I got this in the mail the other day. It was a huge surprise. I am trying not to get too excited about it, but after the hard work of setting up a recent event, I thought it was OK to enjoy it for just a moment.
If you haven’t been to a Long Story Short at 3S Artspace, you must check it out. The people who have been gracious enough to take the stage and be a part have told very funny and touching stories. Thanks so much to them and 3S Artspace for making this an event that has garnered notice.
I’ve been pretty excited by what I’ve been seeing in my neighborhood lately. Down the street from my house is the new home of Great Rhythm Brewing Company. In fact, I can see their new HQ from the window of my office as I write this. I’m a big fan of pale ales, and Great Rhythm’s Resonation Pale Ale has been a solid go-to beer in our house for a while now. The tasting room is opening “Summer 2016,” and I expect I’ll be there quite a bit.
A short flight at Liar’s Bench Beer Co.
Flying a little more under the radar is Liar’s Bench Beer Co., a nano-brewery based in an old plumbing parts warehouse on Islington Street — and just a quick jog from my house. I happened to be around the day it opened, working hard to repaint practically every surface in my home. What goes great after a hard day or working around the house? A beer.
We sampled all four taps. I liked the John Grady Kolsch (5% ABV, 21 BU), a smooth, light brew that efficiently took the edge off of my post-painting sore muscles. My husband and I were also fond of the Bitter Lad, a “New English ESB” (5% ABV, 30 BU), a traditional British beer with an infusion of American hops — a perfect mix of malty and bitter. We took a growler home of that one.
I also have to give props to Topanga (6.5% ABV, 50 BU). Yes, it’s named after the “Boy Meets World” character and yes, it’s an IPA. Creative beer names can get tiresome, but it’s hard not to love this reference, or this beer.
The space is open, hip and re-purposes the industrial space well. Think Oxbow in Portland, Maine, only much smaller and more natural light. Confirmation from the owner the tasting room is kid-friendly was happy news, as the mother of a 3-year-old. “Come on, sweety. Let’s walk down to the brewery for a visit.”
The March installment of Long Story Short was out most successful yet, with more than 100 people coming out to 3S Artspace. As an organizer who also has a full-time job, a small child and freelance writing pitches to craft in my spare time, it’s been a bit of a challenge organizing and promoting Long Story Short. Thankfully I was approached by Patrick Gale, who was interested in recording the event and putting it out in the form of a podcast, called Long Story Shortcast. You can listen to Episode 2 here, which features Erin Laplante, Larry Clow, Rachel Forrest and Laura Cleminson, or go to Soundcloud for all the episodes.
The next Long Story Short will be on May 16 at 3S Artspace. The event will be a joint storytelling night with Portsmouth Community Radio’s True Tale Radio, with the theme, Find Your Voice. You can get more information and tickets here.
The final person on my list of freelance writing advisers is Larry Clow. Like me, he got his start writing for a local newspaper and is moving on this spring to pursue freelance writing for real. He has worked as a reporter and newspaper editor and has a memoir in the works. I emailed him about his thoughts on writing and editing. Here is what he sent me.
Larry Clow, author, editor of The Sound, freelance writer
What kind of stories does The Sound look for?
The Sound is always looking for Seacoast related stories — that’s the first question I ask writers, in fact: What’s the Seacoast connection.
Generally, our focus is on arts and cultural events, and a lot of our stories preview upcoming events — shows, film screenings, author readings, plays, etc. But we also print news and feature stories, too, and so I’m also always looking out for topical news-y features about things happening in the region, or maybe national topics that could have a local angle.
Does it accept stories from writers just starting out? If so, how do you like to be approached in that case?
We do accept stories from writers who are just starting out! I like new writers to send a brief pitch describing their plan for the story and some potential sources, and I also like to see one or two writing samples, so I can get a sense of the writer’s abilities. Email is always the best way to send pitches to us; since we’re a small staff, there’s not always someone in the office.
What are you looking for in new writers?
I’m looking for writers who know whatever topic it is that they want to cover, or, at the very least, know who they need to talk to so that they can know about their topic. Not everyone is an expert about whatever they want to write about, but I at least need to see that a writer’s willing to do the necessary research for a good story.
And, of course, I look for reliability and consistency — meeting deadlines, responding to emails, turning in relatively clean copy, that sort of thing.
What are some ways writers can show they are serious (have ideas for art, name possible sources when approaching you, etc)?
Emailing me with a decently fleshed out pitch, with some possible sources and details about art/photo opportunities is HUGE. That alone automatically sets a writer apart.
Another big factor: If the writer demonstrates in some way that they’ve read The Sound and are familiar with the types of stories we publish. One writer recently pitched me a story that was (A) about an event he was organizing — already a big no — and (B) was taking place on the other side of New Hampshire — another clue that he hadn’t seen that we only write about events in the Seacoast. Conversely, another writer recently sent me an email with 4 short pitches; each pitch included a brief description of the story, why it was locally relevant, why it was timely, a handful of possible local sources, and, in two of them, a reason why this writer was the best person to write the story. Needless to say, I immediately accepted one of the pitches (it was for this story: http://soundnh.com/taking-root/)
What are some of your writer pet peeves (turning in stories late, spelling errors, etc)?
My number one pet peeve is emails that I call “non-pitch pitches.” Basically, emails/messages/phone calls from writers who don’t have a specific pitch, but are just contacting me because they’re interested in writing. This drives me a little crazy, and it’s something that, when I was first starting out as a writer, I thought was a totally jerky thing that editors would say. “Why wouldn’t editors want extra help?!” I thought. Now, I see why — it’s extra work for me to come up with story ideas for writers I don’t know, when it’d be far easier for me to simply assign stories to writers I know who can do them. I appreciate the intention, but it drives me nutty.
As a writer, do you do any freelance work? If so, what kind?
I do! Right now, all my freelance work is for the University of New Hampshire, where I write features for The College Letter, a monthly publication from the College of Liberal Arts, and the UNH Magazine. I’m hoping to expand that soon — I’d like to start pitching stories to some larger regional and national publications.
How have you been able to build relationships with editors to get published?
I have, and it’s largely been through personal networks. My UNH jobs came by way of a professor I worked with in the English department while working on my MFA. For three years or so, I did regular work writing policy stories for Child and Family Services of NH’s quarterly newsletter, and I came to that job after meeting their communications coordinator at an open house event.
I stay in touch with my two UNH editors regularly, either pitching them stories or checking in to see if they might have a story that needs to be picked up. (That’s another good reason to know the publication and it’s schedule — for example, if my editor at the magazine passes on a feature pitch, I know that she still assigns some short, 600-or-so-word alumni profiles for each issue.)
Do you ever submit pitches to editors you don’t know and if so, how did that work?
I do, though not as much as I’d like. I’ve pitched a couple times to Dispatch, an arts/lifestyle magazine in Portland, Maine and was successful, but I haven’t had much time to pitch them lately.
My most ambitious pitch was a feature for Yankee Magazine. In that case, I wrote my pitch and got some feedback on it from a friend who’d recently sold a story to Yankee (she also tipped me off about which editor reads the pitches, so I made sure to send my pitch to that person and not the general editorial email account). The editor passed, unfortunately. I’ve got another idea I’m working on a pitch for, though, so maybe this one will be successful.
Portsmouth Brewery Royal Impy Stout and California Common
It’s been more than a year since I toured the new Smuttynose Brewing Co., facility with Peter Egelston. I got a look at the plant just before they began production and way before the new restaurant, Hayseed, had opened. This research resulted in the article below, featured in the industry magazine, Market Watch. I was impressed with Egelston’s openness and the facility’s high-tech approach to beer making. We discussed how technique and technology influence the beer’s flavor, other endeavors like the Portsmouth Brewery, as well as some business philosophy. The story is only available to me in PDF, so make sure to click through to read the rest.
With the opening of a new facility in Hampton, New Hampshire, Smuttynose Brewing Co. aims big while maintaining its craft character
When Smuttynose Brewing Co. finished the first of-the-art brewery in Hampton, New Hampshire, at the end of February, it wasn’t just an inaugural run on new equipment. This batch had been nearly 10 years in the making. Smuttynose founder and president Peter Egelston began searching for a new location in 2004 to replace the original 25,000-square-foot Portsmouth brewing facility, an inefficient, dark and cramped space tucked away in the depths of a light industrial development. Egelston’s first choice was a crumbling riverside mill building in nearby Newmarket, a popular off-campus hub for college students attending the University of New Hampshire. He approached the town leaders and was welcomed with open arms—at first.
Read the rest of the story in PDF form here: MW0414_smuttynose
Opening night in the gallery at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth
Sometimes I’m inspired to write about a subject because I think editors will love the idea, or that it will gain lots of reader interest. But sometimes I write about a subject because I am legitimately curious. Last winter, I toyed with the idea of starting a non-profit that would support creative freelancers like myself throughout the northern Boston-metro area. What better way to fund my research than to write a story about the risks and rewards of launching a non-profit?
I learned there are many dedicated people in this state giving their time and gallons of sweat equity to do things that no sane business owner would touch. That includes 3S Artspace, a newly opened gallery, performance space and restaurant in Portsmouth, which I used to open my article. I also learned I don’t have the patience, political capital or connections it takes to start my non-profit idea, which means I’ll be freelancing in my home office for a little while longer.
Here’s my latest piece, featured in New Hampshire Business Review’s March 5 issue.
The learning curve is daunting for those launching a nonprofit organization
“My mom would tell you that I’ve been talking about 3S – in one iteration or another – since I was about 15 years old,” says Chris Greiner, executive director of 3S Artspace, a performance space and gallery now under construction in Portsmouth. “I’ve always wanted to be a part of establishing a gathering space and cultural hub of some sort, whether it was an arts center for teens, a bookstore cafe, or the multidisciplinary arts space that I eventually landed on.”
The idea started in 2005, and by 2009 Greiner had organized a group of friends and mentors to serve as a fledging board of directors, including an architect, an attorney and a local business owner. Greiner left his job to pursue 3S Artspace full-time, and by March 2011 it was incorporated as a New Hampshire nonprofit with federal 501(c)(3) status. This spring, 3S Artspace will complete construction and open its performance space, art gallery and restaurant in the city’s rapidly changing Northern Tier.”
To read more, please go to the New Hampshire Business Review website.
The little nugget enjoying a Friendly Toast fry
I pitched a story about the Friendly Toast on a Tuesday morning. Less than 24-hours later I wondered if I had made a mistake.
Jeff Feingold, editor of New Hampshire Business Review, liked the idea immediately. He asked for a profile of the well-known Portsmouth eatery and a look at the benefits and challenges that come with taking over a business that everyone seems to love just the way it is. By noon on Tuesday, I had posted the following on my Facebook page, hoping to nudge some opinionated people into commenting on what I had heard was a controversial change in management.
“As a regular Facebook user, I’ve notice the Friendly Toast changing ownership story has elicited strong opinions from Seacoast residents who are long-time patrons, and especially from those who once worked there. I am writing a story for a business publication about the new ownership and the direction they are taking the business. But if I’m going to write this, I don’t want to gloss over that’s there’s been some controversy in the change in ownership. I would like to interview a few people who work/worked there and long-time customers about the changes being made. I’m not sure what will end up in the final story, but I want input from these folks before I sit down to write it.
Have you worked for the Toast in the past 5 years? Are you a regular customer who’s been to the Toast since the new owners have taken over? Are you a customer who’s had a hard time going back now that someone else owns it? Do you feel this change is just one more sign Portsmouth has lost its soul? Please contact me about being a source. Or if you’d just like to leave a ranty comment about the Friendly Toast, past or present, that’s fine too.“
The response to this post was immediate, but mostly from people I expected to chime in, not necessarily people I wanted to interview. Around mid-afternoon on Tuesday, I got a private message from a woman saying she had some friends who wanted to talk to me for the story. I gave her my email, letting her know I wanted to talk to anyone, pro or con. I received an email a few hours later from a long-time customer raving about the royal treatment given to his relatives, who recently married, and their extra special love for the Toast. The story sounded familiar, and I soon figured out why. It was featured on the Friendly Toast’s own blog.
The next morning, I found an email from a representative from the owner’s marketing company, letting me know that the Friendly Toast owner would love to chat. Before I had a chance to email her back, I got a message from the owner (!?) saying he can’t wait to do an interview.
Before I could even ask, I have an interview lined up.
In any other city, this would seem like a lucky break for the reporter and nothing more, but in Portsmouth, where a city meeting on sprucing up a small parking lot draws a skeptical crowd and causes a 30-minute debate over where to put a dumpster, this is a symptom of a much later problem.
Portsmouth residents and business owners are divided on the growth the city has seen in the past decade. As other communities struggle to pull themselves out of the recession, Portsmouth is booming. We’ve seen two new hotels go up and another is on its way. There will soon be conference center and a Whole Foods — a big deal for a city of 25,000 people — and enough luxury condos to house all the rich empty nesters north of Boston. Some see this as progress. Other say the soul of the city is dying. Any change, no matter how badly needed, is maligned as another sinister way to rid the city of its historic charm. The result of this long distaste for anything new are hideous fake historic buildings made of brick, nowhere to park because we can’t decide where to build a new garage or if we should even encourage more people to come, and a divided City Council paralyze by the ginned-up outrage of a small but active minority.
It is in that context that the new owners of the Friendly Toast became wary of anyone accusing them of changing yet another Portsmouth institution. Despite improvements to the building and operations, rumors of horrible working conditions and substandard food being served flew around town. I brought these rumors to the owners during our interview, and he addressed them. I was honest. I had to include some dissenting voices, and he understood. I suppose after operating in Portsmouth for six month, you see outrage over the color of the walls and the size of the servings as part of doing business here.
Friendly Toast, Portsmouth, NH
Walk down Congress Street in Portsmouth any Sunday morning and you’ll find a crowd of roughly 15 people milling about on the sidewalk, waiting for a table at the Friendly Toast.
For 20 years, the diner-style restaurant has been an anchor in downtown Portsmouth, attracting both visitors and locals with its big plates of homemade food and retro décor ripped straight from the walls of your crazy aunt’s house.
The menu has 75 items that include nachos, burritos, milkshakes, homemade soups and nine different burgers, but breakfast is the true star at the Friendly Toast. Served all day, offerings include the basics, like eggs benedict and blueberry pancakes. What the Toast is best known for is the original dishes, like the popular Guy Scramble – a mix of eggs, cheddar, avocado, black beans and fresh salsa – or the Green Eggs and Ham – a play on eggs benedict that includes anadama bread and a homemade triple herb sauce. Most dishes are served with a big, butter-slathered piece of toast, made from bread baked in-house daily.
These eclectic dishes have earned the Friendly Toast national recognition. The restaurant took fourth place in the Best Breakfast in America contest held by “Good Morning America” and was named “one of the best breakfast places in America” by Esquire magazine.
This year, the restaurant earned the state’s best breakfast honors in New Hampshire Magazine’s “Best of NH” readers’ poll, and both the Portsmouth Friendly Toast and its sister location in Cambridge, Mass. received a certificate of excellence from the review website TripAdvisor.
The Friendly Toast’s two locations bring in about $5.5 million in combined annual sales. The Portsmouth location has 45 employees and seats 143. It’s open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. most days, and until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday night, making it the largest late-night dining spot in downtown Portsmouth.
The Portsmouth Friendly Toast generates roughly $2 million in sales annually, but co-owner Eric Goodwin believes sales could easily grow to $2.5 million by the end of 2014.
A restaurant with a past
Goodwin and business partner Scott Pulver purchased both Friendly Toast locations in October 2013. With their new ownership come a number of changes, including upgrades to the kitchen and a new point of service computer system.
The changes caused some blowback among the locals, mostly worried that the laid-back, not-trying-to-be-cool coolness of the Friendly Toast would be lost. But Goodwin repeatedly emphasizes that the quality of the food and the overall feel of the dining experience have not and will not change.
“We are mindful of the historic value,” said Goodwin. “We want to strike a balance between ensuring all the things that make the Friendly Toast unique and special stay, while trying to protect the sustainability of the restaurant and utilize the industry’s best practices.”
To read more, please visit New Hampshire Business Review
The following post was to be published elsewhere, but did not make the cut. Here’s the piece, aimed at an out-of-town audience.
I had been suffering from a bad case of cabin fever, so I suggested to my husband we get a babysitter and do a date night. Not wanting to spend half the evening looking for parking in downtown Portsmouth, we took a quick drive over the Sarah Long Bridge and enjoyed an evening of beer drinking and eating delicious food in Kittery, Maine.
Up until recently, Kittery had been a sleepy town with a tiny downtown – known as the Foreside – that included few things to do at night. But in the past few years, an infusion of young entrepreneurial energy lured Kittery residents back to the Maine side of the bridge for their drinks, dining and entertainment.
Old Memorial Bridge looking from Portsmouth, NH to Kittery, Maine
My husband and I started at the Black Birch, a low-key and tiny space known for its small plates and a killer beer list. We started out with the deviled eggs, three halves each with their own twist on the summer picnic classic. The wasabi-spiced was the clear winner. For dinner, I had the duck with a sweet citrus glaze, which left me scoping the sticky yumminess up with my fork long after the duck was gone. My husband had the brick chicken – a dish that left me wondering how they could make plain-old-chicken taste so good. My husband sampled the darker beers on the list – of which there are plenty – while I started with the 2 Govt., a bourbon-based cocktail named in honor of the Black Birch’s address.
If whiskey is your thing, you’re sure to find something to make you happy here. Not only do they offer a solid selection of bourbon and rye, the Black Birch also has a constant rotation of seasonal whiskey-based cocktails on their menu that go above and beyond the seen-all-too-often twist on an Old Fashioned or Manhattan.
Next to the Black Birch is Buoy Gallery, founded by young artists looking for a space to showcase emerging art both local and from away. If the gallery looks like it’s having an opening or an event, stop in. Buoy focuses on innovative and captivating shows. If it’s not open, don’t worry. The Black Birch and Buoy are connected by a back hallway and you can usually take a peek in the gallery near the restaurant bathrooms.
Old Memorial Bridge, close forever
Down the street is Anneke Jans, a fine dining restaurant with a casual yet classy bar attached to the main dining room. For nearly 10 years it’s been a trendy after work spot for Kittery’s professional class, and more recently inherited a top-notch chef to revamp the menu. If you’re going for cocktails, I suggest anything served in a martini glass. If you’re more of a wine drinker, there’s plenty to keep you happy on their list, too. Make sure to order the mussels, with bleu cheese. This once-weird combo is one of Anneke Jans’ signature dishes for its mix of briny and creamy tanginess.
The Foreside is not the only place of interest in Kittery. There are the shopping outlets on Route 1 which are easily accessible from Interstate 95. Here you’ll find Levis, Nike, Coach, and an entire building dedicated to the Gap-Banana Republic brand. There are your typical fried food restaurants along the strip, as well as the slightly upscale fish eatery, Robert’s Maine Grill, which is a must-stop for oyster lovers. For good food, good drinks and (slighty) less cost, drive north on Route 1 just past the outlets to the When Pigs Fly company store and restaurant. Here they elevate the classic pizza joint with craft beers, freshly made pizza, and oh-so-good sandwiches made on their own bread.
Lights over the Old Memorial Bridge
Kittery has long been the little sister to Portsmouth’s many great restaurants and was considered lacking when compared with the city’s art and music scene. But as rents climb and Portsmouth grows, young chefs, bartenders, artists and others from Seacoast New Hampshire are taking their ideas into Maine. This exodus has largely been Kittery’s gain and now those who come to visit Portsmouth have a whole new downtown to go to.
Part of the reason why I decided to go back to freelance writing and working from home is because of this little lady, my daughter Evelyn. She was born a year ago July 12, a point at which time began to take on a whole new meaning.
In those first few weeks, the days were drawn into long, seemingly unending cycles of feeding, crying, napping and my futile attempts to return to some sense of normalcy. As I tell my friends, that first month was the longest in my life.
But then the routine sank in and I started getting more than mere morsels of sleep — up to five hour uninterrupted! Heaven! Fall made way into the dark of winter and my daughter and I started getting to know each other.
In January, I began to feel the itch to write again, to be a part of the working world, so I reached out to my writing, editing and marketing contacts looking for a way to still be at home yet ease my way back into the workforce. There have been some tough weeks, but in general, launching BLH Writing Solutions has been everything I hoped it would be. I have the opportunity to work with creative and interesting people, write as much as I can and still the flexibility to spend time with Evelyn.
On Sunday, my family gathered to celebrate the birth of my daughter. I made yellow cupcakes and a homemade chocolate frosting, which she accepted with the predictable messy results. There was torn wrapping paper and struggles to open toy packaging and in the end a couple tired tears, but overall a successful first year celebration.
My husband and I talked later that evening about how this birthday celebration seemed to us not to be just about my daughter turning 1, but a chance for us to quietly celebrate making it through that tough first year. It made me realize why that first birthday celebration seems so important. It’s a baby’s first steps into childhood and a parent’s chance to heave a huge sigh and enjoy the fact that the longest days are over.
In the past year, I’ve raised a newborn through infancy, learning every step of the way. And I started a new business, too. It’s been a wonderful year.
The Sarah Mildred Long Bridge is my neighborhood bridge. Most people call it just “the Sarah Long Bridge” or “the middle bridge,” but for me it’s how I get from Portsmouth to Kittery at least once a week.
It’s been nothing but drama as long as I can remember for that rusted out span. The lift mechanism gets stuck or the guard rails are too rusty, causing the bridge to close for a few days, maybe a week. Whenever I hear there’s a problem with the bridge and to expect a closure, I think, “Well, this is it. It’s going to be closed for good now.” But she somehow seems to hang on.
Then she gets hit by a tanker. The bridge is now expected to remain closed for weeks.
The Portsmouth Herald did a great job covering this, dispatching multiple reporters. Here’s witness reaction and my favorite story on the traffic impact of closing the bridge. It also addresses the frequent question I get from people who do not live here: why three bridges? Well we’re down to two still standing and only one open, so perhaps insurance? Or that the next closest way to cross into Maine from New Hampshire is a 20 minute drive to the north? Or that you need more than one way to get across the river because of stuff like this?
It’s uncertain when the bridge will reopen, but what I can say for sure is that it will be a while before I get to cross your way again, old girl.
Gardner State 