May 6-12, 2020
Green Mountain Quaranzine: A Pandemic Literary Journal; State, Towns Prepare for Summer Influx of Vermont’s Second-Home Owners; Farmstands Do Brisk Business as Vermonters Seek Local Food
Cover Story
Green Mountain Quaranzine: Seven Days’ First (and We Hope Last) Pandemic Literary Journal
There’s this guy I follow on Twitter. I’m not sure when or why I followed him or even who he is, really. I gather he’s some kind of famous because he has that little blue check by his name. Other than that, I know only that he lives in an apartment building in a Big…
Obituary: Ruth Kassel, 1931-2020
Shelburne woman remembered for helping those in need — and for her trademark phrase, “Isn’t this fun!”
Obituary: Soren Wysockey-Johnson, 2004-2020
Richmond resident’s spirit “burned hot and bright in his short 15 and 3/4 years”
In Memoriam: Stephen Roger Albright, 1949-2020
To Stephen Roger Albright, who passed away April 2020 ~~~~~~~~~~~~ A congregation of mourning doves at dawn announced your passing with a haunting song. Half-blood siblings you and I are. Both of us had the same remarkable father. A generation older than me, but I remember you well. For your way was your own. A…
Obituary: Brian Woods, 1952-2020
St. Johnsbury native was an IBM programmer and lover of nature, music and sports
UVM Researchers Study Twitter and the Coronavirus
Roughly 500 million times a day, someone in the world writes a tweet. Every second, nearly 6,000 bursts of text, image and emoji, 280 characters or less, are sent out into the world. About one-third of them are in English, but users worldwide use Twitter in many languages to share their feelings, food, pets, work,…
Letters to the Editor (5/6/20)
Be Counted The League of Women Voters urges everyone to participate in the 2020 Census, now under way. The U.S. Constitution requires the federal government to count everyone living in the country every 10 years. Every household should complete a census form — either online, by mail or by phone — by October 31, 2020.…
Got Any Tips for Self-Satisfaction?
Dear Reverend, I was married for 18 years — my divorce was finalized in January. I can’t remember the last time I had sex, and I was looking forward to getting out there to find a new partner. Seems like that’s not going to happen anytime soon due to this pandemic. Masturbating gets old quick.…
COVID Containment: Contact Tracers Hold the Key to Limiting New Outbreaks
Since the arrival of COVID-19, Daniel Daltry has spent his days delving into the social networks of its Vermont victims — not their Facebook posts and Twitter followers, but the web of family, friends, neighbors and colleagues with whom they have spent time face-to-face. Daltry is a contact tracer at the Vermont Department of Health.…
Free Will Astrology (5/6/20)
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “The future belongs to those who see possibilities before they become obvious,” says businessperson and entrepreneur John Sculley. You Tauruses aren’t renowned for such foresight. It’s more likely to belong to Aries and Sagittarius people. Your tribe is more likely to specialize in doing the good work that turns others’ bright…
State, Towns Prepare for Summer Influx of Vermont’s Second-Home Owners
Justin Breiner is going a little stir-crazy. Since mid-March, he, his wife and two young kids have been holed up in their home in downtown Stamford, Conn., the epicenter of that state’s coronavirus outbreak. With no end to the pandemic in sight, “we’re looking for a change of scenery,” Breiner said. Luckily for the family,…
Let’s Talk About Eric George’s Harry Potter Record, ‘Lily Died for Love’
Last month, Eric George, the prolific Burlington songwriter and erstwhile host of Radio Bean’s Honky Tonk Tuesday, released Lily Died for Love, a 10-song album inspired by J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Seven Days music writers had some thoughts about that, which we discussed in the following free-flowing conversation. DAN BOLLES: So, Eric George went…
Death Claims a Disabled Activist Who Influenced Thinking on Autism
When Amelia “Mel” Baggs’ parents took young Mel on a hike years ago in a California forest, the child stopped them and pointed at one of the trees. “She said, ‘There’s something wrong with that tree,'” Mel’s mother, Anna Baggs, recalled this week. No one could see anything amiss, but Mel ran around to the…
Fern Maddie, ‘North Branch River’
(Self-released, digital) I recently coined a new genre while watching the film Blow the Man Down. The flick chronicles two bereaved sisters who get caught up in a deadly web of corruption pervading their sleepy Maine fishing village. I called it a real “noir’easter,” a term that nods to the style and tone of classic…
Band-ing Together: Students Play Front Yard Concerts for Frontline Workers
On Monday evening, six Shelburne Community School students gathered in a driveway, spacing themselves six feet apart. At 6 p.m. sharp, they lifted musical instruments to their lips and blasted out the familiar refrain of “Let’s Go Band” — that five-note ditty you’ve heard at every sporting event ever — over and over again. The…
ADAD, ‘ADAD’
(Self-released, CD, digital) A scene in the 2006 Dixie Chicks documentary Shut Up and Sing illustrates how a bass player’s creativity can go unrecognized. Speaking with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, singer Natalie Maines says she’d feel bad if she played bass in a band and received writing credit equal to that of…
Virtual Ventures 3: Shelburne Museum, Wildflowers and Artist Relief
The online offerings from Vermont’s creative sector continue — and we’re the richer for it. Seven Days has reported on many virtual activities, both in print and on our Live Culture blog, since the coronavirus pandemic began and everyone hunkered down. As the quarantine drags on, most of us are still keeping our social distance…
Book Review: ‘Afterlife’ by Julia Alvarez
How responsible is any one of us for easing or solving the problems of others? Especially when they might have brought on those difficulties by their own bad choices — and we have a load of troubles of our own? The main character of Julia Alvarez’s novel Afterlife is newly a widow, deeply grief-struck. Though…
Retail Therapy: Where to Shop Locally for Mother’s Day
Love in the time of coronavirus looks different. Instead of a warm embrace, it’s meaningful eye contact through FaceTime. Instead of a birthday party, it’s a parade of honking cars rolling down your street. And for that May holiday honoring the person who brought you into this sweet and sometimes messy world? Well, new Mother’s…
Disaster Preparedness Network Helps Vermont Arts Sector
Last September, at the launch event for the Vermont Arts and Culture Disaster and Resilience Network, attendees were asked to rate potential disasters in terms of their likely threat to Vermont. Among choices were the usual suspects, such as natural disasters, as well as some more obscure possibilities, including space noise, recalled network organizer Rachel…
Hackie: Ted’s Epiphany
“Oh, man, let me tell ya — this whole experience has left me a changed man. For me, it’s always been all about work, work, work. You know, pinching the pennies, trying to get ahead. “My wife, Darlene, she’s like, ‘Ted, I love that you’re a hard worker and all, but you got to enjoy…
Obituary: Jesse Budnick, 1989-2020
Burlington-born man was a traveler, an entrepreneur and a devoted family member
