The Swellesley Report

Since 2005: More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

‘We Are Wellesley’ exhibit receptions & talks

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A series of receptions and talks are scheduled for the new “We Are Wellesley: Beyond White Picket Fences” exhibit.

Receptions & talks:
November 14 @ 4:30 – Wellesley High School
December 15 @ 6 – Barton Road Community Center
January 21 @ 6:30 – Wakelin Room, Wellesley Free Library

Je'Lesia Jones


Come see the portraits by Wellesley High School photography students and teacher Doug Johnson of your fellow Wellesley residents, both those whose families have been here for generations and those newer to the community. Support via Wellesley and Massachusetts Cultural Councils.

Learn about the book by Catherine Simpson Bueker, Beyond White Picket Fences: Evolution of an American Town that motivated this photo exhibit.

See also: Wellesley sociologist exploring historical impact of immigrants on the town (March, 2023)

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Books news—the devil gets no rest in Wellesley; Barbie bops into town; king captures readers; mangia!

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Wellesley is fortunate enough to draw multiple authors to town each month who write across a wide range of genres, and who visit to  connect with readers and promote their work. Attending an author’s talk—whether you’ve read the book, or just want to learn more about the topic at hand—is a great way to meet the current stars of the literary scene. Here are a couple author events happening soon.

Wellesley RDF, Chelsea Sebastian
Wellesley RDF, by artist Chelsea Sebastian

It’s a Barbie world, we’re all just living in it

EVENT: Arnold Lecture Series, Renee Rosen
DATE: Thursday, Nov. 13
TIME: 6:30pm, doors open; 7pm, author lecture
LOCATION: Wellesley Free Library, 530 Washington St.
SPONSOR: Friends of the Wellesley Free Libraries
COST: Free and open to the public
Register online

DESCRIPTION: Come meet Renée Rosen, author of Let’s Call Her Barbie, who has extensively researched historical fiction explores Barbie’s creator, Mattel, the company behind the brand, and the ups and downs of this extraordinary success story. Ruth Handler, the youngest of ten children, noticed that the only dolls available to girls were babies, encouraging them to pretend to be mothers. In 1956 she envisioned a doll shaped like a grown woman, someone girls could imagine becoming. Since then, Barbie has embodied more than 180 careers, from astronaut and pilot to president and rock stars. More than one billion dolls have been sold worldwide, generating billions in revenue.

Ain’t no rest for the wicked

EVENT: Wellesley Historical Society Speaker Series, The Devils will Get No Rest, with James B. Conroy
DATE: Nov. 16
TIME: 2pm-4pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Free Library, 530 Washington Street

DESCRIPTION: Join the Wellesley Historical Society for a conversation with author James B. Conroy, who will discuss his latest book, The Devils Will Get No Rest, an account of American leadership and strategy during World War II.

Conroy is an honorary fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society and an historian. Our One Common Country was a finalist for the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, while Lincoln’s White House shared the Lincoln Prize and won the Abraham Lincoln Institute’s annual book award.

A former Senate press secretary and congressman’s chief of staff, Conroy also served six years in the Naval Air Reserve. He practiced law in Boston for decades before turning to writing full-time.

Not too early to start holiday shopping

EVENT: Holiday book sale for children and tweens
DATE: Saturday, Dec. 6
TIME: noon-4pm
LOCATION: Morse Institute Library, 14 E. Central St., Natick, MA
SPONSOR: Friends of the Morse Institute Library

DESCRIPTION: Looking for something special for the young reader in your life? The holidays are coming early at the Morse Institute Library at the Friends’ holiday book sale for children and tweens. All books for children and tweens are $0.50.

Play it safe, or risk it all?

EVENT: Author Event: Sonia Purnell, Kingmaker, with Elizabeth Gonzalez James
DATE: Tuesday, Dec. 12
TIME: 7pm – 8pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Books, 82 Central St
TICKETED EVENT: $5

DESCRIPTION: Sonia Purnell, NYT bestselling author of A Woman of No Importance, joins us to celebrate the paperback release of her 2024 bestseller, Kingmaker: Pamela Harriman’s Astonishing Life of Power, Seduction, and Intrigue. Sonia will be in conversation with Elizabeth Gonzalez James, bestselling author of The Bullet Swallower.

Local author wins award for gluten-free Italian cookbook

Senza Glutine: Timeless Italian Dishes for the Gluten-Free Palate, co-authored by Wellesley’s own Cynthia Delia Coddington, has received the Silver Medal in the 2025 Living Now Book Awards. The Living Now Awards honor books that enrich lives, promote healthy living, and inspire innovation.

“Being recognized among such inspiring titles is a true honor. Senza Glutine was created to show that authentic Italian cuisine can be both delicious and completely gluten-free. This award is a meaningful acknowledgment of our goal to make traditional cooking more accessible to everyone,” Cynthia says.

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London Harness, Wellesley

Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners honors Wellesley’s Mary Ann Cluggish

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Congrats to Wellesley’s Mary Ann Cluggish, this year’s recipient of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners’ Elizabeth P. Sohier Award.

A ceremony honoring Clugglish and others was held on Thursday, Nov. 6 at the State House.

Cluggish speaking at State House (1)
Mary Ann Cluggish at State House (Photo courtesy of Karen Traub)

 
The award recognizes a past commissioner for their outstanding efforts to ensure that all residents have equal and free access to resources through the state’s public libraries.

Cluggish served as a commissioner for 12 years, and was honored a couple of years back upon departing the board.

Cluggish’s volunteer work for the state was built on a foundation of local library support. She served 12 years as a Library Trustee in Wellesley and helped gain Town Meeting support for the library that opened in 2003.

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Author visits in Wellesley (and beyond)

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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.

Author event. WellesleyEVENT: Kimberly Heckler, A Woman of Firsts
DATE: Sunday, Sept. 21
TIME: 2pm-3pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Free Library, 530 Washington Street
COST: Free. Light refreshments will be served.

DESCRIPTION: The groundbreaking political career of Wellesley’s Margaret Heckler spanned five presidencies, from Lyndon Johnson to Ronald Reagan, and took her from the halls of Congress to the Cabinet and a U.S. ambassadorship. In A Woman of Firsts, author Kimberly Heckler chronicles the remarkable journey of a woman who, despite being rejected at birth by her Irish immigrant parents, rose to become one of the most powerful figures in Washington during the 1970s and 1980s.

EVENT: Author visit, Wellesley resident Jeremy Sewall, owner of Row 34 restaurant, in conversation with Boston Globe food writer Kara Baskin
DATE: Wednesday, Sept. 24
TIME: 7pm
LOCATION:Wellesley Books, 82 Central St.
COST: $5 (ticketed event)

DESCRIPTION: Wellesley’s own Jeremy Sewall has just opened his fifth Row 34 restaurant in Kenmore Square AND has a new cookbook coming out (his fourth), Everyday Chef: Simple Recipes for Family and Friends. In it, the seafood authority  opens up his home kitchen to share the approachable, simple recipes that are beloved by his family and friends.

EVENT: Liz Walker discuss her new book, No One Left Alone: A Story of How Community Helps Us Heal
DATE: Friday, Sept. 26
TIME: 7pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Books, 82 Central St.
COST: Ticketed event ($5, book not included)

DESCRIPTION: As the first Black woman to anchor the Boston-area evening news, Liz Walker found herself in an industry that defined the neighborhood of Roxbury largely by violence. But when she became a pastor there, Walker grew close to households marked not only by trauma but by courage. In in conversation with journalist Lisa Hughes, anchor for WBZ-TV News.

EVENT: Romance Book Club—One True Loves, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
DATE: Wednesday, Oct. 1
TIME: 7pm
LOCATION: Ten Trees Books  @The Hive, 22 N. Nain St., Natick
COST: Free, but please register in advance as space is limited.
REGISTER here

DESCRIPTION: This is the story of Emma who loses her husband in a helicopter crash. She moves on and eventually gets engaged when years later her husband is found alive! How will she choose between her two true loves? Ten Trees Books book club participants receive 20% off when purchasing in-store. Just mention it at checkout.

AUTHOR: Arnold Lecture Series—Hank Phillippi Ryan
DATE: Thursday, Oct. 9
TIME:  6:30pm-8:30pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Free Library, 530 Washington St.
REGISTER: In person and online event
DESCRIPTION: Hank Phillippi Ryan is USA Today bestselling author of 16 psychological thrillers, winning the most prestigious awards in the genre: five Agathas, five Anthonys, and the coveted Mary Higgins Clark Award. She is also on-air investigative reporter for Boston’s WHDH-TV, with 37 EMMYs and dozens more journalism honors for her groundbreaking journalism and true crime stories. Her current novel is One Wrong Word, a twisty story of gaslighting, manipulation, and murder.

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Wellesley Kitchen and Home Tour

Artist caught in act of painting Hardy traffic box

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I’ve had a knack this summer for spotting artists commissioned to paint traffic boxes in Wellesley: First there was Ellen Kim (and her mom) painting the box in front of the Rec Center on Washington St. This week, it was Meg Shea working on a bookshelf-themed painting in front of Hardy Elementary School on Weston Road. Books, she figured, was an appropriate theme for this box given its location.

Meg Shea traffic box painting hardy

Shea, a rising junior at Holy Cross, was prompted to apply for a coveted traffic box painting gig after painting one of the bikes during the Wellesley in Bloom promotion earlier this year.

Meg Shea traffic box painting hardyA double major in architecture and accounting, Shea says she started the painting in mid-June and hopes to finish soon.

She still has finishing touches, such as plants and other items, to work into the painting. This is the biggest project size-wise that she has worked on. Challenges have included the weather, including both rain and extreme heat.

The traffic box painting program, in place since 2020 and coordinated by the town’s Public Art Committee and Police Department, has resulted in public art displays across town from Wellesley College to Linden Square to Wellesley Lower Falls.

More on the traffic box art program in this Wellesley Media video.

More:

 

Our version of public art is writing for Swellesley. Please consider supporting our independent venture with a tax-deductible donation.

Rotary Club, Taste of Wellesley

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

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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.

Wellesley College Theatre, HarkEVENT: 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.

Page Waterman, Natick, Jeannie CelataEVENT: 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.

Wellesley Theatre ProjectEVENT: 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!

Wellesley Symphony OrchestraEVENT: 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

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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.

liberty bookThe 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)

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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.

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

Lisa Rogers, Wellesley, booksDESCRIPTION: 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

Book, Native AmericansDESCRIPTION: 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.”

Wellesley in Bloom starts May 2!

Wellesley in Bloom starts May 2!