The Somerville Public Library is asking for community feedback to help shape its next five-year strategic plan. Residents, workers, and visitors are invited to share their ideas for how the Library can best develop its collections, programs, services, and spaces. The survey is open through Wednesday, October 15, takes about five minutes to complete, and is voluntary and anonymous.  Participants can take the survey online at tinyurl.com/58vmk4vw or complete a paper copy at any Somerville Public Library location. For more information about Somerville Public Library programs and services, visit www.somervillepubliclibrary.org.

Somerville for Palestine members celebrate delivering a total of over 10,000 signatures for the Palestinian Solidarity Ballot Question. — Photo by Matt Abban

On Thursday, September 18, Somerville residents gathered at Somerville City Hall to deliver the final round of signatures bringing the total to over 10,000 submitted signatures for the Palestinian Solidarity Ballot Question. Starting in April 2025, volunteer canvassers have been gathering signatures throughout the week in all corners of Somerville, from Davis Square to East Somerville, talking to Somerville residents about signing on to take action for Palestine. 

Eagle Feathers #336 – All Hail to Hale!

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

Heroes come in many different shapes and sizes and from all walks of life. A hero could be a schoolteacher, a military officer, or sometimes both. Such is the case with Nathan Hale, a true American hero. In his brief 21 years on earth, the Yale-educated man managed to become an accomplished Connecticut public school teacher, as well as the first member of what is now known as the Central Intelligence Agency. Hale spent the last year of his life in what is now Somerville, training under George Washington in the newly formed Colonial Army.

Most change leads to new beginnings. That’s what they say anyway. We’ve been through challenging times in the past, and here we are once again with autumn on our doorstep, bringing with it the undeniable realization that change is inevitable.

An incomparably divisive political climate exists with all its intransigence and intolerance of opposing points of view. And who knows whether or not the worst is yet to come as we choose sides and dig in with our individual beliefs and personal commitments?

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Patricia Wild is a well-known and respected writer, Quaker activist, journalist, and community organizer. She is an integral part of the beating heart of Somerville, and beyond. As long as I have known her, she has been a straight, no chaser sort of woman – with a built-in shit detector. She is also a very spiritual woman, who questions herself and the world around her. In her new book, Strands: An Apprenticeship with Grief and Loss, she goes past the bone and into the marrow of grief, loss, and our very souls. I caught up recently with her for an interview.

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Nina Rubinstein Alonso is the publisher of the acclaimed literary magazine Constellations. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Ibbetson Street, and elsewhere. She is a longtime member of the literary group The Bagel Bards.

ICE is out in East Somerville and the streets are noticeably silent. Multiple East Somerville residents have been detained by ICE in the last two weeks. No one has been charged with any crimes and some even held a protected status. We are uncertain about the exact number because some cases may be unreported by the community,  giving ICE time to quickly move people out of state to be processed for expedited deportation. The city is working with Greater Boston Legal Services and the ACLU to provide legal assistance to our residents.