The Island Reader has great poems, stories, and photos of Maine’s islands

The Maine Seacoast Mission does a lot for people in Downeast communities and on our islands. And one thing they do that benefits all of us is publish books of poems, stories, and beautiful photos by Maine islanders. Their latest book, published in the summer of 2020, is really great.

Linda and I love Maine’s islands, and our favorites are Monhegan and Swan’s Island, both of which are featured in this book. Kristen Lindquist wrote a wonderful story about a massive number of migrating monarch butterflies which take a break on Monhegan.

Adrian Lyn’s story of a remote beach on Swan’s Island brought back great memories. Linda and I loved that beach and spent time there every time we visited the island. You drive down a gravel road, park and walk quite ways through the woods to get to the beach, which was never crowded. Sometimes we were the only ones on the beach.

I’m sure you will find some favorite poems and stories in this book, and I guarantee you will love the photos.

Linda and I were visiting an island once when the Seacoast Mission’s ship docked there to deliver food and other things. We got to tour the boat and visit with the staff, and were very impressed with all they were doing for islanders.

I hope you will get this book, because I know you will enjoy it, and if you can, visit a Maine island, for an unforgettable experience.

George Smith

About George Smith

George stepped down at the end of 2010 after 18 years as the executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine to write full time. He writes a weekly editorial page column in the Kennebec Journal and Waterville Morning Sentinel, a weekly travel column in those same newspapers (with his wife Linda), monthly columns in The Maine Sportsman magazine, two outdoor news blogs (one on his website, georgesmithmaine.com, and one on the website of the Bangor Daily News), and special columns for many publications and newsletters. Islandport Press published a book of George's favorite columns, "A Life Lived Outdoors" in 2014. In 2014, George also won a Maine Press Association award for writing the state's bet sports blog. In 2016, Down East Books published George's book, Maine Sporting Camps, and Islandport Press published George and his wife Linda's travel book, Take It From ME, about their favorite Maine inns and restaurants.