Eva Murray

Photo by Anne Bardaglio

Eva is the author of two books. Well Out to Sea--Year-round on Matinicus Island is a collection of short essays and articles focusing on life and work on one of Maine's remote islands.

One-room schools, bush pilots, jack-of-all-trades repairmen, barefoot children and master mariners fill Murray’s essays, each of which first appeared in a Maine magazine or newspaper.

Often irreverent, sometimes tender, and painstakingly accurate, Eva Murray’s depiction of island life is never a soap opera or a tabloid tell-all. She defies the oft-heard stereotypes about islanders to explain—with a bit of wise-aleck attitude—how things really work when you live far offshore.

Eva's second book, Island Schoolhouse--One room for all is an exploration of Maine's still-functioning one-room public schools.

Having been a one-room school teacher, the parent of island students, district bookkeeper and island school board member, Eva writes about these tiny schools with an insider's perspective. A 21st-century one-room school is not a quaint anachronism or an educational experiment; instead, the islands of Maine provide a modern, technologically advanced educational experience for a small handful of children living in these very remote settings.

Eva Murray has lived full time and year-round on Matinicus Island for over 25 years, not a single day of it on vacation.

Eva Murray moved to Matinicus Island in 1987 to teach in the one-room school. Two years later she married the island electrician and stayed to raise a family there. Over the years she has started a small bakery, become an emergency medical technician, taken on a number of roles in municipal government and volunteer organizations, and started the community's recycling program. Since 2003 she's also been a regular columnist for ten Maine publications.