Our "Bert and I" line-up just keeps getting better. This summer, we have released "Bert and I ... And Other Stories from Down East," the seminal first album that includes three bonus tracks. The new CD follows last summer's release of "The Best of Bert and I" to honor the duo's 50th anniversary. Also for the first time this summer, we offer "Bert and I" T-shirts.

The iconic "Bert and I "stories were created by Yale University students Marshall Dodge and Robert Bryan in the late 1950s and performed around campus. The two amateur storytellers soon recorded a short 10-inch album of 11 stories for friends and family, but ultimately pressed just a few hundred. Growing popularity prompted them in 1958 to record and release the landmark commercial album of New England humor and storytelling: "Bert and I ... And Other Stories from Down East."

The album, which features 19 stories, including the original "Bert and I" story, depicts Maine fishermen and woodsmen with dry, classic humor and sets the tone and direction of the genre for decades. For this special CD edition, we have also included three bonus stories taken from the private 10-incher that preceded the first commercial record. These three stories either did not appear on the commercial album or were changed. Eventually, Dodge and Bryan recorded three more "Bert and I" albums together and remain the godfathers of Down East humor. This album is where it started.



Listen to the Bert and I story
"Which Way to Millinocket?"

Fueled by popular demand and hot off the silkscreen machines: "Islandport Press" and "Bert and I" T-shirts! Well, that's our story anyway. Actually, people have asked for both of these shirts and we are happy to oblige just in time for summer. These 100 percent cotton, pre-shrunk T's are perfect for the local lobster shack, a day at the beach, or a hike in the mountains.

For the "Bert and I" shirt, we decided to go with the classic look and feel of the original album covers. We offer a unisex 
shirt in two colors: white and blue. Meanwhile, our new Islandport shirt features our horizontal logo as designed by Karen Hoots and comes in both women's and men's cuts. But that is not all. We also have "Frenchboro" and "Live Free and Eat Pie!" T's. Check them all out and feel free to buy many for all your friends.

Let's just say we are a wee bit excited by the illustrated children's book, "The Scallop Christmas," written by Jane Freeberg and illustrated by Astrid Sheckels (www.astridsheckels.com). We expect to release the book this September.

The sweet and heartwarming tale is set in a struggling New England fishing village in the mid-1900s and is based on a real story that Jane heard decades ago.

Thankfully, Jane, who lives in Georgetown, Maine, finally put the tale to paper. Scallop is gorgeously illustrated by Astrid, a Western Massachusetts native and a wonderful young artist/illustrator who we think is destined for great things. This is the first book for both. Lots more on this title and additional news about Astrid soon.

The historic fishing village of Frenchboro on Long Island will host the 48th annual Frenchboro Lobster Festival on Saturday, August 8, 2009. Don't miss it!

The annual event at Frenchboro, located eight miles across Blue Hill Bay from Mount Desert Island, features a beautiful boat ride and some of the best lobster in the world. The dinner, served on the banks of scenic Lunt Harbor, includes Maine lobster, chicken salad, hot dogs, cole slaw, homemade pies, potato chips, and soda. Dinner is served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. rain or shine. Proceeds benefit the 120-year-old Outer Long Island Congregational Church. The Maine State Ferry (passengers only) will make a special Frenchboro Lobster Festival run, leaving Bass Harbor at 9 a.m. and then leaving Frenchboro for the return trip at 3:30 p.m.

You can find out more about the lobster festival, view a slide show of photos, get the ferry schedule, and much more at Frenchboro Online.

Vote for Frenchboro's Lunt Harbor. Check out Islandport contest and giveaway.

If you are a fan of Frenchboro, also please check out this Islandport blog item and vote. Down East magazine is running a survey to name the prettiest harbor in Maine. Unfortunately, it did not include Lunt Harbor, Frenchboro, as one of its 50 choices. So, we are waging a write-in campaign to right that wrong. But hurry, the voting ends Tuesday, June 23!

Earlier this month, Senior Editor Amy Canfield launched PagingAmy, a blog devoted to all things bookish in Northern New England. Said Amy, "I read a ton, both for work and for pleasure, and this blog is my effort to share the rich literary landscape - both past and present - of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont."

The blog is a great opportunity to keep up on new  books, authors, and other events. Ahhhhh, but she is not stopping at a mere blog, she is also Twittering away, so please follow @pagingamy as well. Even though Amy's blog is hosted by Islandport, it is not devoted to just Islandport titles and news. In fact, we expect such items to represent a small portion of Amy's blog. This really is our attempt to spread the gospel of Northern New England books, literature and more. So please check it out (and the Islandport blog as well) and tell us what you think.

Did we mention that we love Dahlov Ipcar? No, really, did we?

September will see the release of the illustrated children's picture book "Hardscrabble Harvest," our fourth Ipcar title.

This classic Ipcar book describes the trials and tribulations experienced by a small farmer trying to get his crops planted, tended, and harvested.

It follows the illustrated children's books "The Little Fisherman," and "My Wonderful Christmas Tree," which we released in 2008, and this year's "The Cat at Night." We recommend all three for your collection.

Let's face it, the world is changing fast. Many newspapers are dying or dead. Many magazines are facing the same fate. And there are a gazillion television channels that people may or may not be watching. Instead everyone's blogging (we are!). And we have joined the social media rage through two of the hottest names going, Facebook and Twitter. Just two more ways we can keep in touch. You can become a fan of our Facebook page (please do!) where you will find our blog posts, notices of author events, multi-media clips, and more. For real-time updates and news, follow us on Twitter through @islandport. You can track the progress of books as they are being edited, read excerpts even before the book is printed, and much more, including contests and giveaways. To join us on either, just click here for Twitter or here for Facebook. We also hope you will regularly check our blog for even more news and information.