I am Evan Houk — a freelance journalist based in Old Town, Maine.
I have been covering local government, police, courts, and community stories in the Penobscot region for years, most recently as a contributor to The Maine Monitor. Before that, I spent years learning the craft the old way: showing up, asking questions, and refusing to leave until someone gave me a real answer.
Self-Reliant News is my independent reporting project. It exists because local accountability journalism is disappearing from the places that need it most — small cities and towns where decisions get made in underfunded meetings with no press in the room, where public records requests go unanswered for months, where conflicts of interest go unnoticed because no one is looking.
I am looking.
This site covers Penobscot County and the state of Maine, with a focus on government accountability, public spending, and the stories that fall through the cracks of the mainstream press.
I also write about something else: how to stay human while doing this work. That means being honest about cannabis, exercise, recovery, fatherhood, and the daily discipline it takes to cover the world without letting it break you. You will find that here too.
I am a published journalist. My work has appeared in The Maine Monitor. You can verify my credentials and clip history at my MuckRack profile.
For tips, source inquiries, or press inquiries: use the contact form on this site. I protect sources. Period.
— Evan Houk
Old Town, Maine