Stonington Public Library

Rosswords: Sunday Solve
2025-10-05 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-09-07 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-08-03 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
Grab your pencils and sharpen your minds! Join Chris Ross for a group crossword solve on the first Sunday of every month. All welcome.

Author Event: The Glass Eel by J.J. Viertel
2025-09-28 13:00 - 14:00 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
Reading and book signing with local author Jack Viertel. He co-authored his debut Maine thriller, The Glass Eel, with his son Josh Viertel. Copies will be available to purchase at the event, or pick it up in advance at Blue Hill Books.
About J.J. Viertel
J. J. Viertel is the pseudonym used by the father-son writing team of Jack and Josh Viertel who live in Maine and New York. With Josh Viertel’s background in environmental activism and organic farming and Jack Viertel’s deep roots in storytelling and theater, the duo offers a novel that’s as grounded in real-life experience as it is gripping in plot. They mostly write in Szechuan restaurants, but occasionally retreat to a shared Google doc, or a sofa overlooking Eggemogin Reach on the coast of Maine. The Glass Eel is their debut thriller. Read more about the authors on their website.
About The Glass Eel
In this gripping debut thriller, struggling divorcée Jeanette King becomes embroiled in a criminal ring when she discovers her ex-husband’s cache of elvers—two-inch-long baby eels that fetch $2000 a pound on the black market.
Caterpillar Island is off the central coast of Maine—beloved vacationland of lobster bakes and quaint fried clam shacks, kayaking and country houses. At night, though, by the light of a headlamp, the island is alive with cash, guns, and poachers. Oxy addicts, struggling retirees, and unemployable deadbeats dip their nets in the creeks to catch elvers which are smuggled to Korea where they are raised then processed into unagi for the international sushi market.
Into this dark and dangerous world falls Jeanette King, who has, up to this moment, been earning her meager living mainly by picking and packaging peekytoe crab meat for shipment to New York and Boston. As Jeanette gets drawn into a fast moving story of risk and violent consequences she enlists the aid of a local policeman and an Indigenous activist. Together they try to set things right for the people and the planet, but the deeper they dig the more dangerous things get. An ensuing procession of colorful locals, corrupt state politicians, and treacherous outsiders weaves a tale that reveals the underbelly of a deadly business.

Downeast with SPL: Kathy O'Rourke & Rugosa Rose
2025-09-26 18:00 - 19:30 | John Rohman’s Barn, 16 Thurlows Hill, Stonington, ME, 04681
Three Stonington women make up the Rugosa Rose trio: Cindy Coombs (left), Lynn Winters (right), and Kathy O’Rourke (center). Cindy is a Maine native, while both Lynn and Kathy have chosen to retire here. They weave harmonies through an eclectic mix of folk, pop, country, and soft rock classics and originals, Cindy and Kathy accompanying on guitar and Lynn on mandolin. Their music is a big part of their personal happiness, and they take great pleasure in sharing it with others.
Kathy O’Rourke will also perform a selection of her original songs both solo and accompanied by musician friends.

Admission by donation at the door. Contact SPL at phone or email below to reserve a seat.
Downeast with SPL is a fundraising series showcasing local makers, producers, and artists. These small, intimate gatherings are a chance to meet the people and businesses behind the tastes and beauty and moments that we love about Downeast Maine. Our partners are generously donating their time and services and handmade goods to support Stonington Public Library’s mission.

Savor the Wild
2025-09-24 17:00 - 18:00 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
Supporting Maine’s Blueberry Growers and Preserving Open Land by Winemaking
Join us for an inspiring presentation by Michael Terrien, founder and winemaker of Bluet Maine Wild Blueberry Sparkling Wine, as he shares the story of Maine’s 10,000-year-old indigenous wild blueberry, exploring its rich ecology and cultural history. What began as a romantic, terroir-inspired journey has evolved into a mission to support the families who tend these wild fields by paying a premium for their fruit, recognizing the value of blueberry wine as a way to sustain blueberry fields and the iconic Maine landscape. Michael will highlight Bluet’s efforts to grow nationally and encourage others to craft blueberry wine, with a hopeful message about land preservation amid threats of development.
Michael Terrien is a California-based winemaker, born in Harpswell, Maine, on a fading saltwater farm. After swordfishing with Linda Greenlaw and earning a BA in philosophy, he moved west for a degree in Enology from UC Davis. Over the past 30 years, Michael has crafted wines, especially Pinot Noir, with a deep appreciation for expressing terroir. In 2012, he co-founded Bluet Maine Wild Blueberry Sparkling Wine, a crisp wine made from only Maine blueberries. Inspired by the belief that wine—at its best—should reflect the land, Bluet celebrates Maine’s indigenous blueberries and the extraordinary landscapes where they have always thrived.
During his regular visits to Stonington, Michael stays with his mother Suzy Van Wye and Richard Barnes.

Reader's Choice: The Eyes & the Impossible
2025-09-22 18:30 - 19:30 | Zoom, Virtual
Reader’s Choice: Laura Watson
Monthly SPL book club that meets on Zoom. Contact SPL at email below to join the book club mailing list.
The Eyes & the Impossible by Dave Eggers
MILS catalog record
“Johannes is a free dog, a fast dog. He lives in an urban park by the sea, and every day, he runs through the park, seeing all, missing nothing, and reporting what he sees to the park’s three ancient Bison, the Keepers of Equilibrium. But the Equilibrium has been disrupted. Mysterious rectangles are hypnotizing Johannes, the humans are erecting a mysterious new building, and an entirely new kind of animal has arrived in the park. Johannes must see better, run faster, and ultimately do more than run and see—he must liberate those he loves.” – From cover jacket
About Laura
Hometown and current residence: I was born and raised in Chicago and still live there, none of this suburban stuff. I mean that I live within the city limits. My house is near Lake Michigan on the northside of the city. I am a very urban person outside of Maine and childhood summers in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. Water is a very strong element in my interests and life. I think that I was born with a “water gene.” I love to sail, kayak—be out on water.
Connection to the island: My Maine connection is through my brother-in-law, Ron Watson, a local business owner. Ron moved to Stonington in the 1970s to build 54-feet fishing boats. At that point my husband, Bob, and I started to come to Maine in the summers to visit with Ron. I typically visit in July or August for about a month. I plan to continue that even though Bob died in 2022.
Why do you read? I have always liked reading since childhood. I snuck a flashlight under my blanket to keep reading past my bedtime. I took out the maximum number of books allowed at my school and local public library. It transported me to new places, new experiences and new ideas. It could be exciting, adventurous and at times, thrilling. For a while when my kids were very young and I was working, I didn’t have much time to read and I missed it. Now I belong to two book clubs, probably because of the isolation of Covid. I want to be exposed to literature/books outside my comfort zone, knowledge or usual interests. I like to be challenged, listen to other people’s observations and perspectives, and share pleasures of a book or talk over ideas or passages which perplexed me.
What genre do you hate to read? I really dislike dystopic fiction, which has made me shy away from sci-fi and murder mysteries or explorations of depression. That does not mean that I do not read fairly grim non-fiction or historical fiction—in those cases, it happened anyway and I need to deal with that.
Last book you LOVED: Forgive me for naming two books that I loved this year. 1. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver for so many reasons. I adored the beginning of the book. It grabbed me almost immediately and wouldn’t let me go. 2. Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. It is so beautifully written and it made me cry. (That’s a high compliment).
Currently reading: I am currently reading Sonata in Wax by Edward Hamlin.
Why did you choose The Eyes & the Impossible? I became aware of this book first as an audiobook. I didn’t even realize that it was a middle school book until I was nearing the end. I liked the unusual narrator, Johannes a wild dog. It was joyous, humorous and imaginative to see the human world and natural world through an animal’s eyes. It borders on fantasy fiction because the animals can communicate, they meet together and plan, and we can understand them. On the other hand, the animals are not magical, they are mostly restricted to behaving like animals of their species. The humans in the story continue to see them as animals. I think that it explores and supports strong, positive (human) characteristics like trust, loyalty and community. I believe that it a well-told story which can delight and speak to all ages.

Story Time
2025-09-13 10:00 - 11:00 | ME
Monthly story time with hands-on activity. Fun for kids of all ages!
SPL hosts story time on the second Saturday of every month from 10-11am. Check our website or social media (@stoningtonpublicllibrary) for details, because we often go offsite to various island locations for story time.

Read with Tenny – a Pre-K program
2025-09-09 11:00 - 11:30, 2025-08-12 11:00 - 11:30 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
Visit and read with certified therapy dog, Tenny, on the second Tuesday of every month at 11am. His person, Jessica Shively, will bring him by SPL to meet some of our youngest patrons and their families. It’s a chance for kids to learn new ways of interacting with a dog and with each other in a (loosely) structured activity. Tenny is a 3 year old, 105 pound Great Pyrenees mix who grew up on the Maine coast. He loves love and sharing it with other people. His human, Jessica, moved to Stonington from Castine in the summer and spends her days beachcombing with Tenny and exploring new hiking trails. Follow Tenny and Jessica on Instagram.

Downeast with SPL: Abby Litman Concert
2025-08-31 18:30 - 20:00 | John Rohman’s Barn, 16 Thurlows Hill, Stonington, ME, 04681
Stonington-based singer-songwriter Abby Litman is a rising star in the folk genre whose songs marry the lyrical traditions of American roots music with innovative acoustic arrangements and modern concepts. Check out Abby on her website and Instagram.
Admission by donation at the door. Contact SPL at phone or email below to reserve a seat.
Downeast with SPL is a fundraising series showcasing local makers, producers, and artists. These small, intimate gatherings are a chance to meet the people and businesses behind the tastes and beauty and moments that we love about Downeast Maine. Our partners are generously donating their time and services and handmade goods to support Stonington Public Library’s mission.

Libby Buck Reading & Book Signing
2025-08-29 16:30 - 17:30 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
Port Anna by Libby Buck
“North Carolina college writing instructor Gwen Gilmore returns to coastal Port Anna, Maine, after losing her job, her boyfriend, and her confidence. She hasn’t been back for 23 years, ever since the death of her sister. Now, with only (literal) ghosts for company, she moves back into her family’s Periwinkle Cottage, which is watched over by some benevolent spirits. As Gwen settles back into the small town, she reconnects with old friends, though the dynamics between them feel off as they navigate resentments old and new. Port Anna itself doesn’t feel the same, either, with developers building vacation homes and the case of a missing teenager not getting the attention it needs before the short summer ends and the long cold winter begins. Buck skillfully weaves an immersive narrative, along the way introducing several potential romantic partners for Gwen but giving her time and space to rebuild life before jumping into love.” – Publisher’s Weekly
Libby Buck earned a Ph.D. in art history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She and her husband share three daughters, an English cocker spaniel, and an abiding love for the great state of Maine. Port Anna is her first novel. Her novel will be available to purchase from Blue Hill Books at the event.
Author photo by Gunther Campine.

Seaside Series: Sarah Braunstein
2025-08-27 12:00 - 13:00 | Small Cove Park, 6 Atlantic Avenue, Stonington, ME, 04681
Sarah Braunstein will read from her novel Bad Animals, published by W.W. Norton in March 2024, followed by a conversation and book signing.
About Bad Animals
Now that her brilliant daughter is off at college, buttoned-up Maeve Cosgrove loves her job at her quiet Maine public library more than anything. But when a teenager accuses Maeve—Maeve!—of spying on her romantic escapades in the mezzanine bathroom, she winds up laid off and humiliated. While Maeve attempts to clear her name, her favorite author, Harrison Riddles, finally responds to her invitation to speak at the library. Riddles announces a plan to write a novel about another young library patron, a Sudanese refugee, and enlists Maeve’s help in convincing him to participate. A scheme to get her job back draws Maeve further into Riddles’s universe—where shocking questions about sex, morality, and the purpose of literature threaten to upend her orderly life.
A writer of “savage compassion” (Salvatore Scibona, author of The Volunteer), Sarah Braunstein constructs a shrewd, page-turning caper that explores one woman’s search for agency and ultimate reckoning with the kind of animal she is.
Author Bio
Sarah Braunstein is the author of the novels Bad Animals and The Sweet Relief of Missing Children, as well as a story collection, Baby in a Box, coming summer 2026 from W.W. Norton. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Joyland, Playboy, The Harvard Review, AGNI, Ploughshares, and is forthcoming in The Best American Stories 2025. She teaches in the department of English at Colby College. Read more about Sarah on her website.
The rain venue for all Seaside Series programs is SPL, 64 Main Street.

Music with Abby – a Pre-K program
2025-08-26 11:00 - 11:30, 2025-07-22 13:30 - 14:00 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
Let’s get musical! Explore rhythm and music with island singer, songwriter, and musician Abby Litman. Kids won’t be hushed for making noise in the library. In fact, they’ll be encouraged.

Exhibit Reception: Galen Davis and Rosalie & Gavin Bayley
2025-08-23 14:00 - 16:00 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
Two exhibits will run concurrently at SPL from Tuesday, August 12 through Saturday, November 1. There will be light bites & beverages and live music performed by Rugosa Rose at the reception on Saturday, August 23.

Galen Davis: Off the Beaten Path – Maine Landscapes
Galen Davis is a landscape artist living and working in Brooksville and Isle au Haut, Maine. She has worked in a variety of mediums over the years, but now paints primarily in oils. ​Most of her paintings are of places she’s known and loved for decades. She is drawn to the overall pattern of dark and light and tries to convey something of the beauty and mystery, the starkness and “pull” of these landscapes. Read more about Galen on her website.

Rosalie & Gavin Bayley: The Friendly Maine Lobstermen
All the original artwork from The Friendly Maine Lobstermen, a picture book written by Melissa Jones-Bayley and illustrated by siblings Rosalie and Gavin Bayley, will be on display at SPL. The Friendly Maine Lobstermen was published by Penobscot Books in June 2024.

Downeast with SPL: Deer Isle Oyster Company
2025-08-21 16:00 - 18:00 | Mariners Park, Sunshine Road, Deer Isle, ME, 04627
Slurp, sip, bask: freshly shucked oysters, wine pairings, and a view of Long Cove.
Learn about small-scale oyster and kelp farming on the coast of Maine, enjoy a half dozen freshly shucked oysters with wine pairings presented by Deer Isle Oyster Company founders Abby Barrows & Ben Jackson.
“Our oysters grow in the productive and cold waters of Long Cove, Deer Isle, Maine. Located in Penobscot Bay, the cove has a longstanding history of seafood harvesting, and today supports a community of lobstermen and clam diggers. The farm floats above a soft seafloor, catching nutrient-rich tides while remaining sheltered by the surrounding islands.”
Learn more about Deer Isle Oyster Company here.
To make reservations and for payment information, contact SPL at the phone or email below.
$75 minimum donation
Downeast with SPL is a fundraising series showcasing local makers, producers, and artists. These small, intimate gatherings are a chance to meet the people and businesses behind the tastes and beauty and moments that we love about Downeast Maine. Our partners are generously donating their time and services and handmade goods to support Stonington Public Library’s mission.

Seaside Series: Jessica Berger Gross
2025-08-20 12:00 - 13:00 | Small Cove Park, 6 Atlantic Avenue, Stonington, ME, 04681
Jessica Berger Gross will read from her debut novel Hazel Says No, published by HarperCollins in June 2025, followed by a conversation and book signing.
About Hazel Says No
Hazel Blum, please report to the principal’s office. Hazel Blum.
When Hazel Blum’s father gets a tenured job at a prestigious college, she and her family relocate from the hustle and bustle of Brooklyn to a middle-of-nowhere college town in Maine. With her mother, Claire, a clothing designer, and her father, Gus, an American Studies professor, Hazel and her eleven-year-old brother, Wolf, spend the summer at the town pool, where they acclimate to their new lives and connect with the town’s sprawling community. That is, until a dramatic fallout on the very first day of her senior year tips the fickle balance of idyllic Riverburg and impacts everyone in her family.
Tracking through the perspectives of each member of the Blum family, this relatable fish-out-of-water story handles big issues with great empathy and humor, capturing the love that unites one unforgettable family and the essence of life in small-town Maine. Emotionally deft, authentic, and compulsively readable, Hazel Says No is a debut novel not to be missed.
Author Bio
Jessica Berger Gross is the author of the memoir Estranged: Leaving Family and Finding Home. Her essays have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, The Cut, Longreads, and many other publications. She lives in Maine with her husband and teenage son. Hazel Says No is her first novel. Read more about Jessica on her website and Instagram.
The rain venue for all Seaside Series programs is SPL, 64 Main Street.

Wild Words
2025-08-17 14:30 - 16:30, 2025-08-16 14:30 - 16:30 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
Let your words be wildly free to express your heart’s desire.
Strengthen your connection to words and stories. Through movement, craft, and writing, actively honor your personal story while developing a relationship with the words you select to share your insights and journey. Connect with others who have a desire to courageously share their own writing. Gentle movement and activities will invite writers to get out of our heads and into our hearts to bring our words to life. All levels welcome.
Wild Words will meet on Saturday and Sunday, August 16 and 17, 2:30-4:30pm.
Wild Words will be taught by Victoria Rose, a summer resident of Stonington. Victoria is volunteering her time to teach Wild Words, and there is no fee to participate in the workshop. Donations accepted with 100% going to support SPL. Email SPL to register.
About the Instructor
Victoria’s relationship with words and stories has been both personal and professional. She initiated youth writing workshops in 1997 as a way to allow young writers the opportunity to write what they care about. The workshops continue to evolve while maintaining the essence of creating a sacred space for participants to listen to the stories that are asking to be written. Victoria Rose M.Ed. has been published in the Goose River Anthology, 2023, Urban News and Observer, Asheville Citizen-Times, Fresh, Hudson River Sampler and Hudson Valley Literary Magazine. She taught Writing Memoirs at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. Her workshops have been offered at LEAF (Lake Eden Arts Festival, Black Mountain, NC), Montford Books & More (Asheville NC), and John C. Campbell Folk School. When she’s not writing, you can find her dancing or hiking. Read more about Victoria and Wild Words on her website.

Downeast with SPL: Wine & Cheese Sunset Cruise
2025-08-15 19:00 - 20:30 | Isle au Haut Boat Company, 37 Seabreeze Avenue, Stonington, Maine, 04681
Tasty bites, delicious drinks, breathtaking views!
Sunset cruise with SPL and Isle au Haut Boat Services aboard the Otter. Captain Garret Aldrich will take us on an evening tour of Stonington Harbor with delicious bites and sips—beyond just wine and cheese—for all to enjoy. Bask in a glorious sunset while giving back to a public resource, Stonington Public Library, that opens its doors to everyone.
To make reservations and for payment information, contact SPL at the phone or email below. Please note that SPL is handling all reservations for the sunset cruise.
$100 minimum donation
Downeast with SPL is a fundraising series showcasing local makers, producers, and artists. These small, intimate gatherings are a chance to meet the people and businesses behind the tastes and beauty and moments that we love about Downeast Maine. Our partners are generously donating their time and services and handmade goods to support Stonington Public Library’s mission.

Seaside Series: Lewis Robinson
2025-08-13 12:00 - 13:00 | Small Cove Park, 6 Atlantic Avenue, Stonington, ME, 04681
Lewis Robinson will read from his novel The Islanders, published by Islandport Press in September 2024, followed by a conversation and book signing.
About The Islanders
Shaken by problems at home, confused by the motives of a new love, and reeling from a public meltdown, high school hockey star Walt McNamara joins an exclusive new leadership program controlled by the ultra-wealthy summer residents of Whaleback Island, a granite and spruce oasis off the coast of Maine. But this is no paradise; secrets lurk in its murky waters.
As Walt and his fellow misfits, including the determined Aubrey and fierce Tess, are pushed physically and mentally by ex-military instructors, exposed truths from the island’s past and present slowly reveal the reasons behind their intense training. With danger mounting, Walt, Aubrey, Tess, and the others must use their new skills to sort friend from foe and find a way to survive.
Author Bio
Lewis Robinson is the author of Officer Friendly and Other Stories and Water Dogs, and he is the winner of a Whiting Award, the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award, and a Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. His writing has appeared in Sports Illustrated, The New York Times Book Review, and on the National Public Radio program Selected Shorts. He teaches at the University of Maine at Farmington and lives in Portland, Maine with his family.
Author photograph by Molly Haley, mollyhaley.com.
The rain venue for all Seaside Series programs is SPL, 64 Main Street.

Summer Art Story Time
2025-08-09 10:00 - 11:00 | Small Cove Park, 6 Atlantic Avenue, Stonington, ME, 04681
Island artists lead our summer story time series with read-aloud stories and art activities for kids and their families.We are heading outdoors to Small Cove Park, a few short steps from SPL at 6 Atlantic Avenue (right behind Camden National Bank), to take advantage of the fresh air and natural beauty. All ages welcome.
June 14: Jill Hoy
July 12: Jadyn LaDeau
August 9: Matthew Moncavage
The rain venue for all story time programs is SPL, 64 Main Street.
SPL hosts story time on the second Saturday of every month from 10-11am. Check our website or social media (@stoningtonpublicllibrary) for details, because we often go offsite to various island locations for story time.

Seaside Series: Thomas Gotwals
2025-08-06 12:00 - 13:00 | Small Cove Park, 6 Atlantic Avenue, Stonington, ME, 04681
What Is a Trumpet?
Thomas Gotwals will present What Is a Trumpet?, a talk on the history of the trumpet, followed by live music performed with Frank Gotwals and Renee Sewall, two local musical colleagues.
Thomas Gotwals was born in Northampton, MA and grew up between there and Oceanville, where his great grandfather was born and brought up. He attended Oberlin College & Conservatory in Oberlin, Ohio where he earned bachelor degrees in trumpet playing and classical Greek literature. He also has a masters degree from the Yale School of Music in New Haven, CT.
After teaching music in various independent schools in CT, RI, NY, and Sydney, Australia over the course of 40 years, Thomas moved to Oceanville in 2023 where he lives with his wife and two cats. He has continued to play the trumpet over the years in various rock bands, jazz bands, brass ensembles, chamber orchestras, and churches and currently performs with several bands in the area.
The rain venue for all Seaside Series programs is SPL, 64 Main Street.

Downeast with SPL: Chris Ross Concert
2025-08-02 17:00 - 20:00 | Four Acre Woods Campground, 1181 Sunshine Road, Deer Isle, ME, 04627
Maine musician, singer, and songwriter Chris Ross comes to Four Acre Woods Campground to perform an SPL benefit concert. Check out Chris on Instagram and Facebook.
Pizza by Hearth & Soul from 5-8pm
Music starts at 6pm
Tickets $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Venmo @stoningtonpubliclibrary or reach out to the contact information below to reserve tickets and for other payment options.
Downeast with SPL is a fundraising series showcasing local makers, producers, and artists. These small, intimate gatherings are a chance to meet the people and businesses behind the tastes and beauty and moments that we love about Downeast Maine. Our partners are generously donating their time and services and handmade goods to support Stonington Public Library’s mission.

Downeast with SPL: Modernmaine
2025-08-01 13:30 - 15:30 | Modernmaine Studio, 10 Memorial Lane, Stonington, ME, 04681
Visit the studio where inspiration is transformed into contemporary artist-made lighting. Take home a Modernmaine votive holder.
Studio visit with Modernmaine founder and designer Julie Morringello. Learn how she creates unique light fixtures for homes and businesses. Her work crosses traditional boundaries, in that it is both functional and sculptural, and created from a combination of digital and handmade processes. Most pieces are made from a very thin, translucent wood veneer, to color and pattern may be applied. Take home an original Modernmaine votive holder.
Learn more about Modernmaine here.
To make reservations and for payment information, contact SPL at the phone or email below.
Limited to 12 people
$75 minimum donation
Downeast with SPL is a fundraising series showcasing local makers, producers, and artists. These small, intimate gatherings are a chance to meet the people and businesses behind the tastes and beauty and moments that we love about Downeast Maine. Our partners are generously donating their time and services and handmade goods to support Stonington Public Library’s mission.

Seaside Series: Juniper Ginger
2025-07-30 12:00 - 13:00 | Small Cove Park, 6 Atlantic Avenue, Stonington, ME, 04681
Juniper Ginger is the solo songwriting project of Alex Millan, a southern Maine-based musician and educator. Alex combines her passions for performance and teaching by pulling back the curtain whenever possible – whether it be through writing workshops utilizing the Documentary Songwriting method, “how it’s made” storytelling sessions, or utilizing audience feedback in real time. In this program Alex will perform a set of recently released material, and illuminate the tools and techniques that went into their creation. Lyric geeks rejoice!
When not singing her songs wherever she is welcome to, Alex is a teaching artist and sound engineer for DocSong, frequent collaborator with Stonington faves Dead Gowns, middle school teacher, and cat lover.
Website: www.juniperginger.com
Instagram: @junipergingermusic
The rain venue for all Seaside Series programs is SPL, 64 Main Street.

Reader's Choice: American Spy
2025-07-28 18:30 - 19:30 | Zoom, Virtual
Reader’s Choice: Andrew Stoessel
Monthly SPL book club that meets on Zoom. Contact SPL at email below to join the book club mailing list.
American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson
MILS catalog record
“It’s 1986, the heart of the Cold War, and Marie Mitchell is an intelligence officer with the FBI. She’s brilliant, but she’s also a young black woman working in an old boys’ club. Her career has stalled out, she’s overlooked for every high-profile squad, and her days are filled with monotonous paperwork. So when she’s given the opportunity to join a shadowy task force aimed at undermining Thomas Sankara, the charismatic revolutionary president of Burkina Faso whose communist ideology has made him a target for American intervention, she says yes.” – From cover jacket
About Andrew
Hometown, current residence, and connection to the island: My wife, Sue, and I moved to Stonington in June of 2022. We are permanent, year-round residents here. Prior to our move we lived in Marblehead, Massachusetts. I have been coming to Little Deer Isle and Deer Isle since the 1970’s when our family rented a house on Little Deer Isle. I have returned nearly every year since then. Sue fell in love with the area when she first came in the 1990’s. We decided to move here when we retired from our respective jobs, doing both in 2022!
Why do you read? I read for all the reasons Chris Ross suggests [in original question to readers: information, escape, relaxation and commitment to a specific topic]. For relaxation, escape and insight, I lean towards fiction and poetry: novels (a favorite genre for escape are mystery, detective, and spy novels), poetry (solace and inspiration). I take on the occasional non-fiction as well (history, biographies, current issues).
What genre do you hate to read? And last book you LOVED: I enjoyed reading the SPL October selection, The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean. Horror and science fiction are not my favorite genres, but I did enjoy this book!
Currently reading: I am currently reading Keys to Bonhoeffer’s Haus: Exploring the World and Wisdom of Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Laura M. Fabrycky as part of another book group.
Why did you choose American Spy? I first read, or rather listened to, American Spy while driving to Stonington from Massachusetts in 2019. The book was highlighted in a NY Times review, and I also heard an interview on NPR with the author, Lauren Wilkinson. This coincided with some work I was doing around anti-racism awareness. In 2022 SPL was featuring books by people of color. Chris asked for suggestions toward the end of the series, and I suggested American Spy. There were other notable books that were chosen, but I am glad to revisit and re-read American Spy this year.

Seaside Series: Robert Shetterly
2025-07-23 12:00 - 13:00 | Small Cove Park, 6 Atlantic Avenue, Stonington, ME, 04681
Americans Who Tell the Truth
Robert Shetterly will give a talk about his portrait series Americans Who Tell the Truth and take us behind the scenes of his creative process, followed by Q&A and a book signing.
Robert Shetterly was born in 1946 in Cincinnati, Ohio. He graduated in 1969 from Harvard College with a degree in English Literature. After college and moving to Maine in 1970, he taught himself drawing, printmaking, and painting.
For more than 20 years he has been painting the series of portraits Americans Who Tell the Truth. These portraits have been traveling around the country since 2003. Venues have included everything from university museums and grade school libraries to sandwich shops, the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City, and the Superior Court in San Francisco. To date, the exhibits have visited 35 states. In 2005, Dutton published a book of the portraits by the same name. In 2006, the book won the top award of the International Reading Association for Intermediate non-fiction. New Village Press in New York City is published a series of themed books on the portraits. Each volume contains 50 portraits. The series includes Portraits of Racial Justice (2021), Portraits of Earth Justice (2022), and Portraits of Peace Makers (2024).
The portraits have given Shetterly an opportunity to speak with children and adults all over this country about the necessity of dissent in a democracy, the obligations of citizenship, sustainability, US history, and how democracy cannot function if politicians don’t tell the truth, if the media don’t report it, and if the people don’t demand it.
Richard Kane’s film Truth Tellers about the Americans Who Tell the Truth project premiered in the fall of 2021 and has been showing across the country. In July 2022 it played at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
Robert Shetterly lives with his partner Gail Page, a painter and children’s book writer and illustrator, in Brooksville, Maine. Read more about Rob and the AWTT portraits series on the website.
The rain venue for all Seaside Series programs is SPL, 64 Main Street.

Land & Sea Exhibit Reception
2025-07-19 14:00 - 16:00 | Stonington Public Library, 64 Main Street, Stonington, ME, 04681
SPL is hosting its first summer group exhibit, Land & Sea, this year. The exhibit is curated by Adell Donaghue, island resident and professional artist for four decades. The show is on display and open for viewing during library hours from Tuesday, July 15 through Saturday, August 9.
There will be light bites & beverages and live music performed by Rugosa Rose at the reception.
