Julie Kingsley is an award-winning author, educator, and the co-founder of the Manuscript Academy and Manuscript Wishlist, joining Dr. Lisa Belisle on Radio Maine to explore creativity, resilience, and the courage to put stories into the world. A Scarborough native with deep French Canadian roots, Julie reflects on how Maine’s mill towns, immigrant histories, and close-knit communities shaped her voice and her debut novel, “The Space Between You and Me”, winner of the IPPY Gold Medal and the 2025 Moonbeam YA Gold Medal. Drawing from decades of teaching—from middle school classrooms to community college—Julie shares how education, entrepreneurship, and storytelling intersect, and why young adult fiction is such fertile ground for exploring identity and possibility. She offers candid insights into the writing process, rejection, revision, and trusting the creative community around you, while championing Maine as a place where grit and imagination thrive.

Join our conversation with Julie Kingsley today on Radio Maine, and be sure to subscribe to the channel.

Radio Maine is sponsored by the Portland Art Gallery

Sean Thomas, manager of the Portland Art Gallery and a photographer with roots in documentary filmmaking, joins Dr. Lisa Belisle on Radio Maine to reflect on creativity, community, and the evolving role of artists in Maine’s cultural landscape. A Cape Elizabeth native and graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, Sean traces his path from photography and film to gallery leadership, where he now champions more than 60 artists with care, curiosity, and respect. He shares thoughtful insights on the importance of creative community, the vulnerability of making art public, and how constructive critique helps artists grow over time. Drawing on his experience traveling across Maine and beyond to meet artists in their studios, Sean emphasizes trust, storytelling, and accessibility as core values of the gallery. His perspective highlights a distinctly Maine sensibility—welcoming, relationship-driven, and grounded in place—while offering a broader reflection on how art connects people.

Join our conversation with Sean Thomas today on Radio Maine, and be sure to subscribe to the channel.

Radio Maine is sponsored by the Portland Art Gallery

Grant Auber, a multidisciplinary artist whose work spans painting, music, design, and film, joins Dr. Lisa Belisle on Radio Maine to discuss the creative forces that shape his wide-ranging practice. Raised in Rhode Island and deeply influenced by sneaker culture, hip-hop, and early design obsessions, Grant developed a visual language rooted in rhythm, instinct, and flow. His artistic evolution—from drawing sneakers in school to producing music, directing videos, and creating large-scale abstract paintings—reveals a mind finely tuned to cross-disciplinary inspiration.

Grant speaks candidly about the powerful role creativity played during a significant health challenge between 2020 and 2023, and how art became both expression and anchor during a time of intense introspection. With connections to both Maine and Charleston, he continues to explore how environment, music, and emotion intersect in his work.

Join our conversation with Grant Auber today on Radio Maine. Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel.

Radio Maine is sponsored by the Portland Art Gallery