Mirna Valerio is a fat runner. She prefers the word “fat” to “plus-size,” “overweight” or “curvy,” none of which accurately describes her experience of her body. In August 2011, she started a blog called Fat Girl Running, a title she chose as both a rebuke to diet culture and a simple statement of fact. Valerio…
Grand Isle woman was a graphic artist and BCA photography teacher
Braintree-bred man loved nature, sports and Vermont
For many parents, facing down the rapidly approaching school year has forced them to confront a reality with few good options. The thought of sending kids back to school, where they will potentially be exposed to hundreds of other children in an era when physical distancing is advisable, has prompted some parents to file paperwork…
For hundreds of years, Black men have been trying to figure out how to stay alive in this country. Black mothers and fathers have struggled for generations with the knowledge that even if their children are alive and well, they can never truly be safe. I was born into this knowledge. Most Black babies are…
1. Grown-up Time “The 2-year-old is named Merit, which was a name awarded to him at birth after he had achieved no accomplishments whatsoever,” writes comedian and author Mike Birbiglia in The New One: Painfully True Stories From a Reluctant Dad. Chock-full of confessions and observations from the land of new parenthood, the book also…
Near the beginning of Makenna Goodman’s new novel, The Shame, a young mother drives through the night, fleeing her husband and children and their home in the woods. Alma loves her family but struggles with the duties of marriage and parenting. And she resists the expectation that adulthood means taming your freedom and creativity. Goodman’s…
An effort to build a new childcare center in Grand Isle County will receive a little boost next month thanks to a local fireworks company. On September 5, Green Mountain Fireworks will host a drive-in pyro-musical — a fireworks show set to tunes — in a large field off Route 2 in Alburgh. The explosive…
When Jim Lovinsky cofounded Sylvacurl of Vermont in 1993, he didn’t envision it as a full-time, year-round job. Instead, he let the company, which makes and sells an all-natural wood alternative to plastic and polystyrene packing material, grow organically. And for much of its 27 years, Sylvacurl remained a small, mostly seasonal business, ramping up…
Vermont Department of Corrections officials have had plenty to say in recent weeks about the coronavirus outbreak that has infected 146 of their inmates at a for-profit prison in Mississippi. They say they’ve lost trust in CoreCivic, the private company that runs the maximum-security Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility. They say all inmates need to be…
Queen City Park is the kind of place where people know their neighbors. The densely settled cove on South Burlington’s northern edge is a collection of winding, dead-end streets with views of Shelburne Bay. There are no sidewalks, so neighbors stand in the street to chat. They wave at passing cars and notice if they…
‘RIP, Gordon’ I thoroughly enjoyed reading the well-researched and honest article about the late Vermont musician Gordon Stone [“Legacy Edition,” August 5]. I met Gordon many years ago when he performed as a member of Pine Island. He was a very nice guy and an incredible musician. Gordon’s struggle with alcoholism certainly makes him no…
(Self-released, digital) I used to sing karaoke at a Philadelphia dive called Locust Bar, where everyone from hipsters to grizzled old men felt comfortable taking their shot on the mic. One regular singer caught my ear with her unique sound. Her voice wasn’t conventionally good, but it was unusual, so I kept listening. With a…
(Self-released, digital) With the July release of their fourth and final full-length record, Phased Out, Our Holy Orgasmic Cosmic Rays have completed one of the more bewildering yet oddly delightful album cycles in recent local memory. May God have mercy on our souls. And also theirs. (But mostly ours.) Like all good schemes for galactic…
The Year of No Festivals … Kind Of This year has been called “the year of no concerts,” “the year of no festivals,” “the year of no, well, everything.” And while that’s largely true, some small outdoor concerts and DIY events have taken shape in various forms. I checked in with the folks behind two…
Dear Reverend, I accidentally saw that my girlfriend had been texting with her ex. I don’t know what they were talking about, but it’s been bothering me ever since. She doesn’t have a password on her phone, and I’m tempted to sneak a peek to see what’s up. I know I shouldn’t, but I don’t…
“It’s the end of the world,” sculptor Peter Kirkiles joked, speaking to Seven Days last weekend while parked near a cellphone tower in his hometown of Kent, Conn. His house had lost power because of Tropical Storm Isaias the week before; felled trees still blocked the roads, and, of course, the coronavirus pandemic continued to…
The Vermont legislature came within arm’s reach of legalizing cannabis sales this spring. Both the House and Senate passed versions of a bill that would set up a retail system, and long-skeptical Gov. Phil Scott appeared willing to at least consider whatever legislation landed on his desk. But before lawmakers could finalize their proposal, the…
On April 3, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially recommended that Americans wear face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Sewists — a relatively new term for people who sew — were way ahead of them. By the end of March, reports of shortages of elastic, commonly used to secure face…
The Upper Valley is unique for multiple reasons, and one is that it so easily straddles Vermont and New Hampshire. Perhaps nowhere else in the Green Mountain State do so many residents identify more with their geographical niche than with the insular identity of “Vermonter.” Hello, Vermonting Even as Vermont gradually opens up from the…
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In the dictionary, the first definition of “magic” is “the art of producing illusions as entertainment by the use of sleight of hand and deceptive devices.” A far more interesting definition, which is my slight adjustment of an idea by occultist Aleister Crowley, doesn’t appear in most dictionaries. Here it is:…
Jay Parini, a longtime professor of English and creative writing at Middlebury College, is the author of more than 20 books, including poetry, fiction, biography and criticism. Next week, Parini, 72, will publish his first memoir, Borges and Me: An Encounter. The book is centered on a 1971 road trip that Parini took with Argentine…
In journalism and government, longtime Montpelier man championed integrity
In normal times, Vermont Department of Health inspectors pay surprise visits to restaurants to make sure raw meats are safely chilled, mice haven’t nested in the dry goods and employees wash their hands regularly. But in 2020, the team at the state’s Food and Lodging Program has had to expand its surveillance from mice to…
During a summer spent mostly at home, a trip of any duration and for pretty much any purpose is a welcome event. So we were pleased to drive 65 miles for couscous and chickpeas. Our destination was the Craftsbury General Store on a Wednesday evening, when the store prepares and serves its Globe Trotting Dinner…
The Burlington Farmers Market is partnering with Local Maverick, a Burlington-based technology and marketing company, to launch BFM Direct. The online platform will offer customers a central place to preorder food products from market vendors. BFM Direct is a pilot program for Local Maverick, whose larger goal is to build a digital platform that will…
