September 2015 - Neighborhood View

The six finalists for Malden Reads 2016

September 30, 2015 annedr 0

From a long list of book suggestions, Malden Reads is down to six finalists for the 2016 program. They are: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown The Martian by Andy Weir Where the Wind Leads by Dr. Vinh Chung According to the committee, all six of the books on the finalist list are great reads, but they are all very different from each other. The committee expects to make the final selection at their next meeting on October 13. They welcome your thoughts and opinions on the six choices (described below) which can be emailed to maldenreads@gmail.com. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman is a fictional story about a recently widowed curmudgeon who has lost the will to live. He is stymied, sometimes inadvertently, in all of his attempts to exit this world by various members of his community. Set in a diverse Swedish neighborhood that could be any urban neighborhood in the world, A Man Called Ove is by turns […]

Profile of artist Stephanie Mahan Stigliano

September 16, 2015 escorsello 9

“So many books from Baghdad’s libraries were flung into the Tigris that a horse could walk across on them. The river ran black with scholars’ ink and red with the blood of martyrs.” —As written by Ian Frazier in the April 25, 2005 issue of the New Yorker, about the Mongols attacking Baghdad on January 29, 1258. The desert knows me well, the night and the mounted men. The battle and the sword, the paper and the pen. —Abu al Tayyib al-Mutanabbi (died 965 CE) “I love books and I think reading is so important in my life, important to culture and education and expanding your world view.” she said, “I make books. I love reading books. I love libraries, everything about books, going to bookstores, sharing stories about books I’ve read. So, I thought, ok, I can do this.” Malden artist Stephanie Mahan Stigliano’s thoughts about her invitation to participate in Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here: An Exhibition of Artist’s Books and Broadsides. On March 5, 2007, on al-Mutanabbi Street, Baghdad, Iraq, named for the […]

Housing Familes, Inc. serves up thanks to our legislators

September 14, 2015 karengarden 0

It was a potluck dinner with everyone helping out. The staff, volunteers and families brought large plates of delicious homemade food to share with each other and the legislators. The dinner was held to thank the legislators with whom Housing Families, Inc. have been working with through the year. These legislators were able to get HFI and their allies much needed funds to run their programs. The Representatives were Paul Donato, Steven Ultrino, Christine Barber and Paul Brodeur. Also, they gave a special thank you to Senator Jason Lewis. These legislators were able to get much needed funds to enable HFI and their allies, i.e. Youth Harbor(a program for unaccompanied youth between the ages of 18-and-22 years old), RAFT(residential assistance for families in transition) and others. An increase of $18.7 million which allowed another 900 to 1,000 new vouchers was awarded to Massachusetts rental voucher program. This program provides housing stability and security to extremely low income households, including elders, disabled individuals and families with children. A home-based line item which helps prevent homelessness […]

Arts

Homes for the fairies in Malden

September 5, 2015 annedr 0

“If you build them, they will come.” Fairies, that is. And gnomes, trolls, elves and other creatures said to inhabit the natural world. That’s the idea behind building tiny whimsical houses in the woods. And Malden is now prepared to welcome these creatures with a full selection of residential units. On Saturday, August 29, Pine Banks Park on the Malden/Melrose line was host to Malden’s first Fairy House event organized by Ward 5 Councilor Barbara Murphy in collaboration with Malden Reads. The event was attended by families and community members of all ages. Murphy says the event was inspired by the Fairy House Series of books written and illustrated by Tracy Kane. Building tiny houses for nature’s mythical creatures is an art that some say started on islands off the coast of New England and then spread throughout the country. Many community groups pre-built fairy houses which were placed along a walk leading through the woods and up a hill. On the day of the event, children and families built houses with natural materials found […]

Small business story tour celebrates Malden’s diversity

September 3, 2015 neighbormedia 0

What makes Malden special? The city’s diversity, says Mayor Gary Christenson to a packed house on Thursday, August 27 at City Hall. Organized by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the event called “Immigrant Entrepreneurs Revitalizing Malden: A Story Tour” showcased business owners from all over the world who now call Malden home. “After serving four years, the thing that really makes me proud to be the mayor of this great city is the rich diversity that exists in Malden,” explains Christenson. “You can feel the energy in the air. Malden is a city on the move,” says Kevin Duffy, the city’s strategy and business development officer. “You are going to hear some of the stories I’ve heard over the years and you will be amazed.” After the kick-off speech from the mayor and Duffy, small business owners from Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America shared their stories to dozens of locals and town officials at an invite-only walking tour in collaboration with the Immigrant Learning Center. Participants learned about the diversity of people, products and services offered […]