Rob Caldwell

3 days ago | newscentermaine.com | Rob Caldwell

PORTLAND, Maine — Each year, tens of thousands of words are written in praise of the beauty of the coast of Maine. They pay tribute to the beguiling mix of islands and peninsulas, cliffs and mountains, bays and beaches. Rarely, though, does anyone stop to say a kind word about Maine’s mudflats. The May issue of “Down East” addresses that oversight.

1 week ago | newscentermaine.com | Rob Caldwell

PORTLAND, Maine — Writers are always looking for good ideas. Five years ago, Boo Walker, a novelist who now lives in Cape Elizabeth, had an idea fall into his lap that—well, let him explain. “The circumstances of how this story came to be,” he wrote, “still blow my hair back every time I think of them.” Here’s what happened. Two women urged Walker to complete the unfinished novel written by their late mother, a journalist named Peggy Shainberg.

2 weeks ago | newscentermaine.com | Rob Caldwell

PORTLAND, Maine — In John Cariani’s new play, “Darker the Night, Brighter the Stars,” he set out to show people what it was like to be a kid coming of age in northern Maine. Having grown up in Presque Isle, Cariani knows that physical and emotional landscape. Much of the material in the play was inspired by his brother and his brother’s friends. “They got themselves into a lot more scrapes than I did,” he said with a laugh. “I was a rule-follower. I did all my schoolwork.

2 weeks ago | newscentermaine.com | Rob Caldwell

PORTLAND, Maine — On the first page of his new book, “Rudeness Rehab—Reclaiming Civility in the Workplace and Your Home Space,” John O’Brien has a confession to make. “I would love to tell you that it has been five years and six days since my last episode of incivility, but that would not be true,” he wrote. “Although I don’t know exactly how long it has been, I am sure I have recently (and unwittingly) done something to hurt or offend someone.

3 weeks ago | newscentermaine.com | Rob Caldwell

PORTLAND, Maine — Having grown up in England and moved to the United States at the age of 13, Rochelle Rice can switch effortlessly from her British accent to an American one. When she opens her mouth to sing, though, what will rivet your attention is her voice. Her tones are rich and warm, powerful and evocative, whether she’s singing jazz, soul, folk, gospel or R&B. “I think some of it is natural talent,” Rice said of her vocal gifts.