annedr, Author at Neighborhood View

Malden Reads thanks community for “Stargazing” success

May 9, 2016 annedr 0

In celebration of exploring space, related to this year’s book selection, The Martian by Andy Weir, Malden Reads held an event called “Sunset, Storytelling, & Stargazing” at Waitt’s Mount Park in Malden on Saturday, April 30. Well over 100 attendees, representing the incredibly diverse population of Malden, trekked to the top of Waitt’s Mount to watch the sunset, listen to stories, and look at Jupiter, its moons, a star cluster, and more through the help of six different telescopes and accompanying guides. Speaking about his dramatic and arduous rescue, the main character in The Martian states: “They did it because every human being has a basic instinct to help each other out. It might not seem that way sometimes, but it’s true.” We certainly feel that is true, and we have so many individuals and organizations to thank for a truly successful evening that, besides stargazing, celebrated sharing stories and coming together as a community. We thank everyone who came to our event, for connecting with the community, nature, and the stars. If you have additional […]

Malden High probes social issues in original play

May 5, 2016 annedr 0

MATV is now running the full-length recording of the original play performed by Malden High School Play Production for the Massachusetts State Dramafest held in February-March 2016. The group advanced past the preliminary round in the competitive festival, which brings together students from across the state who are involved in theater. You can watch a few clips from the show below and see the whole production through MATV’s video-on-demand. Viewer discretion is advised. The following article was written by Nada Tufaha for Malden High School’s news source, the Blue & Gold. Malden High School Play Production held a show on Feb. 25, 2016 called “All The King’s Actors”. This show was entered in the Theatre Guild’s High School Dramatic Festival competition. The requirements for the festival include presenting a show that is under 40 minutes and a set up for a set in under 5 minutes. “All The King’s Actors” was based off of the specific quote “the heart wants what it wants, but it does not care.” The show had many examples of modern […]

Scenes from a holiday bazaar

February 19, 2016 annedr 0

The holidays may be long over but I’m left with a memory of a special event in my neighborhood, a pop-up (private) party featuring crafts from local artists in the basement of a home transformed into a Moroccan-style bazaar. On behalf of the seven artists that banded together to create this special event, I wanted to share photos and some video highlights that have not yet been shown to the public. Local artist and community activist Elena Martinez says it all started with a “WHAT IF moment.” She and local artist Bonnie Blanchard were discussing the lack of space where artists could collectively work together. As the holiday time approached, they were looking for venues to sell their work. They decided to hold a “pop-up” event in the basement of Bonnie’s home and invite guests to attend. It would be a small neighborhood event that would offer holiday arts and crafts for a two-day stint just before the holiday shopping frenzy began. It would also be a showcase for a handful of locally renowned artists […]

It’s not about ping pong: Restorative practices come to Malden

January 21, 2016 annedr 0

Sometimes the best way to tackle a problem is to come at it in a whole new way. The city is taking a unique approach to conflict at the Malden Senior Community Center by employing “restorative practices,” an outgrowth of restorative justice, using talking circles and trained facilitators to get at the root of an issue and repair relationships. Tensions at the Senior Center came to a head at a meeting on November 10 around the issue of the movement of a ping pong table from the more public and open space in the auditorium to a smaller room on the second level. Ping pong is a passionate pastime in the Chinese community and the Chinese players were upset about the move. But the heated debate and expression of emotion on both sides of the issue revealed tensions and conflicts that went deeper than the topic at hand. Karen Colon Hayes, community outreach coordinator at the mayor’s office had the idea to call upon Candace Julyan, a restorative justice practitioner who has been running a […]

MLK Luncheon will honor MATV’s Terlonzo Amos and other luminaries

January 7, 2016 annedr 0

MATV’s Director of Operation Terlonzo Amos will be one of the six honorees at the 23rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Luncheon sponsored by the North Shore Black Women’s Association (NSBWA). The event will be held on Saturday, January 16 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Anthony’s of Malden. The other five honorees are Marcus Darbouze, journalist; Arthur Kahn, gemologist; Keith Knight, Jr., cartoonist; Maria Luise, Assistant to Mayor Gary Christensen and Dorothy Martin Long, community activist. The much beloved annual event is a homage to the slain civil rights leader and a fundraiser for the NSBWA, with all proceeds supporting college scholarships for local high school seniors. Terlonzo Amos, a longtime Malden resident and graduate of Malden High School, is currently the Director of Operations at MATV, Malden’s Media Center, an organization whose mission is “Building Community Through Media.” But Terlonzo’s involvement with giving back to his community started long before his tenure with MATV. Terlonzo has been coaching with the Malden Neighborhood Basketball League (MNBL) since he was 19 years old. He has been part […]

Artist Marketplace at Luva Spa

December 18, 2015 annedr 0

The handiwork of a talented group of Malden artists is on display at the Holiday Marketplace at Luva Spa and Gallery, 379 Main Street. Today (Thursday, December 18) was the first day of the two-day pop-up. The marketplace will be open from 9am – 5pm on Saturday, December 19. For sale are beautiful handmade scarves, hair and hat pieces, tree ornaments, jewelry, cards, photographs, food items and more. Allison de Faria, the Events Coordinator for Luva Hair and Day Spa, extended the invitation to the Malden artists. Luva is a local business that has supported the arts in Malden since it opened in 2011. Along with their full day spa offerings, they feature rotating exhibits from local artists in their extensive gallery space. The artists whose work is featured in the marketplace are Bonnie Blanchard, Elizabeth Scorsello, Ginny Remedi, Ose Manheim, and Elena Martinez. Elena Martinez comments, “We are very grateful and excited to have this pop-up marketplace. We want Malden to know that there are artisans in the community and we are actively looking […]

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 […]

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 […]

Filming ‘Ted 2’ at Malden Public Library: An Inside Look

July 13, 2015 annedr 0

Perhaps unbefitting to the historical significance and elegant grandeur of the Converse Memorial Library in Malden, the interior of the library’s historic wing provides the setting for a scene in the recently released Ted 2 comedy starring Mark Wahlberg and Amanda Seyfried. The scene was created and filmed over a two-week period in July last summer. Full disclosure: I’m on the Board of Trustees for the library and have an inside view for this story. The Trustees voted on the approval for the filming after the library was approached by the film company, Raging Bear, last June. There was some, but not much hesitation, on approving the deal. According to John Tramondozzi, President of the Library Trustees, “Our main concern was the safety of the building.” The library was offered considerable compensation for the filming, though the project would require a great deal of time and extra work on the part of the library staff. “Sure, we would have loved for the film to be a period drama,” says Dora St. Martin, the library’s executive […]

Ferryway students Skype chat with Malden Reads author

June 29, 2015 annedr 0

In J.D. Salinger’s classic young adult novel “A Catcher in the Rye,” the protagonist Holden Caufield notes “What really knocks me out is a book that, when you’re all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. Then he laments wryly, “That doesn’t happen much, though.” Well it did at the Ferryway School! Fifth grade students read “Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library” by Chris Grabenstein, one of this year’s Malden Reads companion books. The book was a hit with the readers. On June 17, a select group came for an afterschool Skype chat with the author from his home in New York City. They got to “meet” Mr. Grabenstein via a projected image on a smartboard and ask him questions. Students prepared their questions ahead of time and the students each took turns asking them. They asked about the author’s writing process, where he got his ideas, how he came up with the […]