UPCOMING TITLES
from Islandport Press
December 2025
Always Game: A Maine Woman’s Life of Outdoor Adventure
Christi Elliott
MEMOIR
Christi Elliot’s passion for hunting and fishing has made her one of the influential outdoors women in Maine. Born an adventurer in Machias, Maine, Elliot’s travelogue of barrier-breaking will take you across Maine mudflats and blueberry fields, the glaciers of Montana, the tropical waters of the Virgin Islands, and the frigid, salmon-laden rivers of Alaska. Through Elliot’s witty, buoyant voice, Always Game encourages adventure seekers of all stripes to get out and enjoy the wonder of nature’s bounty.
January 2026
In Other Words, Leadership (Paperback Edition)
Shannon A. Mullen
In March 2020, recently widowed Governor Janet Mills sat alone in Maine's executive mansion, facing an impossible choice.
An hour away in the remote Maine woods, young mother and homesteader Ashirah Knapp watches her family's world unravel.
Through the strokes of both women’s pens, history is written. Mills signs a lockdown order, and Knapp writes a letter, kicking off an extraordinary correspondence between two women from opposite ends of Maine's social spectrum, navigating not just the pandemic but the defining moments of our era.
Through handwritten letters and the governor’s private journal, these women discover their shared values and what it truly means to lead. Shannon A. Mullen weaves this intimate, behind-the-scenes account into a powerful celebration of civility, compassion, and resilience—proof that even in our most divided times, grace and understanding can prevail.
Available for pre-order soon...
March 2026
Slow Motion: A Memoir of Friendship, Disability, and Advocacy
Jennifer Dupree
MEMOIR
A heartfelt homage to a life-changing friendship
At twenty-one, Jen Dupree meets Marcel in a nursing home where she works—a man with cerebral palsy whose endless curiosity and zest for life immediately captivate her. When a doctor tells Marcel to "get up and move around" despite knowing he's never walked, Jen asks if he brought his magic wand. It's the start of a three-decade friendship that will change both their lives.
We live in a society obsessed with speed and efficiency, but what happens when your life is necessarily slow? Through hockey games, concerts, hospital battles, and countless adventures, Jennifer discovers the answer alongside Marcel as she becomes his advocate, co-conspirator, and chosen family.
By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Slow Motion is a tribute to an extraordinary friendship and an awakening to disability rights. With humor and honesty, Dupree shows how Marcel navigates an ableist world—and how their bond reveals our shared humanity.
Available for pre-order soon...
Summer 2026
Who Loves Blueberries?
Rebecca Rule
CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK
When summer sun ripens wild blueberries, every critter comes out for a taste!
From buzzing bees to slithery snakes, mischievous mice to graceful deer, a wide assortment of creatures gather to enjoy nature's sweet-tart treasure. But who loves blueberries most of all?
With charming illustrations that bring the blueberry barrens to life, this scrumptious picture book follows a parade of animals as they discover there's plenty for everyone. Young readers will delight in spotting each new visitor while learning about the joyful rhythms of the natural world.
Backmatter offers some juicy facts about blueberries and the wildlife they support.
Perfect for ages 3-7, Who Loves Blueberries? celebrates seasonal bounty and the simple pleasure of sharing nature's gifts in this heartwarming tale of community.
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Available for pre-order soon...
May 2026
Skyland
Ann Joslin Williams
FICTION
A deeply moving novel that illuminates the complex ways we survive the unthinkable and slowly, painfully, learn to live again.
When Celia is murdered by a troubled young man from across the street, her family is left to navigate the unthinkable in their small town of Kittery, Maine. Desperate to help his daughters heal, widowed Henry sends young Nora and Lucy to Skyland Farm, a remote artists' retreat in the New Hampshire mountains run by his beloved cousin Franny.
The girls, overwhelmed by grief, struggle to find their footing among the resident artists. Nora grapples with her complicated feelings about her mother’s murderer and former love interest, Blake, while forming a new bond with a young sculptor. Lucy, the sole witness to the crime, retreats into silence and the mysterious world of a painting above her bed. Back in Maine, Henry battles his own past when he becomes entangled with Blake's alcoholic mother, threatening his twelve years of sobriety.
Set against the rugged beauty of coastal Maine and the mountainous landscape of New Hampshire, Skyland reveals how art, nature, and unexpected friendships guide us back from the brink.
Available for pre-order soon...
May 2026
Maine, A Love Story (Paperback)
Blue Butterfield
ART
"Can you live in a moment?"
Portland printmaker Blue Butterfield's intimate illustrated memoir pairs personal history with her stunning woodcut prints, exploring how place shapes identity and art becomes a lifeline through loss.
From her childhood on Mount Desert Island—raised by a resourceful single mother who painted paisley swirls on her car and grew their food—to her current life in Portland's West End, Butterfield reveals how Maine nurtured both her creativity and resilience. Her reflections navigate profound themes through specific landscapes: a father's abandonment after a devastating accident, finding solace in Acadia National Park, the search for control in an unpredictable world, and the discovery that "it's not loss that defines us—it's what we find."
What she found was a state that became both sanctuary and inspiration, from the peaks of Katahdin to the "turquoise rosettes" of Brussels sprouts on the family farm, from the islands of Casco Bay to the magnolias blooming in the city. In these essays, she translates the same mindful attention she brings to carving wood into words that capture fleeting moments of beauty and meaning.
This is a book about finding home—not just in a place, but in the act of truly seeing it.
Available for pre-order soon...
June 2026
Grafting
Rylan Hynes
FICTION
A luminous debut novel about second chances, forbidden love, and the courage to cultivate beauty in unforgiving soil.
When Eben Turner returns to his family's apple orchard in rural Maine after his parents' death, he confronts more than inheritance—he faces the love he left behind. A decade has passed since he and Chris Hartley, the Methodist minister's son, were torn apart in their final year of high school, their secret relationship severed by faith and small-town judgment. As Eben and Chris reckon with their buried past, they discover that healing requires more than forgiveness—it demands the courage to cultivate love in hostile ground.
Set against the Edenic beauty of New England, Grafting unfolds through dual perspectives in a lyrical narrative that mirrors the art of joining two trees to create something stronger. A voice-driven and unforgettable tale of queer love and rural identity, this exquisite debut explores the cost of forbidden desire and the resilience required to claim one's authentic self.
Get on the preorder list now!
August 2026
Oyster Society
Virginia Shaffer
NON-FICTION
Part culinary adventure, part personal awakening—one woman’s story chasing oysters across North America to discover a hidden world and her own true path.
What started as a whimsical visit to an oyster farm became a life-changing journey across North America's hidden shellfish world. As Virginia Shaffer (“Lady Oyster”) traverses saltwater marshes and sticky mudflats, from bustling seafood parties to clamorous shucking competitions, readers take an immersive dive into the gritty, passionate community of people who live and breathe oysters.
Oyster Society reveals the profound stories hiding beneath the surface of our food system. As the author sinks deeper into this briny underground, she discovers that oyster people aren't just growing shellfish—they're cultivating resilience, sustainability, and authentic connection to the coast.
COVER
DESIGN IN PROGRESS
COVER
DESIGN IN PROGRESS
September 2026
Hard as a Headstone
Richard Cass
FICTION
More information coming soon
October 2026
The Cosmic Quest of Jessica Meir
Jamie Hogan
CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK
More information coming soon
COVER
DESIGN IN PROGRESS
COVER
DESIGN IN PROGRESS
October 2026
Hector Fox and the Snowy Surprise
Astrid Sheckels
CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK
More information coming soon