Dear Yankee | January/February 2019
Readers respond to their favorite Yankee Magazine articles.
A Tale Well Told
Mel Allen’s article on Bucksport’s human spirit and the residents’ raw commitment to one another in the face of the mill’s closing in 2014 is sensitive, outstanding, and beautifully written [“The Town That Refused to Die,” November/December].
I appreciate Allen’s focus on Bucksport’s poet laureate, Patricia Smith Ranzoni, whose voice is authentic Maine. You don’t get a whole town, particularly in northern New England, to tell its story by dropping in from outside and chatting people up.
Gabe Sousa’s photographs are remarkable. Thank you, Yankee, for the time it must have taken for such a thorough story.
H. H. Price Portland, Maine
Turning the Page
Edie Clark is one of my very favorite writers, and I’ve read all of her books. I was so glad to learn in the November/December editor’s letter that there are at least 499 other readers that regularly send her cards and good wishes. It brought tears to my eyes when I read that the last of her writings [“December Babies”] was included in that issue, but as always, I enjoyed reading it.
When sending Edie greeting cards, I always remind her how I read her books during Hurricane Sandy, in the dark with a flashlight, when we were without power for 10 days. She got me through many nights of worry. May she continue to enjoy as many happy hours as she has provided her readers.
Cynthia Kester Clifton, New Jersey
Still a Hot Item
In reference to your article about New England boiled mittens [“Knitty Gritty,” November/December]: Over the years I have saved some issues of Yankee and shared the rest with our local library. I knew I had kept my February 1983 issue. Made that same winter, these mittens are still in service. We no longer raise cattle, nor do we get the deep, wet cold here in southeastern Ohio that very often requires the amazing warmth of these mittens. However, they are waiting—just in case.
Meg Toomey Millfield, Ohio
Corrections and Clarifications
• The stoneware bowls and plates featured in our Thanksgiving story [“Gathering Together,” November/December] were handcrafted by Myrth Ceramics of Allston, Massachusetts. For a list of retailers, go to myrth.us.
• In all the excitement over revealing the winners of our annual Editors’ Choice Food Awards [November/December], we missed the mark on a few details. The owner of Consider Bardwell Farm is Angela Miller, and Leslie Goff is the cheese maker. The owner of Bootblack Brand is Paul Kubiski. And the website for Curio Spice Co. is curiospice.com.
