Conversations From the Pointed Firs

Our guest for March is Kimberly Ridley, science writer, essayist, 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, and Extreme Survivors: Animals That Time Forgot. And published this year is 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. 

Our guest for February is William (Bill) Carpenter, author of "Silence", published by Islandport Press in 2021, as well as other works of poetry and fiction. He and host Peter Neill discuss the 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.

Guests for this edition of Conversations from the Pointed Firs 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. 

Peter Neill’s guest this month 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. 

This month's Pointed Firs conversation is 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. 

This month we're talking with Kathy and Bill Kenny, authors of "Historic Taverns and Tea Rooms of Maine" published by the History Press of Charleston, South Carolina. The conversation centers around the social history and political culture of Maine as nurtured in unexpected places. 

Our guest this week is Earl H Smith, a native of Waterville, Maine,  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"

This month our guest 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. 

This month's guest is Rob McCall, minister and musician and creator of the Awanadjo Almanack heard on WERU-FM and circulated across Maine in various publications and through his most recent book, Some Glad Morning, Holding Hope in Apocalyptic Times. Rob and Peter discuss 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. 

What is the spirit of Maine? Conversations from the Pointed Firs is a new one-hour interview program with artists and authors attempting to capture the elusive elements of this special place in which we live. Our guest this week is Chris Newell, director of the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, proud citizen of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, a member of the Mystic River Singers, educator and a storyteller. The conversation revolves around the role of museum as keeper of artifacts and stories specific to Maine, and how to release that power and inform through the shared understanding of wilderness and tradition.