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Recently, I caught up with Somerville artist and therapist Vie Ciné, the founder of the therapeutic arts organization Paint Your Truth.

Doug Holder: How has it been for you working your craft in Somerville?

Vie Ciné: I’m the founder and lead facilitator of Paint Your Truth, a mobile process painting workshop series I began in 2016 in response to the #MeToo Movement, inspired by the work of Tarana Burke. Our mission is to prioritize self-care and healing for those most often excluded from traditional mental health services – especially survivors, BIPOC communities, and others at the margins.

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Richard Hoffman is the author of five books of poetry: Without Paradise; Gold Star Road, winner of The Barrow Street Press Poetry Prize and the Sheila Motton Book Award from The New England Poetry Club; Emblem; Noon until Night, which received the 2018 Massachusetts Book Award for Poetry, and his most recent, People Once Real. His other books include the memoirs, Half the House and Love & Fury; Interference and Other Stories, and the essay collection Remembering the Alchemists. He is Emeritus Writer in Residence at Emerson College and Nonfiction Editor of Solstice: A Magazine of Diverse Voices. He can be found on Facebook at richard.hoffman.718, and on Instagram at hoffman9422. His website is richardhoffman.org.

Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC)  announced $1.4 million in funding for 12 organizations through its Innovation Ecosystem Program, which provides critical funding to support Massachusetts’ growing network of climatetech Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs). These grants will empower ESOs to expand services, strengthen infrastructure, and increase support for early-stage climatetech startups.

Assault
25026883: On 5/14/25 at 7:29 p.m., Somerville Police took a report of a past assault. The reporting party stated that on 4/23/25, her son was attacked in Assembly Row by a group of teenage males. The victim suffered multiple injuries.

The Somerville Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to announce that tickets are now on sale for the 27th annual Taste of Somerville, a vibrant festival celebrating the city’s rich culinary and creative arts scene.

• Ward 5: Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at Trum Field Playground, 1 Franey Road (at Cedar St.) 
• Ward 4: Tuesday, June 17, 2025, at Healey Schoolyard, 5 Meacham Street 

Hybrid meeting will be held Wednesday, May 28 at 6 p.m.

 The City of Somerville Water & Sewer Department invites all community members to a public hearing to review proposed Water and Sewer rates for Fiscal Year 2026. Water and Sewer rates are typically adjusted each year. This year’s higher-than-usual increase is due in part to the fact that no rate adjustments were approved last year. The Water and Sewer Department’s proposal this year aims to close that gap to ensure the city can continue funding essential infrastructure improvements and maintain reliable service.

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the Somerville Department of Veterans’ Services invite all community members to join in honoring local veterans and our nation’s fallen heroes at the city’s Memorial Day Parade and Remembrance Ceremony on Sunday, May 25, rain or shine.