*

Linda Lerner’s Taking the F Train (NYQ Books, 2021) was chosen as a finalist in the 2022 Paterson Poetry Prize. How It Was (2020—2021) And Is (Iniquity Press/vendetta Books, 2023) is her most recent collection. Her poems have appeared in and are forthcoming from: Gargoyle, One Art, Big City Lit, Pinyon Review, Main Street Rag, The Raven’s Perch and Maintenant, among others.

Shop for the holidays while helping to fund medical care for cats and kittens awaiting adoption

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and Kitty Connection is ready to help you get ready. An all-volunteer non-profit dedicated to rescuing and finding safe, loving homes for local cats and dogs, Kitty Connection will hold a holiday-themed Online Auction from Friday, December 8 through Sunday, December 10. Auction proceeds will go toward the cost of pre-adoption medical procedures for cats and kittens.

Somerville Recreation is gearing up for its second Teen Spaces Holiday Tour, a multi-day event across five dedicated teen spaces with activities that are free and open to the Somerville community. Here’s the schedule:

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan has announced the swearing in of the 2023 new class of Assistant District Attorneys (ADAs) formed by sixteen recently graduated lawyers. The class was sworn in on November 21, 2023. Amelia Ayer, Medfield MA; Christine Batista, Boston MA; Sarah Bramley-Garoutte, Quincy MA; Patrick Cespedes, Somerville MA; Andrew Dubsky, Brighton MA; Deyanira Gonzalez, Malden MA; Felicia Gordon, Medford MA; Cooper Hearn, Boston MA; Shana Kalatardi, Boston MA; Ian Kavanaugh, Boston MA; Tong Liu, Acton MA; Andrea Marcano, Boston MA; Sheehan McCarthy, Charlestown MA; Alyssa Mongroo, Cambridge MA; Meghan Pepin, Cambridge MA; and Kavya Verma, Northborough MA, were sworn in by District Attorney Ryan in Woburn.

Raynel Shepard is a renaissance woman: jazz vocalist, visual artist, educator and home chef. She was born in Chicago and grew up in Berkeley, California. She moved to the East Coast after two years of service in the Peace Corps in the Congo. She holds a doctorate from Harvard. Raynel comes from a family with deep roots in the Black Creole community of New Orleans. She performs Jazz and the American Songbook, as “Lady Ray”, with her trio of musicians at ROOTED Armory Café, other venues, and in New Orleans, where she winters.

The Confirmation of Appointments & Personnel Matters Committee meets for the Somerville Police Staffing Study Report presentation on Nov. 30, 2023.

 Strolling carolers, Incredible Inflatable Festivus Village, Elfie Selfies and more.  

Union Square Main Streets (USMS) and 30+ local businesses crank up the jolly for the 9th Annual Holiday Stroll featuring rad retail, unique eats, an incredible inflatable Festivus Village, the Stroll the Square Challenge, and much more. This free and family-friendly celebration makes spirits bright on Saturday, December 2 from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. (rain date 12/3) throughout Union Square in Somerville.

On Wednesday, November 29, Pearl Street Park, an 86 unit building for Elders and Persons with Disabilities, suffered a fire in a second-floor unit. The Somerville Fire, Police and Inspectional Service Department responded within minutes, accounting for all occupants and bringing them down from their apartments. They were kind, patient and understanding with everyone during this very stressful time while we waited to see if the building would be cleared for tenants to return to their apartments. Thankfully, tenants were able to return within a few hours.

More than 100 participants volunteered to contribute to the creation of the new murals installed at the Charles River Greenway.

The New England Mosaic Society (NEMS) collaborated with the staff of the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation to design and create three large panels (42” x 68”) installed adjacent to the museum entrance on the Greenway.