What is happening in Newton? So many great things!
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On Friday, May 11, the Friends of the Newton Free Library’s Book and Author Luncheon with Dennis Lehane and Mitchell Zuckoff will speak at the newly renovated and quite lovely Boston Newton Marriott. Let’s put a table or two together! Join us!
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Spring Open Studios: May 19 & 20, 2012, 11 am to 5 pm, free
About NOS from the website:
Newton Open Studios produces community arts events that bring together the artists and residents of Newton. It is a non-profit, funded by artists registration fees and donations from generous individuals and businesses, and in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council as administered by the Newton Cultural Council. Newton Open Studios is an affiliate of Newton Community Pride.
Here is a link to an interactive map (you can use it to find artists by media) and a printable map that will be available soon.
We have some favorite artist friends who are participating and at our favorite coffee shop, L’Aroma, so that is a huge plus. A latte and some art? Sign me up! Photographer Sharon Schindler, Glass artist Suzi Wilder and Zeina Kahhale (ceramics and paint) will be a t location 11 (L’Aroma Cafe, 15 Spencer Street).
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More art in store for Newton residents! You know those really ugly utility boxes? Well, they won’t be unsightly for long – The NewtonSERVES BoxART Project is here! I am so excited – I noticed in Boston that artists had taken over the Utility boxes and thought it was a great idea – so did someone else!
The goal of the NewtonSERVES BoxART project is to transform common, bland, green or gray utility boxes into visual, graphic and distinctive works of art. DPW, the Mayor’s Office for Cultural Affairs and Newton Community Pride have joined forces to collaborate on and to promote this pilot program.
The NewtonSERVES BoxART Committee encourages artists (students as well as experienced artists) to share their creativity with the community. Vibrant public art creates an inviting environment and a sense of place. “We seek artwork that ‘enlarge, enliven and enlighten’ our experience of the world. The images chosen should offer some positive benefit – delight, fantasy, sociability, amenity, memories, healing emotion or a sense of joy… a sense of well-being.”
The NewtonSERVES BoxART Committee is seeking proposals that are positive, original and creative and may (but are not required) to reflect the following:
The immediate environment creating a sense of place – Newton/village
The first five people to leave a comment will win a book! Thank you!
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Now through April 30th Parent Perks, Inc. is matching book purchases from The No Biggie Bunch series with book donations to the U.S. Public Library of the buyer’s choice. It’s easy and there are two options for purchase.
1. Library 50-50. When customers purchase two books for their own bookshelves, the publisher will send two additional books to the U.S. Public Library of the buyer’s choice – free of charge.
The second purchasing option is the Library 100, which provides a public library with four books from The No Biggie Bunch series – two purchased by the customer for donation, plus two Parent Perks, Inc. will donate. All libraries receiving books will be given a note from Parent Perks recognizing the buyer’s donation and the buyer will be sent a note of acknowledgment from The No Biggie Bunch.
The No Biggie Bunch Series- For Kids Creatively Coping with Food Allergies
Everyday Cool with Food Allergies: Conversation Starters for Kids and Caregivers by Micheal Pistiner, MD, MMSc, edited by Heather Mehra & Kerry McManama, illustrated by Michael Kline.
This is a great introduction to food allergies and to the No Biggie Bunch series. Because kids with food allergies are so prevalent at school, this would be a great book to read for any child starting preschool or Kindergarten especially those who have no food allergies so that they understand how to keep their classmates safe and learn empathy for those who do.
Peanut-Free for Three by Heather Mehra & Kerry McManama, illustrated by Michael Kline.
This book brings up a very good point: opened jars of jelly or jam can often contain remnants of peanut butter in a household where no one has a nut allergy. Peanut butter and jelly just go together, right? And don’t most of us use the same knife when making the sandwich? I know I do! We also meet other kids in the No Biggie Bunch with other food allergies. Greta is allergic to gluten, Paige to nuts, and Eliot to eggs.
Trade-or-Treat Halloween by Heather Mehra & Kerry McManama, illustrated by Michael Kline.
Greta’s gluten allergy means that she can’t eat all the candy she collects at Halloween trick or treating but it’s no biggie because her parents have a trading system of safe treats for candy with gluten that she’s excited about.
Sports-Tastic Birthday Party by Heather Mehra & Kerry McManama, illustrated by Michael Kline.
I know that finding safe snacks can be an issue if you are the snack mom at preschool or it’s your turn to bring the snack for a sports team. In this case, Scott’s sports birthday party navigates the issue of cake that is safe for his friends with allergies.
Dairy-Free Dino-Licious Dig by Heather Mehra & Kerry McManama, illustrated by Michael Kline.
Davis is allergic to dairy so when he needs a snack, he understands that sharing snacks isn’t safe for him.
To view any picture book more closely at Amazon, please click on image of book.
To purchase book and participate in library donation program, please go here.
I will be giving away this entire set of books. If you would like to win a book, please leave a comment with the title of the book you want. Thank you!
About Parent Perks, Inc. Parent Perks, Inc. is a publisher of educational and entertaining children’s books. We believe when children are engaged and empowered, they can receive messages that stimulate imagination and promise transformation. Our publications embody the spirit of children and spark their social, interpersonal and intellectual innovation.
About The No Biggie Bunch The No Biggie Bunch is a group of kids who are diverse in their food allergies, ethnicities and interests – all the things that make kids special. Kids with food allergies are still kids by definition – kids with equal need to stay safe and have fun. The No Biggie Bunch adventures provide creative solutions and responses for school, play dates, holidays, birthday parties and more. The No Biggie Bunch was created by authors Heather Mehra and Kerry McManama.
Did you know that today, besides being Valentine’s Day, is International Book Giving Day? The mission of International Book Giving Day is to get new, used, or borrowed books in the hands of as many kids as possible.
Three simple ways to participate International Book Giving Day
1. Give a Book to a Friend or Relative
Is there a child in your life who would enjoy receiving a book on February 14th? In lieu of or in addition to a card or box of chocolates, choose a good book from a bookstore or public library. Do not underestimate the value of a library book lovingly selected and wrapped in pretty paper.
2. Donate a Book(s)
Wrap up a box of children’s books that your kids have outgrown and get them in the hands of children who could really use a book or two. Donate your books to your local second hand store, library, children’s hospital, or shelter. Alternatively, donate your books to an organization working internationally to get books in the hands of kids.
Newton Community Service Center has a literacy program that gives books and tutoring to kids who don’t own any books. You can drop off books at:
492 Waltham Street, Newton, MA 02465 | (617) 969-5906
3. Leave a Book in a Waiting Room or Lobby.
Choose a waiting room where kids are stuck waiting and there are few to no good books available. Purchase a good book, and deposit your book covertly or overtly in your waiting room of choice. The goal here is to spread the love of reading to kids, so choose a fun book, nothing controversial.
Open house for JCC Kaleidoscope Creative Arts & Science Camp will be held on Sunday, February 12 at the Leventhal-Sidman JCC (333 Nahanton Street) in Newton from 2-4pm. Meet the camp director and staff and learn how children in entering grades K-11 will make friends and spread their creative wings at JCC Kaleidoscope Camp. Art, drama, science, cooking, dance, music, games, sports, swimming, fishing, boating and more. Two to eight week program with flexible registration. Visual Arts and Theater Arts Intensive programs available for children entering grades 6-11. Bus transportation available to and from Brookline, Framingham and Wayland. Host of the 2012 Consortium of Boston Area Children’s Theatre (CBACT) Festival. For more information, visit bostonjcc.org/kaleidoscope or call 617-558-6523. No charge for camp fair. Open to the entire community. A program of the Ryna Greenbaum JCC Center for the Arts.
Natick SEPAC 1st Annual Special Needs Resource Fair
Learn about some of the great special needs resources
available to Metrowest families in a relaxed, free,
easy-to-navigate forum. Meet with owners and therapists
for a wide range of great resources including:
• Therapeutic Yoga and Horseback Riding
• Occupational Therapy
• Social Groups
• Neuropsychologists
• Financial Planners
• Adaptive Sports
This is the Thousand Cuts Fitness Program from Zen Habits that is geared for very busy people who think they don’t have time. Well … now you do. This is a DIY program (i.e. FREE!) that makes exercise something that you squeeze in minute by minute until it becomes part of your life. I know that we are all so busy in Newton that it can seem daunting to squeeze in one more thing, especially for yourself. Another determent may be cost. And not everyone is comfortable in a gym setting. This is simple, easy, and free! You can DIY and do it at home. It’s for yourself so you can keep those New Year’s Resolutions or make a new one right now! Go ahead, you can do it!!
Here’s how it works:
1. Right now, do something that only takes 1 minute. It might be a few pushups, bodyweight squats, an attempt at a pullup, a few lunges. You have time to do 1 minute.
2. In an hour or so, go for a walk if you can. If you’re in decent shape, make it a fast walk. Add some hills for challenges. If you’re not in good shape, just walk. Later, add some spurts of fast walking.
3. Later in the day, do a few more 1 minute activities.
4. Gradually build the 1 minute activities into 2 or 3 minutes. Then 4 or 5 of them. Add more of them throughout your day.
5. As much as you can, turn the activities into play. Throw your kids around. Run through a park and climb trees and benches. Race people. Play a sport.
6. Get a pullup bar for your home. Every time you walk by it, try to pull yourself up. If you can do pullups, do a few, or 10, every time you pass the bar.
7. Get a kettlebell. Swing it a few times a day.
8. Run places. Walk places quickly.
Always be active. It’s not hard, if you do it in tiny bits. You can’t say no to 1 minute, or even just a few seconds. And if you do a thousand of them, you’ll be fit.
Fitness is a part of my life now, but it wasn’t when I started. I did it in little bits, without designating a certain time as “workout time”. My whole life is workout time.
Mindy Kaling will not be able to make the Spring Fling due to a scheduling conflict.
Mindy Kaling, author and actress on
“The Office,” will be one of our honored authors this year.
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
More Honored Authors:
Mix & mingle with hosts Tom Ashbrook and Bill Novak,
distinguished authors, friends, and library lovers —
while savoring delicious food from Bakers’ Best, bidding on the
silent auction, and listening to live music.
Tickets go fast, so make your reservation
online today at
Leah Hager Cohen’s The Grief of Others is a 2011 New York TimesNotable Book of the Year. Losing a newborn is terrible enough, but when the baby comes wrapped in a shroud of secrets, insufferable grief often tears family members apart. The Ryries are just such a family.
Edith Pearlman
Binocular Vision: New & Selected Stories is a feast for fiction aficionados. The 2011 recipient of the PEN/Malamud Award, Ms. Pearlman gives new meaning to the word “storyteller” in these 21 short stories, which include themes of young love, old love, thwarted love, and loved denied — and span settings from Jerusalem and South America to New England locations.
Tim Riley
Tim Riley is NPR’s music critic and biographer of John Lennon in Lennon: The Man, the Myth, the Music – the Definitive Life. Mr. Riley’s well-researched account of Lennon proves that there is still room for one more biography of this legendary figure.
Lou Ureneck
InCabin: Two Brothers, a Dream, and Five Acres in Maine, memoir writer Lou Ureneck turns his disappointments that come from middle-age job loss, the death of his mother, a health scare, and a divorce into a moving meditation on brotherhood and a return to a simpler, more meaningful way of life.
For more information about the event and authors, please visit website .
This year the MidWinter Coffeehouse returns on February 11th, 2012 at the First Unitarian Society in Newton (1326 Washington St., West Newton), to benefit the F.A. Day PTO.
The MidWinter Coffeehouse is a fun evening of live folk (and other) music, featuring traditional Irish music trio Corvus, event founder and former Day parent Rob Siegel , emcee Eric Moore, and Day parents and friends including Barb Cassidy, Eric Chasalow, George Attisano, and Pam McA’Nulty.
Beer, wine, and soft drinks will be available for sale along with light refreshments.
Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door if available (Adults over 21 only, please).
Doors open at 6:30, music starts at 7.
For tickets and more information please visit the website www.mwch.org or email midwintercoffee@gmail.com.
Since becoming the administrator of an existing mom neighborhood book club, I’ve discovered that Newton moms like to read. Some moms are even in multiple book clubs! My husband is even in a “book club” — that is to say it’s actually a drinking club that takes an annual golf trip in the guise of a book club.
My Moms’ book club struggles to pick a book each month. I think it’s a combination of factors. Some moms are extremely well read, so it’s hard to find a new (or good) book for them. Some moms want newly published top selling books. And some, like me, don’t like to read books that are violent containing nightmare inducing imagery such as child abuse and/or rape.
My book club also likes to alternate between a serious read and a “beach” read. I’m listing the books that we’ve reviewed, but PLEASE make suggestions!!
Reader Suggestions
Roberta says, “a friend’s just-completed book: One Writer’s Garden, Eudora Welty’s Home Place, by Jane Roy Brown and Susan Haltom. It’s about Welty as an iconic writer, as well as her skill as a talented gardner. A gorgeous, big coffee table book with beautiful photos for just $35 in the stores….less on line!”
Sue suggests, “Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen, this book was so funny, have you read it?”
Best Serious Multi-Cultural Novel
The White Tiger: A Novel by Aravind Adiga
The winner of the 2008 Booker Prize, it’s a riveting story of an ambitious servant with deep insight into what life is like for the rank and file in modern day India.
Best Light Romance/Mystery Novel
Following Polly by Karen Bergreen
My college stand up comedienne turned author writes a delightful and sweet love story set in New York City with flashbacks to undergraduate life at Harvard that turns on a murder mystery plot of a college queen bee bully who is found dead by our endearing but not fully self actualized heroine.
Best Yummy Hybrid Cookbook Romance Memoir
Cooking for Mr. Latte by Amanda Hesser
A romantic memoir cookbook based on the real life happily ever after story of New Yorker writer and author Tad Friend and New York Times food critique turned social media entrepreneur Amanda Hesse. Their story is based in New York City but they also have collegiate roots near Newton. Tad went to Harvard as is detailed in his book Cheerful Money: Me, My Family, and the Last Days of Wasp Splendor . Amanda has blue blood roots as well; she got her marketing and business chops at Bentley College. Check out her home cook foodie website Food52. Her frenchie foodie memoir looks fun too, The Cook and the Gardener : A Year of Recipes and Writings for the French Countryside.
Most Popular Mom Book Club Book of 2011
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
If you looked at what women were reading around any pool or beach last year, you could always find someone reading this book.
Best Eclectic but Beautifully Written Book That Everyone is Talking About
Swamplandia by Karen Russell
This was our most recent selection though not too many people make it through it. Our issue is that our last book club meeting was spaced to closely together. Newtonville Books has a review here and they discount books by 20% if you buy in quantity for your book club!
Best Comedic Memoir of a 30 Something NYC Society Mom
Sometimes I Feel Like a Nut: Essays and Observations by Jill Kargman
Abby in our Mom Book Club is good friends with Jill nee Kopelman, the daughter of Chanel CEO Ari Kopelman. She’s a riot if you can understand her NYC hip mommy slang. Lucky for us, there’s a dictionary included in the book.
Best Local Bad Boy Gone Good Memoir
Townie: A Memoir by Andre Dubus III
Andre Dubus has come to several Newton Free Library events including Book and Author and ladies in my book club have had the opportunity to meet him several times and they SWOON about him. Apparently, he’s not only a warm, funny and lovely person but extremely easy on the eyes (and happily married!). My husband read this book and was so blown away that he’s ordered more books by Dubus.
“Telling his story straight from the heart and relating for the fi rst time the role that violence played in his life, how it kept him alive until he was able to channel it into writing and how it served as a guide in his father’s absence, Andre Dubus’memoir Townie is a riveting, visceral and profound meditation on physical violence and the failures and triumphs of love. Join him for a compelling author talk on Tuesday, October 25 at 7:30 pm. The talk will be followed by a book signing with books provided by New England Mobile Book Fair.
After their parents divorced in the 1970s, Andre Dubus III and his three siblings grew up with their exhausted working mother in a depressed Massachusetts mill town saturated with drugs and crime. To protect himself and those he loved from street violence, Andre learned to use his fi sts so well that he was even scared of himself. He was on a fast track to getting killed, or killing someone else. Nearby, his father, an eminent author, taught on a college campus and took the kids out on Sundays. The clash of worlds couldn’t have been more stark, or more diffi cult for a son to communicate to a father. Only by becoming a writer himself could Andre begin to bridge the abyss and save himself.
Andre Dubus III is a National Book Award fi nalist and the author of the novels House of Sand and Fog andThe Garden of Last Days, a New York Timesbestseller. His writing has received many honors including a Guggenheim Fellowship, a National Magazine Award and a Pushcart Prize.” from Newton Free Library
If you now feel motivated to keep up with Newton Free Library events, here’s the February 2012 schedule.
Andre Dubus III
Best Insight into Growing Up Latino in America Book
The Maid’s Daughter: Living Inside and Outside the American Dream by Mary Romero
“In The Maid’s Daughter, Mary Romero explores this complex story about belonging, identity, and resistance, illustrating Olivia’s challenge to establish her sense of identity, and the patterns of inclusion and exclusion in her life. Romero points to the hidden costs of paid domestic labor that are transferred to the families of private household workers andnannies, and shows how everyday routines are important in maintaining and assuring that various forms of privilege are passed on from one generation to another. Through Olivia’s story, Romero shows how mythologies of meritocracy, the land of opportunity, and the American dream remain firmly in place while simultaneously erasing injustices and the struggles of the working poor.” from Newtonville Books
Thu, Feb 16, 6:30 PM – Las Comadres & Friends National Latino Bookclub meets to discuss this book at Newtonville Books.
“It is 1948 and a young American couple arrive in France for a holiday, full of anticipation and enthusiasm. But the countryside and people are war-battered, and their reception at the Chateau Beaumesnil is not all the open-hearted Americans could wish for.” from Amazon
Now that the holidays have passed, our local Newton food pantries need donations more than ever! Did you know that there are 3 food pantries in Newton? I didn’t! Please consider making a donation or getting the word out that anyone who needs help can utilize all three food pantries.
The Newton Food Pantry is open on Wednesdays from 1:30-3:30 p.m., except on the third Wednesday of the month. Instead, the food pantry is open that following Saturday from 11 a.m.-noon. To get a referral, call Anna Gonzalez at 617-796-1282.
The food pantry is open to accept donations 9:30-10:30 a.m. on Wednesdays, except for the third Wednesday of the month. Donations can be made the following Saturday from 10-11 a.m. Food donations can also be left at Hammond Real Estate, 1631 Beacon St., from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Monetary donations can be mailed to Newton Food Pantry, 1608 Beacon St, Waban, MA 02468. from Wicked Local Newton
The Hellenic Gospel Church Food Pantry/Clothes Closet is a non-profit organization run by volunteers from the church, community, Boy Scouts troops, YMCA, and Eliot House. The Pantry is located at 187 Church Street, Newton, MA 02458.
Food and clothing is distributed the second and fourth Friday of each month from 11:00 am to 1:00 om. The pantry provides a three day supply of food, one time per month for eligible Newton residents.
If you would like to make a donation of non-perishable food or cash donation, please contact Lia Deligiannides. She can be reached at (617) 821-6765.
The Centre Street Food Pantry is located on the lower level of Trinity Church in Newton Centre at 11 Homer Street. The #52 MBTA bus stops nearby and we are a few blocks from the Newton Centre T stop.
The pantry is open every Tuesday from 4-7pm and the first Saturday of each month from 11-2. Eligible people are welcome to shop once per month . Referral forms are available on the pantry website (www.centrestfoodpantry.org) or for Newton residents from the Community Social Worker: 617-796-1282.
If you would like to volunteer or make a donation of non-perishable food, household, or hygiene items please contact the pantry at centrestfoodpantry@gmail.com If you would like to make a cash donation you may mail it to:
Centre Street Food Pantry 11 Homer Street
Newton Centre MA 02459
There is a group of really dedicated women who have taken it upon themselves to find local charities who need a boost or, if you will, a step up. They focus on small, local non-profits that do not have huge marketing budgets but that are doing good work. It is an informal gathering of women (sorry, guys – you can send a check, though!) and the suggested donation is only $35. It is a really nice way to connect within your community, socialize a little and make a difference. I encourage you to go (it is fun), get involved and do some good. I wrote about my experience here and they liked it so much they asked to put it on their website.
The next fundraiser is…
A Prescription of Wellness from A Step Up and the Boston Medical CenterPlease join A Step Up to hear what’s “cooking” in The Nutrition Resource Center (NRC) at the Boston Medical Center.
TUESDAY, January 10 7:30pm
at the home of Amy Briney, 93 Beethoven Avenue, Newton
*a suggested donation of $35 made payable to the Boston Medical Center
The BMC is changing the lives of their patients by providing exceptional care without exception, serving all patients regardless of their social and/or economic circumstances. A Step Upwill be raising funds for the Nutrition Resource Center, an innovative program, that includes an onsite prescription food pantry and demonstration kitchen, that is meeting patients nutritional needs right alongside their medical needs. Come learn more about a service delivery approach at the NRC that is consistent with the thoughtful wraparound services that are meeting the needs of the diverse patient population the BMC serves.
To RSVP please reply to this email. If you are unable to attend the event but would like to donate, please click on the link below: https://development.bmc.org/astepup
Sincerely,
Amy Briney, Stacey Keenan, Lori Mendik
Carolyn Shaughnessy, Gina Saltonstall
What is happening in Newton? So many great things!
There is a group of really dedicated women who have taken it upon themselves to find local charities who need a boost or, if you will, a step up. They focus on small, local non-profits that do not have huge marketing budgets but that are doing good work. It is an informal gathering of women (sorry, guys – you can send a check, though!) and the suggested donation is only $35. It is a really nice way to connect within your community, socialize a little and make a difference. I encourage you to go (it is fun), get involved and do some good. I wrote about my experience here and they liked it so much they asked to put it on their website.