Maine Women Magazine

Maine Women summer cover sneak 🫣 peek!

Summer is almost here . . . and with it our Summer 2023 issue!

Coming July 2023, here's a sneak peek of our cover with a Samantha Appleton photograph.

Tell us in the comments: are you ready for summer? ☀️

Abenaki First Nation bassist, composer, and songwriter Mali Obomsawin released her first solo album, Sweet Tooth, in October 2022. The album blends Wabanaki stories and songs that have been passed down in Obomsawin’s family, including field recording of relatives at Odanak First Nation.

Mali Obomsawin - Maine Women — Maine Women Abenaki First Nation bassist, composer, and songwriter Mali Obomsawin released her first solo album, Sweet Tooth, in October 2022. The album blends Wabanaki stories and songs that have been passed down in Obomsawin’s family, including field recording of relatives at Okanak First Nation.

While we indulge in wine and dark chocolate with gusto, we share a love of preparing healthy, nutritious food that will, with luck, fuel our bodies for decades to come.

Feeding Wonder Women — Maine Women Sometimes it takes a village to keep Wonder Women in top shape. And my Girls will tell you; healthy, delicious food is the best possible start to attain WW status.

Bridge the Gap takes place on Saturday, May 6th at 10am with its traditional start at Fort Knox in Prospect where racers can run across the breathtaking Penobscot Narrows Bridge and take either the 10-Miler through Verona Island, west to east, or the 3-Miler, which cuts across Verona Island and follows the scenic waterfront walkway, where both races end in downtown Bucksport.

See more upcoming things to do: https://mainewomenmagazine.com/stories/worth-it-spring-2023

Bridge the Gap // Race Overview — Crow Athletics Held since 2012, Bridge the Gap has quickly gained popularity as an Eastern Maine rite of spring!

Marjorie Standish’s first cookbook, Cooking Down East, initially sold over 30,000 copies regionally (an outstanding record for any nationwide publication, even today) and continues to reign as a beloved standard throughout Maine and New England, still stirring a passionate interest and devotion for those who cook and care about Maine’s cherished recipes.

Marjorie Standish — Maine Women Unlike Betty Crocker, Marjorie Standish was a living, breathing, and trailblazing woman. Born and raised in Maine, she lived her adult years in Kennebec County, making a living and long-standing name for herself by cooking, testing, sharing, and compiling local recipes and anecdotes that spoke to un

The new issue is on newsstands and in the mail! Here's a look at the cover.

Subscribe to get future copies mailed to your home: https://mainewomenmagazine.com/subscribe

Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine celebrates the theatre’s 100-year anniversary this May. Reflecting on the history and a merger, the institution looks to the future with a weekend celebration and a centennial season of theatre.

The Oldest Children’s Theatre in the Nation is located in  Portland, Maine Celebrates 100 Years this May — Maine Women Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine Celebrates the theatre’s 100-year anniversary this May. Reflecting on the history and a merger, the institution looks to the future with a weekend celebration and a centennial season of theatre.

Mark was a pilot shot down in August of 1968 over North Vietnam while flying an F-4 bomber. He spent the next four years in prisoner of war camps. His mother didn’t just sit and wait for his return home.

From Beaver Creek to Hanoi: A Mother’s quest To Rescue Her Son — Maine Women The story of a Maine woman’s plucky journey into political activism that culminated in an amazing act of courage in the fall of 1972.

“Virginia lives next door to the house she was born in – that her children were born in – in Rockland, Maine. Her father was a lobster dealer and owned a general store on The Neck of Andrew’s Island. She has fond memories of living on the island with her parents and siblings, sleeping in rooms above the store, cooking Saturday bean suppers with her mother in the kitchen off the store, and weighing lobsters and assisting customers in the store.”

The story of Virginia Oliver is as old as time yet filled with delicious zeal and zest. She inspires us.

Read the full piece by writer and author Alexandra S. D. Hinrichs. Link below.

https://mainewomenmagazine.com/stories/lobster-lady-virginia-oliver

The second image above is a cover of Hinrich’s book, The Lobster Lady, about Virginia Oliver.

Performer, artist, businesswoman, political activist​.

Lucy Nicolar Poolaw, 1882-1969, ​of the ​Penobscot Indian Island Reservation, pictured here, was also known as Wa-Tah-Wa-So & Princess Watahwaso​.

Her father was a lecturer, writer, and representative to the Maine Legislature,​ and at one point in their lives, Lucy and her sister helped lead the demand for voting rights​. ​

When the state extended suffrage to people living on native land in 1955​ Lucy played a historical role. Follow link for the full feature - Legacy: All The Women Who Came Before Us.

Photograph: Lucy Nicole Poolaw; Collections of Maine Historical Society, MaineMemory.net item #105027. With special thanks to The Penobscot Nation.

Win a $75 gift certificate to one of the most delicious places to eat in Maine - LB Kitchen.
Sign up to review the Maine Women newsletter and you’re entered to win!

All entries must be received by May 31st. Link below. Good luck!

A winner will be chosen at random and notified via email. Special thanks to LB Kitchen. 🙏🏽

https://mainewomenmagazine.com/newsletter

“The dogs give me my purpose, they ground me. I step on those runners or climb on the ATV I use to train them, and there is no responsibility other than being completely present. I am a “full-throttle” person so it isn’t easy for me to be present in my daily life. I’ve spent my life forging through some really hard and terrible things, but when I am with my dogs that all disappears.”

We see you Becki Tucker. 👀 🐕 Read Tucker’s full This Keeps Me Sane interview with Liza Gardener Walsh.

https://bit.ly/MWSledDogs

Becky Tucker - Outlaw Ridge Sled Dogs | Maine Women — Maine Women My whole life has been about animals. I grew up with dogs and after high school, I worked as a vet tech in an animal shelter. One day, an elderly woman called who wanted to euthanize her 8 month old husky.

This work is by Sal Taylor Kydd, a fine art photographer, writer, and educator. She combines her poetry with alternative processes of photography and object-making resulting in finished pieces like the one above titled, A Blue Day.

Kydd’s self-published books are in private and museum collections throughout the country including The Getty Museum, MOMA, Bowdoin College, The Peabody Essex Museum, and the Maine Women Writer’s Collection at the University of New England.

In our Winter 2023 issue, we highlight Kydd's ephemeral work, moved by the memories she evokes through her use of imagery.

https://bit.ly/MWSalTaylorKydd

And don't forget you can subscribe to Maine Women to get each printed issue delivered right to your door!

Happy International Women’s Day! We think it’s ok to celebrate all month long and every day of the year. 🥳

How do you honor yourself, your fellow females, and all the women today and previously who have worked hard for women’s rights?

Did you know the first International Women’s Day was celebrated in honor of the 1908 women’s garment strike, in New York, against unfair working conditions? The original and first date honored in the US was actually February 28th.

Today, women in the US generally experience equal and fair working conditions - an improvement from even just a few decades ago. However, according to the Pew Research Center, as of 2022, women earn just 82% of what men earn. So we still have some change ahead of us!

📷: via Un.org

Check out our Supporting Women Membership: $49.00 per year for a delivered subscription to our quarterly print magazine.

Plus, receive access to our subscribers-only newsletter.
And your membership gives back: 10% of each membership will be donated to causes that affect Maine Women.

https://mainewomenmagazine.com/store/p/supporting-women-membership

Legacy: All the Women Who Came Before Us.

Maine has been and remains home to amazing and fierce females.

Who are a few of the trailblazers that paved the way?

We sort through the task of highlighting a number of astonishing Maine women and their lasting achievements from brownies to the Underground Railroad to Penobscot art and more.

Which Maine women do you admire?

https://mainewomenmagazine.com/stories/a-timeline-of-trailblazing-women

And did you know you can now receive Maine Women Magazine delivered to your door? Go to mainewomenmagazine.com/subscribe to learn more.

Ritual: This Keeps Me Sane
Portland Women’s Rugby Club
By Alisha Goslin

How did you find this activity?

From middle school, college, or through social media—there are so many ways members of Portland Women’s Rugby Football Club have found the sport. Mayra D., a 28-year-old player, was introduced to rugby in 2015 during the Rugby World Cup. She recalled: “My university was doing events for all the England games. Because I went to university in England, I got to sit in a room filled with England supporters that started singing ‘Swing Low, Swing Chariot’ and I remember feeling chills just sitting there not knowing what was going on and wanting to feel that same passion for the sport. So, I soon after signed up to play for my university’s women’s team!”


When did you start?

We have people who started playing rugby last month, over 20 years ago, and everywhere in between! “As a captain, I try to make sure to keep practices fun and engaging for all experience levels. Each season brings new players with different backgrounds that truly help mold the team into one cohesive unit.” -Autumn L.


What are some of the things you enjoy most about this activity?

What I first love about this activity is that growing up, playing soccer, I was used to thinking that athletes should have a certain body type. In rugby, that’s not true. Every body shape has a position on the pitch. I also love the atmosphere of being on a team, knowing you’re all working towards the same goal (and it’s also a great way to instantly add twenty plus friends in your life). I especially love the physicality of the sport. I love that regardless of how in shape I am, I always wake up the morning after a game with some part of my body sore from the exertion. -Stevie D.

What does this activity fulfill for you?

I’ve played sports all my life, but of them all, rugby is what I keep returning to. It’s been a part of my life for 25 years. Looking back, I wish I hadn’t taken years off from playing to do other things because I realize now that this sport fills a place in my life that no other sport has, does, or will. Unfortunately, I’m getting to the point where my body is telling me I shouldn’t play anymore (shut up, body!), and that’s so very, very hard to accept. But, I plan to stay involved on the administrative end, supporting the team and my friends in this way rather than just on the field. I can’t imagine my life without rugby. -Joy N.

What is your advice to another woman who may want to get involved with this activity?

Don't let intimidation stop you from joining. Anything new to you will require a learning curve and I believe ruggers are the most understanding and supportive people to that notion. We want more people to join the sport, we want to share the love of the sport with others, and get everyone involved. You can literally have any body type and there is a place for you on the pitch. That's one of the best parts about rugby. Katie T.


How is your life different now than before you were involved in this activity?

My life is completely different because of rugby. I feel a strong sense of community and support all around me, I believe in myself and capabilities more, and rugby has also helped me realize that my body doesn’t determine my worth. For almost my entire life my fitness goals have always been about shrinking myself and taking up less space, but now I’m excited to get bigger and stronger and hit even harder! Every body is a rugby body! -Pinky

How does this activity keep you sane?

The focus and structure required for rugby keeps me sane. When I'm at rugby practice or a match, nothing else exists for that small period of time. Rugby provides both a physical and social outlet that is unmatched by any sport or organization that I've previously been a part of. -Kim D.

The Portland Women’s Rugby team is a 501c3 nonprofit looking for donations and sponsors!
Below are several ways folks can get in touch for more information or to become involved:

Email
[email protected]
Instagram

Facebook
mainewomensrugby
TikTok

Link to our October edition, The Body Issue
https://www.mainewomenmagazine.com/october-2022-the-body-issue/

October is breast cancer awareness month - read survivor Stephanie McLeod-Estevez’s story and mission!

Check out our September Back To School issue!

https://www.mainewomenmagazine.com/september-2022-back-to-school/

August Playlist: Wild Women of Music by BJ Garceau

The link to our August Wild Women issue below!

https://www.mainewomenmagazine.com/august-2022-wild-women/

Keep an eye out for our August edition!

This Is What I Make When I'm Dead Tired
Lazy Night Pizza Bites
By Sarah Cottrell

Like many small towns in Maine, there are no decent places to call and order dinner when I'm
dead tired. If I were desperate enough, I could order a pizza from the local gas station five miles away, but I'd be gambling with 50-50 odds of picking up a burnt or overly oily pie that no one wants, especially not my three picky eaters. So, what do I do? I pre-heat the oven and pretend I'm a better mom than I actually am, and I make my go-to Lazy Night Pizza Bites.

Lazy Night Pizza Bites started one evening when my middle child wanted to make dinner, but I
was so exhausted after a tough day of work that I had less than no energy to cook dinner myself, let alone set my second grader loose in the kitchen. He wanted to be Master Chef, and I
just wanted to plop down on the couch with a pint of ice cream and the remote control. So, we
compromised and looked up a few simple recipes from his kids' cookbook, and we landed on pizza hand pies. The recipe he found was a little more involved than I had the energy or
patience for; it called for making dough from scratch and hand-shredding fresh mozzarella.

And sure, that sounded absolutely delicious and not terribly difficult, but my eyeballs were melting out of my head from fatigue, and I was already mentally counting the minutes until bedtime, so we tweaked the recipe a bit.

To my great astonishment, we whipped up dinner in under 30 minutes, and my kitchen wasn't totally destroyed in the process. But the best part? All three of my kids, who can never agree on any meal, loved it because they could make their own pizza bites exactly the way they wanted.

These days, I make sure to keep a couple of key ingredients on hand at all times so that should
an evening of frayed nerves and drop-dead tired energy levels hit us, we can serve up Lazy
Night Pizza Bites and still go to bed with full, happy tummies.

Lazy Night Pizza Bites

Ingredients:

1 Pre-made pizza dough (I prefer Portland Pie)
1 Bag shredded mozzarella
1 Can pizza sauce
1 Package of pre-sliced pepperoni
2 Tablespoons of butter
Garlic powder
Dried Oregano

Instructions:

1. Lightly flour a countertop and roll out dough to a rectangle shape, roughly 18 x 12 or
whatever works -- this is lazy pizza!
2. Use a pizza cutter and cut several rows in one direction, then the other, so you end up
with small, hand-sized rectangles.
3. Take one rectangle and layer one or two pepperoni slices (or any filling your kids will
eat!) and a pinch of shredded cheese, then fold over and pinch the edges, so you have
what looks like a dumpling. Have your kids use fork tines to crimp the edges. Repeat
until all of the cut dough has been stuffed and crimped.
4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (to prevent sticking and more dishes), then
line up the pizza bites, leaving an inch of space between each one.
5. Melt butter in the microwave, brush melted butter on each pocket, and lightly sprinkle
with garlic powder and dried oregano.
6. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.
To serve:
1. Fill a small bowl with pizza sauce and place in the center of a dinner plate; surround one
side with pizza bites.
2. Throw together a quick chopped salad or veggies sticks for the other side of the plate.
Even if your kids don't eat it, at least you'll feel less guilty about a lightning-fast dinner.
3. Enjoy!

All Roads Music Festival is tonight and tomorrow in Belfast! Will we see you there? Here’s a playlist of some of our favorite songs from the awesome women playing at All Roads.🎶🎶

We are accepting submissions! Do you like painting, writing and photography? Send your work to us! We are also accepting your “Big Dream” (500ish words on the thing you would accomplish if nothing stood in you way), “Ode” to a Maine woman you feel deserves it and why, and any legal, health, financial, or other issues you would like our practical life columnist to tackle. Please send to: [email protected]

Check out the May cover of the new Maine Women!

Maine Women Magazine updated their information in their About section.