This panel discussion will feature three contemporary back-to-landers in Maine, who will share from their experience and reflect on the challenges and values that have endured for them over the long haul. They’ll describe their initial inspirations, the highs and the lows, and their advice for those interested in pursuing a homesteaders lifestyle in modern America. Along the way, they will reflect on Scott and Helen Nearing’s book Living the Good Life, its influence, its ideas and enduring relevance.

Featured panelists will include: Chris Knapp (of the Maine Local Living School in Temple), Julia Bouwsma (Maine’s Poet Laureate, farmer, freelance editor, critic, and small-town librarian), and Rich Lee (of Tender Soles Farm in Richmond).