Opinion
From ed to op-ed and beyond.
Browse all Opinion stories below or dive into a topic:
STEAMERS
The Republican Potty
THE YEAR-ROUNDER
The Crisis Within
How does one respond to meanness and maintain a sense of self?
Many decades ago, I shoplifted a book, just for the hell of it. I do not remember the title (maybe Lady Chatterley’s Lover?) but do remember the thrill of stashing […]
TREES THAT FEED US
Why the Woods Must Be Burned
The National Seashore needs a fire management officer and crew
Last month, at Fort Hill in Eastham, a fire crew carried out the first prescribed burn in the Cape Cod National Seashore since 2021. It’s a moment I’ve been watching […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Out of the Doldrums
Saturday was a dreary day. A good example, I think, of what Wyman Richardson was talking about in the chapter of The House on Nauset Marsh titled “The March Doldrums.” […]
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters, April 3, 2025
From Steven Seeche, Merrill Mead-Fox, & Robert F. Crook
The Joy of Foolishness To the editor: I hope it’s not that we are getting older but rather that we are becoming more accepting as we age. I read your […]
VIGNETTE
Swan Lake
STEAMERS
The Last Street Artist
INCANTATION
The Poem as the ‘Enemy of Despair’
Czeslaw Milosz knew that poets make dictators nervous
The history of the poem as an art form is very long, reaching back to at least 4000 BCE. It’s not surprising that the means by which the poem expresses […]
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
What Not to Know
What is the purpose of newspaper headlines, and who should write them, people or computers? At the Independent, we work on headlines at both ends of the editorial process. We […]
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters, March 27, 2025
From Kathleen Cote, Betsy Smith, Ronald A. Gabel, John Morrissey, & Frederick Hewett
The Seasonal Community Designation To the editor: On April 7, town meeting will vote on Article 17 to reject or accept the state’s new designation of Provincetown as a seasonal […]
ENVIRONMENT
After 6-Year Delay, Seashore Carries Out Prescribed Burn at Fort Hill
Housing costs hindered hiring of a Park fire officer; now DOGE is doing the same
EASTHAM — On any other sunny spring day, Fort Hill would be dotted with hikers, dog-walkers, and nature lovers. But on March 12, the historic grassland that overlooks Nauset Marsh […]
HOCKEY SIDEBAR: RISING STARS
Looking Ahead With the First-Years
BOSTON — While Colin Ward, Jake Eldredge, Logan Poulin, and Zach Coelho discussed their hard-earned victory in the state finals, the Independent spoke with some of the Warriors’ rising stars. […]
HOCKEY SIDEBAR: TEAM SPIRIT
‘That’s Logan Poulin!’
BOSTON — “That’s Logan Poulin!” said an awestruck Milton High School student, pointing at the Warriors’ captain near the end of Nauset’s 4-1 win against Medfield on Sunday. “He’s one […]
