Essential Salt
Maine is known for its scenic beauty and its perch on the far northeastern edge of America. But much of what goes on here speaks to the most central issues facing families, schools, towns, and cities across the US. Essential Salt is a collection of richly reported stories about living and working in Maine – where making a life brings the joy of vibrant landscapes and dynamic communities. But it also means grappling with tensions between rural and urban values, concerns about how to protect the water and land, and how to make sense of the past in a way that builds toward a strong future.
This is a show about connection, and the power of local stories. And it’s a look at how getting to know your neighbors might change the way you see yourself.
Essential Salt is a collaboration between the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies at the Maine College of Art and Design and Maine Public.
Essential Salt is available on Spotify, Apple, Pocket Casts, YouTube and RSS:
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Essential Salt is made possible by Maine Public's supporters and through the generous support of:
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Essential Salt features original music composed by Cue Shop. You can find more music for storytelling at cueshop.co. Audio mixing by Steven Jackson.
Essential Salt Episodes
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Maine is made up of many tight-knit communities – from rural areas to dense city neighborhoods. And it’s usually not a line on a map that shows us how to find these communities, or how to understand what holds them together. We’ll look at the connections that make strangers neighbors and friends, as well as people who challenge us to decide how we want to show up in our own lives. First, we’ll get to know a famous figure who drew a city together while remaining completely anonymous. Then, we’ll ask what being a good opponent at chess can teach us about building strong, long-lasting relationships. -
Whether you live inland or on the coast, making a life in Maine means getting to know your neighbors, and learning to listen to one another. Being heard is powerful, and so is steering into conflict with the desire to keep listening. We have two stories about the power of making your voice heard, and of listening to your heart. The first is the story of a reporter from Skowhegan, Maine, who fights to keep working and living after losing his vocal cords. The second is about a town that comes to see a massive cruise ship docked in port during the Pandemic almost like a kind of family member. -
There are so many ways to explore Maine – you can paddle its waters, sail the coast, hike through the forests. But no matter where you’re looking to go, you’re probably going to need a car, or truck, or bus to get you where you need to be. -
Finding a sense of belonging, especially in Maine, can mean many things – it can be about an actual place. But it can also be about making a space to be. To live on your own terms and be seen and valued. To not only be remembered, but to help inform the future. We begin with a story about a woman who makes a choice about her home that stuns her community and leads to a criminal investigation. And then we hear the words and stories of a people and place that were almost erased, but are finding new ways to reach people through the work of teachers and artists dedicated to speaking and writing in Penobscot. -
There is no shortage of beauty in Maine – from the mountains and shore, to historic buildings and lighthouses, to all the many vibrant and ever-evolving types of art that are made here. Reflecting on how to think about the value of this kind of richness, and who has access to it and how, can lead to profound and important questions. We’ll think about these huge ideas in the context of two very unusual and extremely unexpected stories. The first is a monster art heist that occurred in downtown Portland, and the second is a tale of a bird from the Amazon than inexplicably took up a perch in Maine one November. -
There are so many ways to know a place – maybe you know the best place to grab lunch, the best place to stargaze, or the best way to beat traffic on a Friday afternoon. You might have a deep understanding of its geology or history, or you might know the families who’ve lived there for decades. But there are other ways of knowing a place that might not always get our full attention. Like the smell of the earth, or a sidewalk after it rains. We explore some of the invisible, intangible qualities than not only define places in Maine, but in some cases shape who we are in them. -
Essential Salt is a collection of richly reported stories about living and working in Maine – where making a life brings the joy of vibrant landscapes and dynamic communities. But it also means grappling with tensions between rural and urban values, concerns about how to protect the water and land, and how to make sense of the past in a way that builds toward a strong future.This is a show about connection, and the power of local stories. And it’s a look at how getting to know your neighbors might change the way you see yourself.All episodes available July 28th! -
Mysteries abound in Maine, from those in our mind and memory to those in the deep, dark woods. In this episode, we’ll explore the unsure, unsolved, and unbelievable things that creep in the dark. We’ll begin with the mysteries rooted in the terrestrial and make our way further and further away from our social comfort zone. In all these stories, the original producers approach potentially delicate or unlikely topics with even-handed context and validation. Still, it helps to keep an open mind… -
Maine’s iconic “100-Mile Wilderness” and the Allagash Wilderness Waterway are just specks in the vast swath of land that is Maine’s rugged and unpredictable woods. It’s not just the mountains and woods, but the North Atlantic coastal seas, too, that offer extreme tides and a treacherous setting for the bustle of Maine and Canadian seafaring. In this episode, we’ll explore the beasts who were built for the wild settings around us and how their fates are affected by not just human actions, but human beliefs. -
Maine is home to an increasingly diverse population as old and new cultures and beliefs collide, bend, and weave together to create something unique and unexpected every day. A constant in all that change is the desire for home and community – a place to feel safe and accepted. This Essential Salt episode explores three very different journeys to finding just that place. -
Albert Einstein has been quoted as saying “How I wish that somewhere there existed an island for those who are wise and of good will.” Einstein sounds a bit frustrated here… geniuses lose their patience, too, I suppose… but I put it to you that the qualities of island life that he desires do actually exist…. and in this Essential Salt episode, we’ll hear three stories that take on some of the issues and challenges of living off of Maine’s coast, but reveal some of the wondrous benefits of island life too… Einstein would be pleased… -
This, our inaugural episode, will be a little bit different than all of our future episodes – this one will be a virtual buffet...you’ll hear about a giant problem in the town of Lubec, a man’s dogged pursuit of buried treasure, and a student finding his way with a little help in Sullivan. The episode will give you a taste of the breadth and quality of the stories you’ll hear over the whole series.
