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May 8, 2025

Chestertown Spy

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The Man Wearing the Blue Suit at Pope Francis’ Funeral by J.E. Dean

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I scratched my head when I heard Donald Trump was attending the funeral of His Holiness, Pope Francis. Donald Trump is not a Catholic and doesn’t regularly go to church. He cozies up to Evangelical Christians and sells Bibles. Most of us credit greed as his motivations. In essence, he is the antithesis of everything the Pope represented—a Pope who supported climate change initiatives, condemned mistreatment of immigrants, and believed that criminals could be rehabilitated. His washing of their feet was a sign of his commitment to service and the virtue of humility.

Was our President the only person in St. Peter’s this week labelled a rapist by a judge? And was there anyone credited with more lies than Trump—The Washington Post counted 30,573 false or misleading statements made during Trump’s first term as president.  He likely will break that record this time around.

When it was confirmed Trump would be flying to Rome, I was disappointed. He could have sent J.D. Vance, a converted Catholic, but Vance angered the Church by having his photograph taken with his son in the Sistine Chapel, where photography is forbidden.

When Trump entered St. Peter’s, he was easy to spot. The Vatican informed persons invited to attend the funeral mass to wear black. Trump ignored the request. Was this because he knew Swiss Guards would not remove him for the etiquette violation? Or because Trump, who has made a practice of violating court orders and insulting the judges who issued them, enjoys breaking rules.

I don’t know what prompted Trump’s behavior in Rome, but I was glad to see him board Air Force One for his flight to Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Yes, the President left the funeral mass as soon as it ended to get to the golf club in time to fit in 18 holes the next day. 

Many words could be used to describe Trump’s behavior. Some that Trump uses himself in describing others, but I won’t repeat them here. I will only call the behavior disturbing. I worry that I see a president no longer in control of himself, a man subject to outbursts of anger, unable to distinguish truth and falsehoods, obsessed with vengeance and retribution against his perceived enemies, and devoid of any hint of empathy for anyone.

Every morning, in addition to reading a few newspapers, scanning the news on my iPad, and watching a few minutes of television news, I visit the President’s social media site and the White House press room. The social media site, I have found, is the best place to track what the President is doing and thinking. The White House online press room is where the full text of Executive Orders is posted. Want to learn why the President has banned paper straws? The answer is in the press room.

Trump’s social media posts are particularly disturbing. On Monday morning, I found a forceful attack on the press. The President wrote:

“We don’t have a Free and Fair Press in this Country anymore. We have a Press that writes BAD STORIES, and CHEATS, BIG, ON POLLS. IT IS COMPROMISED AND CORRUPT. SAD!”

Recent polls suggesting the public is souring on Trump prompted the outburst. The President has the lowest approval ratings for any president during their first 100 days in office in seven decades. Trump was also shown to have lost the public’s approval for his leadership on the economy. Credit the tariffs.

Be sure to visit the President’s social media site if you want to see more. There are more than enough unhinged posts to keep a small army of psychiatrists busy for decades. You will also find at least six photos and videos of the President travelling to Rome and two of him in St. Peter’s.

I do not want a man who wears a blue suit at the Pope’s funeral in the White House. Trump may have offended Catholics this weekend, but his actions and words are destroying America. I’ve had enough.

J.E. Dean writes on politics, government but, too frequently, on President Trump. A former counsel on Capitol Hill and public affairs consultant, Dean also writes for Dean’s Issues & Insights on Substack.

 

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Canaries in the Coal Mine Warnings for Maryland by David Reel

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For almost a century, between the late 1890s and 1986, coal miners relied on canary birds rather than fellow miners to detect increasing levels of colorless, odorless carbon monoxide and other toxic gases in the mines that could sicken or even kill humans. 

While mechanical sensors have long since replaced canaries in mines, the term “canaries in the coal mine” is still a metaphor for an early warning system to alert people of impending negative, even catastrophic outcomes, if they do not make necessary and timely changes.

Recent news reports on three “canaries in the coal mine” scenarios that merit serious consideration by Governor Moore and the leadership of the General Assembly.

The first are reports published in Maryland Matters that recent decisions on the state budget made by a majority in the General Assembly and by Governor Moore have not gone unnoticed by three major public finance credit rating agencies — Fitch, Moody’s, and S&P Global Ratings.

In the world of government finance, the ratings from these firms are of paramount importance.

They determine the interest rates on bonds issued by states to fund budgets in addition to revenue received from taxes and related revenue sources. The higher the states bond rating, the lower the interest rate on bond repayments. 

While these bond agencies reaffirmed the currently in place highest credit rating for Maryland (AAA), two did so with concerns.

Moody’s downgraded the state’s fiscal outlook from stable to “negative,” citing looming structural deficits driven by state funding for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future also known as the Kirwan Plan.

In their report, Moody’s wrote, “The negative outlook incorporates difficulties Maryland will face to achieve balanced financial operations in coming years without sacrificing service delivery goals or adding to the weight of the state government’s burden on individual and corporate taxpayers.” 

This is the first time since 2011 that Moody’s has issued a negative outlook for Maryland. 

Their report notes, “The outlook revision was driven by expected structural imbalances and planned depletion of General Fund surplus and budgetary reserves by about 60% from fiscal 2023 through fiscal 2025, which threatens to undermine performance relative to peers.” 

In their report, S&P Global Ratings, expressed concerns about deficits and costly programs. Those concerns led them to grade Maryland nearly in the middle of their its rating system — a grade that would typically equate to a credit rating just below AAA. But the agency gave the state the benefit of the doubt citing its history of fiscal management.

The second “canary in the coal mine” are reports from the General Assembly’s nonpartisan legislative budget analysts. They are projecting that by next year, the state’s projected structural budget deficit — the gap between projected expenses and expected revenues – will grow to $1 billion. In fiscal 2027, the last year of Moore’s term, it grows to $1.3 billion. A year later, it more than doubles to $3 billion.

The third “canary in the coal mine” are recurring reports from Delaware about businesses moving or planning to move their business incorporation domicile from Delaware.

The latest to do so is Affirm Holdings Inc., a publicly held American technology firm that handles financial services for merchants and shoppers. Affirm is one of at least twenty major companies citing a hostile Delaware business environment as the reason for their decisions. 

Affirm joins Facebook parent company Meta, Walmart, Tripadvisor, The Trade Desk, and Roblox. 

In the face of all this news, one has to question the impact of a recent compromise reached by the leadership of the Maryland General Assembly and Governor Moore on a final state budget and state tax package.

That compromise did not include a proposed reduction in the corporate net income tax, but did include a new 3.5 % sales tax on information technology service providers.

A spokesperson for Governor Moore has said the governor is still optimistic going forward, saying the governor “remains confident” in the state’s fiscal position following the news on the three credit ratings. He also said the governor will work with lawmakers on “long-term structural solutions” that balance revenues with priorities.

State Senate Budget and Taxation Chair Guy Guzzone is also optimistic. He was quoted in a Maryland Matters article, “I know we can figure it out and we will figure it out. Whatever the circumstances, whatever the economy gives us, in a broad sense, we’ll use our tools and we’ll be thoughtful, and we’ll come up with, I believe, good solutions.”

Time will tell if the current news from Delaware projected deficits and credit rating concerns will be included in future dialogue and deliberations on state spending and state revenues which in turn will help ensure fully informed decisions will be made on future state budget decisions in Annapolis. 

We are likely to know very soon. 

The final approved state budget bill requires a special legislative session later this year to address unexpected impacts in Maryland on more reductions in federal government spending. 

If and when that occurs, I suggest Marylanders deserve thoughtful consideration of the current canaries in the coal mine as well as unexpected others yet to be made known. 

David Reel is a public affairs and public relations consultant in Easton.

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Adkins Arboretum Mystery Monday: Guess the photo

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Happy Mystery Monday!  Can you guess what is pictured in the photo below?
The answer to last week’s mystery is shagbark hickory, Carya ovata, pictured in the photo below:
Shagbark hickory is a tall, straight trunked tree reaching over 120”. It is prized for its aromatic wood, which burns long and with little to no smoke. Hickory is used to produce high-quality charcoal that is excellent for barbecuing.
The bark of young hickory trees is smooth, while mature hickory trees have distinctly shaggy bark. When the shagbark hickory’s leaves emerge in Spring, the leaves point in different directions. This display turns into clusters of small, prominently veined, yellow leaves that seem to glow in the sun.
Shagbark hickory fruits from September-October. The nuts form singly or in clusters of up to three. Hickory is cultivated for its sweet, edible nuts, which have been prized as long as humans have lived on this continent.
Shagbark hickory is monoecious – it has both male and female flowers on the same tree. The male flowers are 2-3″ long yellow-green catkins. The female flowers are much shorter. Both flowers appear in Spring.
Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

The Artist’s Way by Katherine Emery

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It was 1995, there were parts of my job as a Health Educator that I loved, but the work environment was toxic, and I wasn’t fond of my boss. One day, while browsing at Barnes & Noble, a book practically jumped out at me: The Artist’s Way. I bought it on the spot and started journaling every day using the stream-of-consciousness method it teaches. That simple practice changed my life.

Journaling through The Artist’s Way helped me reconnect with my inner voice, the part of me that had been buried under stress, self-doubt, and a job that no longer aligned with who I was becoming. As I wrote each morning, I started to gain clarity about what I truly wanted. I realized I didn’t have to stay stuck. Bit by bit, I began to release the fear of change and started visualizing the kind of work environment, creativity, and purpose I wanted in my life. That daily practice became a form of manifestation. In time, I found myself stepping into a new career that felt aligned, joyful, and like a true reflection of me. It wasn’t just a creative awakening, it was the beginning of a completely new chapter.

One evening after my weekly adult ballet class, the teacher invited me to join her for a glass of wine at Legal Spirits Restaurant. As we sipped and chatted, Connie, the owner of Classworks Dance Studio, asked if I would be interested in teaching Ballet to very young dancers. Surprised and flattered by the offer, I responded with a resounding, “Yes, I’d love to teach!” That conversation, and that glass of wine – marked the beginning of a new path for me.

As my contract as a Health Educator was coming to an end and with the position as a ballet teacher, I decided not to renew my contract, embracing this new opportunity. During my time as a Health Educator, I had written grants focused on preschool-aged children and discovered how much I enjoyed working with that age group. In addition to teaching ballet, I applied for and was hired as a lead teacher at a local preschool.

Teaching small children is one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. Their curiosity, energy, and joy are contagious, turning even the simplest moments into opportunities for wonder and discovery. Watching their eyes light up when they learn something new or accomplish a task for the first time is incredibly fulfilling. The bonds formed through daily routines, laughter, and shared silliness create a great sense of purpose. Guiding them as they grow, not just academically, but socially and emotionally—reminds me every day of the impact a caring, patient presence can have on a small child.

Journaling continues to bring clarity to my life in a way few other practices do. Putting my thoughts on paper helps me slow down and make sense of the negativity that pops up in my mind. Whether I’m working through a challenge, capturing a meaningful moment, or simply noting what I’m grateful for, writing creates space for reflection and insight. Over time, my journal has become a trusted companion, offering perspective, grounding me in the present, and gently guiding me forward. It’s a daily reminder that even in chaos, there is always clarity to be found through the act of writing.

My journal keeps track of it all; illnesses, births, deaths, vacations, and everything in between. It’s basically the unofficial family archive, part medical record, part travel log, part soap opera. One page might detail a case of the flu that took us all down like dominoes, and the next, a sunny day at the beach complete with sand in every crevice. Birthdays, baby announcements, photos, restaurant receipts, and Broadway Playbills are squeezed in as bookmarks. It’s not the pressed flowers or tiny beautiful watercolor paintings of Edwardian Ladies type of journal, but it’s honest, and flipping through it is like reading a wildly unpredictable, slightly dramatic, but very heartfelt family saga.

Writing has always been a catharsis for me, a way to release emotions I can’t quite say out loud. When the world feels heavy or my thoughts are tangled, putting pen to paper creates space to breathe. The act of writing helps me sort through the murky bits, name the feelings, and leave a little part of the weight behind with each word. It doesn’t always bring answers, but it always brings relief. Whether it’s a quick vent, a heartfelt letter never sent, or a quiet journal entry, writing helps me heal, process, and move forward with a little more clarity and peace.

In the midst of these difficult times, I find comfort in journaling and I gently recommend the same to anyone searching for calm

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Adkins Arboretum’s Mystery Monday: Guess the photo

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Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess what is pictured in the photo below:
The answer to last week’s mystery is mayapple or wild mandrake, Podophyllum peltatum, pictured in the photo below:
Mayapples first emerge in April. They frequent mesic to dry-mesic upland forests, well-drained floodplain forests, and various moist, disturbed habitats. Mayapples populate much of Adkins’ Blockston Branch Walk.
As mayapple leaves first emerge in Spring, the leaf blades initially droop downward, then later open flat (like an umbrella) to catch some rays as the tree canopy closes in and blocks much of the sunlight.
Mayapples colonize by rhizomes, forming dense mats. Each year, the rhizome elongates about 6-20 cm in length, terminating in a bud for the subsequent year’s leafy stem. One or more buds form for continuation and branching of the rhizome. Over time rhizome branching results in the formation of large reaching colonies.
Mayapples are unique in that they only have two leaves and a single flower. Nonflowering mayapple stems bear a single leaf. These are young, immature sprouts whereas flowering stems produce a pair of leaves, between which is a single flower. The flowers are capable of self- or cross-pollination.
Be aware, aside from the ripe fruits, all parts of the mayapple are toxic.
Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

In the beginning was the word By Laura J. Oliver

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Here’s what old people do. They talk about their aches and pains and what they had to eat at their most recent meal.

Grilled cheese, and my hip hurts. Ha ha.

I know you’re reviewing your last conversation with furrowed brow, so I’m trying to make you feel better.

To make myself feel better, I’m engaged in an experiment. I have a pain that only manifests when I lie down on my left side, but it’s really interfering with my lack of sleep. That’s another joke. Read it again.

An MRI has identified what could be the cause, but according to the pain management specialist, the source of my pain could be this, could be that. A spinal injection has helped a bit, but to avoid doing another, the doctor has suggested a month of acupuncture three times a week.

Acupuncture is not covered by my insurance, so I have been agonizing about what to do because the intense, accelerated schedule of appointments will, by necessity, be expensive, but I discover there is a practice called “community acupuncture,” which is very affordable because it is done en masse. Picture a South Korean wedding where 5,000 engaged couples gather in a stadium. Like that.

I walk in the first day and see 10 mesh lounge chairs of sorts, lined up five to a side in a moderately-sized, dimly-lit room. Almost every recliner has a person lying on it with needles in various places, I assume, but can’t verify because I don’t look as I make my way down the center aisle to an empty chair. One of the things I will come to learn is that privacy does not require the usual physical barriers. There are ephemeral, spiritual boundaries that make it feel as if every person is in a room of their own.

White sound from a fan and faint music masks any conversation between the acupuncturist and patient so you are barely aware when one person’s session is complete, their needles removed, and they silently slip from the room.

I roll up my pants to my knees, I’m barefoot in a sleeveless top, and I offer up my extremities to my practitioner. How can you do this? I whisper, curious. How can you minister to what hurts when you only have access to 40 percent of my body? And not the part that hurts? She just smiles and says, Because I’ve been doing this 18 years.

Okay.

I am quick to enter other people’s realities when they seem better than my own.

And success speaks for itself. No matter what time of day or what day of the week I go, the room is nearly full. People love coming here. And they skew young although I see middle-aged people as well, and as many men as women.

Not that I’m looking.

She puts the needles in my hands and feet and the top of my head and leaves me there to cook. Within a few minutes, I feel my body reject several of the needles. I swear I’m not moving—they just fly out and hit the floor. Is that a good thing, I wonder?

I gently place Air Pods in my ears to listen to music. But the music makes me weep and think of things to tell you that I can’t write down and won’t remember, then I can’t wipe away my tears because my hands are full of needles.

So. This is awkward

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a playlist prepared, and the selection I picked on Spotify changes genres and is suddenly too loud and not continuous. Now I feel like I’m trapped at a rock concert too close to the stage.

I take a cautious glance at the wall clock and inadvertently see that all the bodies around me look like we are in suspended animation for a journey to Mars. I’m waking up first.

That makes me remember the YouTube video of the Rhodesian Ridgeback in the kennel who figured out how to nose open the latch of his cage, then raced down the run setting all his delighted fellow inmates free.

The next time I come, I vow to just lie there and let go of my thoughts like my friend Ned does six hours a day, trying not to have to incarnate again. He is in a big hurry to be done with Earthly existence in a spiritual way. But every thought that might flit past my consciousness like a cloud (the analogy meditators all use), I chase, knock down and rope like a calf in a steer-roping contest. Gotcha! Then I spring up, get back on my pony, and mentally look around for the next thought to lasso coming out of the shoot.

Got one! I am failing acupuncture. I’m doomed to get another spinal injection…

But our brains are phenomenal expectation machines. False flattery affects us even when we know it is untrue. (Looking good, you!) And when part of an object or word is missing, our brains fill it in. And when given a placebo we believe is medicine, we get well. But even better, when given a placebo and TOLD it’s a placebo, we still get well!

The implications are so huge I get lost in them. So, I lie there wanting to heal my hip and my heart and in love with my acupuncture points. Yes, there is Mound of Ruins and Tears Container, but there is also Spirit Gate, Shining Sea, and Grasping the Wind.

I try a mantra. “I’m healing,” I tell myself and any spiritual beings that might want to make me not a liar. “I am healed,” I try—going for broke.

“Not just my hip, but everything in my life.” That’s possible, right? That healing is like love? Nonselective, boundaryless? Did you know there is an acupuncture point called Soul Door?

You can’t change your feelings until you change the words in your head. Say them now, because if you say them, in some small part of your brain, you’ll believe them.

I am healing, I am healing,

I am healed.

 

Laura J. Oliver is an award-winning developmental book editor and writing coach, who has taught writing at the University of Maryland and St. John’s College. She is the author of The Story Within (Penguin Random House). Co-creator of The Writing Intensive at St. John’s College, she is the recipient of a Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award in Fiction, an Anne Arundel County Arts Council Literary Arts Award winner, a two-time Glimmer Train Short Fiction finalist, and her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her website can be found here.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Adkins Arboretum’s Mystery Monday: Guess the photo

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Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess what is pictured in the photo below?
The answer to last week’s mystery is red maple flowers, Acer rubrum, pictured in the photo below:
The red maple flowers shown here are female. They are dark, deep red with sticky, fuzzy stigmas that extend past the petals and catch pollen floating by. Clusters of red maple flowers are especially striking against a clear, blue Winter sky.
Maple tree flowers are primarily wind-pollinated. As the flowers fade, the fruit – which is often showier than the flowers – appears. The fruit, botanically classified as a schizocarp, is split into two-winged structures called samaras. The samaras dangle on the ends of branches by thin pedicels, or stalks. They remain on the tree for about a month after the Spring foliage emerges and until the wind disperses them.
Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Magnified By Laura J. Oliver

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Every morning, when I get ready for my day, I sit at my dressing table, known as a vanity by the judgy, and check out my face in a mirror that lights up and magnifies by a power of 15.

“Why do you do that?” my mother asked when she was alive. And “Stop doing that!” my former dermatologist groaned. “No one expects perfection!”

I smiled at him sadly. He was, of course, a man.

“You’ll never see anything better than you saw the day before!” Mom predicted, but it’s not that I think I’ll discover I’ve gotten younger-looking overnight; it’s that I am searching for the newest sign of deterioration. Stemming the tide requires grand-scale scrutiny. And if you have fair skin and blue eyes, it also requires pretty vigilant screenings by a dermatologist as you pay in spades for those days before sunscreen when you grooved to tunes on your beach towel in the Outer Banks.

But a magnifying mirror would not have saved me this Monday when I visited my new dermatologist after a weekend hiking through the woods of the Blue Ridge. I was chatting with the doctor as she updated my records when I felt something itchy about two inches above my hairline on the back of my neck. Without thinking, I slipped an exploratory hand up to touch the place and discovered a small bump.

Dr. Aguh was still studying the computer screen while I sat there, semi-horrified to realize that the itchy bump was a tick I must have picked up over the weekend. Now, I would have to dislodge the critter and offer it up like a creepy present. “I’m meticulously clean! I wash every day! And, oh yeah, here’s a bug I just found in my hair.”

So when Dr. Aguh beamed her bright smile on me at last, I was perched on the edge of my hardback chair in my gray jeans and white sweater, pinching my new friend with his tiny flailing legs between my thumb and index finger.

“I can’t believe this,” I confessed, “but I just found this tick …

“(I know! Gross!)

“And he was attached… (I know! Grosser!)

“Right here.” I pointed at the back of my neck with my other hand.

She didn’t look.

“A tick?” Dr. Aguh stepped backward involuntarily.

“Put it in here,” she suggested, handing me a specimen cup at arm’s length.

“I was outside all weekend,” I called after her as she abruptly exited the room. I peered in the cup at my new friend, left to ponder our effects on each other’s lives.

I walked over to the window, put my captive on the sill, and immediately googled “ticks that cause Lyme disease” on my cellphone. A nasty lineup of the usual suspects appeared. I began comparing mugshots. “Number One. Dog tick, step forward.” By the time the doctor returned, I was fairly certain this was not a Lyme disease perp but a harmless imposter. Still, we weren’t sure, so I was told that if I wanted an antibiotic after further research at home, I could call.

In my office, I taped the defendant to a piece of white paper, took his photograph, and then enlarged it. Which brings me back to things we size up and how this is not a good thing most of the time. Very little benefit comes from looking at something way larger than it appears to the naked eye. Or that is normally hidden. You think your dog is cute? Ever pulled back those lips and had a look at those teeth? Who’s cute now? How about your horse? So beautiful, so noble, but pull up those lips and call in the clowns.

Likewise, the person speaking on Zoom! You can change your zoom settings to automatically enlarge the speaker, you know. Please don’t do this in my workshops. I like to think you are seeing me as I’m seeing you—very small, with little detail, from a galaxy far, far away.

What else suffers from magnification?

Anxiety enlarges my impatience, makes me snap at the dog, say bad words to inanimate objects. I sound mean, but I’m really worried; about injured children in warzones I long to hold to my heart, about rising tides and temperatures. About my vanishing savings. And fear magnifies my inclination to criticize. I sound judgmental, but I’m scared. For my children, their children. For humanity. You.

But we can also magnify the moon, the Milky Way, and the light from distant stars. And magnification makes things appear closer, like age, but they are not really closer. In fact, they are not even right-side up!

All cameras, telescopes, and even the corneas of your eyes bend incoming light to produce an image that is upside down. It is your brain that receives those signals, decodes and interprets them, then constructs an image of the world right side up.

Sometimes it feels as if I’m seeing the world upside down from very far away, and my brain has not yet righted it, but it could.

The primal brain is ego-centric. There is only self. So, giving love feels like receiving love; extending compassion, feels as if we have been enfolded in loving arms. Praying for another feels like blessings raining down. A conversion accomplished by the brain but experienced in the heart.

When mom wanted me to feel the consequences of a questionable decision, say accelerating through a yellow traffic light, she’d ask, “What if everybody did that?”  Well, what if?

What if everybody did that?

Gave away, relentlessly, what we want to receive. Justice. Empathy. Mercy.

When that is the light by which we see, it will right the world.

Laura J. Oliver is an award-winning developmental book editor and writing coach, who has taught writing at the University of Maryland and St. John’s College. She is the author of The Story Within (Penguin Random House). Co-creator of The Writing Intensive at St. John’s College, she is the recipient of a Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award in Fiction, an Anne Arundel County Arts Council Literary Arts Award winner, a two-time Glimmer Train Short Fiction finalist, and her work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her website can be found here.

 

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Chesapeake Bay Week Film Festival returns to CBMM in April

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The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is proud to partner with Maryland Public Television (MPT) to host the second annual Chesapeake Bay Week Film Festival with a series of four screening events in the Van Lennep Auditorium next month. 

This edition of the film festival will feature a family-friendly screening, a film-inspired tasting event, and showings of two films premiering on MPT during this year’s Chesapeake Bay Week.

 In sharing these films alongside panel discussions, expert talks, and related programming, the events are designed to offer a deeper look at these important Bay stories while inspiring a passion for this treasured waterway. All five featured films will be shown during MPT’s 21st annual Chesapeake Bay Week, which runs April 20-26.

To learn more and buy tickets, including a package ticket option that offers a $5 savings, visit cbmm.org/SpeakerSeries.

“We are delighted to continue our partnership with Maryland Public Television to celebrate Chesapeake Bay Week” CBMM’s Vice President of Education & Interpretation Jill Ferris said. “We had a great response from our community last spring. We’ve grown the film festival to four events this time, and we’re excited to share some new ways to experience and explore these tremendous films.”

The Chesapeake Bay Week Film Festival begins Saturday, April 5, at 2pm with a family screening of the MPT documentary “Creatures of the Chesapeake.”

This fast-paced, half-hour film offers an intimate look at some of the most fascinating species in the Bay, making it a must-see for kids, adults, and anyone with an innate curiosity about life in the deep. After the film, guests will get an up-close look at some Miles River oysters and the critters that live with them.

This event is free for CBMM members and general admission guests. Learn more and register at cbmm.org/CreaturesOfTheChesapeake.

On Monday, April 7, at 5:30pm, Chesapeake cuisine will be in the spotlight during the “Eatin’ the Chesapeake” Film Screenings and Tasting. Participants will watch MPT’s films “Eatin’ Blue Catfish: Chesapeake Style” and “Eatin’ the Chesapeake: The Five Feasts” while enjoying a film-inspired tasting plate from local caterers Garden & Garnish.

It’s a chance to explore new and time-honored Chesapeake food traditions on screen and on your plate with a tasty menu that includes Oysters Rockefeller Dip with French bread croutons, baked blue catfish cakes with okra, scallions, & roasted red peppers, and ham rolls stuffed with cabbage, kale & onions.

The cost is $45 per participant with a 20% discount for CBMM members. Learn more and buy tickets at cbmm.org/ChesapeakeTasting.

The Chesapeake Bay Week Film Festival continues Thursday, April 10, at 5:30pm, with a “Resurrecting Poplar Island” film screening and discussion with MPT Producer/Director Sarah Sampson and scientists from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

Poplar Island, like so many other islands in the Chesapeake Bay, was steadily sinking into ever-rising water before its resurrection through an ambitious environmental engineering project involving extraordinary collaboration among state and federal agencies.

This new film, which has its MPT premiere on Sunday, April 20, at 7:30pm, explores the island’s past and present—and what its successful restoration could mean for the future of the other disappearing islands in the Bay and beyond.

The cost to join the screening and discussion is $10. Learn more and register at cbmm.org/ResurrectingPoplarIsland.

The festival wraps Wednesday, April 16, at 5:30pm, with a “Chesapeake Rhythms” film screening and discussion with filmmakers Tom Horton, Dave Harp, and Sandy Cannon-Brown.

“Chesapeake Rhythms” conveys the beauty and mystery of the Bay by chronicling its essential rhythm: wind, tides, and migrations of tundra swans, monarch butterflies, shorebirds, and eels. After the screening, the celebrated filmmakers will share the inspirations for their latest project and offer insight into its production.

The cost is $10 per participant to join screening and discussion of “Chesapeake Rhythms,” which debuts on MPT on Tuesday, April 22, at 8pm. Learn more and register at cbmm.org/ChesapeakeRhythms.

With its Chesapeake Bay Week, MPT invites viewers to discover the unique ecosystems and culture of our nation’s largest estuary. CBMM has long supported MPT in the creation of this programming by sharing its campus, collections, and staff expertise.

This year, Chesapeake Bay Week features more than 18 hours of Bay-focused programming, with even more compelling content available for streaming through the free PBS App. There are four new programs in total debuting during this edition. More information, including a full schedule, is available at mpt.org/bayweek.

For the latest on upcoming CBMM programming, stay tuned to the calendar at cbmm.org/events.

 

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