Literature

Boarding School Blues: Chapter 46 By Louise Peloquin Ch. 46 “Advienne que pourra” The headmistress orchestrated the honor roll ceremony two days before Christmas break. Her September welcoming speech had focused on “taking the highroad” until June, a recommendation reiterated that December day in the drafty, chilly reception hall kept…

This is the second chapter posted on our blog from Malcolm Sharps’s novel The Three Twins (read the first chapter, TV Giant Clam). The novel is absurdist in style but has a conventional storyline running through it of two actual twins and their friend, the unofficial third twin, who are…

This post is done in recognition of Banned Books Week which is September 18 to 24. The Great Book Burn-a-Thon By David Daniel “Welcome, listeners to Radio KTRD’s annual July Fourth Book Burn-a-Thon! Gus Schute here, along with Carly Kindler. We’ll be broadcasting all day to celebrate and honor a…

More Than an Uncle By Jack McDonough I think about Tom Duffy often. Even now. Even years after he died. He was born in Dover, N.H., in 1902 and I’m guessing he must have died sometime around 1980. I remember attending his funeral in what was then St. Joseph’s church…

Thumbs Up for a Ride Full of Possibility By David Daniel My Bostonian mom would have quavered with horror if she’d known of her son’s hitchhiking days — I never stuck out my thumb on a country lane or interstate highway without a tingle in my bones. Would this be…

Living Madly: The Way We Were By Emilie-Noelle Provost One evening recently, my husband, Rob, and I were sitting in our living room listening to a Boston Symphony Orchestra concert on the radio. When it was over the announcer returned and made a comment about how nice it was that…

Boarding School Blues: Chapter 44 By Louise Peloquin Ch. 44 “Squiggles, snowmen and angels” The end of library duty threw Blanche back into the SFA routine. Visibly, she was not pleased. Andy gave her the once-over during the next day’s powwow in the pine grove. “I have no idea what…

Boarding School Blues: Chapter 43 By Louise Peloquin Ch. 43 “Why don’t they go and create something” Blanche was used to taking on responsibility. Whenever tension threatened the home front, Maman trumpeted “tu dois montrer l’exemple à tes frères et à ta soeur” (you must show the example to your…

Chippy the First By Charles Gargiulo Where did Chippy go? The little boy couldn’t understand. When he turned 4 years old last December, the best present he ever got was his pretty parakeet. He kept making noises like “chip, chip, chip,” so he named him Chippy. He didn’t have any…