Another successful Art and Soul took place on July 18th – a beautiful sunny day, of course.
This biennial event benefits the library. This year’s event included creative and beautiful baskets, a silent art auction at the Dodwell Gallery, food and flowers for sale, and a lovely exhibit of art books. And our perpetual book sale in the basement rounded out the appeal to come support the library!
We have a new way to access books on the island – a charming Little Free Library has appeared in the community garden, which makes perfect sense to me, as I think community gardens have a lot in common with community libraries, including seed libraries, providing a place to read and ponder, and a space to feed our body and soul. This one came about through the love of friends of Dan and Alisa Barton. Alisa shares her story here:
Thanks for noticing our special, whimsical Little Free Library, which came into being back in June of 2019 but finally found a home in June of 2026, thanks to the board of the community garden.
The provenance of the library is a story of true friendship. It was designed and built as a surprise – to both Dan and me – for my birthday. It was the brainchild of our close friend, Nancy Langmeyer, who regularly visits us here on the island from Newburyport, MA. She secretly organized a design-build team of friends: (then) islanders Judy Paolini and Jim Thibault and Hope and Dave Madsen, as well as frequent island visitors Carolyn and Jim Wagner.
Judy had found a photo of a playful Little Free Library and this inspired the design. She says the colors of the box are “Alisa colors”. Afterwards, she realized that the door of the library box in the photo wasn’t really angled, it just appeared to be, given the perspective of the photo. We, however, love the fun and unique door that they installed in our box.
Placing the box proved tricky. Our property is on the East end of the island in one of the little off-road neighborhoods and it doesn’t have any road frontage. We also love both Brenda’s box, which was the first on the island, and the library, and didn’t want to take away from either of them. Last year we had the brainstorm that placing the box at the community garden was a central location that could be easily accessed by not only islanders but also visitors. We are very grateful that the board of the garden was kind enough to approve its placement there.
Nancy registered the box with the Little Free Library association and asked us how we wanted to dedicate the box. We chose to honor both our son Christopher and our island community. Christopher, who passed away in 2015, came to the island his whole life and loved it deeply. It is one of the places we feel his spirit strongly. In addition to the island, Chris had a passion for knowledge and learning and loved to read. We are happy to be able to commemorate both of these things he loved through the Little Free Library.
People often wonder what life is like on an island in the winter – “what do you do out there?” Don’t you feel isolated?” “I couldn’t live on an island in the winter. ” If only they knew how much there is to do and see, with the library at the center of activities on the island.
Visiting the library in the winter is such a visual treat, with so many warm touches. The little glass exhibit case currently has an exhibit of mugs belonging to Maxine Harmon, herself a skilled ceramicist. In the Dodwell gallery, there is a lovely display of flowering bulbs such as amaryllis and paper whites, lovingly tended by Robin, one of our librarians, who is a master gardener. At the entrance to the library is a wonderful display related to knitting, complete with yarn and needles, and beautiful and inspiring books. And we now have, just in time for Valentine’s Day, a sweet exhibit of wedding history in the Dodwell Gallery, “To love and to cherish – more than a century of wedding dresses and their stories,” with brides ranging from many years ago up until recently, including Nancy Jordan, Marci Train, Beth Marchak, and Emma Brundige. The exhibit include wedding gowns and dresses, photographs, and invitations.
Beyond all these visual displays, there is a jigsaw puzzle to work on, and a relaxing area to read. Light comes pouring into the big windows, bringing an extra layer of warmth to a chilly winter’s day. And of course books, games, and jigsaw puzzles to bring home to enjoy in a cozy nook or by the fire.
In addition, there are fun activities to enjoy in the library, such as “Tacos and trivia,” “Love letters to Long Island,” and jigsaw puzzle competitions. There’s also a monthly book group, and a weekly knitting group. Indeed, if one feels the need to be someplace cheerful and warm, and spending time with kindred spirits, the library is the place to be – especially on a winter’s day.
When November arrives and it gets colder and darker, most of us begin to either head south or turn inwards. Turning inwards can mean different things to different people, but in this season of Thanksgiving, it seems like a perfect time to give thanks for many of our island blessings, including:
-The Long Island Community Library. This beautiful library was lovingly and thoughtfully brought into being over 20 years ago, led by a committee with Nancy Jordan at the helm. Designed by architect Frank Oliva, this light-filled and comfortable space is a wonderful haven in the summer for holidaying island families, as well as a place of warmth and coziness in the winter (especially during a power outage). It’s not only a place to find books, but a gathering space where one can enjoy working on puzzles or reading in the nook.
-The Long Island Community Library board, including the Friends of the Long Island Community Library. This passionate group of folks, ably led by Katie McGarry, meets regularly to discuss the needs of the library, and plans all the great events and fundraising activities that bring us joy (and funding). I’m also grateful for all the volunteers that make the library run as many hours as it does.
-The Long Island Community Library librarians. Our co-library directors, Robin Goodell and Katie Norton, keep our library running smoothly, with grace and expertise. From the outside looking in, they make it look easy! They build on a tradition created by previous librarians, including Paula Johnson, Nancy Jordan, and Connie Brayley.
-The LICL book group. Started a few years ago, this core group of 10-15 readers gathers once a month to talk about a variety of books, chosen democratically among our group. From time to time we’ll bring in a guest author, or just an expert in the subject of the books. We even have dedicated folks who come from off island to join us, just for the book group.
-The small glass case, currently curated by Karen Boss. This case is a great way to showcase community treasures, whether an individual’s collection, or a “group show.”
-The Dodwell Gallery, which brings to us larger works, in a similar vein – a solo show, such as the current show by Jennifer Wood, or a group of artwork with a theme, such as this summer’s nature photography show. There is always something visual to enjoy on a visit to the library, thanks to our current curatorial team, Jeanne Handy and Richard Mitchell.
-Our community of readers. When we first moved here it was such fun to find books in our mailbox, and share recommendations with each other. Living on an island is a perfect place to be a reader, and those of us who are commuters especially love having that built in reading time on the ferry. Besides the Long Island Community Library, we have avenues to books, such as little free libraries, and the Evergreen United Methodist Church library. It’s a joy to live in a community where if the conversation dwindles, we can always talk about books!
Happy Thanksgiving to all! And happy reading in the winter months to come, wherever you are.
Who knew there were edible book festivals? The International Edible Book Festival is an annual event usually held on or around April 1, which is also known as Edible Book Day. The global event has been celebrated since 2000 in various parts of the world, where “edible books” are created, displayed, and small events are held.
The Portland Public Library used to hold these festivals, as well as other libraries in Maine.
Ordinarily edible “books” are cakes, but this summer the talented and creative board of the Long Island Community Library took it one step further and created all sorts of lovely (and delicious) interpretations of books turned into food, such as slushies (“Frozen river” by Ariel Lawhon), a vegetable plate (“The tiny seed” by Eric Carle), pigs-in-a-blank (“Charlotte’s web” by E.B. White), chili (“Like water for chocolate” by Laura Esquivel), muffins (“If you give a moose a muffin” by Laura Joffe Numeroff), peach cobbler (“James and the giant peach” by Roald Dahl, raspberry cordial (“Anne of Green Gables” by Lucy Maud Montgomery), iced tea (“The tea girl of Hummingbird Lane” by Lisa See), and branches of blueberries (“The berry pickers” by Amanda Peters). And many other clever and tasty treats.
During this annual event at LICL to honor and thank the library volunteers, this impressive edible book festival was a wonderful celebration of food – and books!
Mary Caliandro had a dream – to return home to Long Island, after many years living elsewhere, most recently Chattanooga, Tennessee. So, a year ago Mary and her husband, Chris Mobley, ventured north and landed in the end condo down front, alongside the road leading down to Ponce’s Landing. Mary had another smaller dream, to put up a “little free library,” to offer books to the community. The location is perfect, as this crossroads is walked by many, on their way to the beach or Bakehouse, or beyond. Mary has been involved in books and reading and libraries for most of her life, and this is her way of giving back.
So, a few months ago, her smaller dream came to fruition, thanks to Mary’s cousin Robbie, who made and brought the little free library out to the island for Mary’s birthday, and Tom McVey, who installed it on the planter. The library has slowly become populated, most recently by children’s books, and more donations are welcome.
Mary’s favorite author is Stephen King – she has read all of his books. She also enjoys all types of fiction, non-fiction, mysteries, and biographies – most recently she read one about Jimmy Carter.
At the end of the summer Mary and Chris are moving from one end of the condos to the other, and will be moving the little free library with them – still a great location, and perhaps a bit more sheltered for the upcoming winter season, which is when we will need books more than ever. Mary says, about her little free library, “It’s a pleasure to have it” – and we are happy to have Mary and Chris here on the island, sharing their passion for books and reading, and brightening up their small corner of Long Island.
How many people have bottles in their homes that they have found in their travels or even in their own backyard? The new exhibit at our island library share some of these beautiful bottles, collected by islanders, including Alyssa Poulin, Dave Singo, Henry MacVane, Tommy Marr, Lou Zeppiere, Christy Floyd Muesse, Nancy Thornston, Judy and Tim Churchard, Rennie and Joe Donovan, Shawn and Alanna Rich, Steve and Marci Train, Curt Murley, Nancy Thornton, Kim Preston, Beth Marchak and Steve Hart, Jack and Lisa Sullivan, Lou Zeppieri, Barbara and Dave Ramey, Nancy Berges, and Paula and David Johnson.
There are all kinds of bottles, of all shapes and sizes and colors. There’s a vintage milk bottle, a ballast bottle (when filled with liquid and placed on a ship, the bottle remains upright when the ship lists), bottles with images on them (horse, Miss America), and even a heart shaped bottle.
Come enjoy this beautiful collection of bottles, especially on a sunny day when the sun streams through the windows, turning these objects into glorious light filled treasures.
Currently on exhibit at the Long Island Community Library is another brilliant display from the clever mind of Karen Boss, the small glass case curator: Borrowed Christmas, which showcases part or all of creches or nativity sets belong to Long Islanders. This is a great exhibit on many levels, especially for those of us who have incomplete creches, or have figures that are broken. But put together we can create a complete creche – very symbolic of life itself. Not all of us have perfect creches, or perfect lives, so it’s lovely to think of a mismatched ragtag group gathering around the baby Jesus.
Also, for those who celebrate Epiphany, the wise men are often placed far from the creche, and as Epiphany draws near, so do the wise men. As Advent progresses, through the birth of Jesus, the scene is incomplete until all draw near, and 12 days later, all are together, worshipping the Christ Child.
To make this display even more interesting we have a menorah. Even though Hanukkah isn’t the Jewish Christmas, there are definitely connections that could be made, to add an extra layer to the month of December.
Come see these lovely manger scene figurines and menorah, contributed by Carlene Barron, Rose Barter, Cheryl Boss, Karen Boss, Mary Caliandro, Candy Dale/Jim Schine, Linda McCann, Nancy Noble, Diane Watts, Betsy Whitman, and Dave Singo (see the December 2018 blog about Dave Singo’s lovely exhibit of his ceramic nativity scene that he created).
It’s that time again! The biannual fundraiser of the Long Island Community Library. Where else can you buy books, flowers, and baked goods, as well as bid on artwork and purchase raffle tickets for beautiful themed baskets created by island organizations and individuals. There were even opportunities to listen to great music and create paper flowers. Mostly it’s a fine time to gather with island friends and neighbors and celebrate our wonderful island library, on a gorgeous July (20th) day.
In this month of March, when we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, I would like to share with you another wonderful treasure in the Portland Room of the Portland Public Library, the Cuala Press collection. This special collection of greeting cards, prints, and book covers was given to the public library by James Augustine Healy (1890-1975), a philanthropist and active proponent of Irish literature. He also gave Cuala Press materials to Colby College. (Healy had a summer home on Chebeague Island, to give further connection to our island community). The Maine Irish Heritage Center also owns some Cuala Press books.
The Cuala Press (pronounced coo-la) was an Irish private press set up in 1908 by Elizabeth Yeats and Lily Yeats, the sisters of William Butler Yeats, the Irish poet, dramatist, and writer. Their brother Jack provided illustrations for some of the works of the press, which promoted Irish cultural heritage and decorative arts. It was also the only Arts and Crafts press to be run and staffed by women (which also helps us to celebrate Women’s History Month in March).
