Write For Chebacco
Chebacco 2026- Civic Democracy Edition
The Mount Desert Island Historical Society is recruiting volunteer authors for the 2026 issue of Chebacco, the society’s award-winning journal. Inspired by the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the “Civic Democracy” edition of Chebacco will explore how Islanders have historically shaped and re-envisioned their communities through local forums, town meetings, public debates, demonstrations, and elections. We invite you to submit an article proposal of 100 to 250 words to Chebacco’s managing editor by April 25, 2025.
We seek articles exploring how civic participation shaped MDI, as well as stories of Islanders who debated, influenced, and served democratic ideals over time. In declaring independence from British rule, American communities depended upon local participation to fulfill the promise of a new nation. Islanders established, reformed, and abolished structures of local governance in the new Republic. Subsequent generations negotiated new ways of decision-making. The American Revolution secured freedoms for some and failed many others. However, through 250 years of civic democratic participation, Islanders have contributed to the complex arc of the American experiment and the pursuit of a more perfect union.
The Civic Democracy edition will explore historic changes in our communities from 1776 to today, emphasizing:
• Spatial democratic community; how interactions between close neighbors inspired civic movements for change and civic participation on MDI.
• Ideological democratic community; how perceptions of MDI and Islander identity unified or divided diverse individuals in governing our space.
Chebacco is published annually and has won national and regional awards for excellence. The journal is distributed to approximately 800 readers and is available online through our website. Chebacco is printed in full color, in large format, with excellent illustrations and commissioned artwork. Authors are also invited to give talks about their articles after publication. Each article is approximately 3,000 words long, written in a historically rigorous yet accessible style, and edited by professional editors for accuracy and excellence. For specific guidelines, please read our author’s guide.
The initial deadline for first drafts is early September 2025, with time for editing and revisions as needed prior to copyediting in December 2025. Below is a list of topics authors are working on now, and some ideas for available topics, but feel free to submit your own ideas as well. If you would like to author an article for the 2026 issue of Chebacco, we would love to hear from you! Please send a proposal of 100 to 250 words describing your proposed article to Sean Cox, at editor@mdihistory.org.
Articles in Progress:
Finding consensus in Island community values (20th century)
Public lands as democratic spaces
MDI debate clubs 1900s-1970s
Topics are not limited to those listed here, so please feel free to submit a short proposal with new ideas.
Proposed Topics:
How our democratic communities have found consensus or majority in crucial moments
How settler governments excluded Indigenous communities
The ebb and flow of civic involvement on MDI over time
Wabanaki sovereignty and settler law on MDI
Summer vs. year-round resident conflicts in civic representation
Formal and informal Island forums for debate and compromise
The formation and powers of Town Councils, Planning Boards, or Village Improvement Societies
Legislating public needs vs. private property vs. Island aesthetics
Who is considered ‘local,’ and who makes local decisions
Marches, protests, and demonstrations for action
Undemocratic exclusion, removal, or disenfranchisement of those who dissent
Who answers the call of public service on MDI
‘Not-in-my-backyard’ (NIMBY) attitudes in Island development
Creating/unifying MDI High School
Changes at the Abbe Museum
Island libraries as archives of local democracy