Contributors

Lisa Rogak has been writing professionally since 1981 for hundreds of publications. She wrote this month’s Informer story, “Rising from the Ashes.”

Before calling the Monadnock Region home, photographer Kendal J. Bush — who photographed the winners of the sixth annual Excellence in Nursing Awards — traveled the world as an editor and videographer for the National Geographic Channel and NBC. See more of her work at kendaljbush.com.

New Hampshire Magazine’s assistant editor Caleb Jagoda wrote this month’s Living section, “Fun With Fungi.” You can find him out on the town, digging the scene.

Crystal

Kent is a long-time journalist and Seacoast food writer. She wrote this month’s Food and Drink story, “Summertime...and the Eatin’s Easy.”

Nicole Handel lives in Conway with her two dogs. She’s been writing recreationally for years and wrote this month’s feature “Search, Rescue, Repeat.”

Photographer Joe Klementovich specializes in environmental photography and shot this month’s feature story, “Search, Rescue, Repeat.”

About | Behind the Scenes at New Hampshire Magazine

New Challenge (and a New Book!)

Artist Peter Noonan has added color and humor to this magazine for more than two decades. So when Brad Fitzpatrick, the long-time illustrator of our last-page humor essay (Ayuh!) told us he needed to step down to concentrate on new job interests, we remembered that Noonan had handled our last-page humor column illustration back when we first started it (called “Last Laugh” back then). We asked him if he’d like to resume that duty, he said yes, and we couldn’t be more pleased. So, meet our new, old artist, seen here with his understudy/ sidekick and daughter Isla Noonan. Isla has been apprenticing with her dad (she helped with his ink washes and coloring on this month’s Ayuh cartoon, see page 96). She also provided some insight and assistance as he wrote and illustrated his new book, “The Bike Bus” (based on a true story by Jason and Betsy Soukup) that uses their Queen City hometown as the setting for a brightly illustrated tale of juvenile self-empowerment. The book is available at local bookstores and from BookBaby (store.bookbaby.com/book/the-bike-bus).

A Different “Prospect”

Greetings! Just got a chance to peruse the May issue of New Hampshire Magazine and was pleased to see my recommendations for “Best Places” included in the article. I guess that I should have been more specific about one of my choices. The Mount Prospect that I refer to is in Lancaster, not Holderness. While there is a Prospect Mountain in Holderness (which has lovely views, too), the one I was referring to is at Weeks State Park in Lancaster. Just wanted to clear that up so folks didn’t think that I’d lived here all my life (so far) and didn’t know the location of one of New Hampshire’s 15 fire towers. Thanks, and Happy Spring!

— Mary Hildreth

Signifigance of Religion

As with each edition of NH Magazine, I thoroughly enjoyed the March/April edition. I was not familiar with the murder on Smuttynose Island incident, but found it not only interesting in its own right and that it seems to be frequently re-interpreted despite the lack of new facts. Maybe that’s the subject of a different letter.

My question relates to the significance of religion in this story. One of Louis Wagner’s attorneys (Max Fischacher) is described as “a Jewish attorney from Boston.” That is the only reference to Mr. Fischacher in the entire story. The religion of neither the prosecuting attorney (Mr. Yeaton) nor Wagner’s other attorney (Col. Tapley) was deemed necessary to be mentioned. Mr. Yeaton is described as having “a polished and cultivated legal mind” and Col. Tapley is described as “a former judge.” Is “a Jewish attorney” somehow supposed to describe the legal quality or background of Mr. Fischacher?

Unfortunately, this is not the first time I have seen stories (not in New Hampshire Magazine) where the Jewish religion is used to somehow characterize an individual, while other religions are rarely, if ever, used in this way. I hope New Hampshire Magazine can do better in this regard in the future.

— Paul Etkind, Grantham

Editor’s Note: We passed your inquiry on to J. Dennis Robinson, the writer/historian who penned that feature and a book on the topic. While the reference could have used some better context in the story, Robinson makes clear his intent: “Max was distinctive as the only Jewish lawyer in Boston. In fact, he advertised himself that way. He considered himself as a defender of the defenseless. I can see the reader’s point, but the description simply indicates how unique and special Wagner’s attorney was for a trial held in New England in 1873. Nothing negative, in fact everything positive, is intended by the description.”

New Castle Beckons the provocative name “Pull and Be Damned Point” applies to the other side of the river, to Goat Island. We’ve almost given up trying to correct the claims that it is the same as Henderson’s Point. The “Thomas Laighton” narrators refuse to change their mistaken narrative and even Dennis Robinson has sometimes got it wrong in his writing. But, unfortunately, your headline/lede writer undercut what Hudson had right. The title uses the Goat Island point name for an article on Henderson’s Point. And the subhead says a forgotten piece of New Castle history was blown to bits. NO! Henderson’s Point was part of the Shipyard (Seavey’s Island), in Kittery, Maine!

I always love receiving the latest issue of NH Magazine with its super-glossy cover and layout. I always love J. Dennis Robinson’s writing, so pleased to see his recent articles — Smuttynose murders and now revisiting 1623. Dennis has written a new history of New Castle for us (the New Castle Historical Society), and we expect to have printed copies in hand by late summer, hoping that Dennis can do an article on that for your magazine. The book is fabulous! Same size and format as the recent Portsmouth Music Hall book by Dennis, if you can visualize that. See forthcoming cover (photo by me).

— Jim Cerny, board member, New Castle Historical Society

I was especially drawn to the article by Marshall Hudson on blowing up Henderson’s Point.

I was pleased that author Hudson had the story right, after talking to Carol White, that

Editor’s Note: A J. Dennis Robinson’s story about New Castle is, indeed, in the works. As for last issue’s “What Do You Know” column, what you saw was the online version that had been rewritten a little during the posting. That’s been corrected and the original, as it appeared in print, remains correct. Send me a note with the address of the New Castle Historical Society and I’ll provide your organization with a complimentary subscription, so you can see our stories in their original (and sometimes uncorrected) versions.

Spot four newts like the one here hidden on ads in this issue, tell us where you found them and you might win a great gift from a local artisan or company.

To enter our drawing for Spot the Newt, visit spotthenewt.com and fill out the online form. Or, send answers plus your name and mailing address to: Spot the Newt c/o New Hampshire Magazine 250 Commercial St., Suite 4014, Manchester, NH 03101

You can also email them to newt@nhmagazine.com or fax them to (603) 624-1310.

Last month’s “Spot the Newt” winner is Kelly Brown of Keene May issue newts were on pages 6, 7, 11, 23, 41

Need a Good Reason for Spotting The Newt?

The prize is a gift certificate for $50 to use online at nhmade.com or at the New Hampshire Made Store, 28 Deer St., Portsmouth. New Hampshire Made is our state’s official promoter of products and services created here in the Granite State, and the online store and downtown shop are packed with delightful gifts and specialty foods made with Granite State pride. nhmade.com