Every month or so, Dwane Bowen drives two hours across Pennsylvania to buy cookies, brownies and sticky buns from a vegan bakery in Bethlehem – and he’s not even vegan. “A friend brought me here about a year ago,” says Bowen, “and I said, ‘It better be damn good if we’re driving two hours just […]

Online marketplace Etsy is often the go-to place for shoppers looking for unique, hand-made gifts. Turns out it’s also a place for gifts that are unique, hand-made and local. Hundreds of Mainers have shops on Etsy, selling everything from maple sugar to dinosaur-shaped menorahs, adult mittens to pearl necklaces for your cat. “They’re just incredible […]

With the madness of the presidential election still dominating the headlines, it seems like it must be a golden time for comedy. And that’s good ,because to hear comic Benjamin Roberts tell it, there has never been more talent in Maine at one time. The Leeds man ought to know. Roberts  was an average working […]

Chris Stowe worked on a bomb squad during six deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Between tours he sought help for the headaches, anxiety, memory loss and other symptoms of trauma and brain injuries he suffered while being exposed to hundreds of blasts. He tried talk therapy, medication and a self-prescribed regimen of yoga and meditation, […]

Takes care of the peer pressure problem On my first day at my current job, one of my colleagues brought in a dozen doughnuts to welcome me to the team. I love doughnuts. And pie. And cake and ice cream and french fries and pancakes. But I almost never eat those things anymore. Instead of […]

Produced by Maine Poetry Central and Dennis Camire This week’s poem by former Portland Poet Laureate Martin Steingesser expresses wonderful longing to fully inhabit the moment and, hence, appreciate the beauty that surrounds us wherever we are in Maine.   The Gift East End Beach, Portland By Martin Steingesser Stop awhile, here at water’s edge, […]

Whether you’re hosting a holiday party or bringing nibbles to share, appetizers always seem to be a crowd pleaser — especially when you are satisfying hungry guests with the likes of smoked salmon, bruschetta or an antipasto platter. Cindy Gelinas of Raymond is a volunteer cooking instructor who loves to entertain during the season when […]