*

One day I got an email from the accomplished Somerville sculptor Ann Hirsch about a talented outsider artist – Robert Wright. She told me he has this strange but very compelling art on display in a little park in Gilman Square. On a crisp morning in October, I walked over to Gilman Square in Somerville to meet the man and view his art. It was a bit nostalgic, as the old Paddock Restaurant site was across the street, a place I used to frequent years back. Wright was walking with a friend of his, and I introduced myself. Wright told me that he is a resident of the Park Street Senior Center and started working on this art among a little warren of trees next to his residence. He revealed that he had once been an ironworker and was severely injured in a work-related accident, and since then, he had been looking to fill his time with something interesting.

*
Parmit Kumar Singh is a scientist at Harvard and a multilingual poet based in Arlington, Massachusetts. He writes in Hindi, Bhojpuri, and English, and is the founder of Global Voices in Verse, a series that celebrates world poetry across languages. His work bridges cultures, revives Bhojpuri folk traditions, and explores the shared humanity in poetic expression. He was a featured reader at the Old Manse Reading (New England Poetry Club, 2022) and has participated in events such as the Boston Poetry Marathon.

Last day for hazardous waste drop-off Saturday, November 8

The Somerville Department of Public Works (DPW) wishes to remind residents that the last days for hazardous and yard waste collection this season are quickly approaching. DPW collection of these materials will resume in Spring 2026 as per the usual seasonal cycle.  

If you’re voting in-person, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Look up your polling place before you head out. You can still vote in person if you’ve applied to vote by mail.

Offices on the ballot include Mayor, Councilor At Large, Ward Councilors, and School Committee members. Local ballot questions also include a question asking voters to accept or reject the proposed new City Charter and a question on whether to extend the Mayoral term from 2 to 4 years starting no earlier than 2028.

Greater transparency, enhanced public engagement, strengthened City Council oversight, a change in Mayor term length, and a pathway to ranked choice voting, as well as other modernizations now await approval by voters on November ballot. Learn more at  somervillema.gov/charterreview. 

Somerville Media Center and The Somerville Beacon hosted candidate debates for Somerville’s mayoral race on Monday, October 20, 2025, moderated by Ben Orenstein, founder of the Somerville Beacon. The event took place at the Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square.

Somerville Media Center and The Somerville Beacon hosted candidate debates for Somerville’s councilor at large race on Monday, October 20, 2025, moderated by Keri Rodrigues, President and Founder of the National Parents Union. The event took place at the Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square.