, an award-winning independent book publishing company that produces books with New England themes. The company published its first book, Hauling by Hand: The Life and Times of a Maine Island, in the spring of 2000. Lunt has edited dozens of books as is the author of Here for Generations: The Story of a Maine Bank and its City. Later this year he will release an anthology of Ruth Moore’s work for which he is writing a lengthy forward describing the ways in which their lives intersected, and the enduring importance of Moore’s work. SAMAA ABDURRAQIB is the Executive Director of the Maine Humanities Council, a position she has held since 2021. Before MHC she taught in the Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies Program for three years at Bowdoin College, teaching courses on Muslim memoir, Islam and feminism, and representations of violence against women in literature and film. Samaa left Bowdoin in 2013 and, after teaching a semester at the University of Southern Maine, left the academia to begin a career in Maine’s nonprofit world. From 2013 through 2015, Samaa joined the staff at the ACLU of Maine as a reproductive justice organizer. After that grant funded position ended, Samaa joined the staff at the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, where she worked for five years supporting domestic violence advocates across the state through training, technical assistance, and policy work. Since March of 2021, Samaa has been working at the Maine Humanities Council and serves as the organization’s Executive Director. Samaa’s love of Maine’s natural landscape is what inspired her to shift careers and root herself in Maine. She tries to spend as much time as she can outside birdwatching, hiking, and kayaking. One of the most fulfilling roles Samaa has held is being a volunteer leader for Outdoor Afro, a national organization committed to (re)connecting Black people to the outdoors and connecting Black people to each other through the outdoors. Samaa received her PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s English Department in 2010. She is a published poet and nature writer. About the host: Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. In 1972, he founded Leete’s Island Books, a small publishing house specializing in literary reprints, the essay, photography, the environment, and profiles of indigenous healers and practitioners of complimentary medicine around the world. He holds a profound interest in Maine, its history, its people, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life.

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 1/6/23: Samaa Abdurraqib

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 20:00:52 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 12/2/22: Stuart Kestenbaum

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 02 Dec 2022 20:00:54 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 11/4/22: Maine Arts Commission

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 20:00:53 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 10/7/22: Jefferson Navicky

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 20:00:58 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 9/2/22: Gibson Fay-LeBlanc

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 20:00:18 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 8/5/22: A talk with author Kimberly Ridley

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 20:00:14 +0000

Host:Peter Neill Producer: Trisha Badger Music by Casey Neill Conversations from the Pointed Firs is a monthly interview-style podcast wherein Peter Neill talks with authors and artists who live in Maine, work in Maine, or otherwise derive their creativity from the essence of Maine. Host Peter Neill’s guest this month is Kimberly Ridley, science writer, essayist, and award-winning author, and resident of Brooklin, Maine. Her books for children include The Secret Pool and The Secret Bay, both illustrated by Rebekah Raye, Extreme Survivors: Animals That Time Forgot, and published this year, a new book of essays and historical renderings of natural things: Wild Designs: Nature’s Architects. Kim is an elegant writer, teacher and communicator of her affinity and sense of wonder of things observed in her own backyard in Maine. In this episode Kim and Peter discuss Kim’s many books, nature writing in general, the power of unstructured time for children, and the power present in close observations of our natural world. -Nature Writing -Children’s books -Biomimicry -Maine plants and animals -Science Guest: Kimberly Ridley is a science writer, essayist, editor and children’s book author who has been writing about nature, science, health and the environment for more than 25 years. Her passion is “inciting wonder” by sharing her love of nature and science with children and adults. She does numerous author visits and has taught nonfiction-writing workshops in dozens of elementary schools in Maine and the northeast based on her books. In addition, she teaches nature writing workshops for families and adults and presents special talks and programs at libraries and other public venues around Maine. About the host: Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. In 1972, he founded Leete’s Island Books, a small publishing house specializing in literary reprints, the essay, photography, the environment, and profiles of indigenous healers and practitioners of complimentary medicine around the world. He holds a profound interest in Maine, its history, its people, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life.

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 7/1/22: An Interview with Rob McCall (Originally aired July 2021)

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 20:00:44 +0000

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 6/3/22: Kerri Arsenault, author of “Milltown: Reckoning with What Remains”

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 20:00:32 +0000

Host: Peter Neill Producer: Trisha Badger Music by Casey Neill Conversations from the Pointed Firs: A monthly series with Maine-connected authors and artists about new books and creative projects that invoke the spirit of Maine, its history, its ecology, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life. Our guest for this month is Kerri Arsenault, author of “Milltown: Reckoning with What Remains”, published in 2020 by St. Martins Press. Kerri is winner of many distinguished literary prizes such as the 2021 Rachel Carson Environmental Book Award and the Maine Literary Award for Non-Fiction. “Milltown” is a book of narrative non-fiction, investigative memoir and cultural criticism that illuminates the rise and collapse of the working class, the hazards of loving and leaving home, and the ambiguous nature of toxins and disease with the central question, “Who or what are we willing to sacrifice for our own survival?” #MaineRivers #PointSourcePollution #PaperMills #Rumford #CancerClusters #Dioxins #Forever Chemicals About the host: Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. In 1972, he founded Leete’s Island Books, a small publishing house specializing in literary reprints, the essay, photography, the environment, and profiles of indigenous healers and practitioners of complimentary medicine around the world. He holds a profound interest in Maine, its history, its people, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life.

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 5/6/22: Julia Bouwsma- Poet Laureate of Maine and author of “Midden”

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 06 May 2022 20:50:00 +0000

Host: Peter Neill Producer: Trisha Badger Music by Casey Neill Conversations from the Pointed Firs: A monthly series with Maine-connected authors and artists about new books and creative projects that invoke the spirit of Maine, its history, its ecology, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life. The guest for this month is Julia Bouwsma, poet laureate of Maine and author of “Midden”, an award-winning collection of poems published by Fordham University Press in 2018, an intimate and raw set of poems addressing a dark and important piece of Maine history that transpired on Malaga Island in Casco Bay in 1912. Key Discussion Points: -racism -forcible eviction -Maine islands -Casco Bay -Maine poetry -poet laureate -collection of poems About the host: Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. In 1972, he founded Leete’s Island Books, a small publishing house specializing in literary reprints, the essay, photography, the environment, and profiles of indigenous healers and practitioners of complimentary medicine around the world. He holds a profound interest in Maine, its history, its people, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life.

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 4/1/22: A talk with author Gretchen Legler

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 20:00:29 +0000

Host: Peter Neill Producer: Trisha Badger Host Peter Neill’s guest this month is Gretchen Legler, author of Woodsqueer: Crafting a Sustainable Rural Life published by Trinity University Press, an evocative examination of the back-to-the-land experience in Maine with her partner, Ruth Hill. She is a professor of creative writing at the University of Maine Farmington where she lives. She and Peter discuss her most recent book, an intimate portrait of life in Maine, as well as the power of observation for creative writers, and her Master’s of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School, where her interests focused on exploring human connections to the sacred in the natural world. Key Discussion Points: -Maine Writing -Back to the land -LGBTQ -Creative writing -Personal memoir Guests by name and affiliation: Gretchen Legler is a farmer, gardener, teacher, writer, lover of the natural world and the author of three book-length works of nonfiction. Her writing has garnered two Pushcart Prizes, a Notable Essay designation in Best American Essays, the Association for the Study of Literature and Environment creative writing award, a starred review in Kirkus Reviews, and was a finalist for the Steinberg Essay Prize, and the Publishing Triangle Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian Nonfiction. She teaches creative writing and English at the University of Maine Farmington, where she is also the Director of the Campus and Community Garden. ?She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Journalism from Macalester College, a Master’s degree in Creative Writing and Ph.D. in English and Feminist Studies from the University of Minnesota, and a Master’s of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School, where her interests focused on exploring human connections to the sacred in the natural world. About the host: Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. In 1972, he founded Leete’s Island Books, a small publishing house specializing in literary reprints, the essay, photography, the environment, and profiles of indigenous healers and practitioners of complimentary medicine around the world. He holds a profound interest in Maine, its history, its people, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life.

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 3/4/22: A talk with author Kimberly Ridley

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 20:00:15 +0000

Host: Peter Neill Producer: Trisha Badger Host Peter Neill’s guest this month is Kimberly Ridley, science writer, essayist, and award-winning author, and resident of Brooklin, Maine. Her books for children include The Secret Pool and The Secret Bay, both illustrated by Rebekah Raye, Extreme Survivors: Animals That Time Forgot, and published this year, a new book of essays and historical renderings of natural things: Wild Designs: Nature’s Architects. Kim is an elegant writer, teacher and communicator of her affinity and sense of wonder of things observed in her own backyard in Maine. In this episode Kim and Peter discuss Kim’s many books, nature writing in general, the power of unstructured time for children, and the power present in close observations of our natural world. -Nature Writing -Children’s books -Biomimicry -Maine plants and animals -Science Guest: Kimberly Ridley is a science writer, essayist, editor and children’s book author who has been writing about nature, science, health and the environment for more than 25 years. Her passion is “inciting wonder” by sharing her love of nature and science with children and adults. She does numerous author visits and has taught nonfiction-writing workshops in dozens of elementary schools in Maine and the northeast based on her books. In addition, she teaches nature writing workshops for families and adults and presents special talks and programs at libraries and other public venues around Maine. About the host: Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. In 1972, he founded Leete’s Island Books, a small publishing house specializing in literary reprints, the essay, photography, the environment, and profiles of indigenous healers and practitioners of complimentary medicine around the world. He holds a profound interest in Maine, its history, its people, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life.

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 2/4/22: A Talk with William Carpenter

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 20:00:34 +0000

Host: Peter Neill Producer: Trisha Badger Host Peter Neill’s guest this month on Conversations from the Pointed Firs is William Carpenter. Bill is the author of “Silence”, published by Islandport Press in 2021, as well as other works of poetry and fiction. He is the co-founder of the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor where he taught in the English department for 48 years until his retirement in 2019. He and Peter discuss his new book; the traumas and the scars of war; the past and future of human ecology and the importance of better understanding and living within our natural systems; the complexities of social stratification of island communities; inheritance versus native belonging; and the nature of conflict and loss. #Maine fiction #Coastal and island living #War #Trauma, Stress and Mental Health #Human Ecology Guests: William (Bill) Carpenter grew up in Waterville, Maine, graduated from Dartmouth College and got a PhD at the University of Minnesota, taught at the University of Chicago, and returned to Maine to help found the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor where he taught English for 48 years. He is the recipient of the Pablo Neruda award, the Black Warrior award, and the AWP award in poetry. His previous novels are “A Keeper of Sheep” and “The Wooden Nickel”. He and the writer Donna Gold live in an old coastal inn and spend summers exploring Maine islands aboard their family sloop Northern Light. About the host: Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. In 1972, he founded Leete’s Island Books, a small publishing house specializing in literary reprints, the essay, photography, the environment, and profiles of indigenous healers and practitioners of complimentary medicine around the world. He holds a profound interest in Maine, its history, its people, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life.

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 1/7/22: A talk with Glenn Libby and Tony Small, authors of “Caught: Time, Place, Fish”

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 20:00:05 +0000

Host: Peter Neill Producer: Trisha Badger Host Peter Neill’s guests this month are Glenn Libby and Antonia Small, authors of the book “Caught: Time, Place, Fish”. Glenn is a working fisherman, proprietor of Port Clyde Fresh Catch, and an advocate for fishing policy in Maine; Toni is a photographer, educator and ocean advocate. In this episode they discuss their book, portraits and essays on fisheries and fishers, an essential aspect of the spirit of Maine. #Maine Fisheries #Fishing Policy #Working Waterfront #Sustainable, Local Fisheries #Photography Guests: Glenn Libby and Antonia Small: Glenn is a working fisherman, proprietor of Port Clyde Fresh Catch, and an advocate for fishing policy in Maine. Toni is a photographer, educator and ocean advocate. Together they co-authored “Caught: Time, Place, Fish“, an account of the beauty, fragility and profound change that characterizes fishing, fishing families, and the communities who depend on them. Through portraits and essays, “Caught” chronicles the individual and community efforts to transform a way of life for all who depend on the ocean’s bounty. About the host: Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. In 1972, he founded Leete’s Island Books, a small publishing house specializing in literary reprints, the essay, photography, the environment, and profiles of indigenous healers and practitioners of complimentary medicine around the world. He holds a profound interest in Maine, its history, its people, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life.

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 12/3/21: Talking with Lincoln Paine

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 03 Dec 2021 20:00:43 +0000

Host: Peter Neill Producer: Trisha Badger Peter Neill’s guest for Friday, December 3rd is Lincoln Paine, maritime historian and, author of “The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World”, and “Down East: An Illustrated History of Maritime Maine”. This is a fascinating discussion about the history of our coastal places in Maine–from the days when England declared every white pine in the State to be the King’s property, to the future of Maine’s coasts—from industry to how and where we go for recreation and renewal. -Maine History -Maritime History -Spirit of place, community -Logging and shipbuilding Guest: Lincoln Paine, maritime historian and, author of “The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World”, and “Down East: An Illustrated History of Maritime Maine” published by Tilbury House. About the host: Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. In 1972, he founded Leete’s Island Books, a small publishing house specializing in literary reprints, the essay, photography, the environment, and profiles of indigenous healers and practitioners of complimentary medicine around the world. He holds a profound interest in Maine, its history, its people, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life.

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 11/5/21: “Mythical Creatures of Maine: Fantastic Beasts from Legend and Folklore”

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 20:00:40 +0000

Host: Peter Neill Producer: Trisha Badger Conversations from the Pointed Firs, talking with Christopher Packard, author of “Mythical Creatures of Maine: Fantastic Beasts from Legend and Folklore”. Chris is a full-time high school science teacher, and prior to taking up teaching and writing he worked as an ecological restoration technician, field biologist, naturalist, and outdoor educator. His new book explores rich Maine folklore—tales of humans confronted by strange beasts, both wonderful and terrifying. Based on meticulous research into legend and folk tale, the resulting book is an encyclopedia, a field guide to the mythical creatures that maybe can be found in Maine and beyond—if you’re looking in the right places. -Maine History -Nature -Spirit of place, community -Logging and the outdoors -Myth, Legend, Folklore -Maine writing Guest: Christopher Packard, author of “Mythical Creatures of Maine: Fantastic Beasts from Legend and Folklore” published by Downeast Books (September 1, 2021) About the host: Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. In 1972, he founded Leete’s Island Books, a small publishing house specializing in literary reprints, the essay, photography, the environment, and profiles of indigenous healers and practitioners of complimentary medicine around the world. He holds a profound interest in Maine, its history, its people, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life.

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 10/1/21: “The Historic Taverns and Tearooms of Maine”- an interview with the authors

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 20:00:46 +0000

Host: Peter Neill Producer: Trisha Badger The guests for Friday, October 1st are Kathy and Bill Kenny, authors of “The Historic Taverns and Tearooms of Maine” published by the History Press of Charleston, South Carolina (May 31, 2021). The conversation centers around the social history and political culture of Maine as nurtured in unexpected places. -Maine History -Prohibition -Spirit of place, community -Women’s suffrage -Taverns and tearooms About the host: Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. In 1972, he founded Leete’s Island Books, a small publishing house specializing in literary reprints, the essay, photography, the environment, and profiles of indigenous healers and practitioners of complimentary medicine around the world. He holds a profound interest in Maine, its history, its people, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life.

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 9/3/21 Earl H Smith “Downeast Genius: From Earmuffs to Motor Cars, Maine Inventors…”

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 20:00:04 +0000

Host: Peter Neill Producer: Trisha Badger The guest for Friday, September 3rd is Earl H Smith, a native of Waterville, a 40-year veteran of Colby College, former dean of the college, recently retired, and author of “Downeast Genius: From Earmuffs to Motor Cars, Maine Inventors who Changed the World”. Key Discussion Points: -INVENTION -MAKER CULTURE, FIX-IT CULTURE -SPIRIT OF PLACE -HISTORY OF INVENTIONS AND PATENTS Guest: EARL H SMITH, AUTHOR, HISTORIAN, NATIVE OF MAINE About the host: Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. In 1972, he founded Leete’s Island Books, a small publishing house specializing in literary reprints, the essay, photography, the environment, and profiles of indigenous healers and practitioners of complimentary medicine around the world. He holds a profound interest in Maine, its history, its people, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life.

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 8/6/21: Gordon Bok

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 20:10:27 +0000

Host: Peter Neill Producer: Trisha Badger The guest for Friday, August 6th is Gordon Bok, sailor, singer, songwriter, storyteller, woodworker, sculptor, and keeper of Atlantic memory and traditional music. He and host Peter Neill will discuss traditional ways of thinking that are unique to Maine, to the Atlantic coast, and to the cultural flow of humanity as informed and shaped by our ocean world. Key Discussion Points: MUSIC & SONG THE NATURAL WORLD AND THE MAINE COAST SPIRIT OF PLACE TRADITIONAL SKILLS AND MUSIC Guest: GORDON BOK, SINGER, SONGWRITER About the host: Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. In 1972, he founded Leete’s Island Books, a small publishing house specializing in literary reprints, the essay, photography, the environment, and profiles of indigenous healers and practitioners of complimentary medicine around the world. He holds a profound interest in Maine, its history, its people, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life.

The post Conversations from the Pointed Firs 8/6/21: Gordon Bok first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

Conversations from the Pointed Firs 7/2/21: An interview with Rob McCall, minister, musician & creator of Awanadjo Almanack

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 20:00:42 +0000

Host: Peter Neill Producer: Trisha Badger The guest this month is Rob McCall, minister and musician and creator of the Awanadjo Almanack heard here on WERU and circulated across Maine in various publications and through his most recent book, Some Glad Morning, Holding Hope in Apocalyptic Times. Rob and Peter will be discussing the tradition of Nature writing in Maine, the characteristics of the genre, and the various methodologies and principles that underlie this special means by which to evoke and understand the natural world that surrounds us. About the host: Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. In 1972, he founded Leete’s Island Books, a small publishing house specializing in literary reprints, the essay, photography, the environment, and profiles of indigenous healers and practitioners of complimentary medicine around the world. He holds a profound interest in Maine, its history, its people, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life.

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs 6/4/21: Chris Newell of the Abbe Museum

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 20:00:01 +0000

Host: Peter Neill Producer: Trisha Badger The guest is Chris Newell, recently appointed director of the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor. Chris is a member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe and he joins Peter Neill for a discussion about the museum as storyteller and keeper of historical art, artifact and authenticity. This conversation evokes the spirit of Maine as seen through the history of the Wabanaki, the native people who have lived here since the beginning. Peter also talks with Chris about his time with the Mystic River Singers, an internationally acclaimed and award-winning Pow Wow drum group based out of Connecticut. Chris believes that education, storytelling and song are the paths to making the world a better place for all people and for creating a better, well-informed future for us all. Conversations from the Pointed Firs is a new one-hour interview program hosted by Peter Neill with authors and artists attempting to capture the elusive elements of this special place in which we live. About the host: Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. In 1972, he founded Leete’s Island Books, a small publishing house specializing in literary reprints, the essay, photography, the environment, and profiles of indigenous healers and practitioners of complimentary medicine around the world. He holds a profound interest in Maine, its history, its people, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life.

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Conversations from the Pointed Firs DEBUT 5/7/21: Mihku Paul on “Wilderness”

WERU-FM 89.9 — Fri, 07 May 2021 20:00:19 +0000

Host: Peter Neill Producer: Trisha Badger Mikhu Paul, indigenous native of Maine, poet, educator, and activist, discussing concepts of “wilderness,” relationship with Nature as established by first peoples, and her experience growing up in Maine as expressed through her reading of eloquent, personal poems and thoughts on spirit of place. Conversations from the Pointed Firs is a new one-hour interview program hosted by Peter Neill with authors and artists attempting to capture the elusive elements of this special place in which we live. About the host: Peter Neill is founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based place of exchange for information and educational services about the health of the ocean. In 1972, he founded Leete’s Island Books, a small publishing house specializing in literary reprints, the essay, photography, the environment, and profiles of indigenous healers and practitioners of complimentary medicine around the world. He holds a profound interest in Maine, its history, its people, its culture, and its contribution to community and quality of life.

The post Conversations from the Pointed Firs DEBUT 5/7/21: Mihku Paul on “Wilderness” first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.