Valentine’s Day is coming around once next week, an occasion that many hold dear and cherish. For some, in fact, it is one of their favorite days of the year.

Sure, many people think it’s a corny tradition. Just another gimmick to ramp up sales of candies, cards, wine and what-not. For others, it’s a special time that provides an opportunity to express their deepest affections to the one – or many – who mean so much to them.

Eagle Feathers #322 – King George

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

At the end of the victorious eight-year American Revolutionary War, some of his officers wanted to crown him “King.” They had grown to love and respect their leader and wanted him to continue to lead the country that they had fought for.  General George Washington, the object of their honor and devotion, resolutely turned them down. He reminded them that they had just fought and won a war for freedom, not for a monarchy.

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Review by Off The Shelf correspondent Lee Varon

In this exquisite collection, poet Ruth Chad interweaves her keen attention to the details of our natural world with deep emotions of love, loss, joy, and grief.

Many of the poems in this collection (divided into three sections) focus on the poet’s mother who suffered from Alzheimer’s before she succumbed to the disease in her 90s. These poems read like journal entries with often just dates for titles.

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Dennis Daly was born in Salem Massachusetts. He graduated from Boston College with a B.S. degree and earned an M.A. degree in English Literature at Northeastern University. He has twice visited Thomas Merton’s hermitage on the grounds of the Trappist Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky. Daly has published eleven books of poetry and poetic translations. Please visit his blog here: dennisfdaly.blogspot.com.

On Friday, April 25, 2025, GLOWBALL will transform the Armory Performance Hall into an immersive Glow-in-the-Dark Rave created by Afro House DJ Adam Gibbons with hypnotic visuals by Jay Medina, all in support of The Center for Arts at the Armory.

Host, Sarah Fishman speaks with Ward 6 Councilor/Vice President, Lance Davis.

 Property owners must shovel sidewalks by 4:30 p.m., Sunday, February 9.

The City of Somerville’s snow emergency will end on Sunday, February 9 at 12 p.m. (noon) and normal parking rules will resume at that time. The information below offers tips to avoid ticketing and towing as well as strategies for being a good neighbor and staying safe.