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Review by Off the Shelf correspondent Zvi A. Sesling

I have rarely been a fan of big novels because I usually found the books too long and I could not even finish one on a transcontinental flight. Short stories, on the other hand, have allowed me to read and absorb a few stories on the same flight. The stories from old masters such as Malamud, Fitzgerald, Nabokov, and Porter can be quite lengthy. Short story authors tend toward a shorter story running from three or four pages to seventeen to twenty pages.

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Jennifer LeBlanc earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University. Her first full-length book, Descent, was published by Finishing Line Press (2020), and individual poems have been published in journals such as The Adirondack Review, CAIRN, The Main Street Rag, and Melusine. Jennifer was nominated for a 2013 Pushcart Prize and works in the English Department at Tufts University.

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Ward 7 City Councilor Katjana Ballantyne, and City of Somerville staff invite you to a virtual meeting to review plans to replace the Dilboy Stadium synthetic turf field and improve the natural-grass Dilboy Auxiliary Fields adjacent to Alewife Brook Parkway.

Using pellets creates wood-fired flavor that elevates the grilling experience. — Photo © Jennifer Danella

You’ve been grilling all summer long, which means you may be in need of some new ideas this Labor Day Weekend. Experts say, no matter what equipment you’re using, the secret to making a big impact on the flavor of your food is BBQ pellets.

“With the amazing wood smoke flavors that cooking with wood pellets offer, it’s truly a game changer for any backyard barbecue,” says Ben Madden, product manager at Bear Mountain BBQ Woods, crafter of gourmet, hardwood pellets. Bear Mountain BBQ pellets are made from 100% premium all-natural hardwoods, with no flavorings, fillers, or additives, which create amazing wood-smoke flavor.

The City of Somerville Housing Division is giving away a limited quantity of $100 gift cards to residents and property owners who install a qualifying energy-efficient household appliance this year. Appliances must be eligible for a Mass Save rebate or HEAT Loan financing and be installed at a Somerville residence between January 1 and December 31, 2020. This offer is valid through December 31 or until gift cards run out.

Shared Streets open up low-volume or residential side-streets to pedestrians, cyclists, and other users while still allowing vehicle access for residents who live on the street or who need to use the street to get to their homes, their guests, and service vehicles such as first responders, delivery drivers, sanitation trucks, and street sweepers.

Partnership with Northeastern University researcher and Stantec to offer early detection of COVID-19 spread in city 

Mayor Joe Curtatone announced today that Somerville is launching a community wastewater testing program to monitor for the coronavirus and provide earlier detection of increased spread of COVID-19. In partnership with Northeastern University Asst. Professor Ameet Pinto of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Stantec, the city’s on-call engineering firm for sewer work and design, the program is designed to reveal COVID-19 hotspots up to one to two weeks earlier than current individual testing. 

Mayor Joe Curtatone announced today that certain Phase 3 Step 1 businesses, including fitness clubs and gyms, may open – with restrictions – in Somerville on Tuesday, September 8. All businesses seeking to open must have a city-approved health and safety plan and meet stringent COVID-19 safety requirements.

By Jim Clark

Last Friday, while traveling on Mystic Ave., a Somerville Police officer queried the license plate of a vehicle directly in front of him, resulting in a report that the plates were canceled and attached to the wrong motor vehicle.

The officer contacted Somerville Police control and asked for confirmation on the license plate status, then activated his lights and sirens.