The Lincoln County News is pleased to welcome Matthew J. Stilphen to its staff as general assignment reporter.
Stilphen will be responsible for covering Wiscasset, Edgecomb, Alna, and Dresden and related areas.
A Maine native, Stilphen recently returned to Lincoln County after a two-year stint in Austin, Tex., pursuing a career in the music industry. A journalism major in college, he is especially drawn to community reporting and its unique role in the lives of its readers.
“Despite the doom and gloom surrounding the industry, I feel community newspapers are an essential and invaluable resource for an area,” Stilphen said. “For me personally it’s a chance to chronicle and document a slice of Maine during a very interesting time in our state’s history.”
Drawing from the many summers he spent on Monhegan Island, Stilphen developed a keen appreciation for the rugged individualism that informs coastal Maine. The Lincoln County area has always been of special interest to him as, he explained, it “has a little bit of everything from artists to fisherman to small business owners trying to make a difference in the community.”
Stilphen has previously worked in Boston, Asheville, North Carolina, and in Bath for the Coastal Journal. Music and art are important components of his life and he finds Lincoln County an especially fertile place for both.
“It’s a nice place to develop your muse and I’m always finding artists that fly under the radar,” he explained.
Stilphen looks forward to his position and the challenges it will present. “To be part of a great tradition of community reporting here in Lincoln County is special. I’m genuinely excited to be onboard and hope to serve the newspaper and our readers well.”
Stilphen’s addition to the staff completes an end of summer reshuffling of LCN’s resources as interim Damariscotta reporter Alec Brodsky departs to begin his senior year at Dartmouth.
Former Wiscasset reporter J.W. Oliver takes over for Brodsky covering Damariscotta, Newcastle, Bristol, South Bristol and related areas.
“It been a little hectic with all the changes this year, but I think we are in a good position going into the fall,” said LCN editor Sherwood Olin. “Alec did a great job for us stepping in on short notice. Matthew is a veteran reporter and my other full-time guys, J.W. and Sam [Baldwin] are solid, so I think our readers will be well served going forward.”