Talk of the Towns 9/8/21: Reflections on Retirement

Producer/Host: Ron Beard

How did you come to contemplate retirement for yourself… what were the clues that you might be ready to consider retiring (tipping points)? What questions did it raise for you? What did you learn about yourself in this time of contemplating retirement?

What is some of the new research into older people and creativity? How did that factor into your own views about what retirement might be for you?

How do people deal with big changes in their lives? Are there any helpful stages? (Introduce William Bridges’ writings about Transition: endings, neutral zone, new beginning)

I gather that, like any of us who love learning and figuring things out, you began to study up on retirement… what did you learn from that process? What stood out from your conversations with others (those who had retired, those who had not retired) and from writings about retirement?

So, in your book, you describe how you created a clear ending to your work life. Describe that process… what was difficult, what was easier?

Did you discover elements of the neutral zone that Bridges writes about? What was that process like?

What was your process of discovering your new beginnings?

What have been some of the reactions to your book, as you have done readings and talks?

Guest: Rebecca Milliken, author of Gaining Altitude—Retirement and Beyond, published by Atmosphere Press, 2021

About the host:
Ron Beard is producer and host of Talk of the Towns, which first aired on WERU in 1993 as part of his community building work as an Extension professor with University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant. He took all the journalism courses he could fit in while an undergraduate student in wildlife management and served as an intern with Maine Public Television nightly newscast in the early 1970s. Ron is an adjunct faculty member at College of the Atlantic, teaching courses on community development. Ron served on the Bar Harbor Town Council for six years and is currently board chair for the Jesup Memorial Library in Bar Harbor, where he has lived since 1975. Look for him on the Allagash River in June, and whenever he can get away, in the highlands of Scotland where he was fortunate to spend two sabbaticals.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Tough Island, Maine, Episode 4 9/7/21

Producer/Host: Crash Barry

This week on Tough Island, Maine: Crash is fed, and more, by a married woman. Captain Donald rescues two “sailors.” And Crash meets Alice, who would quickly become his girlfriend.

About the host:
Writer Crash Barry lives near a cannabis grove in the foothills of western Maine. Thirty years ago, he moved to Matinicus, Maine’s most remote inhabited island, to live and work as a sternman aboard a lobster boat. In Tough Island, Maine, Crash retells his misadventures using dramatic storytelling and unique sound design.

For over 25 years, Crash has worked as print, radio and on-line journalist, reporting on the intersection of politics and culture. He’s the author of the rollicking novel Sex, Drugs and Blueberries, a gritty memoir Tough Island and the true story of Marijuana Valley. Crash is also a filmmaker and wrote and directed the screen adaptation of Sex, Drugs and Blueberries.

Crash’s podcast Devils and Dirtbags is an ongoing investigation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts and a true tale of deceit, homicide, molestations and cover ups. The actions of evil Bishops and their unholy henchmen play out like a Hollywood movie, rife with death, destruction and disgrace, all framed by a murder mystery that haunted Springfield until an ex-priest made a deathbed confession. Crash tracked down both the murderer and another former priest, a serial child rapist that served as pastor of Crash’s childhood parish, to see if they felt guilt for their sins and crimes.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Maine Currents 9/7/21: 20 Years Post-9/11 – Listening Back to WERU’s Coverage

Producer/Editor/Host: Amy Browne
Some of the historic segments on today’s show were coproduced with Meredith DeFrancesco

NOTE: The time of the 9/11 vigil in Bucksport has been changed to 9:30

The 20th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy is this coming Saturday, so this week we take a listen back at how the WERU community responded, what was happening behind the scenes at the station in the hours and days that followed, and how our news coverage was impacted—and we’ll hear from David Weeda, one of the organizers of an event in Bucksport this coming September 11th.

We start with a chat with WERU’s General Manager Matt Murphy and Program Director Joel Mann

About the host:

Amy Browne started out at WERU as a volunteer news & public affairs producer in 2000, co-hosting/co-producing RadioActive with Meredith DeFrancesco. She joined the team of Voices producers a few years later, and has been WERU’s News & Public Affairs Manager since January, 2006. In addition to RadioActive, Voices and Maine Currents, she also produced and hosted the WERU News Report for several years. She has produced segments for national programs including Free Speech Radio News, This Way Out, Making Contact, Workers Independent News, Pacifica PeaceWatch, and Live Wire News, and has contributed to Democracy Now and the WBAI News Report. She is the recipient of the 2014 Excellence in Environmental Journalism Award from the Sierra Club of Maine, and the First Place 2017 Radio News Award from the Maine Association of Broadcasters.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Outside the Box 9/7/21: “Peasants’ Revolt”

Producer/Host: Larry Dansinger

About the host:
Larry Dansinger (no pronouns) of Bangor came to Maine in 1974 and has been here ever since. Some of Larry’s activities since then: Done community organizing on numerous issues through INVERT and then Resources for Organizing and Social Change (ROSC), committed civil disobedience several times, grown a garden yearly since 1977, joined various food cooperatives and two men’s groups, refused to pay federal income taxes for war, lived on a community land trust for 23 years, and met a wonderful partner whom Larry has loved for over 40 years. Larry has produced Outside the Box features on WERU since 2007 and continues to look for unique ways of seeing almost any problem or situation.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Poetry Express 9/5/21: “Prayer for the Dead”

“Prayer for the Dead” by Stuart Kestenbaum read by Alicia Brillant

About the host:
Jan Bindas-Tenney is a trans non-binary and queer writer, reader, fighter, lover, friend and parent living on unceded Abenaki land. They hold an MFA in nonfiction from University of Arizona. Their writing has appeared in the opinion pages of Maine newspapers, in legislative testimony, as well as in Orion, Guernica, Gulf Coast, Arts & Letters, CutBank, the Maine Review, among other places. They work at the Maine Humanities Council where they curate a weekly poetry feature on WERU Community Radio called Poetry Express.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Pet Sounds 9/5/21: Labor Day Tribute To Cats

Producer/Host: Dr. John Hunt

About the host:

My Sunday morning short has been running for about 11 years. I’ve cover a wide range of animal related topics from COVID to porcupines.

After graduating from Michigan State University Veterinary School in 1982 I practiced at three different veterinary hospitals in the Hartford, Conn area for 5 years. Then I bought a small part time clinic in Bucksport and turned it into a full time small animal surgery and medicine hospital. From 1987 to 2014 I enjoyed serving the Bucksport-Orland area pet owners. My kids grew up in Bucksport. I was a Boy Scoutmaster for a few years, and coached cross country and track in the Bucksport school system for 20 years. I’ve written three books working on a fourth.

I sold my practice and retired from practicing medicine in 2014. Since “retiring” I’ve continued Pet Sounds and my monthly Lets Talk Animals show on WERU. I’ve been teaching at local community colleges, officiating at high school track meets, writing and started a blog on line.

I enjoy hiking, reading, writing and anticipate spending more time with my first grandchild.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download