Books Archives - The Swellesley Report

Author visits in Wellesley (and beyond)

May 28, 2025 by Deborah Brown

Wellesley is fortunate enough to draw multiple authors and speakers to town each month who are knowledgable across a wide range of subjects, and who visit to connect with audiences and promote their work. Attending such an event is a great way to meet the current stars of the literary and lecture scene. Here are just a few events happening soon.

Wellesley College, outdoor art, Meadmore sculpture — Wellesley College Lulu Campus Center

EVENT: The Authors on Stage Spring Program
DATE: Wednesday, June 4
TIME: coffee and pastries 9:30am, program 10:30am – 12pm
LOCATION: Tishman Commons, on the lower level of the Lulu Chow Wang Campus Center, Wellesley College
PARKING: garage near the Campus Center, just off Central Street—look for signs for Event Parking.
COST: $30. Register here.

DESCRIPTION: Authors on Stage presents three engaging authors who discuss how they came to write their recently published books. After the program, the authors will sign copies of their first-edition books—available for purchase at a discount.

FEATURED AUTHORS:

Amy Gamerman, The Crazies:The Cattleman, the Wind Prospector, and a War Out West
This dazzling nonfiction exposé about land lust and the American West tells the story of a wind farm that triggers a 21st century range war between a struggling fifth-generation rancher and the billionaires next door.
Matthew Goodman, Paris Undercover, A Wartime Story of Courage, Friendship, and Betrayal
Two women in Nazi-occupied Paris created an escape line that rescued dozens of Allied servicemen. Ultimately, they were both captured by the Gestapo. With one still in a German prison camp, the other wrote a memoir built on fabrications which became a publishing sensation with unexpected, far-reaching consequences.
Austin Taylor, Notes on Infinity: A Novel
This extraordinary debut novel is centered on two brilliant Harvard undergrads propelled into the intoxicating biotech startup world when they find themselves on the cusp of a breakthrough: the promise of immortality through a novel antiaging drug.

AUTHOR: Clara Silverstein – “The Boston Chef’s Table: Extraordinary Recipes from Beantown” with restaurateur Dave Becker
DATE: Tuesday, June 10
TIME: 7pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Books, 82 Central St.
COST: Ticketed event (under $10, book not included)
DESCRIPTION: Clara Silverstein, former food writer at the Boston Herald, will discuss the brand new edition of her cookbook, The Boston Chef’s Table: Extraordinary Recipes from Beantown.

The Boston Chef’s Table brings recipes from the best chefs in the Boston area right to your kitchen. Far from being standard, contemporary recipes represent the very best Boston has to offer, from Roasted Pear and Goat Cheese Salad to Swordfish with Apple Caponata to the classic Hot New England Lobster Roll. Included are favorites from Lydia Shire, Joanne Chang, Jody Adams, and more. With more than 50 recipes, gorgeous color photos, and sidebars dedicated to the city’s culinary history and ethnic food enclaves, The Boston Chef’s Table is your go-to kitchen companion.

Clara will be in conversation with chef Dave Becker, owner of Juniper and Sweet Basil.

EVENT: Story time, mini donuts, and a donut craft with Amy Moore, author of The Baker’s Dozen
DATE: Saturday, June 21
TIME: 11am
LOCATION: Ten Trees Books @The Hive, 22 N. Nain St., Natick
COST: Free, but please register in advance to help planning the donuts and craft.
RSVP here

DESCRIPTION: The Bakers Dozen is a bakery known for its decadent treats and its dozen bakers. Twelve cookie, cake, and pastry makers. One day a new baker, Kristen, walks into the bakery offering her own specialty…doughnuts! Sweet! But why should the bakery change? Doesn’t a baker’s dozen mean 12? Written in adorable rhyme, ideal for young readers, the story reminds us that there is always room for one more—whether a doughnut or friend!

Wellesley arts roundup—lots going on with theater, visual arts, music, books, flowers and even yarn bombing

April 23, 2025 by Deborah Brown

Wellesley is fortunate to have a lively arts scene, with various opportunities to engage with or make art at any given time. Check out a concert, theater performance, or film this month. Here are just a few events happening soon.

EVENT: Theater production for young families
DATES/TIMES: Saturday, April 26 at 11am, 2pm, and 7pm & Sunday, April 27 at 11am and 2pm
LOCATION: Wellesley College, Ruth Nagel Jones Blackbox Theatre, Alumnae Hall

DESCRIPTION: Created with young families especially in mind, HARK! invites audiences of all ages to explore what it’s like to be a human in nature! In a world facing environmental challenges and climate change, how do we connect with the ecosystem surrounding us? Through original songs, games, bubbles, stories, silliness, improvisation, imagination, and more, the HARK! ensemble will engage our wee ones in questions about our shared world. Bring your toddlers and preschoolers (and their families)!

TICKETS: available here. Tickets will go on sale to the public April 15 at 12pm.

EVENT: Art gallery show
DATE: Currently on view
LOCATION: Page Waterman Gallery, 57 Eliot St. (rte. 16), Natick

DESCRIPTION: Come by the gallery to experience Jeannie Celata’s latest abstract paintings, and celebrate her bold use of color, design and texture. Jeannie is a versatile artist and expert custom framer. She does the lion’s share of work preserving Page Waterman customers’ art and treasured keepsakes. She brings her artistic eye to every project.

Babson College, Reynolds Campus Center (left), Sorenson Center for the Arts (right) — Sorenson Center for the Arts, Babson College

EVENT: Concert
DATE: Tuesday, April 29
TIME: 7pm
LOCATION: Babson College, Carling-Sorenson Theatre
COST: Free
REGISTRATION encouraged, walk-ins welcome

DESCRIPTION: The Babson Music Collective is rooted in the jazz traditions of improvisation and creative expression. The group finds inspiration in a range of musical styles, from pop and afro-beat to classic jazz standards. Drawing on each member’s personal playing style and experiences, the Collective creates unique arrangements for all the music it plays. The Babson Music Collective strives to foster a community of Babson’s many student musicians and listeners.

EVENT: “Creating in the Chaos—on Artmaking and Motherhood”
DATE: Wednesday, April 30
TIME: 7pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Books, 82 Central St., Wellesley
REGISTER HERE for this $5 ticketed events

DESCRIPTION: Nicole Graev Lipson, Pushcart Prize-winning writer, presents her new memoir in essays,Mothers and Other Fictional Characters. Nicole will be in conversation with writer Alden Jones and visual artist Cicely Carew.

Wellesley in Bloom

Wonderful Wellesley, Wellesley in Bloom

Wellesley’s garden clubs are planning a town wide beautification effort with “Wellesley in Bloom.” Clubs have made 20 gorgeous floral wreaths that will hang on the door fronts of Wellesley merchants from May 3-11. Afterwards, the wreaths will be shared with the community.

EVENT: Wellesley Theatre Project production
DATE: Thursday, May 8
TIME: 8pm
LOCATION: Sorenson Center for the Arts, 19 Babson College Dr., Wellesley
TICKETS HERE

DESCRIPTION: Powered by the chart-topping hits of the undisputed Princess of Pop, Once Upon a One More Time, JR turns our favorite fairytales upside down with clever twist! When a fairy godmother goes rogue and plops copies of The Feminine Mystique in the laps of classic heroines, the damsels on a quest to rewrite their stories and redefine “happily ever after.”

Once Upon a One More Time, JR weaves Britney Spears’ smash singles—like “Crazy,” “Oops!…I Did It Again,” “Circus,” “Lucky,” and “Toxic”—into “a big, modern, musical dance party, with Britney’s beating heart at its core.”

EVENT: Wellesley Theatre Project production
DATES/TIMES: Friday, May 9 at 5pm and 8pm; Saturday, May 10 and Sunday, May 11 at 2pm and 5pm.
LOCATION: Sorenson Center for the Arts, 19 Babson College Dr., Wellesley

DESCRIPTION: Join us as Jeff Kinney’s popular character takes center stage as Greg’s cartoon diary becomes a hilarious and heartfelt musical in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the Musical. Middle school is the worst, but Greg is determined not to be at the bottom of the popularity chart. He’ll leave that to his weird neighbor, Fregley. Or maybe Greg’s best friend, Rowley Jefferson. But it’s not going to be Greg… no way. Will Greg’s plans to become popular lead him to sacrifice his one true friend? Can anyone avoid the dreaded Cheese Touch? Grab a hall pass and don’t be late for an adventure familiar to anyone who actually survived or is currently surviving middle school!

EVENT: Wellesley Symphony Orchestra Concert presents, “The Hero’s Journey”
DATE: Sunday, May 11
TIME: 2pm-4pm
LOCATION: MassBay Community College, 50 Oakland St., Wellesley
TICKETS HERE

The extraordinary music of Carl Nielsen and Gustav Mahler—two great composers celebrated for their symphonies that transcend the boundaries of classical music, delving into themes of human struggle, nature, and life itself.

The program opens with two compelling works by Carl Nielsen: Saga Dream, inspired by the Icelandic saga Njála, and his enchanting Flute Concerto, featuring our principal flutist, Jennifer Wright. The concert concludes with Gustav Mahler’s monumental Symphony No. 1, Titan—a masterpiece widely regarded as one of the most remarkable and ambitious first symphonies ever composed.

Congratulations to WHS performing arts students and their directors

From the Wellesley Public Schools—On April 4, both the WHS Wind Ensemble and Honors Chamber Orchestra earned Gold Medals in the Massachusetts Instrumental & Choral Conductor’s Association (MICCA) Concert Festival, with Sinfonia students earning a Silver Medal. Both the Wind Ensemble, led by Steven Scott, and the Honors Chamber Orchestra, led by Sergey Khanukaev, were invited to participate in MICCA’s Gold Medal Showcase on April 13th at the Groton Hill Performing Arts Center.

On April 12, the WHS Jazz Combo and the WHS Rice Street Singers each received a Gold Medal at the the State Massachusetts Association of Jazz Educators (MAJE) Combo/Choir Festival. Several students in each ensemble were recognized with Outstanding Musicianship Awards: Brendan Nicolazzo, Ben Harris, and Cole Delgado for the Jazz Combo, and Eva Meraw, Brendan Nicolazzo, and Ethan Liu for Rice Street. It was the 15th straight MAJE Gold Medal for Rice Street! Both groups have been invited to perform at the Gold Medal Showcase on Sunday, May 4th at the Hatch Shell in Boston. The students’ proud directors are Steven Scott (Jazz Combo), and Kevin McDonald (Rice Street).

electrical box painting — Photo by Jennifer Lambert

CALL FOR ARTISTS: Wellesley is looking for amateur and professional artists interested in making a handful of its plain old traffic boxes beautiful.

The program, overseen by the Wellesley Public Art Committee and Wellesley Police Department, began in late 2020. The deadline to apply for this round is Friday, May 16, 4pm

EVENT: Unveiling of Yarn Bomb project
DATE: Saturday, May 17
TIME: TBA
LOCATION: Linden Square, Wellesley

DESCRIPTION: Art Wellesley last winter hosted a series of knitting and crochet classes at the library, knitting and crochet circles at area restaurants and private homes, and high school knitting classes at the high school—leading up to a community yarn bomb event to be installed at Linden Square.

Yarn bombing is a type of graffiti or street art that employs colorful displays of knitted or crocheted fiber rather than paint or chalk. Premier Yarns, Linden Square, First Byte Designs, the Wellesley Free Library, the Wellesley Cultural Council and the Community Fund for Wellesley supported this project.

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Wellesley teen publishes book in defense of civil liberties

March 26, 2025 by Bob Brown

As if it wasn’t impressive enough that Wellesley’s Andrew Courey published a book called “Early Bird Gets The Bitcoin” as an 11-year-old in 2018, he’s back this year with a second book called “How Liberty Lives: Protecting Civil Liberties for the Next 250 Years.”

Courey—19 now, 18 when he wrote the book—attends Tremont School in Concord and not surprisingly has plans to study political science/government in college. He was supported throughout his latest book writing process by his family, including sister Alexa, who did the cover art.

The official description for “How Liberty Lives” explains that it was “ written in defense of civil liberties and in honor of the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.” It’s a narrated collection of 250 new and old quotes about civil liberties and democracy.

After reading the book’s intro, I shot Courey a handful of questions by email. Here’s our exchange:

What prompted you to write this?

I have spent a lot of time on my own studying power and law. An area of particular interest to me is authoritarian regimes and how they operate. An important question for me is why are places oppressive. What I found was that in democracies it wasn’t because constitutions weren’t good enough or that a corrupt elite was keeping power through violence, it was because the people wanted what they wanted more than freedom. No amount of laws, norms, or Constitutional rights can make a free country out of a people that do not believe in liberty. Senator Padmé Amidala’s quote in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, “So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause,” describes my view. I wrote “How Liberty Lives” because I believe that if liberty can die by thunderous applause it can live by it too. Through educating the people about the importance of liberty generally and of the specific elements that is requires (freedom of the press, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, an independent judiciary, separation of powers and checks and balances, limited government, and many more) I believe I can spread my love of freedom and teach the rulers of our republic (the people) how to keep and expand it.

How did your ideas for the book evolve?

My initial idea for the book was 1776 quotes on freedom in the mid fall, that became 250 quotes for the 250th Anniversary of the United States. Eventually the book expanded to include narration on the quotes, then chapter essays, a Recipe for Liberty, and a very lengthy introduction about vague laws, an overly harsh criminal justice system, low civic education, and mass surveillance. Separately I wanted to write a book on vague laws, but quickly realized I lacked the legal expertise and time to do so. I then separately drafted some proposed constitutional amendments instead to send to the government. Near the end of writing my book I combined these to create my list of proposed Constitutional Amendments in an open letter to state legislatures.

Is the premise here that we’ve been making decent progress on civil liberties over the past 250 years, but that a confluence of things now could threaten that progress?

I truly believe our country will be free in the future. From the birth of our nation until now, we have seen Thomas Jefferson and James Madison’s dream of freedom be transformed into reality. The spirit of the Founding Fathers was right, but it has taken the whole of our history for it to come close to being realized. What concerns me today is that most people have no memory of the time in our history when the freedoms we take for granted today (voting rights, anti-discrimination laws, freedom of speech, privacy rights, and so many more) were far weaker. Every loss of freedom comes with some expected gain in security, wealth, justice, or other positive things. When the people forget the danger and immense harm that comes at the cost of authoritarian policies, it becomes far easier for those who wish to increase their power at the expense of our freedom to do so.

Tech-enabled mass surveillance: Are we mainly talking about artificial general intelligence here, or something broader?

Surveillance has always existed. In Ancient Times, government informants with no technology were capable of monitoring and reporting on dissent. But without any technology however, they could not truly keep an eye on everyone. Since digital recording technology became available, governments gained the capacity to monitor everything. But without incredible numbers of people to listen to and interpret the data, governments can’t actually surveil everything. Only now, with AI can every call be listened to, interpreted, cross analyzed with other surveillance data from billions of people, and relayed to enforcers with near real time and a very low cost. AI still isn’t that smart, so humans are still very needed for these programs. When AI becomes as capable as humans and compute power becomes cheaper with quantum computers, the dream of all autocrats since the beginning of time to monitor and punish all dissent will be possible.

I’m not sure most people think much about the vagueness of our laws. What are the chief threats here to different classes of people?

Vague laws violate the fundamental principle of justice that no person should be punished without having fair notice of what is subject to punishment. Laws are so unclear that even Supreme Court justices who are highly educated lawyers with years of experience can’t even agree on

[Read more…]

Author visits in Wellesley (and beyond)

March 26, 2025 by Deborah Brown

Book: Joni Mitchell Paints a Symphony, by Lisa Rogers

EVENT: Book launch
DATE: Wednesday, March 26
TIME: 6:30pm-8pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Free Library, 530 Washington St.
COST: Free

DESCRIPTION: Lisa Rogers is a former Wellesley Public Schools elementary library teacher and award-winning author who writes lyrical picture book biographies that focus on artists and their inspiration.

This event will feature a reading of Lisa’s new picture book, Joan Mitchell Paints a Symphony, illustrated by Stacy Innerst and praised by Kirkus Reviews as “simply marvelous.” A panel of local abstract artists, including Carolyn Mackin and Elizabeth Cohen, will join Lisa to discuss the creative process and inspiration for their works.

Book: Native Americans of New England, by Christoph Strobel

EVENT: Author visit
DATE: Sunday, March 30
TIME: 2pm-3pm
COST: Free
LOCATION: Wellesley Free Library, 530 Washington St. and online

DESCRIPTION: Native Americans of New England offers a comprehensive synthesis of indigenous history in the northeastern United States. Strobel’s work spans millennia, from the earliest archaeological evidence to contemporary times, providing a nuanced examination of how historic processes shaped Native lives.

The book balances accounts of colonization and dispossession with powerful narratives of indigenous resistance, adaptation, and survival. Christoph Strobel, Professor of History at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, brings his extensive research and academic expertise to this sweeping regional history. Strobel’s approach combines rigorous scholarship with accessible prose, making complex historical narratives comprehensible to both academic and general audiences.

This series is presented in partnership with the Wellesley Historical Society and made possible through their generous sponsor Christine Mayer.

An Evening with Poets Lynne Viti, Heather Treseler, and Lloyd Schwartz

EVENT: The poets discuss their collections
DATE: April 3
TIME: 7pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Books, 82 Central St., Wellesley
COST: Admission is $5. Tickets here.

Book: Mud Season, by Jeff Kramer

EVENT: Author visit
DATE: Tuesday, April 1
TIME: 7pm-8pm,
LOCATION: Ten Trees Books @The Hive, 22 N. Nain St., Natick
COST: Free
RSVP here

DESCRIPTION: Jeff Kramer unloads the story of Woody Hackworth, a newspaper reporter laid off amid whispers he made up a source. Thirsting for redemption, Woody makes a fateful decision: To write an environmental thriller and post chapters on social media as he goes.

His book wins a following, but not for the reasons Woody intended. Readers believe Woody is using his fiction to expose his in-laws and their family-owned Upstate, N.Y. construction business. The cracks in the foundation of Woody’s home life deepen with each new post, but how can he stop writing now that fame has come calling?

A capstone to Kramer’s 35-year-career as an award-winning humor columnist and reporter, “Mud Season” wallows in the classic conflict between ambition and family, digs into the muck of online notoriety and slings a comic-tragic elegy to the once-mighty daily newspaper.”

Author visits, book news, and lectures in Wellesley (and beyond)

November 28, 2024 by Deborah Brown

EVENT: Speaker Tracy Rubin, “Curating Vermeer”
DATE: Thursday, Dec. 5
TIME: 7pm-8pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Free Library, 530 Washington St.
COST: Free

DESCRIPTION: The Wellelsey Society of Artists in partnership with the Wellesley Free Library (WFL) present “Curating Vermeer” a talk with MFA gallery instructor Tracy Rubin. The exhibition, “Vermeer” which opened at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, The Netherlands in spring 2023 was more than a box office success. It was sold out within days, if not hours, and people scrambled to somehow gain access.

The exhibition lived up to all the hype because it was expertly curated. It was an absolute delight to the eye and food for the soul. The hanging of paintings, the wall text, the wall color palette all related artfully to the works and enhanced the experience. Tracy will “deconstruct” how the exhibition was conceived and presented, paying attention to what anyone who is hanging a show should consider. Tracy said “Hanging Vermeer” seemed like a better title for this talk, but alas, sounded rather threatening. Hence, “Curating Vermeer”. More here.

AUTHOR EVENT: Suja Sukumar, When Mimi Went Missing, with Gail-Agnes Musikavanhu

DATE: Thursday, Dec. 5
TIME: 7pm-8pm
COST: This is a $5 ticketed event. Buy tickets online (fees apply) or by calling 781-431-1160 during store hours (no fees).
DESCRIPTION: Y/A novel. Shy, nerdy Tanvi has always thought of her perfect cousin Mimi as her sister. Not only did Mimi’s family raise Tanvi after the tragic death of her parents, fierce Mimi has always protected Tanvi at school. At least until Mimi fell under the spell of their flawless, rich classmate, Beth . . . Tanvi’s biggest bully.

Recent author visit

Following a reception at Lockheart restaurant in Wellesley Square, WHS graduate Eve Driver read from her non-fiction book, What We Can’t Burn, at Wellesley Books.

BOOK SUMMARY: Forming an unlikely friendship amid the fossil fuel divestment campaign at Harvard University, Kenyan clean energy entrepreneur Tom Osborn and American climate writer and strategist, and WHS graduate Eve Driver, reckon with coming of age in a generation confused and divided about how to save itself, the meaning of ‘climate justice,’ and what it will take to build a global climate movement.

Purchase Driver’s book here.