Eva Murray

Photo by Anne Bardaglio

The big snowstorms of early 2015 didn't spare Matinicus Island!

Our 25th anniversary, September 10, 2014

Eva is the author of two books for adults and one for children, as well as hundreds of essays, articles and columns in area publications.

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.

Island Birthday, an illustrated children's book, addresses some of the same issues through the eyes of a small boy who is running out of patience with bad weather and complicated island logistics.We've all felt that way!

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 28 years, not a single day of it on vacation.

Me and a few of the pilots from Penobscot Island Air: from the left, Mike Falconeri, me with my first copy of Island Birthday, Kevin Waters, and Tomas Sowles. We stand in front of the Cessna 206 that is also in the book!

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.