All Authors >

DEIRDRE FULTON

Latest Articles

YA novel explores the refugee experience in Portland

‘A tongue gives you power’
I wish every teenager — nay, every person — in Portland could read Terry Farish's new book, The Good Braider (Marshall Cavendish/Amazon Children's Publishing).

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | November 07, 2012

Getting back to normal

Rapturous Reading
Depending on how things went on Tuesday (we'll go to press long before the results are in), the premise for Tom Perrotta's 2011 book, The Leftovers (St. Martin's Press), may become more or less appealing.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | November 07, 2012

Keep the Lights On avoids stereotypes but not shame

A decade of dysfunction
Keep the Lights On is only one hour and 42 minutes long, but by the conclusion of this 2012 indie film by director Ira Sachs, you feel that you've known the main characters, Erik and Paul, for much longer.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | November 08, 2012

Is there anybody (dead) in here?

Real Estate (really)
Because I'm in the process of buying a farmhouse built in 1784, which I know contains centuries of stories and memories, I've had reason recently to contemplate ghosts.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | October 24, 2012

Meters, smart?

Going Green
A device intended to cut air pollution, decrease our reliance on fossil fuels, and increase energy efficiency is under attack from a small but passionate group of activists who say the technology is harmful and invasive.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | October 24, 2012

Pingree and Michaud hope to keep their seats in Maine’s Congressional races

The status quo ain’t so bad
For someone who is skeptical of the Occupy movement, claiming that anti-corporate agitators are "taking young people for a ride . . . [and] using them for political purposes," Jon Courtney is quite conscious of perceived elitism or sense of entitlement.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | October 17, 2012

Collins ascends to senior status

Senate Watch
While the other seats in Maine's delegation are being hotly contested, Republican senator Susan Collins gets to observe it all from her new position as the soon-to-be senior member of that four-person group.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | October 19, 2012

Pot patients could be out in the cold

Gimme Shelter Dept.
Mainers who live in federally subsidized low-income housing and legally use marijuana to ease symptoms of chronic conditions may find themselves forced to choose between their shelter and their medicine, if a new Maine State Housing Authority (MSHA) policy stays in place.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | October 18, 2012

Maine celebrates National Co-op Month

Just co-operate!
It's the Year of the Dragon (Chinese Zodiac), the Year of the Girl (Girl Scouts of the USA), and, perhaps less well known, the International Year of Cooperatives, according to the United Nations.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | October 10, 2012

Inevitability at the ballot box

More than a month left, with nowhere to go
Five weeks. Five weeks of polls, attack ads, debates, and stump speeches.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | October 03, 2012

Homelessness: Tackling a growing need

Tonight, more than 400 men, women, and children will seek shelter at the emergency shelters in Portland.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | October 03, 2012

OccupyMaine charts its future

One year on
"This occupation is not ending," one speaker said.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | September 26, 2012

Up close with a superbird

Book Report
Maine author Phillip Hoose always manages to dig up the compelling stories that haven't yet been told — but should be.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | September 26, 2012

Lots of hot air

Going Green
Independent US Senate candidate Angus King opened a recent debate at the University of Southern Maine by congratulating Chris Sauer, president and CEO of Maine's Ocean Renewable Power Company, which has started generating electricity for the power grid from its tidal-energy turbine in Cobscook Bay.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | September 19, 2012

Guns on the street

A police story
Around 6 pm on Wednesday evening, I was walking with a friend who was carrying his rifle across Congress Street to my car.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | September 19, 2012

Yes on One? Duh

You’ve heard all the arguments, seen all the evidence. Are you really still against same-sex marriage?
It would be awesome if this was the last thing I ever had to write about the gay-marriage debate.

By: DEIRDRE FULTON | September 12, 2012

Does Portland desire a streetcar?

Transit Alternatives
Imagine hopping onto a streetcar downtown and being whisked in the direction of your home, whether that be on the East End or in an off-peninsula neighborhood.