Located primarily in the northwest of County Clare, the Burren, is one of the world’s most unique landscapes. It means “great rock” in Irish (Boireann), and is dominated by thick successions of sedimentary rocks, often compared to a lunar landscape. In the following essay and series of photographs, Clare Mulvany take…
The Kerouac Book River “The Kerouac Book River is inspired by the legendary Merrimack and Concord rivers, which run through the author’s hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts. At the “source” of the river is the canon of first editions, beginning in 1950 with The Town and the City. Plentiful waters stir to…
Chath pierSath’s new book, ON EARTH BENEATH SKY, is forthcoming in about ten days. The poems and prose sketches describe his journey as a genocide survivor from Cambodia, boy refugee starting over in Colorado, and new American finding a place in this country and his own place in society. He…
In keeping with the education theme this month, here’s an excerpt from a memory book I’m writing. Some sections are built on related, even if partial, recollections—in this case experiences during my college years. At times, memories can be like bits of mica shining in a chunk of stone you…
On Thursday, August 27, 2020, I logged on to “Lowell Lines District Mapping Info Session,” an online forum hosted by CMAA, Massachusetts Voter Table, Lowell Alliance, and Latinx Community Center for Empowerment (LCCE). The purpose of the session was to gather information for the creation of new voting districts in…
Guinness Storehouse at St. James Gate in Dublin is often listed as Ireland’s number-one tourist attraction; but here on Trasna there’s no admission fee to learn the history of bottling the world’s most famous pint. “Glass on wood is likely among the first sounds I heard,” writes Julie Ward in…
Twelve summers ago, Paul Marion discovered Harry de Metropolis, a graduate of Lowell High (class of 1931) and West Point (class of 1939) who rose to the rank of major during World War II, and who later published a collection of his war-time poems. Here is Paul’s post from 2008: …
The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment was activated on March 13, 1863, as one of the first African-American units of the American Civil War. Although the regiment was organized and trained in Boston, the African-American men who filled its ranks were recruited from around the northern states. Governor John Andrew appointed…
Are you a graduate of UMass Lowell? Maybe you’re a proud mother or father of an alum? Join Professor Marie Frank, author of the new book, “University of Massachusetts Lowell: 125 Years,” to celebrate the rich history of the school on Thursday, September 3, 2020 at 7pm via Zoom Learn…
In Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness, the unnamed narrator introduces a second speaker, Marlow, who actually tells the intricate story of Mr. Kurtz. Marlow himself claimed that “the meaning of an episode was not inside like a kernel but outside, enveloping the tale which brought it out only as…
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