Seacoast Journal Podcast

After teaching in South Korea, Ethan Martin, of Exeter, set out on a journey across the world. His one rule: no planes. He hitched, rode buses, rode trains and ships. He tells us about a remarkable ride on a mountain bike.

John Forti is curator of historic landscapes at Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He educates children and adults of all ages about gardening with heritage fruits and vegetables in this museum where visitors can explore four centuries of American history.

Warren Day, now 82 years old, spent a lot of time during his teen years with his grandfather who was the lighthouse keeper on Whaleback Light off New Castle, NH and Nubble Light off York, Maine. This interview with Mr. Day concludes with some lines of a poem he wrote when he was 16 and published in a Maine newspaper. The poem, called "Driftwood," was reprinted in the Spotlight section of the Portsmouth Herald on January 19, 2012, the same day that we post this audio story.

Rebecca Rule is a storyteller, collector of New Hampshire oral histories, and writer who has told many times on the Seacoast. She is from Northwood, NH. "The best stories are like pickerel," she says. "You pick 'em out of the weeds."

Mona Polacca serves on the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, elders who offer their vision for the planet. She, with other Council grandmothers, brought their message and vision to Portsmouth where we interviewed her for Seacoast Journal.
Mona, a Hopi/Havasupai /Tewa elder, has a Master of Social Work degree. She serves on several United Nations committees on indigenous people's issues and is a featured author, speaker, and educator on indigenous people's human rights, aging, mental health, addiction and violence. She is also the President/CEO and faculty of the Turtle Island Project, a non-profit program that promotes a vision of wellness by providing trans-cultural training to individuals, families, and healthcare professionals.

Tia Pike is a dancer and teaches dance in many venues around the Seacoast of NH and Maine. She is also the creator of Flashmob NH and choreographer of three flashmobs staged in Portsmouth in 2011 with more planned in coming months. Here's a video of her first flashmob in Market Square performed to the Bollywood song, Jai Ho. http://www.wmur.com/video/27760256/detail.html

Sarah Haskell is a weaver who lives in York, Maine. In 2001 she wove a piece of black fabric and designed "Each One, The Button Project, a 9/11 Memorial." In the interview Sarah describes the impact of creating the project, which is now exhibited in Portsmouth City Hall where Tammi and I talked with her in September 2011.

Barbara Ann Paster portrays Mrs. Shapiro in Strawbery Banke's Shapiro House. Barbara Ann stayed in character for this Seacoast Journal interview. The year is 1919. Mrs. Shapiro explained that she had left Russia during the pogroms and that 165 Russian Jews lived in the Puddle Dock immigrant neighborhood of Portsmouth at that time.

Justin Kelcourse is a full time spare gate tender on the Memorial Bridge between Portsmouth, NH and Kittery, ME. The bridge is manned 24/7 with two gate tenders and one operator.

Sr. Velinda Sanchez has a voice like an angel and she sings in this interview about Our Lady of Guadalupe. She is serving with three other sisters from Mexico at Corpus Christie Parish in Portsmouth, NH.

John-Michael Albert, Portsmouth's eighth poet laureate, reads his poem "Portsmouth from the Pavement," a poem in his collection VIVALDI FOR BREAKFAST.

Mark DeCarteret is the seventh poet laureate of Portsmouth, NH., serving from 2009 to 2011. He remembers the Portsmouth poet, Robert Dunn and reads his own poem, "Broadcasting, for Robert Dunn."

Diane Knight, a nurse practitioner in Dover, tells a story about her recent work in Sierra Leone where she provided heath care for women in a rural village five hours from Freetown.

Valerie Cunningham is the voice that's told the stories of black people in Portsmouth and all of New England. She is the co-author of BLACK PORTSMOUTH, founding president of the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail, and owner of Black New England Tours for educators and all who are exploring New England history.

Tim Stone, a founding member of Portsmouth Community Radio, WSCA LP tells about the station barnraising in September, 2004. Prometheus Radio Project staff came to lead workshops for djs and support WSCA as a new low power community radio station. Tim (right) is pictured at the barnraising with Pete Pridish ( left.)

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