
The Dockporter: a Mackinac Island Podcast
Read by The Dockporter co-author and enriched with summer sounds and music, this podcast is an offbeat, nostalgic coming-of-age story that appeals to anyone who ever had a summer job. If Rushmore director Wes Anderson remade Caddyshack, but it emerged as a hybrid of Footloose and Meatballs (and was a book), it would be The Dockporter. Set on Mackinac Island in northern Michigan, The Dockporter is genre-smashing, hilariously fresh, yet refreshingly familiar—a novel about friends, family, love, luggage, and the summers we never forget. Adapted from the novel of the same name, this is the first of many Mackinac Island stories to come.
Episodes
16 episodes
Chapter 16: Reunion
Back to the present day. Sort of. Our story wraps up as an older (but not particularly wiser) Jack returns to Mackinac Island and reconnects with old friends. ... but one last surprise awaits.
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38:37

Chapter 15: The Ride
Jack's forced to risk it all with one last load. After a summer of expected twists and turns, the dockporter is forced to put his money where his mouth is and see if he really has what it takes to conquer his demons, both real and imagined.&nbs...
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33:26

Chapter 14: Reactivated
Jack's world seems to have crumbled, but he gets one last chance to make things right when a mysterious load of luggage arrives on the docks. Is Blackjack still a possibility? Listen and find out!
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36:46

Chapter 13: Swingin' Iggie!
The gang takes a nighttime journey off the island to St. Ignace, Michigan for a caper, some shenanigans, a sprinkling of antics, and the requisite questionable judgment calls. But the cause is noble, and it's summer. Decide for yourself if it w...
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30:22

Chapter 12: Keeping it Clean
Jack gets inspired by an unlikely ally and embarks on a mission to end all missions. The risks are high, and the stakes even higher. But with good friends and a complete lack of fear, the dockporters rally.
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30:22

Chapter 11: My Downward Spiral
Jack gets some bad news, but he handles it very well. Not really. Truthfully, the name of the title should give you a general idea of what happens. It's a small island, but he manages to cause big problems.
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30:30

Chapter 10: The Crazy Dream
Jack and Erin get to know each other, share family secrets, and experience the foot-pounding joy of a Mackinac Island pub going full-throttle. But alas that foot is wearing a shoe and that shoe? It's about to drop.
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27:32

Chapter 9: Moving Out
Jack moves out of one life and straight into another as his world on the island goes pear-shaped. Luckily, he's got Erin and there's no possible way he could screw that one up. Right?
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33:09

Chapter 8: Going Deeper
A chapter in life when everything changes in the snap of a frayed bungee cord. Jack may have gotten himself in over his head with his bet, but things are about to take a tragic turn, and our hero will have to dig deep. Thus, the title of the ch...
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35:02

Chapter 7: Grand Hotel
Jack and Smitty pay a little visit to Swanksville. They strap on jackets and ties and head up to the Grand Hotel dining room to spy on Erin as she eats lobster and berates her boyfriend in her own unique Irish style. Jack falls harder and Smitt...
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34:42

Chapter 6: Leaping
Jack leaps for Erin, and things don't go as planned. In a word, his misadventure can be described as "aquatic." It'll all make sense when you listen.
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23:17

Chapter 5: Studying
Jack decides to start learning about weight ratios and aerodynamics if he's going to ride 21 suitcases, aka "Blackjack." Along the way, he takes an unfortunate detour past the Grand Hotel. While his skills are questionable, the end result is a ...
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31:39

Chapter 4: The Bet
Jack makes a fateful bet with his frenemy Gordon to ride 21 bags in the basket of his bike before the summer is over -- or pay the ultimate price. Meanwhile, actor slash dockporter AJ catches the eye of a beautiful starlet on the island to esca...
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32:38

Chapter 3: Jack of All Docks
Summer of 1989. Jack is 21 and has become what he always wanted to be: a dockporter. We meet his motley gang of luggage hounds as they hustle for tips, discuss the day's important issues (mainly bungee cords) and deliver the luggage to th...
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26:55
