Giving thanks for our blessings is normally an easy thing to do. We may often get caught up in the day-to-day trappings of scratching out a living, ducking misfortune, and seeking out an occasional highlight to add to our mental scrapbooks. Usually, though, we come around to feeling and expressing that special sense of appreciation and gratitude that comes in moments of quiet reflection just in time to validate ourselves as worthy recipients of such blessings.

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A H A N D P I C K E D P O E M

presented by Off the Shelf Correspondent Michael Todd Steffen

From AGNI 102, autumn 2025

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My students and I were discussing the poem Howl by Allen Ginsberg. I asked them to write their own Howl poem. Grant Crosby has let out his own howl, inspired by Ginsberg:

This Thanksgiving morning, Thursday (11/27), the Somerville Road Runner’s 29th annual Gobble Gobble Gobble road race will be held in and around the Davis, Teele, Ball, and Magoun Square areas.

The  lively marketplace features handmade herbal products and botanical goods created by New England crafters.  Support local herbalists, farmers, medicine makers, teachers and artists while you shop the fabulous marketplace. You’ll find handmade crafts, natural body care products, teas, soaps, candles, botanically-dyed fibers, mushrooms, herbal remedies and more.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) announced its service updates, which go into effect on Sunday, December 14.

Among these updates, 21 bus routes in total will increase frequency, with ten of those being upgraded to operate every 15 minutes or better. This is part of the larger Better Bus program aimed at improving the bus routes system wide.

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Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, and the Somerville Parks and Urban Forestry Division (PSUF), and community members celebrate the completion of an important accessibility project bringing 10 new inclusive swings to playgrounds across Somerville, increasing the percentage of city parks with inclusive swings from 39% to 83%.

’Tis the season for community cheer. Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the Somerville Arts Council (SAC) invite the Somerville community to join in the City’s 2025 holiday celebrations. Once again, the City Hall concourse will be aglow with festive Christmas tree and menorah lighting events that will include snacks, refreshments, entertainment, and gifts for children.