Kieran Shields of Bath finds his niche writing detective novels, weaving in his love of history through the setting.

Besides being fun, Portland’s Ice Bar event benefits nonprofit organizations that feed, clothe and in many other ways, cater to the needs of those in crisis in Maine.

I am going to hear a concert by the contemporary string quartet ETHYL, “Present Beauty,” at University of Southern Maine’s Hannaford Hall at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday (also at Camden Opera House on Saturday) because of the group’s interest in, and support of, Native American music. The quartet serves as the ensemble-in-residence at the Grand Canyon Music […]

Art “Between Past and Present: The Homer Studio Photographic Project,” contemporary photography made with historic processes, through Feb. 17; and Lois Dodd: “Catching the Light,” career retrospective — 1955-2012 — for the Maine painter, through April 7, Portland Museum of Art. portlandmuseum.org. “The Portland Society of Art and Winslow Homer’s Legacy in Maine,” exploring the […]

Google “splinathes gin” and, oddly, Local 188’s name tops the search results. What is splinathes? It’s a plant that creates a numbing sensation for teeth, and when infused into gin, makes a tongue tingle too. According to the website, splinathes is among the infusions available at Local 188, but because options rotate, it was not […]