When Jesse Mattson crashed his car in an alcohol-induced blackout in August 2007, his father pulled him out of Norwich University to get sober at home in Essex. In between attending support meetings for his alcoholism and biking to work at the Polo outlet, Mattson did something one might not expect from a former prep-school lacrosse player. He wrote a novel.... Read more

What can local artisans teach us about land conservation? Allaire Diamond pondered this question as she formulated her thesis project. Diamond, a graduate student in the University of Vermont’s Field Naturalist Program and a dabbler in wood-block printing, wanted to incorporate her interest in art into her studies in field biology. She began with the speculation that people who use natural materials in their work might see the land differently from other artists.... Read more

Never underestimate the power of fan mail.

In the mid-’80s, Wolcott poet-playwright David Budbill read an interview in the Canadian jazz magazine Coda with a young bass player from New York City named William Parker.... Read more

A new performing-arts season is upon us, and culture junkies around the region are already feeling the rush of anticipation. But given a shaky economy, record-high fuel prices and the challenges of international travel, no one could be blamed for asking the question: How long will the world’s performing artists continue to frequent small venues in the northeastern U.S.? Conversely, presenting organizations might worry whether the audiences will come out, too.... Read more

Renee Reiner, owner of Phoenix Books in Essex Junction, remembers being “smitten” with Marty Galvin, her high school English teacher at Walt Whitman High School, in the late ’70s.

“He was the one who taught me a real love for books and poetry and good-quality writing — crisp sentences and interesting adjectives,” Reiner says.... Read more

It takes a village to build a theater. That’s the lesson folks at Cabot School have learned in the three years since they hatched the idea to build a performing arts center on campus. Construction of the 2800-square-foot black-box theater will start next month.

The need for a bigger classroom for the rapidly expanding music program at the small public school was the driving force behind the center, says Brian Boyes, 34, the school’s music teacher. “Students were sharing seats,” he explains.... Read more

Any self-respecting child of the ‘80s will remember Choose Your Own Adventure books -- those second-person tales with titles such as Mystery of the Maya and Lost on the Amazon that gave the reader the power to determine his or her fate. If you thought the series had gone the way of Cabbage Patch Kids and Lite-Brite, think again.... Read more

Grand wedding proposals on the Jumbotron or skywriting that reads, “I love you” aren’t necessarily the most meaningful ways to convey affection. Sometimes heartfelt sentiments take a smaller form. Much smaller. Just ask Gary and Harriet Mace.... Read more

Roam the aisles of your local natural foods store, or even your supermarket, and you’ll find bottle after bottle of household products that claim to be “green.” Kitchen cleaners and dishwashing liquids — packaged in tasteful, earthy tones from moss to hunter — beckon from the shelves with siren words: Eco-friendly. Natural. Pure.

But just because a product claims to be safe for the environment doesn’t always mean it is.... Read more

What to do with that clunker of a computer gathering cobwebs in the garage? Or the purple plastic boombox that went out of style in the Reagan era? Small Dog Electronics provided the answer to those questions and many more, giving individuals and businesses the opportunity to unload their old electronics for free.... Read more