An American in Paris By Louise Peloquin On September 16, 1940, the US passed the Selective Service Act allowing the draft of eligible men for military service. Hence, Laval U. Peloquin, one of nine children born to French-Canadian immigrants Joseph and Marieanne, was plucked out of civilian life and deposited…
November 2, 2021 – Turnout citywide: 12,095 of 67,867 (18%) (winners in bold) Council at Large Vesna Nuon – 6,156 Rita Mercier – 5,875 John Drinkwater – 5,696 Bobby Tugbiyele – 4,103 Deb Belanger – 3,435 Robert Hoey – 2,247 District 1 Daniel Rourke – 1,068 Rodney Elliott – 864…
Boarding School Blues: Chapter 23 By Louise Peloquin Ch. 23: Going Home At twelve o’clock on the day before Thanksgiving, Sister Gerald’s wooden clapper indicated the end of classes with a beat which reminded Blanche of “Carmen”. The rhythmical succession of loud clicks made her think of Papa singing along…
On All Hallows’ Eve By Malcolm Sharps I don’t know why it is, but so often what gets written about the world makes it seem like a worse place than it actually is. According to every book and newspaper article I’d read before I came to Livonia, Livonians hate Russians…
Thy Sister’s Keeper By Stephen O’Connor It was back in ’92. While I attended UMASS, Lowell, working toward a degree in English, I had a job working for the Massachusetts Guardian Security Services. Armed with my radio and Maglight Tactical Flashlight, I would prowl the darkened alleys and hollow hearts…
Three for Halloween By David Daniel 1: Speed Dating at the Lonely Monsters Club When they get off the elevator, the sign is on an easel outside the function room: SPEED DATING EVENT TONIGHT Nervously, Shanna runs her hands down her hips. “This is going to be another big fail,”…
Here’s a press release about statewide recognition of two great Lowell-based organizations, Angkor Dance Troupe and Free Soil Arts Collective. Angkor Dance Troupe and Free Soil Arts Collective Selected for Statewide Initiative Supporting Community-Rooted Arts Free Soil Arts Collective (www.freesoilarts.org) and Angkor Dance Troupe (www.angkordance.org) were selected to participate in…
Lunch.Break.Haiku. By Doug Sparks After leaving my job for a publishing company last month, I began picking up odd hours working as a substitute teacher in the public schools. You may have heard, there’s a shortage. While this job doesn’t give me a lot of spare time, I get a…
Rooted in Brooklyn By Malcolm Sharps Prompted by Betty Smith’s iconic novel of childhood, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Malcolm Sharps reflects on his own childhood and family life and attempts a comparison Betty Smith, author of the semi-autobiographical A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, wrote in an introduction to a…
The original grant for the town of Lowell only included about 20 percent of the land that makes up the city today. Over the rest of the nineteenth century, the Massachusetts State Legislature annexed portions of Tewksbury, Dracut, and Chelmsford to Lowell to give the city its current configuration. Here…