Leslie Bridgers

Columnist

Leslie Bridgers is a columnist for the Portland Press Herald, writing about Maine culture, customs and the things we notice and wonder about in our everyday lives. Originally from Connecticut, Leslie came to Maine by way of Bowdoin College and never left. She joined the Portland Press Herald in 2011 as a reporter and spent seven years as the paper’s features editor, overseeing coverage of arts, entertainment and food.

Do This, Food

Bar Guide: Come for the rum, stay for the shuffleboard at Three of Strong

by Angie Bryan March 9, 2020March 20, 2020

The distillery in Portland’s East Bayside has games, events and snacks – but don’t expect any vodka.

Arts & Entertainment, Do This

Indie Film: How a gig for the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum rocked this filmmaker’s world

by Dennis Perkins March 9, 2020March 10, 2020

Making ‘Meteorites & the Epic Story of Our Origins’ was a life-changing experience for Jennifer Widor Smith.

Review

‘The Way Back’ review: Ben Affleck is the whole show here — and he’s good

by Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune (TNS) March 9, 2020March 5, 2020

With “The Way Back,” Ben Affleck didn’t have to deliver his biggest or most attention-getting performance, simply — and simplicity is hard — his truest. As a one-time Torrance, Calif., high school basketball phenom who threw it all away and struggled with addiction and grief ever since, the actor brings some well-chronicled rehab, relapse and […]

Arts & Entertainment

Deep Water: ‘Springback,’ by Katherine A. Hagopian Berry

March 8, 2020March 26, 2020

Maine poems edited and introduced by Megan Grumbling.

Arts & Entertainment

New Pixar movie ‘Onward’ pays tribute to director’s family

by Julie Hinds Tribune News Service March 8, 2020March 7, 2020

DETROIT — Remember the opening montage of “Up” and how it perfectly depicts the joys and griefs of married life? Or the ending to any “Toy Story” film and the feelings evoked in an “I’m not crying, you’re crying” way? That’s what Pixar movies do. They can take you from laughter to poignancy faster than […]

Arts & Entertainment, Review

Art review: Activist artist couple’s PMA exhibit both playful and provocative

by Stacey Kors March 8, 2020March 11, 2020

New York-based Carrie Moyer, a painter, and Sheila Pepe, a fiber-based installation artist, who met in Maine, return with ‘Tabernacles for Trying Times.’