Fishing the Morning

In Fishing the Morning, the second volume of collected "Here Back East" columns from The Mountain Messenger newspaper, Lenny Ackerman revisits some familiar landscapes and explores new ones, with fresh insights and observations on the natural world and on the wider world, throughout the east coast and points west in the United States. The account a recent foray abroad, to Canada, is a memorable ode to the fisherman's paradox - the agony of no bites in a paradise-like setting. Written during an 18-month period between 2021 and 2023, the essays in Fishing the Morning examine the enduring themes in Ackerman's life: Maine, fishing, work, travel, and his connections with people - from life-long friends and loved ones to acquaintances and the ordinary folks he encounters day to day. Each leave their impressions on the author and in telling their stories Ackerman elevates and celebrates their humanity. He shares his views on national and world events through the prism of his many years of life experience; his vignettes of personal history offer glimpses of a bygone time. A short trip on a new train in southern Florida evokes detailed memories of his first railroad experience traveling from upstate to New York City, and of family long since passed. Waiting in line for coffee and croissants in Kennebunk leads to a curious conversation with some sharply opinionated locals. From the state of the lobstering business in Maine, to the unexpected upside of Florida hurricanes, Ackerman is never short of subject matter, as he finds there isn't much in the world that isn't worth a closer look. What he notices and records in his many columns are candid reflections of his own life, always experienced to the fullest and brimming with possibility.