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‘The Lowell Offering’ (1840 – 1845)
From WIKIPEDIA: The Lowell Offering was a monthly periodical collected contributed works of poetry and fiction by the female textile workers (young women [age 15-35] known as the Lowell Mill Girls) of the Lowell, Massachusetts textile mills of the early American industrial revolution. It began in 1840 and lasted until 1845. The Offering was initially organized in 1840 by the Reverend Abel…
Read More »‘Libraries Are About Freedom’
But libraries are about freedom. Freedom to read, freedom of ideas, freedom of communication. They are about education (which is not a process that finishes the day we leave school or university), about entertainment, about making safe spaces, and about access to information. Author Neil Gaiman recently gave a talk…
Read More »‘Kicking the Leaves’ by Donald Hall (excerpt)
Kicking the Leaves by Donald Hall 1 Kicking the leaves, October, as we walk home together from the game, in Ann Arbor, on a day the color of soot, rain in the air; I kick at the leaves of maples, reds of seventy different shades, yellow like old paper; and…
Read More »‘Chelmsford Street Kitchen’ by Richard Marion
“Chelmsford Street Kitchen” by Richard Marion (c) 2013 (original drawing, 2004) See more artwork at www.richardmarion.net
Read More »Did You Say ‘Marketing’?
Today’s New York Times. Page A-13. National section. Full-page ad. UMass Lowell Is Rising. There’s more to the ad, with quotes from Forbes, US News & World Report, PayScale, and Washington Post attesting to the momentum and results at UMass Lowell as a result of recent growth, expansion, and rising…
Read More »‘A. G. Pollard’s’ by Richard Marion
“A. G. Pollard’s” by Richard Marion (c) 2013 [original drawing, 1973] See more artwork at www.richardmarion.net
Read More »‘Captain Phillips’: A Review
I recommend that you see the new film “Captain Phillips” about a cargo ship hijacked by four young men from Somalia in 2009. The plain facts erupt on screen in a gripping story about power, violence, and the struggle to survive. Actor Tom Hanks gives an unforgettable performance as Richard…
Read More »Federal Breakfast
One morning this week, I met a friend for breakfast at a local diner. I got to talking to the man waiting on us about the federal government shutdown. He said the diner was feeling the effects of fewer national park tourists in town, especially during this busy season of…
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