Events for: Locations

Jeff Belanger is one of the most visible and prolific researchers of folklore and legends today. A natural storyteller, he’s the award-winning, Emmy-nominated host, writer, and producer of the New England Legends series on PBS and Amazon Prime, and is the author of over a dozen books (published in six languages). He also hosts the award-winning New England Legends weekly podcast, which has garnered over 4.5 million downloads since its launch, and ranks in the top 1 percent of all podcasts as far as popularity, according to Listen Notes.

Every year, 14 senior Yale students are selected to be in the Whiffenpoofs, the world’s oldest and best-known collegiate a cappella group. Founded in 1909, the “Whiffs” began as a senior quartet that met weekly at Mory’s Temple Bar. Today, the group has become one of Yale’s most celebrated traditions.  Singing a mixture of old Yale tunes, jazz standards, and other hits from across the decades, the Whiffenpoofs perform more than 200 concerts across six continents each year.

In a lecture themed “Dynamics of Movement and Dwelling: Whistler’s Sense of Home,” Shirland explores various aspects of James McNeil Whistler’s life and art through various meanings of a “home” (residence, environment, country, household, birthplace, etc.). Shirland’s lecture will be part of the Whistler House’s 200th anniversary celebrations in 2025. Dr. Shirland received his Master’s and PhD in Art History from University College London. His doctoral work examined constructions of masculinity in British art c.1880-1914. Among his publications are articles in the journals, Art History, Visual Culture in Britain, and Aries. He has taught at the University of York and Lasell College, and served as the curator of Public Programs at the Royal Academy of Arts, London. He is also visual arts director and lead curator for the project Violence Transformed.

Edward F. Davis served as the Police Commissioner of the City of Boston from Dec. 2006 until Oct. 2013. He led the highly successful response to the Boston Marathon bombing. Prior to that, Davis was the Superintendent of the Lowell Police Department. In 2013 Davis testified before Congressional and Senate hearings on terrorism. In February 2016, the Commissioner testified before the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs’ hearing titled “Frontline Response to Terrorism in America.” In 2015, Davis also testified for the defense as an expert witness in a Rhode Island court on police practices in a motion for a new trial on a 25-year-old homicide case. The incarcerated suspect was released after decades in prison.

Nora Neale is a beekeeper from Topsfield, Mass., a member of the Essex County Beekeeper's Association, and a familiar face from the bee building at the Topsfield Fair. Geared toward elementary and middle school students, the interactive presentation will include a presentation in a bee suit, candle-making and honey tasting. Supplies will be provided.

Sothea Chimruom is the Executive Director of the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association (CMAA) on School Street in Lowell. His lecture will focus on the CMAA’s programming to commemorate the anniversary of the Cambodian genocide. Beginning in the early 1980s, thousands of Cambodian fled their homeland to escape a communist regime and genocide and resettled in the City of Lowell and other cities throughout the U.S. For many Cambodian refugees, with limited resources, language barriers, and a lack of knowledge about local customs and culture, the resettlement process can be overwhelming. In 1984, CMAA was founded to help alleviate these gaps and provide support to the Cambodian communities in Greater Lowell.

In July 1891, four intrepid women from Lowell, Massachusetts, set off for an adventure they would remember all their lives. Calling themselves “the Merrie Trippers,” they created a journal of their two-week trip to Great Brewster Island complete with entries, illustrations, and photographs, everything but their real names. Volunteers from the Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands, led by author Stephanie Schorow, dove into the journal’s mysteries and published “A Boston Harbor Islands Adventure: The Great Brewster Journal of 1891” in 2023. In an illustrated lecture on Oct. 26 at 2 p.m., the authors will explain how they uncovered the women’s identities (and more) and were able to create a portrait of 19th century women’s lives.

A native of Lowell, Mass., Gilday served as the 32nd Chief of Naval Operations from August 22, 2019, through August 17, 2023. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Gilday held staff assignments with the Bureau of Naval Personnel; staff of the Chief of Naval Operations, and staff of the Vice Chief of Naval Operations. Joint assignments include executive assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and naval aide to the President. He is the recipient of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal (four awards), Legion of Merit (three awards), Bronze Star, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat “V,” and the Combat Action Ribbon.

Charles Shuttleworth is senior editor of Sal Paradise Press. He is the editor of Desolation Peak, published in 2022; he served as co-editor with Paul Maher, Jr. on Self-Portrait, which came out in July; and he is the editor of The Buddhist Years, due out in October, which focuses on writings from 1954-’58, revealing how Kerouac’s study of Buddhism led to spiritual insights and colored his fiction. Shuttleworth has been teaching classes on Jack Kerouac and the Beat Generation for the past 30 years, currently at the Harker School in San Jose, Calif.

Singer, emcee, puppeteer, and magician — Harry and his monster friends are always the life of the party. Harry and Good News Gus has received accolades from both party-goers and professional groups alike. With young and old, Harry's high-energy interactive entertainment is sure to bring laughter, energy, and warm, fuzzy feelings!

Ben is a musician, singer-songwriter and composer who has performed and recorded family music with his band, Ben Rudnick and Friends, since 2000! Some of their hit songs include A Frog Named Sam, Sally Salamander, Chicken Soup Ballad and tons more! Together, they discuss turning A Frog Named Sam into its own musical, filming the music videos for their songs, winning seven Parents' Choice Awards for his work in the music business and many more!

Through hip hop dance, children learn about nature with fun animal facts and follow along to get their own bodies moving in dances that emulate animal movements in this energetic video program for the whole family.

Steampunk is more than an aesthetic; it’s a framework for creating, thinking, and living that draws from the past to envision an alternative future. In this presentation, join artist and Modvic cofounder Bruce Rosenbaum for a deep exploration of understanding and making Steampunk art.

After tracing the roots of the Steampunk genre back to its origins, Rosenbaum looks at its underlying principles and concepts that extend beyond the realm of art—from adaptive reuse and resilience to collaborative and creative problem solving. This lecture offers not only a better understanding of the unique blend of history, art, and technology that lay the foundations for Steampunk design, but also a framework for collaborating and solving problems more creatively.

Rosenbaum’s sculpture of time-traveler Issac Singer Humachine will be on display in the NEQM galleries.

Andrew Krivak is the author of four novels: The Bear (2020), a fable about the last two people on Earth, and the novels of the Dardan Trilogy: The Sojourn (2011) a National Book Award Finalist and winner of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Fiction; The Signal Flame (2017); and his newest, Like the Appearance of Horses (2023). Krivak will read from Like the Appearance of Horses and discuss how and why he wanted to weave one family’s experience of war into three separate novels. In honor of being in Lowell, Massachusetts for the Moses Parker Greeley Lecture series, he will also discuss where his life-long love of Jack Kerouac’s work has taken him as a novelist.

On the cusp of being a teenager, Charlie Gargiulo lived through the destruction of his Little Canada community of Lowell in the 1960”s.  His memoir tells that experience through his eyes as he lived it. A legendary community organizer, he later founded the Coalition for a Better Acre, a nationally recognized community development group to prevent other forced displacement efforts from happening to others and to ensure people would have decent housing and a fair chance to earn a living and make a happy life for themselves. Michael Patrick MacDonald, famed author of: All Souls: A Family Story from Southie” said of the memoir, “Charlie Gargiulo has unearthed for us a time capsule of treasures…buried deep by the heartless blows of Urban Renewal’s wrecking ball…”

John Kozik’s obsession with collecting and researching Ouija began when he inherited his grandmother’s board in the late 1990’s. He was surprised to discover that Ouija was simply one specific brand of Talking Board, and that they date much further back than the Ouija of Parker Brothers fame. Through years of dedication John is now one of the most knowledgeable people on the subject. In 2013 he became a founding member of the Talking Board Historical Society, a group that researches and preserves the history of Talking Boards. Fast forward to 2019 - John opened the doors of The Salem Witch Board Museum to the public. It is the only museum dedicated to the history and lore of the Talking Board, boasting the largest collection of boards, obscure memorabilia, and ephemera under one roof. Whether you believe it’s the tool of the Devil or just an innocent kid’s game, a visit to the museum will allow you to learn more about this fascinating and iconic piece of Americana.

What is included in "New England's Top Ten Foods" lists, and who made the list? Join Meg Muckenhoupt, author of “The Truth about Baked Beans” for a talk about the history of New England's food, immigration, tourism, and how ideas about identity have shaped our menus from 1825 to today.  Meg Muckenhoupt writes about history and the environment. She is the author of “The Truth About Baked Beans” (NYU Press, 2020) and “Cabbage: A Global History” (Reaktion Books, 2018). She has appeared on NPR’s Radio Boston and WCVB’s Chronicle, and her work has been featured in the Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, the New York Times and USA Today.  She lives in Lexington, Massachusetts.  Meg Muckenhoupt begins with a simple question: When did Bostonians start making Boston Baked Beans?  Storekeepers in Faneuil Hall and Duck Tour guides may tell you that the Pilgrims learned a recipe for beans with maple syrup and bear fat from Native Americans, but in fact, the recipe for Boston Baked Beans is the result of a conscious effort in the late nineteenth century to create New England foods.

“ENTANGLED” is an award winning, feature-length film about how climate change has accelerated a collision between one of the world’s most endangered species, North America’s most valuable fishery, and a federal agency mandated to protect both.  The film, by the makers of Lobster War and Sacred Cod, won a Jackson Award, Best Feature film at the International Wildlife Film Festival, Best Conservation Film and the John de Graff Environmental Filmmaking Award. In 2022, it was nominated for a national Emmy award. David Abel is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who covers environmental issues for the Boston Globe.  He is also a professor of the practice at Boston University. Abel, who began learning to make films as a Nieman fellow at Harvard University, plans to complete a new film in 2023, “In the Whale.” Jim Lichoulas from Mill 5 will offer us an introduction to documentary film making from a presenter’s point of view.

Tom Toohey is a modern day Irish storyteller who has traveled to Ireland 20 times and collected hundreds of stories. Every week more facts become available on the internet about our ancestors. These facts are like the skeletons of our predecessors. Family stories about these antecedents can add flesh to their bones and give life to their existence. In many families only one or two remember these stories. When they pass away the stories are lost. This presentation offers a method for collecting and recording family stories for future generations. It has music, animation and humor and is entertaining as well as informative.

Discover the heartwarming tale of the Coughlin family as they navigate three decades of life in a former mill city on the brink of rebirth. Fran will take you on a journey through his family’s experiences, sharing personal and poignant vignettes that capture the joys, sorrows, and laughter of everyday life. From the triple-decker building where they make their home, Coughlin invites you to step back in time and relive a simpler era filled with warmth and humor. This nostalgic collection of stories will leave you with a renewed appreciation for the beauty of ordinary moments.

In the Keynote Address for the “Lowell Celebrates Kerouac!” Literary Festival, Paul Marion will discuss the evolving public perception of 20th-century author Jack Kerouac in his hometown, examining the dynamic relationship between an innovative, news-making writer and the city that shaped him. The editor of Kerouac’s early writing, “Atop and Underwood” (Viking/Penguin, 1999), Marion is the author of “Mill Power,” about the modern revival of Lowell, and several collections of Poems.

The life of Mary Wygodski is a first person account of a woman who lost her entire immediate family in the Holocaust. She survived three concentration camps, made her way to Israel where she took part in the War of Independence, and eventually settled in America where she has been a passionate spokesperson about the Truth of the Holocaust. Tom will touch on the heroic but ultimately frustrated efforts of Edith Nourse Rogers to bring orphaned Jewish children to America.

Our Good Name is the story of Stefano and his young bride Celestina, both Italian immigrants who leave behind the back-breaking field labor in their beloved Northern Italy to find their place in a strange new country. Inspired by true events, this is a historical novel that surprises with a fresh and honest perspective about the hard realities of immigrant life in the United States and the courage required to make a home of one’s own in the “New World.” Catherine was born and raised in Milford, Massachusetts. She is an active member of the vibrant literary community of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. She divides her time between Mexico and Cape Cod.

Artist Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord made her first Spirit Book in 1992 and coined the name for the series which now numbers 101. The Spirit Books merge her response to the mystery and miracle of nature with the long-standing tradition of books as testaments of faith and belief. Working with handmade papers, natural materials, beads, and stitching, she has created contemplative objects that straddle the boundary between sculpture and book. Acknowledging the strength and the fragility of nature, they are both celebration and elegy. Susan’s involvement in the arts includes roles as artist, teacher, speaker, writer, designer, and publisher. She works in multiple media with a focus on sculptural bookmaking and calligraphy. Her work has been featured in magazines and books and exhibited across the U.S. and Canada and in South Korea. When Susan lived in North Billerica from 1979 to 1985, she was very involved in the Lowell art scene.

In her memoir, Feed Me: A Story of Food, Love and Mental Illness, author Erika Nichols-Frazer writes about learning to cope with bipolar disorder, an eating disorder, and alcohol addiction in her family through the healing power of food and community. She will discuss mental health and the stigma surrounding it as well as strategies for coping with mental illness in yourself or loved ones.

The Ridiculous Magician! Stevie delights audiences with hilarious, interactive, and quirky magic shows for children of all ages. Stevie engages and excites audiences with off-the-charts energy, laugh-out-loud comedy, and tons of audience participation.

“Ben Rudnick & Friends” play the hippest family music around. With countless awards to their credit, including seven Parent’s Choice awards, their high-energy blend of happy, upbeat acoustic music is guaranteed to entertain the entire family. Bending musical styles from country to bluegrass, rock to second-line New Orleans, familiar tunes and their get-up-and-dance original songs make you sing and dance and make you happy.

Koliba brings together musicians from places like Senegal, Mozambique, and Guinea. Dancing and singing along to their African songs and dances, Koliba will surely bring the audiences to their feet with their electrifying and rhythmic performance.

Paul Marion has been a writer and community activist since the 1970s. He is the author of several collections of poetry as well as the editor of the early writings of Jack Kerouac, Atop an Underwood, and other titles. His recent book, Lockdown Letters & Other Poems, begins with the Covid pandemic and expands to subjects like travel, Space, and sports. His Union River: Poems and Sketches (2017), spans 40 years of work and offers a lyrical Americana address for our dramatic time. Among other accomplishments on the community front, he co-founded the Lowell Folk Festival and Lowell Heritage Partnership, an alliance of people and organizations whose mission is to care for architecture, nature, and culture.

“The Greek Connection: The Life of Elias Demetracopoulos and the Untold Story of Watergate” is the internationally acclaimed biography of a controversial journalist and freedom fighter who relentlessly battled for democracy, honor and survival against abusive Greek and American governments trying to destroy him. There are Greater Lowell and Massachusetts elements to the saga, which includes the first-ever detailed profile of Greek-American tycoon Tom Pappas. This compelling narrative sheds new light on historic 20^th century events. Doris Kearns Goodwin called it “a magnificent work.” The Washington Post described it as “cinematic.” Author James H. Barron is a Massachusetts attorney, journalist, university lecturer, and a founding board member of the New England Center for Investigative Reporting. For more information check out thegreekconnectionbook.com.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a mayor? Well after serving three terms as a mayor and being a local and regional government official for over thirty-five years I think I know. So I wrote this book to pull the curtain back just enough to let you peak in and know as well. and how public engagement can be a full contact sport. It is a fascinating life with funny memories and memorable events that leads to a rewarding life.

What was life really like for women in early New England? The answer may surprise you. Historian/author Michelle Marchetti Coughlin (One Colonial Woman's World: The Life and Writings of Mehetabel Chandler Coit, Penelope Winslow: Plymouth Colony First Lady: Re-Imagining a Life) will explore not only the many challenges and constraints women faced, but also the opportunities they embraced and the important roles they played in their communities. She will also address the unique experiences of Native and African-American women.

Artist Linda Hoffman saved an orchard and reshaped her life at Old Frog Pond in Harvard, Mass. When she moved to the farm, she didn’t know anything about apple-growing. More than 20 years later, the farm is one of the few organic pick-your-own orchards in New England, as well as a hub for a thriving community of visual artists, writers, and spiritual seekers. Hoffman, a Zen practitioner, and a breast cancer survivor, has now written about her extraordinary journey.

Please join us on November 10, 2022, at 5pm at the Richard & Nancy Donahue Academic Arts Centre at MCC, 240 Central Street in Lowell, for the presentation of the  first Patrick J. Mogan Learning City award to William Samaras, former Lowell Mayor, City Council member and educator.

This celebration will also recognize winners of the recent writing competition, Atlantic Currents II, a collaboration between the learning cities of Lowell and Cork. In 2019 Lowell City of Learning completed a project whose objective was to create connections between two communities (the cities of Lowell, Massachusetts, US and Cork, Ireland) committed to the values and goals of the Learning Cities program of UNESCO. Writers associated with Cork and Lowell were asked to contribute fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, criticism, experimental and mash-up forms on any subject, bearing in mind community standards for humane expression. We had many excellent submissions that resulted in the inclusion of a wide range of writing and poetry by some 40+ authors in an anthology, Atlantic Currents: Connecting Cork and Lowell, published in April 2020 by Loom Press of Lowell, Massachusetts.

To continue to promote and support creative and experiential writing, we created a similar anthology containing work written by students and any alumni of the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) and University College Cork (UCC). The submissions were reviewed and judged by writers from Lowell and Cork. Our judges in the US and Ireland selected 18 prizewinners from some 90+ submissions. Prizewinners were grouped into alumni and current students at the two universities. That several first, second, and third prizes were tied speaks to the quality of the submissions. In addition to these prizes and the recognition of our winners, their work is published in Atlantic Currents II Connecting Cork and Lowell.

This writing contest would not have been possible without a generous grant from Independent University Alumni Association of the University of Massachusetts Lowell and the financial support of the President’s Office of University College Cork, Ireland.

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