When you plan a three-day trip with author Anna Crowley Redding to visit schools on Islesboro, Vinalhaven, and North Haven, be ready for adventure! With her Emmy in tow—the one she earned during her previous career as an investigative TV reporter—we kicked off our tour at Islesboro Central School. After a lively school-wide presentation, Anna… Read more
Two months ago we kicked off the start of IRW’s school season—and what better way to begin than with community, creativity, and a little island adventure! Our first school program of this busy year featured long-time friend and author/artist Kevin Hawkes. Kevin—along with IRW team members Lisa Herrington, Celine Martin, and Courtney Waring—met bright and… Read more
IRW is delighted to welcome Courtney Waring as our new Executive Director! Read on to get to know her better. How were you first introduced to IRW? I first connected with IRW back in 2018, when I was invited to Steuben to lead some professional development workshops for teachers and host a family story time…. Read more
Zine is short for “magazine” or sometimes “fanzine.” A zine is a self-published work, usually a booklet, with a small distribution. Because of their accessibility, adaptability, and creative appeal, zines are great tools for classrooms and library programs. Explore the resources below to get crafting! RESOURCES All About Zines: Webinar Recording This handy guide takes… Read more
IRW’s School Programs team travels over 8,000 miles a year within the state of Maine—that’s like driving from New York to Los Angeles, realizing you forgot your phone charger, driving home, only to make the journey again…with a detour through Canada, because of course you missed an exit. But that’s not all! They have authors… Read more
Do puppets know that they’re puppets?! We spent two days with author, illustrator & artist Lucky Platt to find out. IRW’s busy spring semester ended with a grand finale: a two-day program for homeschooling families at the Lubec Memorial Library. Author and illustrator Lucky Platt guided eager kids through the process of imagining a character… Read more
IRW’s school program team coordinates every aspect of our author & illustrator visits. But their most important task is simply being present with the kids. Director of School Programs Alison Johnson and Programs Assistant Lisa Herrington visit a lot of classrooms, facilitating more than 50 visits annually within our partner school network of 26 schools. That… Read more
Beals Elementary School has been a partner in our school program network since 2014. The town of Beals, where the school is located, actually encompasses two islands—Great Wass and Beals Islands. What makes Beals Elementary special? With around 40 students attending annually in pre-K–8, it’s a very close-knit community and one that’s tied to the… Read more
The Backstory: In March 2025, IRW gathered 40 Washington County educators at the beautiful Cobscook Institute in Trescott, Maine for a day of hands-on professional development: Dear Teacher, The Climate Education Edition! Generously funded by a grant from the Maine Department of Education Climate Education, the day’s program included keynote speaker Jane Disney of the… Read more
Visiting island schools presents unique challenges. Early mornings, ferry schedules, unpredictable weather—all conspire to make those trips out a true adventure for our author and illustrator partners. IRW is fortunate to have creative friends who embrace the experience of traveling to island schools, both to meet and work with the incredible children who live there… Read more
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