It seems anyone who has ever poured a beer or slung hash is writing a blog or making Youtube videos about hospitality industry adventures. Like country songs with three or four core themes, we never tire of the shenanigans describing bad tips from good people. We crave tales of backstabbing coworkers vulturing over the shifts […]

Greater Portland Books/Authors Wednesday 7/1 “The Half Brother,” Brown Bag Lecture with author Holly LeCraw, noon, free, Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square, Portland, 871-1700, portlandlibrary.com. Monday 7/6 “Sea of Liberty,” discussion with author Kevin Mills, 6:30 p.m., free, Freeport Community Library, 10 Library Drive, Freeport, 865-3307, freeportlibrary.com. Friday 7/10 “Winning the Losing Battle,” discussion […]

This weeks’s top picks of the tix are two popular Broadway musicals that focus on a pair of female nightclub performers. Both are fictitious, but they’re fascinating characters. In Brunswick, “Sister Act” is a recent Broadway show that revolves around the story of a brazenly worldly wannabe diva who takes refuge in a convent. In […]

A reader in Durham emailed her Rubik’s Cube of a question at a most serendipitous time. “My friend’s son cooks at a high-end restaurant, and after five years there, he makes all of $12 an hour. How is it fair that the waitresses earn $350 a shift? Cooking the food is certainly at least as, […]

Greater Portland Books/Authors Saturday 6/27 “New Growth: Portraits of Six Maine Organic Farms,” reading by author Peter Felsenthal, 2 p.m., free, Letterpress Books, Northgate Plaza, 91 Auburn St., Portland, 747-4232, letterpress-books.com. Wednesday 7/1 “The Half Brother,” Brown Bag Lecture with author Holly LeCraw, noon, free, Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square, Portland, 871-1700, portlandlibrary.com. Monday 7/6 […]

The pace of the summer arts and entertainment season continues to quicken this week, with an abundance of music and theater. Perhaps the biggest story of the summer is the dawn of a new era at the Bowdoin International Music Festival in Brunswick. After half a century at the helm, founding artistic director Lewis Kaplan […]

Dreamy Father’s Day plans held by many well-deserving guys went down the drain this year. For some, mid-morning tee-times didn’t happen. For others, the boat was wet, but never saw the open lake. Outdoor grilling of massive T-bones, and cold beer chugging opportunities were either cancelled, or lost their charm after migrating inside. Mother Nature’s […]

Greater Portland Books/Authors Saturday 6/20 “Lizzie Borden on Trial,” reading by local author Joseph Conforti, 2 p.m., free, Letterpress Books, Northgate Plaza, 91 Auburn St., Portland, 747-4232, letterpress-books.com. Monday 6/22 “Closer All the Time,” reading by local author Jim Nichols, 6:30 p.m., free, Freeport Community Library, 10 Library Drive, Freeport, 865-3307, freeportlibrary.com. Film “Full Moon in […]

It’s festival time in southern Maine, as two summer celebrations of performing arts will open within the week. PortFringe is a nine-day festival for aspiring playwrights and up-and-coming performance artists. It takes place June 20-28 in four Portland venues along Congress Street. The 10th annual Maine Festival of American Music will take place June 24-27 […]

This time of year, topics of college graduations and part-time summer jobs are tossed about in the same conversations. Even the smart/lucky/well-connected grads who were hired at campus job fairs, or recruited because of an occupational specialty, are hanging around and working locally. For many, it’s a last hurrah before tossing their red beret in […]