Pat Taub
Lee Sharkey
This week Mainers mourned the passing of Lee Sharkey, 75, a beloved Maine poet and peace activist. I got to know Lee after she and her husband gave up their country space for easier living in Portland. Her accomplishments were many: she was a co-founder of the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, co-editor of the influential Maine-based Beloit Poetry Journal and educator at the University of Maine at Farmington, where she founded the Women’s Studies Program. Occasionally I joined Lee, and the other Women in Black demonstrators, during one of their Friday evening peace vigils at Congress Square in Portland.
Lee Sharkey (Portland Press Herald)
The Chicago Seven
Last Sunday I watched the new Netflix movie, The Trial of the Chicago Seven, about the famous trial of seven anti-war activists who stood trial for conspiracy and inciting to riot after staging anti-Vietnam protests during the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. There are standout performances by Sacha Baron Cohen, playing Abbie Hoffman, and Mark Rylance, as William Kunstler, the famous civil liberties lawyer, who defended the Chicago 7. I’m old enough to remember watching on TV as the peaceful protesters were beaten up by the Chicago Police. Fast forward to this past summer’s protests in Portland, Oregon, where peaceful protesters met tear gas and bully clubs—a painful reminder of how little has changed in 50 years.
Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman and Jeremy Strong as Jerry Rubin in “The Trial of the Chicago Seven.”
A Warm Portland Fall
Portland had the warmest summer on record. Our fall could follow suit. We’re all grateful for the chance to continue, albeit covered up, our beach walks and country hikes. Being outdoors is the best stress-reliever I know.
Approaching Election Day
Speaking of stress, I’m a wreck waiting out the 11 days until the election, facing daily headlines that feed into my stress, with stories of voter disruption, speculation that Trump may not honor the results, and on and on. I plan to vote in person at my polling place, an elementary school. I want to be sure my vote counts. I’m also curious to witness the voting in my neighborhood.
My Octopus Teacher
This is a lovely film, which will melt your heart and encourage you to relish the unexpected. South African documentary filmmaker Craig Foster, feeling depressed, decided to dive underwater every day for a year. On one of his dives, he noticed an octopus. Curious about Foster, she swam out of her den to observe him. Over time Foster and the octopus developed a trusting relationship. Foster felt renewed by this experience, no longer depressed.
