Alongside all the hubbub and hurrah of military parades and the sweetness of familial love that Father’s Day can bring, another special event should not be forgotten this time of year.

Flag Day is not an official federal or state holiday, but June 14 is the date designated by proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson back in 1916 as a day to officially honor the stars and stripes that we solemnly revere today.

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Reviewed by Sarah Stern

In Suzette Bishop’s Unbecoming, the reader is reminded of this: “how thin the border is between health/ and illness.” In her profoundly moving and deeply felt chapbook, Bishop makes art from her life with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).

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Chad Parenteau hosts Boston’s long-running Stone Soup Poetry series. His work has appeared in journals such as Résonancee, Molecule, Ibbetson Street, Pocket Lint, Cape Cod Poetry Review, Tell-Tale Inklings, Off The Coast, The Skinny Poetry Journal, The New Verse News, dadakuku, Nixes Mate Review, and The Ugly Monster. He has also been published in anthologies such as French Connections, Sounds of Wind, Reimagine America, and The Vagabond Lunar Collection. His newest collections are All’s Well Isn’t You and Cant Republic: Erasures and Blackouts. He serves as Associate Editor of the online journal Oddball Magazine and co-organizer of the annual Boston Poetry Marathon. He lives and works in Boston.

Black swallow-wort

Invasive species displaces native plants and is toxic to local wildlife

Trowels at the ready: gardening season is here and the City of Somerville is asking community members to help stop the spread of black swallow-wort (BSW).

Project will improve safety for people traveling between Elm Street and Bow Street. — Photo courtesy of City of Somerville

Curious about the city’s plans to address travel safety concerns on Somerville Ave.? Join the Mobility Division on Tuesday, June 9, for an open house sharing early designs to deliver a safer travel environment on Somerville Ave between Elm and Bow Streets.