Worcester Magazine March 4 - 10, 2021

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | MARCH 4-10, 2021 | CULTURE § ARTS § DINING § VOICES

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IN THIS ISSUE

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Worcester Magazine 100 Front St., Fifth Floor Worcester, MA 01608 worcestermag.com Editorial (508) 767.9535 WMeditor@gatehousemedia.com Sales (508) 767.9530 WMSales@gatehousemedia.com VP, Sales & Strategy Andrew Chernoff Executive Editor David Nordman Editor Nancy Campbell Content Editor Victor D. Infante Reporters Richard Duckett, Veer Mudambi Contributing Writers Stephanie Campbell, Sarah Connell Sanders, Gari De Ramos, Robert Duguay, Liz Fay, Jason Greenough, Janice Harvey, Barbara Houle, Jim Keogh, Jim Perry, Craig S. Semon, Matthew Tota Multi Media Sales Executives Deirdre Baldwin, Debbie Bilodeau, Kate Carr, Diane Galipeau, Sammi Iacovone, Kathy Puffer, Jody Ryan, Regina Stillings Sales Support Jackie Buck, Yanet Ramirez Senior Operations Manager Gary Barth Operations Manager John Cofske Worcester Magazine is a news weekly covering Central Massachusetts. We accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts. The Publisher has the right to refuse any advertisement.

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Featured ..............................................................................4 City Voices ..........................................................................8 Cover Story.......................................................................10 Artist Spotlight................................................................15 Next Draft .........................................................................17 Screen Time......................................................................18 Adoption Option.............................................................20 Games ................................................................................21 Classifi eds ........................................................................22 Last Call.............................................................................23

On the cover Joslyn Fox, of the TV show “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” models with vintage televisions provided by Westerman Props Warehouse in Worcester.

PHOTO BY ASHLEY GREEN

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FEATURED

ArtsWorcester College Show looks diff erent this year

“Corona Nightmare” digital art by Assumption University junior Nicholas Sposato.

ARTSWORCESTER

Nicole Nelson Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

ArtsWorcester’s Annual College Show looks a little diff erent than in its previous 16 years. The 17th edition of this juried exhibition — for which students of any major attending a Worcester-area college can submit works in a wide range of artistic media — is entirely virtual and viewable online anywhere, anytime.

The show opened Jan. 28 and will not be closing any time soon.

Aprile Gallant, associate director of curatorial aff airs and senior curator of prints, drawings, and photographs at the Smith College Museum of Art, served as this year’s juror. She selected 51 works by 44 artists from nearly 180 submissions.

“I had actually never heard of ArtsWorcester before and was really happy to learn about the organization,” explains Gallant, who chose three winners and awarded two honorable mentions.

“It was hard to pick winners,” Gallant admits. “And it’s hard choosing art when there are so many diff erent mediums. I tried to be conscious of that and make sure I was including a range of mediums in my selection.”

Alice Dillon of ArtsWorcester, who helped prepare the exhibition, points to the continuing progress of the student artists.

“Every year the art is getting better, and we’re seeing people try new skills.

One thing that’s good about the exhibition being online is that artists can include photos showcasing their process,” Dillon says.

Each of the artworks also appears alongside a written statement by the creator, another advantage of an event built on Web pages.

Of course, this year’s winter tradition

“It’s Just a Skull” by Tayla Cormier of Clark University. ARTSWORCESTER

for ArtsWorcester and the surrounding college community was anything but traditional. Gone was the festive and crowded opening night, with student artists discussing their works with visitors and each other, and even making a sale or two.

Gallant also missed the hands-on experience.

“They asked about a year in advance; before COVID. I was looking forward to seeing the works in person and I was sad that I wasn’t able to,” she said. “I view pieces of art as individual objects, and it’s not the same viewing them through a (computer) screen.”

One of three top winners, Tayla Cormier, a Clark University senior and biology major, included two in-progress photos with her artist statement. “My

goal as an artist is to communicate, through many diff erent types of mediums, the beauty of what it means to be human,” Cormier writes.

Cormier’s winning mixed-media piece, “It’s Just a Skull,” depicts musician Frank Ocean with lyrics from his song “White Ferrari.” The piece is both simple and immersive, with Ocean shown in half color and half grayscale combined with a collaged landscape dripping onto the white background.

Ocean has “it’s just a skull” written on the palm of his hand.

“Collage is new to me recently. I took a nature art class and we made diff erent types of stained paper. One was acorn paper. I decided I’d use it someday, and I did with this piece. I wanted it to be experimental,” Cormier says.

Winner Yekaterina Martin, a senior studio art major at the College of the Holy Cross, did not include an artist state-

ment with her piece and let the work speak for itself. The asymmetrical composition of woven papers with a dangling rainbow of yarn in “Woven” has a deeply personal meaning that can be uncovered by looking closely at the piece, she pointed out.

Martin explains that the papers she used to create this work are her own religious documents. “I classify my art as ex-Mormon art. I like making art about being raised in the Mormon religion and bringing issues up to the surface. This is an LGBTQ+ piece,” Martin says. “I crossed out every he/his/him in my patriarchal blessing when I was 16 and changed it to more gender-neutral language and included photocopies of it.”

Another winner, Dana Mendes, a Secondary Education in Visual Arts major at Assumption University who gradSee SHOW, Page 5M

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | MARCH 4-10, 2021 | 5

Show Continued from Page 4M

uated in 2020, also documented a personal journey. Mendes has participated in the last three college shows.

“I do mostly self-portraits. I’m like Frida Kahlo,” she says, referring to the Mexican portraitist. “I paint my own reality and I know myself best.” This year, she entered with a three-part series depicting strength during her cancer journey.

Mendes’ oil paintings exhibit great detail and movement. Her winning piece, “Translating Cancer: Sister Koi,” features a yellow koi fi sh, which represents her eldest sister, Tania, on a black background. In Mendes’ artist statement she explains, “Within the four walls of my impatient room, she instilled joy and encouraged adventure.”

Her piece “Translating Cancer: 5 Years Post-Transplant” was also featured in the exhibition. This piece is a self-portrait of Mendes and her central medical line on a black background. Her body is overtaken by a wave that splashes over her face with koi fi sh dancing on the wave. “Not many people understand the intensity behind cancer and people experience what it is that you went through without having to actually go through it with art,” Mendes says.

Honorable mentions went to recent Assumption University graduate Sydney LaQue and Nicholas Sposato, a junior at the same school.

Ben Correa-Goldberg, a Clark University Psychology and Media, Culture, and the Arts major, off ered one of the four videos in the exhibition. His twominute fi sh-eyed iPhone video, “Saturday Afternoon,” is a hail to Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce. It begins with honest, mundane tasks with upbeat music that only stops for the iconic open of the “Law and Order” television series.

The tone shifts during a sudden fi ght and murder in a parking lot. The main character nevertheless returns home to enjoy more barbecue sauce.

“I feel like other people make more serious things, so I was pleased to be accepted. I wanted to see how much I could get away with,” Correa-Goldberg says. “The idea came to me while I was walking home from class listening to BLACCMASS’s remix. It wasn’t until the fi nal hour of editing that it became a cohesive story, though.”

These works will remain on ArtsWorcester’s Web site, artsworcester.org.

“Elephant Skull” by recent Assumption graduate Sydney Laque. ARTSWORCESTER

A still from Clark University’s Ben Correa-Goldberg’s short fi lm “Saturday Afternoon.” ARTSWORCESTER

“Woven” by Yekaterina Martin, College of the Holy Cross. ARTSWORCESTER

6 | MARCH 4-10, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

‘American Pickers’ brings spotlight closer Interest is renewed in Thibault’s Country Store Stephanie Jarvis Campbell Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Since being featured on the TV show “American Pickers,” Jim Ingalls has had a number of visitors, from near and far, curious to see up close all the antiques that have been collected throughout the years in the buildings encompassing his Spencer property, Thibault’s Country Store and Thibault’s Poultry.

It was one of the reasons Ingalls decided to go on the popular History Channel show — to bring recognition to his family’s history, which dates back nearly a century.

“I wanted to honor my mother and grandparents and their hard work,” Ingalls said. “I think it shows in the episode.”

That episode, which aired Feb. 15, took creator and picker Mike Wolfe and Jersey Jon, a motorcycle antiques expert who appears in the show, on a tour through the fi ve-acre property and buildings, located on North Spencer Road (Route 31).

Ingalls’ great-grandfather had purchased the house and property, which had previously served as a carriage stop, for $700 in the 1920s. Later, his grandparents, Edward and Grace Thibault, developed a passion for raising chickens, and in the early 1940s, they started construction on the buildings, which are still there today.

“By 1945, they were really growing the chicken business with hatching and selling chickens all over the world,” Ingalls said, noting that they were selling eggs to the U.S. military during World War II, and at one point in the 1950s, there were 50,000 chickens on the property.

Eventually his grandfather began selling animal feed — a business still in operation today as Thibault’s Poultry, which Ingalls now runs. That was followed in 1962 by the opening of Thibault’s Country Store, after a conversation his grandmother had with some workers who were paving the road in front of the property. She would make sandwiches for them each day, and one See STORE, Page 7M

Jim Ingalls is shown at the counter of Thibault’s Country Store in Spencer.

Thibault’s Country Store and Thibault’s Poultry was featured on “American Pickers” on Feb. 15.

PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE PETERSON/ T&G STAFF

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | MARCH 4-10, 2021 | 7

Store Continued from Page 6M

of the workers suggested she open a store. The Thibaults turned an incubator building into the store, and even used some of the incubator boxes to make the countertops. Thibault’s Country Store was open until 1999, when Ingalls’ grandmother died. By then, his mother, Rosanne Thibault, was helping run the businesses.

“Her favorite thing was to sit and talk to the customers and tell them the history of this place and the history of Spencer,” Ingalls recalled.

In June 2016, Rosanne was diagnosed with cancer and was told she had three months to live. But she lived 30 months, still working in the feed store as much as she could. About a week prior to her passing, Ingalls and his mother watched an episode of “American Pickers” that featured another local business from Spencer.

“That was pretty much the last bit of time I spent with her. That was a pretty special half-hour,” Ingalls said.

Ironically, that “American Pickers” Spencer episode could very well have been about Thibault’s — the show had contacted Rosanne, who was in hospice care at the time, earlier in 2018 and had wanted to come tour the property, Ingalls said. Although she had declined at the time, Ingalls said she would have loved the episode that just aired about her family’s farm. “She would’ve loved telling the stories,” he said.

Instead, Ingalls had the opportunity to tell those stories, when he heard “American Pickers” would be returning to the area. He contacted the show, and when they came to fi lm in late September, he brought Wolfe and Jersey Jon on a tour of the property, telling them about the farm’s history and stories about all the antiques that had been stored in the buildings through the years. Ingalls said some of the pieces had come from his grandmother’s grandfather, who owned a successful furniture store, M. Lamoureux & Co., at 17 Mechanic St.; when it closed in the 1960s, he believes that much of the remaining inventory was stored at the farm. Other pieces were Depression-era stockpiling — Ingalls said his grandparents were reluctant to throw anything away because they had experienced that time in history. And later, people would just drop off their unwanted items, and Rosanne, who had

Treats and toys line a shelf in Thibault’s Country Store in Spencer.

PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE PETERSON/T&G STAFF

Jim Ingalls and Doreen Krajewski are moving forward with plans to make Thibault’s Country Store a “destination.”

hoped to turn one of the buildings into an indoor fl ea market and museum, would take the donations.

“I was fortunate that I had hung around with my mother in the store and I know most of the stories,” Ingalls said

about the antiques on the property.

“There really are stories about everything in there.”

Today, Ingalls and his girlfriend and partner, Doreen Krajewski, are moving forward with plans to make the property

a “destination,” he said. He has been trying to work on fi xing the buildings, and on Labor Day weekend of 2019, they reopened the country store, which had been closed for 20 years and used for storage during that time.

“We’ve really turned it into a beautiful, artistic, museum kind of atmosphere,” Ingalls said, crediting Krajewski, who curates all the products in the store.

This past summer, they sold hot dogs and snow cones, and families with kids would often stop by to ride the mini carousel. The store also carries a lot of local products and items from area artisans, and Ingalls and Krajewski held a series of COVID-compliant festivals to showcase their work.

And to make sure history is represented, they brought back items like the eggs and penny candy. In fact, that fi rst weekend they opened, a man visited, recalling that in his younger years he had ridden his bike to the store every day to buy the penny candy. That opening weekend, he was bringing his grandson to buy the candy.

“We’ve had a lot of experiences like that,” Ingalls said.

Although Ingalls plans on keeping any antiques related to Spencer history or to the farm, he did make some other deals with the “Pickers.” In addition to the items sold on the show, Wolfe and Jersey Jon bought a few other items — a claw-foot bathtub and a coal bag — that didn’t make the aired footage.

“The crew was awesome. Everyone was helpful and friendly. It was a great experience,” Ingalls said.

Since the episode aired, Ingalls has had quite a few inquiries about the store and property. One night, he received a call from a former Connecticut resident, now living in Florida, who had watched the show and said he really enjoyed it.

Another couple called to make sure of the address and hours — they were traveling to Rhode Island and wanted to take a side trip to the store, after seeing it on “Pickers.” Ingalls said the couple came and stayed for four hours and had planned to stop by again on their way back home to New York. People have visited from all over Massachusetts, and he’s given more than a few private tours.

He certainly doesn’t mind, and although he enjoyed being on the show, “I didn’t care if I sold one thing, or nothing,” Ingalls said. “It wasn’t about that. It was honoring what my family had done in the past with this property.”

8 | MARCH 4-10, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CITY VOICES

WPS Teachers share opinions on police in schools

Worcester Magazine’s Letters to the Editor policy Letters to the editor are a great way to share your thoughts and opinions with thousands of readers and online viewers each week.

There is no word limit, but we reserve the right to edit for length, so brevity is your friend.

Your Turn

Janice Harvey Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

I’ve given up imagining things. Now I’m “reimagining” things, as suggested by At-Large City Councilor Khrystian King. I’m reimagining safety in the schools, since imagining safety was apparently not enough.

Pulling Worcester police offi cers out of the Worcester public schools will save $1.2 million, according to King. Councilor King feels that the money is better spent putting more social workers in schools. To that end, City Manager Ed Augustus signed an executive order recommending the removal of resource offi cers from schools.

I’d imagine suspensions are way down since schools have been closed for a year. Discipline problems tend to fade when buildings are empty. One has to question the reasoning behind pulling the funding for resource offi cers now. Should we imagine socially-distant hugs as kids return to the classroom?

I asked several teachers working in the WPS middle and high schools if they thought this was a sound move. All have experienced situations that made the presence of an offi cer helpful in quelling disturbances at one time or another. (Note: WPS teachers have strong opinions, but are reticent to use their names when asked to express them, fearing what some label “retribution.” But that’s a story for another day.)

“I used to think we needed them,” says one high school special needs teacher. “I wanted to see kids build relationships with offi cers, and that is not what happened, when all was said and done.”

The offi cer assigned to this teacher’s school was eventually removed for other duties.

“We’ve gone several years without them now, and I see no diff erence,” she added.

“I honestly don’t know what to think anymore.

More social workers would be benefi cial, though.”

Said one middle school teacher: “Let’s get some cultural training and true community involvement for the police. Compromise: could they be on school premises in the AM and at dismissal but not in the See HARVEY, Page 14M

FIRST PERSON

The un-handy man can’t ...

Joe Fusco Jr. Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

I made a new friend in 2020. Not easy to do at my age, when most guys would rather keep their circle of acquaintances limited.

Dave’s wife is the 2nd ex-wife of my wife’s ex-husband. Try explaining that scenario to a waitress at an Italian restaurant with a couple of drinks in you!

Dave makes stuff . Tables, chairs, cabinets, shelves, desks. He has a knack with wood.

I appreciate fi ne woodworking.

When my son was in Cub Scouts, I paid another Dad $20 to build our Pinewood Derby car. Not my fi nest fatherly hour.

When we visited Dave and Andrea at their home, he led me to the cellar where he keeps his “tools of the trade.”

He proudly showed me a band saw and drill press from the 1930s then a table saw and radial arm saw from the 1950s. I kept looking for “Jigsaw.”

Dave also pointed out a vise that belonged to his great-grandfather Dave the 1st. I have some experience with vises. When I was 12, my 8-year-old brother broke my right-index fi nger by tightening a vise that I inadvertently

stuck my appendage in.

Needless to say, except for the occasional farm animal, I avoided vices during my teen-age years. But I digress…

After the tour, Dave and I joined our wives and played cornhole on the boards he crafted. For the record, Cyndi and I won both games.

I have another friend, Mike from Connecticut, who redid the plumbing and electrical in his house by watching You Tube videos. His kitchen looked like Dexter’s kill-room for three months but emerged modern and fashionable. I only search You Tube for Nilsson songs.

When confronted with car and/or home repairs, I actually break out in a rash. Thankfully, Cyndi and my sons-inlaw are very handy and our neighbor Paul is always on the look-out when I open the hood of my car or tinker in the garage.

Could I be more hands-on like my new friend Dave and my old friend Mike? Take a course in woodworking or get involved in one of my wife’s remodeling projects? I’m retired now with plenty of free time.

Damn, my arm is itchy!

Joe Fusco Jr. is a poet and humorist living in Worcester.

If handwritten, write legibly - if we cannot read it, we are not running it. A full name and town or city of residence are required.

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Please note that letters will run as space allows.

Send them to Worcester Magazine, 100 Front St., 5th Floor, Worcester, MA 01608 or by email to WMeditor@ gatehouse media.com.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | MARCH 4-10, 2021 | 9

WORCESTERIA

More moose on the loose?

Veer Mudambi Worcester Magazine | USA TODAY NETWORK

Moose on the loose — Anyone who has read my work can probably pick up that I like animals. Soon after starting as a writer at Worcester Magazine, I joined a Facebook group called Wildlife of Worcester County and Beyond. In the group, members post photos of wildlife in the area, along with the occasional photo “beyond” or outside the county. But it’s the local shots that interest me most, and learning about the diff erent species we share the area with. What I didn’t expect over the last week was a minor spike in moose photos in my Facebook feed. At fi rst I thought they were part of the “beyond” category but they were geotagged in the backyards of Rutland and Barre. I know that Maine and in general Northern New England have a healthy moose population, but for them to be walking through backyards was something I thought only happened up in the Yukon. The good people at WWCB begged to diff er. In fact, I checked back in the Telegram and found a piece from 2019 describing a moose wandering down a Worcester neighborhood and another hanging out at St. John’s cemetery. Naturally, this isn’t the norm or it wouldn’t be in the news, but the prospect of living in a place with actual megafauna is an exciting one, since the biggest thing in the woods near where I grew up is a deer. Like the eagle, moose are one of those animals you imagine out in the wilderness. Even if we share a continent with them, they’re almost as exotic as an elephant. If they’re on the list of potential backyard visitors, whenever I let my dog out, I’ll defi nitely have to watch out for something a far sight bigger than the odd groundhog. But I’m actually OK with needing some extra vigilance. Keep Worcester wild!

Is change really coming? — Many Worcester residents appear to be fi red up and ready to go about the fi rst steps taken by City Manager Ed Augustus to acknowledge and combat institutional and systemic racism in Worcester. This is despite the City Council taking the unexpected step of delaying the discussion until next week — which caught people off guard. I haven’t been able to fi nd out why this was done but scrolling through the Facebook comments on the meeting video indicates that city residents were not aware either. It also shows that this was a last minute move since many people specifi cally put aside time to call in just for this topic. Defund WPD and many other organizations like Worcester NAACP, Black Families Together, Worcester Interfaith, LEON, Racism-Free WPS, the Human Rights Commission, SURJ Worcester all worked hard to make sure the voices of residents were heard and amplifi ed. They encouraged people to call in, write and register their approval to their city councilors before the vote. While they could not see the impact of their support right away since the discussion and vote was delayed, it was abundantly clear there was overwhelming support for these recommendations.

Worcester resident Nelly Medina, said removing the school resource offi cers was the fi rst step in eliminating the school to prison pipeline.

Far from being discouraged by the delay, the organizations feel there is now more opportunity for the Council to hear the community’s support for the measures. Personally, my feelings are mixed - there’s still a ways to go. Another Worcesterite, Paula Quinn, went so far as to say that while this is a good start, it still doesn’t go far enough without the presence of a civilian review board with full subpoena powers. This sentiment echoed Black Families Together, along with the demand that school resource offi cers be withdrawn from schools by the end of the school year as opposed to the calendar year. That being said, I’m uncertain how many of these measures will actually be put into action but still excited they’re being talked about at all. That of course begs the question: what does it say about the current situation that I am excited just for these conversations to be had? Did I really think that they wouldn’t be? Apparently, yes. Yes, I did.

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10 | MARCH 4-10, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

COVER STORY

In defense of

TELEVISION Worcester shares its pandemic-driven viewing habits Victor D. Infante

Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

My neighbor, Aunt Pat – not my actual aunt – has her television running literally 24 hours a day. Not loudly – it doesn’t disturb anyone – but considering the 78-year-old Worcester native lives alone and is an ardent night owl, it’s something you notice if you spend enough time in her orbit.

Pat has seen pretty much the entire advent of television, all the way back to when it was a brand-new novelty.

“When I was a little girl, like 8, 9 years old,” she says, “there was one family …

TV had just come out … and there was one family that could aff ord it, so every Saturday night, between 7 and 9, we could all come over and watch this TV. There were maybe 16, 17 of us, all with folded legs, watching TV like this” – she mimes leaning forward in rapt attention – “and there was one strict aunt there, and if you moved your head, she’d say, ‘Tweezuz Twice kid! Get away from there! Don’t move your head! You’re in somebody’s way!’ That’s how rare it was.”

Eventually, her family got their fi rst television, a 9-inch black and white TV, on which she and her siblings watched cartoons around the kitchen table. Later, in the ‘60s, they got a fl oor model RCA color TV, which she still has in a storage room.

These days, she watches her soap operas, and then game shows. She likes reality TV shows such as “Survivor” and “The Bachelor,” and then she leaves it on CNN. She says that it’s been on continuously, except when the power or internet is out, for the past seven years, and that its maker, Samsung, should call her for an endorsement deal for demonstrating how long it lasts.

“I can’t have silence,” says Pat. “When the power goes out, I go crazy.”

She says she keeps a portable radio for power failures. “I’ll listen to anything on the portable radio,” she says. “It’s mostly just talk shows, but it’s somebody talking, all the time. I can’t stand it when nobody’s talking.”

Aunt Pat might have seemed like a bit of an eccentric before the pandemic, but let’s face it: Even if our TVs aren’t on all the time, Worcester is watching a lot more television than it used to. And Pat’s TV habits? Well, these days they seem pretty relatable.

Jane Levy stars in the musical dramedy “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.” NBC

What is TV, anyway?

The fi rst thing that becomes apparent, when you ask people about how their viewing habits have changed, is that there’s not much of an agreement on what is and is not TV. Some people will insist it’s solely the 20 or so channels you can get on broadcast, or the seemingly endless more available through cable. Streaming services such as Netfl ix, Hulu, Disney Plus and HBO Max have escalated the options further, and even YouTube – once just the place you went to watch cat videos – has regularly scheduled shows. There are even local online series such as Walter Sickert’s “Bunker Buds” or Niki Luparelli’s “Boozy News” that qualify. Heck, these days, some people spend their time watching other people play video games on Twitch, and that doesn’t seem that terribly removed from watching ESPN. “Watching TV and watching a screen are diff erent in my opinion,” says artist Michelle May, who uses streaming services such as Netfl ix. “The constant messaging and ads coming in on networks is anxiety-inducing and uber-political and distressing. I have enough coming at me on social media. I just want to zone out and watch a movie. …

See TELEVISION, Page 11M

Pedro Pascal plays the title role in “The Mandalorian.” DISNEY Elmo, left, seen here with musician Kelsea Ballerini, stars in “Sesame Street.”

ZACH HYMAN/ SESAME WORKSHOP

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | MARCH 4-10, 2021 | 11

Television Continued from Page 10M

no ads, no bs, just me and my choice.

When I visit my parents and they have the TV on, I just want to puke at how repetitive and incessant the ads are. They used to be every 15 (minutes) growing up. What are they now? Drug ads every 6 minutes?”

There are, of course, still people who completely eschew television in all its forms, but spending more time indoors during the pandemic has led many people to make a few exceptions. Colin Novick, for example, executive director of the Greater Worcester Land Trust, says, “My television watching was pretty much hovering at nonextant prior to the pandemic. With the pandemic, and lockdown, and general evaporation of most out-of-the-house social universe, I started watching some stuff as a distraction.” He says he eventually subscribed to CBS All Access, which recently became Paramount Plus, particularly to watch shows in the “Star Trek” franchise.

Novick’s far from alone. Poet and educator Ashley Wonder says, “I stream Hulu and Disney Plus more than Netfl ix.

I’ve been streaming more YouTube services since the pandemic ‘Redefi ned TV,” referencing the YouTube marketing slogan Nikki Erskine of Worcester’s Cultural Development Division and Worcester Cultural Coalition says she hasn’t had cable for 15 years, and until recently, her only paid accounts were Spotify and Netfl ix. “Now I’ve got Prime, Hulu, and HBO too … I don’t think I’m actually saving money compared to cable anymore – but the original content on these services is far superior to what you get on cable.”

Indeed, streaming has changed the “TV watching game” for many people.

Cheryle Crane of Worcester says, “I can’t really aff ord cable or internet, just antenna. Lately I have been streaming/ mirroring to my TV from my phone and binge-watching shows on Hulu and Netfl ix, sometimes ID network. When I’m not sleeping or at work the TV is on in some form, even if it’s just keeping my brain entertained while I’m cooking or cleaning.”

Likewise, musician Charley Carrozo admits that he’s picked up extra streaming services during the pandemic. “We had HBO,” he said, “but picked up Disney Plus for ‘The Mandalorian’ and Showtime for ‘Billions’ and ‘Shame-

Contestant Rowan with host Noel Fielding, left, and judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood on a recent season of “The Great British Baking Show.”

MARK BOURDILLON/NETFLIX

less.’” He says his household is “way up on TV hours, and tend to watch two or three episodes in a row more often. My wife and I have a joke where we pause for about three seconds between episodes because, ‘we aren’t animals.’ I stumbled on a sailing vlog called ‘Sailing La Vagabond’ on YouTube, which is my fi rst YouTube series. My 12-year-old watched YouTube exclusively pre-pandemic but has now found ‘Young Sheldon’ and ‘The Goldbergs’ on regular TV and loves them both.” Carrozo also made one big investment to augment his viewing: “I bought a ridiculous surround sound system so I could hear ‘The Mandalorian’ space ships shake my walls. It’s absolutely awesome! It has changed my life.”

That’s probably an overstatement, but that’s defi nitely been one of the lessons of the pandemic: You take your moments of joy where you can fi nd them.

A needed life preserver?

“Society seemed like it was falling apart,” says comedian Lou Ramos. “The TV provided its usual escapism but, real talk, it was like a life preserver. I needed, really we all needed, something to pull us out of the murky waters, you know?

There’s no need to rehash what went down but, I think many people would agree that the TV is what kept us up. For me personally, the highlights were ‘Watchmen’ and ‘Lovecraft Country.’

The timing of those could not have been better. Genre fi lms and shows tend to avoid weighty issues in favor of the fan-

tastical yet, those two took racial injustice head on while it was out on front street in reality,” while still delivering fantastical storylines.

Ramos points out that most people didn’t know about the Tulsa Massacre until “Watchmen” depicted it, nor did they have much of a grasp of the issues Black soldiers faced when they returned home from World War II, which “Lovecraft Country” touched on them. Both were issues which resonated with social upheaval in the wake of the slaying of George Floyd and others by police offi cers.

“Yeah,” says Ramos, “there are those who will see them and roll their eyes almost as if to say, ‘Enough’s enough. I don’t want to see this everywhere,’ but for me, when it’s hitting the fan out there is really when everyone needs to get a good facefull of (expletive). Maybe then they’ll help the rest of us clean it up. As funny as it sounds, that was refreshing for me.”

Ramos wasn’t alone in that sentiment. The collision of political, health and social crises was understandably overwhelming for many.

“As hyperbolic as it sounds,” says fi lmmaker Skip Shea, “the irreverence of ‘Schitt’s Creek’ was life saving. I very much needed to fi nd a reason to laugh.

They gave it to me.” By that same token, educator Liz Swenson says, “’WandaVision’ has been getting me through the winter doldrums. The school I work at is hybrid, but there have been so many snow-based remote days that I lose track of what day it is, and it just becomes another day on the computer.

There is a lot less to look forward to when you can’t go out in winter because of the freezing cold and COVID combo.

‘WandaVision’ on Friday gives me something to look forward to.”

The pressures of the past year have been even worse on persons who already wrestle with anxiety and depression. “Even beyond this year,” says rapper Leon Legacy, “I have awful anxiety and tend to isolate as a result. Listening to music gets old since I spend so much time making it. TV is one of the few ways I feel connected to the world.”

Likewise, environmental planner Holly Jones says, “TV has been a positive force in helping me manage anxiety over the past year, as well as fi nding ways to fi ll time. I’ve also done some ‘Netfl ix with Friends’ type hangouts where we use watching a show together to be able to catch up and spend time together virtually. I recently started watching ‘Westworld’ this way every Thursday with a friend.”

Activist Deb Powers says she’s “discovered YouTube yoga and knitting videos, which has been great for my knitting and my sanity. I’ve also spent way too much time glued to C-SPAN, which has been bad for my blood pressure.”

Indeed, while the negative eff ects of spending too much time in front of screens, notably lack of physical activity, are long established, the number one negative eff ect of increased TV viewership was, according to informal Facebook querying, almost universally, doom-watching the news.

“Too much negativity puts me in a terrible head space that brings me down so low it’s hard to come out of,” says singer Jennifer Antkowiak. “24-hour news programs are all about negativity.

No matter which side you’re on. … That balance of getting the news and remaining sane has been a diffi cult one to achieve.”

Tune in, drop out?

Putting aside the news, the question as to what people were watching produced a wide array of “comfort food television,” each person queried having an almost unique response. Not surprising, seeing as there’s probably a show that’s perfect for each individual, even if it’s buried deep on YouTube or Twitch.

Jones says she is only watching “Critical Role” at the moment, a web series in which actors play “Dungeons & See TELEVISION, Page 12M

12 | MARCH 4-10, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

Dan Levy and Catherine O’Hara star in “Schitt’s Creek.”

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Dragons.” But seeing as each episode can be up to fi ve hours, that’s probably plenty. Musician Paul J. Vigeant Jr. says he’s watching the Belgian series “Professor T” on PBS and has just started “WandaVision.” Wonder watches a handful of shows, including “This Is Us” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” but has a soft spot for the CW superhero shows for their diversity and representation, particularly “Black Lightning.”

Shows such as “The Great British Baking Show,” “The Queen’s Gambit,” “American Gods,” “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “Fleabag” all had their adherents. Vivian Eliza Nichols, of the Federation of Belligerent Writers, says she’s watched “all 14 seasons of ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ over and over and over again. And ‘Dance Moms.’”

For Powers, the “comfort food TV” is “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” which she says is “equal portions of tearjerking and feelgood, with lots of music and engaging characters that actually get their own story arcs instead of just being props for the main character. On top of everything else, it’s guaranteed to make me uglycry, which is a great stress reducer.”

One common phenomenon was people revisiting a wide range of classic TV shows, including “M*A*S*H,” “Golden Girls,” “Perfect Strangers” and the “The Wire,” but nothing seemed to have as much of a sudden resurgence locally as the “Star Trek” franchise, from the original series onto newer shows such as “Picard” and “Star Trek: Discovery.”

“First, I watched the new ‘Picard’ series,” says Novick, “at fi rst just the pilot out of curiosity, then out of interested engagement in the story line. Here’s the trick, each episode I would end up spending the next week going back and forth with my buddy Ajit as we tore it down, highlighted our favorite bits, and speculated on where the various plot threads led to next. Then, after a chunk of time passed, a series I hadn’t really been paying attention to, ‘Discovery,’ came along. Ajit had been watching it, and I had really enjoyed the whole extended post mortem DM chats, and so I got roped in, and in the third season, for a show I really hadn’t been following. This ended up creating another level to our weekly chats, as Ajit was now also interpreter of the backstory as well as we followed along.”

At a weird, isolating time, television helped maintain connecSee TELEVISION, Page 13M

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | MARCH 4-10, 2021 | 13

Sonequa MartinGreen plays Michael Burnham in “Star Trek: Discovery.”

JOHN MEDLAND/ CBS

Television

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tions and alleviated loneliness and anxiety, none of which seems like a bad thing. Still, many have concerns, especially parents.

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Mixed blessing “We have discovered a lot of good children’s programming on PBS KIDS that we otherwise might have not,” say says rehabilitation counselor David Maciewski. He’s far from alone in fi nding television a useful tool with kids in lockdown. “Pre-pandemic we rarely watched TV,” says parent Logan Cohen, “even for news, shows, and movies because we had decided as a family that we didn’t want to do any screens for our child until he was 5. Now we’re subscribed to Disney Plus, HBO Max, Prime video, and Discovery Plus.”

Cohen says “We watch a lot of ‘Sesame Street’ – a LOT of ‘Sesame Street’ – and it’s been fun pulling up things from our childhood like ‘Reading Rainbow.’ That show really holds up and is still my favorite. We also like ‘Miss Monica’s Circle Time’ on YouTube.

But Cohen is still concerned about the eff ects of television on his child.

“I feel one positive is also the big negative here,” says Cohen. “I am a more productive adult because I let my now 3-year-old watch too much TV. My husband is an essential worker so it’s usually just the two of us. I think beyond that, TV has helped us affi rm for our child that the world still exists outside the pandemic. While we can’t do a lot of things, we can still show him things we’d like to do after the pandemic. I think this has been really important to everyone’s morale.”

Cohen notes that one complicating factor is that, “we are white parents raising a Black child, which means that for the length of the pandemic, he’s been here with us without his in-person Black community. We are very conscious to make sure he’s seeing predominantly Black representation on TV. It’s not the same, but he’s defi nitely more engaged with things like ‘Miss Monica’ and ‘Reading Rainbow.”

Cohen doesn’t believe his habits will last past the pandemic, and indeed, most people seemed certain that their TV watching will subside when more options outside the home become available.

Carrozo seemed to sum up most respondents’ feelings, saying he expects he’ll watch less TV “when the weather changes. I can’t wait to get practicing with the band and playing shows … then I will just watch the bar TV while the Celtics are playing from the stage.”

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school? The money would be well spent on social services.”

One educator who has worked in both environments expressed concerns that removal might shift more responsibilities onto already-burdened teachers.

“My initial response was ‘yes’ keep them in schools, because when they fi rst started the offi cers really walked the schools and made connections with the students. But if that isn’t happening, then shift the funds.

“We cannot put more on the teachers — we’re already wearing too many hats and juggling so many roles and responsibilities that adding more is going to mean that we aren’t really doing any of the services. We don’t have the time, resources, ability or capacity.”

Not everyone thinks additional training for teachers would help.

“Cut the crap with the trainings … 15 hours of training? No. Not when it comes to the work of psychologists and psychiatrists and medical professionals who have years of training and coursework.

Teachers as band-aids for society’s woes doesn’t work.

“The pandemic has made it clear that we have underfunded education. But I do think that in schools where there are safety concerns, there should be the ability to have police presence as a resource as needed. The added stress of fearing for one’s safety is unacceptable and unfortunately has become ‘part of the job’ in too many schools.”

Some see the presence of an offi cer as a source of irritation.

Said one veteran teacher: “We need adjustment counselors and psychologists to help deescalate situations that a cop in the building seems to escalate. I don’t think we need more social workers — we need more people who can identify mental illness.”

As I refl ected on my own experiences as an educator in Worcester’s secondary schools, I considered the options and concluded that perhaps police offi cers should be utilized like seasoning — a little goes a long way, and more is often too much. I’ve seen more than my share of violent disruptions, from bomb threats to food fi ghts to bathroom brawls, and I believe the administration in each school makes the biggest diff erence in climate. In that vein, one teacher with over 25 years experience in the WPS schools likes the idea of a dean of discipline, and the use of Restorative Justice circles to settle disputes. Deans, like those utilized in Boston schools, “work to build strong relationships with students and tend to be more representative of the student body.”

As far as replacing police with social workers? I agree with the veteran. It’s adjustment counselors we need. These are the individuals who quell fi res all day long. They know their stuff , they know kids, and kids trust them. When it comes right down to it, that’s what it’s all about: building trust.

“I wanted to see kids build relationships with officers, and that is not what happened, when all was said and done.”

WPS high school teacher

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | MARCH 4-10, 2021 | 15

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

“Fall Reflection” on canvas PHOTOS COURTESY OF JESSIE GUTIERREZ

Jessie Gutierrez Jessie Gutierrez says that while art is not her primary profession, "it is a process that fi lls me with joy and brings light and beauty to what have been some dark days in the world recently."

She says she had always been a photographer, noting that over the past several years she has focused her "free" time — such as it is, as "a mom of two young kids, with a full-time job" — on transforming the photographs she has taken over the years into prints on wood and canvas. "Once the image is transferred," she says, "I use my imagination and memories of the location or object in the photo to enhance it, layering on many diff erent mediums using a variety of techniques from painting to drawing and collage."

“Pink Flowers” on raw wood round

“Leaves” on small canvas

16 | MARCH 4-10, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

CITY LIVING

I challenge you to visit Worcester’s Community Fridge Sarah Connell Sanders Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Fantastic Pizza cut me a 30% discount on three Italian grinders for the Worcester Community Fridge at 910 Main St., no questions asked.

“How does this work?” I asked the guy behind the counter. “Do I just leave them in there?”

“Yup. It’s that easy,” he told me.

I watched my dog’s eyes widen as I pulled open the fridge handle to reveal a sparkling display of fresh produce, sealed deli meat and gallons of milk. We placed the three sandwiches on a clear shelf and trudged away through the snow.

My pup stopped for a good sniff and I turned back toward the fridge to see a man browsing its contents. He picked up one of the sandwiches and tucked it into his backpack. Elation shot through me, warming the tips of my frosty fi ngers and toes.

My reaction wasn’t unusual. The journal of Psychological Science recently published a fi nding that giving correlates directly with happiness; moreover, the joy experienced after fi ve days of giving remains just as strong as it is on the fi rst day.

Worcester Community Fridge organizer, Maria Ravelli understands.

“I’ll spend a couple hours cleaning and unloading stuff and I fi nd it really powerful to see people actually accessing the fridge,” she told me. “I’ll sit in my car like a creep and watch because it’s just super cool and satisfying to see our vision become a reality.”

Ravelli’s enthusiasm for feeding Worcester hit its peak during the pandemic. “I thoroughly believe that food is a basic human right and that food injustice and environmental injustice go hand in hand,” she explained, “The amount of food that gets sent to landfi ll annually while there are hungry people who are not able to access fresh food, is defi nitely an act of violence.”

In January, Ravelli fl oated the idea of a community fridge on the Mutual Aid Worcester Facebook group. Within a

Visit the Worcester Community Fridges at 910 Main Street and 44 Portland Street this week to show your support. SARAH CONNELL SANDERS

month, her food rescue mission was well on its way. “We just organized our little hearts out,“ she said, “rescuing food that was going to go to waste and then putting it in the hands of individuals who otherwise wouldn’t be able to

aff ord to eat.”

The Worcester Community Fridge hasn’t been without its challenges, mostly operational. “People are used to being over-regulated,” Ravelli explained. “The concept of a free food ex-

change is confusing for some people even though, at its heart, it’s very simple.” During the fi rst week, she unearthed miscellaneous Ziplocs of raw meat and a tray of expired yogurts.

“We’ve had to educate people that the fridge is for food you would consume, too; it’s not a place for your leftovers,” she said. “We believe that quality food is a human, right, not just food you’re trying to get rid of to feel good about yourself.”

Guidelines are laid out clearly on the organization’s website, barring moldy, expired and homemade food along with raw meat. Volunteers clean the fridge and rotate items twice per day to keep donations in accordance.

Ravelli’s favorite memory as a volunteer came when she had just fi nished unloading donated food into the fridge.

“I was doing that thing where I was sitting in my car, just watching,” she recalled, “And there was this man who looked like he was in distress — his body language was kind of off and he was speaking to himself.”

Ravelli got out of her car to introduce herself and off er assistance.

“I just heard him praying out loud.

When he fi nished, I asked how he was doing and explained he could have anything in the fridge,” remembered Ravelli.

“He looked at me and said, ‘This is the craziest thing, because this morning I was praying that I would be able to fi nd food. Now, I’m walking down my street and there’s a literal F-R-E-E fridge.’”

Ravelli found the moment equally beautiful, spiritual and hilarious.

The next step for the Worcester Community Fridge is to build a defi nitive culture. “Calling all graphic designers and videographers,” says Ravelli. “Art is a humongous part of culture-building.”

The group’s second fridge is set to go online at 44 Portland St. this week featuring the designs of 12-year-old Worcester artist, Montage by Brook.

Follow @woofridge on Instagram for updates and tag them on your visit to help amplify their mission. Hunger is a problem Worcester has the power to solve, and we’ll do it together.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | MARCH 4-10, 2021 | 17

THE NEXT DRAFT

LISTEN UP

Matthew Tota

Tyra Penn ambitious, brilliant on ‘Last Day’

Breweries are pining for upcoming patio season Special to Worcester Magazine

Victor D. Infante Worcester Magazine

USA TODAY NETWORK

While counting the days until patio season, breweries took a moment last week to celebrate the governor’s lifting of the capacity limit for indoor dining.

Only a moment, and with but a soft golf clap: Because as much as the order — eff ective now — portends an eventual return to normal operations, it doesn’t change much for a majority of breweries in the state, no matter the size of their taprooms.

The real economic jolt will come when the air warms, the beer gardens and patios bulge, and the sun lingers well past 7 p.m. For now, most breweries do not expect more business just because they no longer have to limit their taprooms to 40% capacity.

Jack’s Abby in Framingham and Tree House Brewing Co. in Charlton — which boast two of the largest taprooms in the state — have no immediate plans to reopen for anything other than take-out.

Jack’s Abby wants to fi ne-tune its beer garden, which it plans to reopen in May. And Tree House remains focused on getting its two new locations, in Deerfi eld and Sandwich, online.

In Barre, set among the rolling pastures of Carter & Stevens Farm, Stone Cow Brewery never worried about the ever-changing capacity limits.

“Most of our patrons seem to prefer to sit outside, even throughout the winter season where things are extra spread out,” brewer and co-founder Sean DuBois said. “We always off er indoor seating, but our focus has been on getting people to enjoy our outdoor spaces.”

DuBois expects that trend to continue into the spring and summer. The brewery added a new pavilion to its array of outdoor seating, including its barn patio and hop yard.

“We will also defi nitely be bringing back more staff as we gear up for our outdoor summer BBQ and ice cream season. Also, we have begun to book live outside music for the spring and summer,” he said.

Taprooms still must have space for

USA TODAY NETWORK

The patio view of Tree House Brewing in Charlton.

CHRISTINE PETERSON/T&G FILE PHOTO

six-feet of distance between tables, and for Redemption Rock Brewing Co., that means it cannot safely exceed 25% capacity. So Redemption Rock, too, will bank on outdoor seating; the brewery may not call a picturesque farm home, but it did just build a new patio.

“We’re hopeful now with cases going down and the weather getting nicer, our outdoor patio will provide another option for people,” said co-founder Dan Carlson.

Still, the removal of capacity limits could not have come at a better time for Wormtown Brewery, which in the next few weeks will open a bigger taproom at its location on Shrewsbury Street, moving into the former home of fusion restaurant simjang. The taproom more than doubles the brewery’s capacity.

“Six feet still limits capacity, but we will take it,” said Wormtown managing partner David Fields.

Greater Good Imperial Brewing Co. believes it can get close to its 160-person capacity, even with tables spread six feet apart.

Greater Good’s beer and brand evangelist, J.T. Ethier, said doing so would allow the brewery to bring back more of its furloughed staff and expand its food offerings.

“Every table counts,” Ethier said.

“The big thing for us is the culture coming back. We’re starting to book music again, solo one-person acoustic acts. We are getting that community vibe back. We’re seeing the tide change a little bit.”

Tap notes Mass Beer Week returns March 6: The Massachusetts Brewers Guild’s weeklong celebration of local craft beer, which begins Friday, will look different this year, with more events taking place inside Zoom meetings than in taprooms. The mission — to support and shine a light on the state’s more than 200 brewers — is unchanged, though.

The full list of events for Mass Beer Week can be found at massbrewersguild.org. You should check out the Meet the Brewers Freshman Class Q&As, which provide a window into the lives of new brewers.

And if you collect beer glassware, make sure to buy this year’s Mass Beer Week pint glass, available at most breweries around the state. In Worcester, you can pick up the glass at Greater Good and Redemption Rock.

With “The Last Day of August,” local jazz legends Tyra Penn and Her Army of Snakes take the reader on a fantastic voyage, one which fl its across time eff ortlessly, one moment evoking George Gershwin, then later David Bowie, each song placed in such a ways as to recontextualize them, to create a new narrative.

Penn and her cohorts use John Crowley’s novel “Little, Big” here as a structure, the song choices meant to evoke the journey of the family at the book’s center. Not having read the book, I can’t speak to that, but what I can say is this story that Penn weaves is a sort of fairy tale, almost the inverse of Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole.

It’s almost as though the song details a journey out of the fantastic into something more grounded and real.

It is, by any stretch, an extraordinary journey, one abetted by Penn’s even more extraordinary vocals. She is a singer capable of making a building shake and rattle with her voice, but it’s her ability to do that and maintain her See LAST, Page 18M

“The Last Day of August,” by Tyra Penn and Her Army of Snakes PROMOTIONAL IMAGE

18 | MARCH 4-10, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

SCREEN TIME

‘See actors without their makeup’ and other clickbait Jim Keogh Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

I had every good intention of writing about “Nomadland” when I went on the movie’s IMDB page.

“Nomadland” is a gritty account of a woman’s odyssey-by-van across the West, powered by yet another Oscarworthy performance by Frances McDormand — a timely, observational piece about the challenges faced by those on the fringes who pursue spiritual joy while wrestling with physical deprivation.

But it would have to wait. While on the “Nomadland” IMDB page, I was confronted with this headline hovering off to the side “Celebrities Who are Completely Unrecognizable Without Makeup.”

I mean, come on. We’re talking about celebrities without makeup here. I wanted, no, I needed to get a look at the unadorned face of Katy Perry and ... MY GOD! NO! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? DO WE NOT LIVE IN AN ADVANCED SOCIETY?!

I kid, of course. Katy is fi ne, and my actual reaction was not all-caps, allaghast. In fact, I was oddly comforted to see that stars have zits, sags, bags and splotches, or that Gwyneth Paltrow can look more like a tired soccer mom and less like the Goop Queen when her guard is down.

Of course, the “no makeup” link took me to a clickbait aggregate page, whose headlines developed clear patterns. We were assured we would “never believe” how a former child star (always female) had grown up to become “an utter bombshell,” “drop-dead gorgeous,” or “an absolute stunner.” I was intrigued by this one, “You Probably Won’t Recognize the Cast of Bring It On Today,” so I clicked, as was my duty, and discovered every cast member of “Bring It On” looks exactly as they did in 2000, except, um, older.

And there was always a “good reason” why we should know a certain piece of information. “There’s a Good Reason You Recognize Tory from Cobra Kai” read one. (The good reason? Peyton List, who plays Tory, has been acting since the age of 4.) Another headline promised to reveal the answer to one of the great mysteries of our time, “The Real Reason Why

Does anyone really need to know what Gwyneth Paltrow looks like without her makeup? STUDS

Vanessa From Deadpool Looks So Familiar.” (The real reason? Morena Baccarin, who plays Vanessa, has performed in high-profi le TV shows and movies for 20 years.)

I’ve ascribed many things to COVID fatigue, including my frayed attention span, which regularly sends me into gopher holes of nothingness. The pandemic is a convenient patsy, but is it prompting me to act in uncharacteristic ways or just confi rming all my worst instincts? Maybe I am naturally susceptible to clickbait come-ons of staggeringly little importance to the general conduct of my life, COVID or no COVID. Is there a vaccine for that?

As I noted, clickbait sites are especially fascinated with the maturation process of former child stars, particularly female actors who evolve into “stunners” (these pages are also eager to alert us to actors who have not aged well, often employing the adjective “tragic”).

The aggregation page I was on included an item about Mara Wilson, who for a time was the child actress in movies like “Mrs. Doubtfi re,” “Matilda,” “A Simple Wish” and the remake of “Miracle on 34th Street.”

Forgo the clickbait and read Wilson’s op-ed in last week’s New York Times, in which she recounts what it’s like to be sexualized at a young age and laments the unreasonable expectations of a child to behave as an adult in a competitive and grueling profession. She urges young performers to take control of their own narrative before they lose control of it a la Britney Spears. Wilson apparently has done so in remarkable fashion.

Last Continued from Page 17M

sense of diction and phrasing that’s truly remarkable, and that’s what’s on display here. It doesn’t hurt that the band is red hot, too.

Things kick off with the Gershwin standard, “Summertime,” which Penn and the band approach joyfully.

There’s a nice swing to the song, one which makes fi ne use of Paul Courchaine’s guitar and Russ Gershon’s saxophone. Indeed, as the song winds on, there’s a slight shift in tone, about the time Penn hits the lyrics “I’m a long way from home” and Joe Potenza’s bass and Zeke Martin’s drums come to the form. “You will wander and live in many houses,” sings Penn. If this passage seems disorienting, it’s because Penn has introduced lines from Crowley’s novel, as well as W.B. Yeats’ poem, “The Stolen Child.” A song that is instantly familiar – seriously, half of everyone has covered “Summertime” – is transformed into something else entirely. It’s dizzying, and arresting, and when you follow it by a soulful and moody rendition of the Monkees’ “Door Into Summer,” it’s clear that your knowledge or what these songs are is merely fairy gloss.

The fi rst part of the album is haunted by a sort of wanderlust, of yearning for something out of reach, including a breezy rendition of Cole Porter’s “Get Out of Town,” and a plaintive, lovely version of Bob Marley’s “Waiting in Vain,” a reggae tune reimagined as jazz, to great eff ect. Lines from Crowley’s novel appear again, and then are subsumed into the current of music.

It’s all hammered home by a rendition of the relatively lesser-known song by Rupa Marya, “Metamorphosis.” “All the things I’ve lost along the way,” refrains Penn, until fi nally resolving the verse with the words, “Oh, were never meant to stay, no.” Everything is change, the fact of which the album’s persona seems acutely aware. Even expressions of joy seem fraught with impending doom, as made evident in the band’s rendition of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Double Rainbow.”

Things really come to a head on the album with a nuanced and beautiful take on Joni Mitchell’s “All I Want,” which returns the listener to the sense of yearning evident at the album’s start, except now it is in movement. “I am on a lonely road,” sings Penn, “and I

Things really come to a head on the album with a nuanced and beautiful take on Joni Mitchell’s “All I Want,” which returns the listener to the sense of yearning evident at the album’s start, except now it is in movement.

am traveling, traveling, traveling, traveling/Looking for something, what can it be.” Mitchell’s phrasing is distinctive, and Penn manages to capture the feel of the original while making it her own.

Really, that light hand with deciding how reverently to interpret each song is a strength, one defi nitely evident in the band’s rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “There Is A War” and of Tom Waits’ “No One Knows I’m Gone.” On their own, these are both interesting and powerful spins on extremely distinctive songs, but here, they refl ect both the persona’s sense of confl ict and loneliness. The past is just a distant memory, and love fl eeting, already gone. We have a snatch of Bible verse, then: Job 1:16, “ I only am escaped alone to tell thee,” and a kernel of a poem by John Dryden, “Only the brave deserve the fair.”

It’s enough to make one’s head spin, if it didn’t all feel as natural as the saxophone gliding eff ortlessly from verse to verse. There is almost an inexplicable sense of inevitability when we land on Anaïs Mitchell musical take on the myth of Orpheus, “Hadestown,” notably the song “Wait For Me,” wherein Orpheus resolves to follow Eurydice into Hades, to either rescue her or join her in death.

The album reaches its conclusion with a fascinating triptych, with a musical adaptation of Yeats’ poem, “The Song of Wandering Aengus,” and then a triumphant take on Bowie’s classic, “Heroes,” a song about snatching moments of beauty and joy from the dust of the ordinary. In some ways, that’s what Penn and company do throughout this album: gather scraps of prose – some unfamiliar, others overly familiar – and refashion them into something indelibly new and beautiful.

The album ends with a musical take on the poem, “The House by the Side of the Road,” by Sam Walter Foss. “Let me live in my house by the side of the road,” sings Penn, in a voice glowing with joy, “And be a friend to man.” In some ways, it feels like we’ve come full circle, and yet, it also feels like everything has changed. It’s a remarkable narrative, and weaving it is a daunting task, but from beginning to end, Penn and her Army of Snakes never falter.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | MARCH 4-10, 2021 | 19

TABLE HOPPIN’

Brown Rice Thai Cuisine owner opening a second site Weydt, and their son reside in Boylston.

She has a smile on her face when she talks about meeting her American husband in a Thai restaurant. While he’s not involved in the day to day operations of her restaurants, Weydt said she often asks his business advice. He’s supportive, understanding and indispensable, she said.

As for Weydt, she’s friendly, enthusiastic and loves what she does. She knows that running a business is all about team eff ort and learning to prioritize and organize. What started as a love for food has led to an amazing journey, said Weydt.

Future plans after Brown Rice 2?

“I’m really not sure,” said Weydt. “To be continued.”

Barbara M. Houle Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Restaurant maven Achara Weydt currently owns four Thai eateries and plans to expand her West Boylston restaurant Brown Rice Thai Cuisine, opening “Brown Rice 2” at the Wachusett Plaza in West Boylston sometime in May. Weydt said Brown Rice 2 will focus on full-service dining and take-out with expanded menu, while Brown Rice at 26 West Boylston St. will remain open for delivery and take-out only once the second restaurant opens. Until then, customers can continue to enjoy indoor dining, or opt for take-out and delivery services at the original Brown Rice, she said.

Weydt, who goes by Fawn Weydt, opened Brown Rice in 2013 with business partners Orathai Earner and Jaa Greiciunas (Weydt’s niece.) She also owns with managing partners Thai Time, 107 Highland St., Worcester; Rice Violet, 287 Main St., Worcester; Thai and I Restaurant, 274 South St., Shrewsbury.

The decision to open another restaurant location isn’t an easy one, especially during a pandemic, said Weydt, but Brown Rice has deep roots and a solid client base in and around West Boylston. The restaurant has been incredibly busy, she said, but has limited kitchen space. “We love this town, I really mean it,” said Weydt. “There has been tremendous support from the community in the eight years we’ve been here, and we’ve now outgrown our current space.”

The second location will accommodate 75, with a separate function area and plans for a full bar. The original Brown Rice accommodates about 26 and is BYOB. Brown Rice is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; Noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. Telephone: (774) 261-8322; Connect on Facebook.

Brown Rice 2 takes over previous space occupied by Vivian’s Market Style Café, which closed a couple of years ago after the owner announced retirement.

“It’s going to be completely new and with vibrant colors,” said Weydt about the restaurant.

“Certainly, it remains to be seen if it

A perfect union!

Manager Jaa Greiciunas, chef Maneerat Peters and owner Fawn Weydt at Brown Rice Thai Cuisine, located at 26 West Boylston St., West Boylston.

ASHLEY GREEN/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE

will be sustainable to keep both Brown Rice locations,” said Weydt, “but this is the way we would like to try out.” She said she originally “checked out” the location a year ago, revisiting it before making a fi nal decision.

Weydt is proud of Brown Rice’s “women-led team” that includes not only owners, but also Maneerat Peters, head chef, who has been at Brown Rice since it fi rst opened. “We love her,” said Weydt about Peters, who helps create the menu and recently introduced Mussel Crepe as a house specialty. The Thaistyle crepe or pancake is known as Hoi Tod in Thai cuisine, according to Weydt, who said it’s often eaten with Pad Thai, Thailand’s national dish. “They’re like twins, they go together,” she said about the food.

Weydt, 41, came to the United States in 2002 as a business intern. She said

she never thought she would be in the restaurant industry prior to being introduced to the owner of a successful Thai restaurant in Milford. “He became my mentor and taught me everything about the front and back of the house operations of a restaurant,” said Weydt. “I loved it, and I even cooked.”

A business graduate of Assumption University in Bangkok, Weydt said her mother is a culinary teacher who creates food menus for the school where she also teaches fi rst grade. Her father is a teacher, too. Her parents visit her as often as they can, she said, and her mother has helped with several of her restaurant openings, even cooking at several of them. “My parents never expected me to be on this career path, but I know they are proud of me and know that I’m really happy,” said Weydt.

Weydt and her husband, Brian

Two Worcester businesses B.T.’s Fried Chicken & BBQ and the Glazy Susan doughnut company have collaborated on a new sandwich launched March 4 at B.T.’s, 318 Park Ave., Worcester.

The combination of B.T.’s new Nashville Hot Chicken served between slices of Glazy Susan’s namesake glazed doughnut has passed a lot of taste tests, according to Billy Nemeroff , B.T.’s owner/operator, who said B.T.’s would make 150 plus sandwiches for the launch.

It’s fi rst-come, fi rst-served for the sandwich, so order early. Visit btschickenandbbq.com, or social media for more updates and info. Check out the menu inside the restaurant, or order online for takeout and delivery. Curbside service is available.

So good!

Restaurant Week may return It’s not offi cial, but word on the street is that Worcester Restaurant Week could return this summer.

The biannual dining event prior to the pandemic took place in winter and summer. In light of recent COVID-19 restriction changes, there’s the possibility restaurants and sponsors would participate in the promotion that features prix-fi xe dinner menus.

Stay tuned!

If you have a tidbit for the column, call (508) 868-5282. Send email to bhoulefood@gmail.com.

20 | MARCH 4-10, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

WARL COVID-19 Procedures

ADOPTION OPTION

As of Nov. 9, 2020 As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, we want to share with you some changes we have implemented so that we can continue to serve the pets and people of our community while keeping our team protected. h ADOPTIONS: At this time, adoptions are being held BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. If you are interested in adoption, please visit our website worcesterarl.org/ adopt/ to learn more about our available animals then call us at (508) 853-0030 ext.0 or email us at info@worcesterarl. org to schedule an appointment. Casual visits to the shelter are prohibited. We will strictly enforce this in order to keep our animal care team protected while still maintaining the most essential function of our operation...fi nding homes for animals in need. h ANIMAL SURRENDERS: Our business practice for surrendering a pet remains the same. All pet owners must contact WARL in advance of surrendering a pet. Please call (508) 853-0030. h SPAY/NEUTER CLINICS: All scheduled appointments will be honored. If you have a scheduled appointment, we will be contacting you to discuss changes to our drop off/pick up procedures. h DONATIONS ACCEPTED except for open bags of food. Pet food, cat litter, and other shelter supplies will be essential in continuing to provide for our animals and to assist community members in need. To avoid unnecessary travel and exposure, items can be purchased online from our Amazon Wishlist - https:// www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/3AX342JIL73M0 • Weekly training classes are going on for adopters.

• The WARL Volunteer Program is temporarily suspended. All regular volunteer shifts are on hold.

We look forward to welcoming you back as soon as we can. We have many animals in our care who depend on us to stay healthy and well. The above measures help to protect our staff and community from the spread of COVID - 19 by minimizing face-to-face interactions while continuing to operate only core essential services. Please continue to follow our Facebook page for additional updates. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact the shelter at (508) 853-0030 or info@ worcesterarl.org.

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Ernie is available for adoption from the Worcester Animal Rescue League. WARL

Meet Ernie Welcome to Adoption Option, a partnership with the Worcester Animal Rescue League highlighting their adoptable pets. Check this space often to meet all of the great pets at WARL in need of homes. WARL is open seven days a week, noon-4 p.m., 139 Holden St. Check them out online at Worcesterarl.org, or call at (508) 8530030.

A good Samaritan brought Ernie to us. He was wearing a collar so he belonged to someone at some point. Even though Ernie is around 12 years old, he’s still active. In your home, he’ll check out new things and no doubt window-watch to see what’s going on outside. Ernie has a moderate heart murmur that doesn’t require treatment now but may need treatment down the road. Ernie had bad teeth; some were missing and our veterinarians extracted others. He still has his front teeth. For now, Ernie is on wet food only, but after his mouth heals, he’ll decide if he wants to eat dry food again. Ernie qualifi es for our Senior for Senior Program. If you would like more information about Ernie or you would like to set up an appointment to meet him, please contact the shelter.

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | MARCH 4-10, 2021 | 21

LEGALS

Worcester Housing Authority Worcester Housing Authority uthority Worcester Housing Authority Public Notice Public Notice e Public Notice The Worcester Housing Authority uthority in- The Worcester Housing Authority in-in- The Worcester Housing Authority invites sealed bids Furnishing vites sealed bids for Furnishing rnishing vites sealed bids forfor Furnishing andInstallation Installation of Intercom ire Alarm and of Fire Alarm and Installation of Intercom Systems WHA’s property 12-21, Systems at WHA’s property 12-21, erty 12-01, Systems at at WHA’s property 12-01, located 2 Lafayette Place, m Way, in located at at35-45 Freedom Way,ininac- located at 2 Lafayette Place, in accordance with pre- cordance with the documents predocuments accordance with the thedocuments documents pared by ork is esti- prepared byWHA. WHA.The Thework workisisestimatesti- pared by WHA. The work is estimated to cost $19,000. ed totocost $15,000. mated cost$19,000.

Project consists is not limited Project consists of but is not limited consists of of butbut is not limited not limited Project Furnishing and installation Furnishing and installation of of anan to: Furnishing and installation of an ation of an to:to: Intercom System asasdescribed describedin in Intercom System as described in Alarm System escribed in Fire the specifications and drawings. specifications and drawings. thethe specifications and drawings. awings. forms and Contract Documents Bid forms and Contract Documents forms and Contract Documents Documents BidBid will made available Wor- will be made available on the Worbebe made available onon thethe Worn the Wor- will cesterHousing HousingAuthority Authoritywebsite website cester Housing Authority website ty website cester (http://www.worcesterha.org/curre (http://www.worcesterha.org/curre a.org/curre (http://www.worcesterha.org/curre ntbids.html) cost.

Hard copies ntbids.html) at no cost. Hard copies at at nono cost.

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General Bids will received until General Bids will be received until Bids will bebe received until eived until General 2:00p.m. p.m.

TuesdayMarch March 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday March onon Tuesday March 2:00 10th, 2021 Worcester Hous- 10th, 2021 at the Worcester Hous2021 at at thethe Worcester Housester Hous- 10th, Authority, Department Mod- ing Authority, Department of ModAuthority, Department of of Modnt of Mod- inging ernization, Tacoma Street, Wor- ernization, 81 Tacoma Street, Wor8181 Tacoma Street, Wortreet, Wor- ernization, cester, MA 01605 which time and cester, MA 01605 at which time and MA 01605 at at which time and h time and cester, place bids will opened and all all bids will bebe opened and re-re- place all bids will be opened and rened and re- place sults published. sults published. sults published.

A Pre-bid Conference will held Conference will bebe held at at A Pre-bid Conference will be held at be held at A Pre-bid 1:00p.m. p.m.on onTuesday, Tuesday, March March 2, 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2, , March 1:00 2021 at 2atLafayette Place, Worces2021 35-45 Freedom Way, 2021 at 2 Lafayette Place, Worcesedom Way, 2nd, ter, MA 01605, at which bid- ter, MA 01605, at which time bidMA 01605, at time which at which Worcester, ders will bewill invited to visit to thevisit proj- ders will be invited to visit the projbidders be invited ted to visit time site with Worcester Housing ect site with a Worcester Housing site awith a Worcester Worcester theectproject All atAuthority representative.

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Authority representative. esentative. Housing arearerequired comply tendees are required to comply attendees required to to comed to com- Alltendees COVID-19guidelines. guidelines. with State COVID-19 guidelines. with State COVID-19 guidelines. plywith Snow Date site visit will held Snow Date for site visit will be held Date forfor site visit will bebe held will be held Snow 10:00 a.m.

Thursday, March at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 10:00 a.m. onon Thursday, March day, March at at 4th, 2021.Failure Failure attend visit 4th, 2021. Failure to attend or visit 2021. to to attend or or visit end or visit 4th, premises shall defense premises shall bebe nono defense in in the premises shall be no defense in defense in thethe failure perform contract terms. failure to perform contract terms. to to perform contract terms. act terms. failure Projectcompletion completiondate dateby: by: Project completion date by: date by: Project Friday, April 16, 2021.

Friday, April 2021.

Friday, April 16,16, 2021.

Sudoku Answers

NOVENA

SERVICE DIRECTORY

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Prayer to the Blessed Virgin (Never known to fail) O most (Never known to fail) O most Call Dial-A-Friend beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel, beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in this my necessity, O Star of me in this my necessity, O Star of the Sea, help me and show me the Sea, help me and show me where you are my mother. O where you are my mother. O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech thee from the bottom of beseech thee from the bottom of my heart to succor me in my ne- my heart to succor me in my necessity, (make request). There cessity, (make request). There 24 that Hours Everyday are none that can withstand your are none can withstand your power, O Mary, conceived with- power, O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have re- out sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (three times). Holy course to thee (three times). Holy Mary, I place this cause in your Mary, I place this cause in your hands (three times). Say this hands (three times). Say this prayer for three consecutive days prayer for three consecutive days and you must publish it and your and you must publish it and your request will be granted to you. request will be granted to you.

DMH DMH

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22 | MARCH 4-10, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

J O N E S I N’

Enjoy Fun By The Numbers puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test! Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

R U O Y E C A L P AD HERE! Call

6

346 4 5 2 8 88 cla

or email edia.com m e s u o h e t a ssifieds@g

Across 1 Online request to “pay your respects” when your playable character dies 12 Internet acronym with origins on Usenet 15 Lead singer on the “Pinkerton” album 16 Hawaiian delicacy 17 One way to get up from the ground floor 18 Extreme degree, for short 19 Actor Hawke 20 B’way purchase 21 Washington Irving’s Bones 22 Scott of “30 Rock” and “Big Hero 6” 25 Location of a theater, in clichÈd ads 27 Soviet WWII force 29 Bandleader for Leno 30 Really silly 31 H.S. units 32 “Time to head out” 33 Japanese naval architect of WWII, Baron Yuzuru ___ 38 Shaker ___, OH 40 “Funky Cold Medina” rapper 41 It involves pinning and throwing 45 Like some chances 46 Begins with, in a screenplay 47 Bearded “South Park” puppet 48 Fitzgerald of jazz 49 Cobra’s warning 51 Pandemic-era romantic meetup 54 ___ Harbour (Miami Beach resort area) 55 Instant ramen brand name, originally (before ditching the middle letter) 58 Prefix with scope 59 Statistician with a speciality 60 Wanna-___ (copycats) 61 Opportunity to get a computer program early Down 1 Untied 2 Sedimentary material in a delta 3 Exasperated outburst

“All Over the Place”--it’s another themeless mess of words!

by Matt Jones

4 Paradise residents 5 Subject of a historic June 2020 Supreme Court ruling 6 Pres. from Missouri 7 Friendly prefix?

8 Short 9 Pop poolside painter 10 Event to test out an act, perhaps 11 High rock pile 12 Former Fugees member Hill 13 “Check this out!”

14 Chemical indicator 21 Item with underwire 23 “Ehhh, really?”

24 Actor Sheridan of “X-Men: Apocalypse” 26 “Essential” product of wormwood 27 “Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-___” (Irish classic) 28 Canine suffix for Bern or Peking 34 Get ready to ride again 35 Carrier to Leonardo da Vinci Airport 36 Pantheon figure 37 High card 39 Site of intense magnetic activity 40 “___ Goes to the Mayor”

41 Briggs who hosts “The Last Drive-in” 42 Watching just one more episode, maybe 43 Some potluck desserts 44 ___ bind 50 Buckwheat bowlful 52 Jamie Lee’s “Freaky Friday” character 53 Direction from Madrid to Barcelona 55 Non-profit that started NPR in 1970 56 GRF’s vice president 57 2021 U.K. award for “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” actor Toby Jones

Last week's solution

©2021 Matt Jones (jonesincrosswords@gmail.com) Reference puzzle #1030

WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM | MARCH 4-10, 2021 | 23

LAST CALL

Avanah Sophia: Cult survivor and musician Sarah Connell Sanders Special to Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK

Avanah Sophia grew up in a high control environment under the teachings of Hobart Freeman, an active promoter of faith healing allegedly responsible for the preventable deaths of more than 90 of his followers. Freeman died of pneumonia and heart failure in 1984, two weeks before he was set to appear in court; his legacy continued to guide members of the Faith Assembly church including Avanah Sophia’s family. Today, she is a music teacher, recording artist and proud mother.

Thank you for having such a raw conversation with me.

I’m actually excited. I’ve been wanting to talk about this for a long time. I have been on my own for 11 years now, and I feel like opportunities are fi nally clicking into place.

Can you tell me about the faithhealing practices of Hobart Freeman?

The term I heard a lot growing up was “divine healing.” It’s a whole belief system that your quality of life, including your body, is dependent on your relationship with God. So, if you are sick or if you are hurt, you need to believe that God will heal you. And if he doesn’t heal you, that’s because your faith isn’t strong enough. You need to confess whatever sins you’re guilty of and eliminate distractions from your life to focus on your relationship with God. It’s basically like God’s giving you a little wake-up call when you are sick or injured. Do you know what I mean? And he’s like, “You need to fi gure out what’s wrong in your life and then I’ll heal you.”

That’s the teaching I grew up on. I did not see a doctor for my entire childhood.

It was kind of crazy because I have a peanut allergy.

Do you still have a relationship with anyone in your family?

I do. My sister and I are really close. I don’t really have much of a relationship with any of my brothers or my dad. Last I knew, all of my brothers were still a part of the church. With my mom, it’s very spotty. She can’t see me the way that I see myself, so it’s diffi cult. As a mom myself, it’s even more heartbreaking because I literally cannot imagine a life without my son.

Avanah Sophia recording at CHYLD Home Studio in Shrewsbury. DYLAN AZARI

At what point did you realize something was wrong?

I experienced physical abuse. I experienced sexual abuse. I experienced emotional abuse. At the time, it seemed normal, but then you look back and you’re like, “Oh, that’s not OK.” I wouldn’t say emotional abuse is worse, but it’s so diff erent because you can’t see a bruise on your arm and confi rm, “Wow, look, I’m being hurt.” It’s in you.

It’s inside of you. You don’t notice it right away. The biggest issue was the whole concept that quality of life was dependent on how “good” I was. I mean, I literally remember going to sleep every night and making a checklist in my head of all the “good” things I had done and all the “bad” things and the bad thoughts.

As a kid, I would think, “If I die in my sleep, will I end up going to heaven tonight?” I was trained to judge myself and judge others constantly. It’s something I still struggle with.

Did any adults outside of your

home see the red fl ags?

The lack of medical attention on a number of levels was probably more dangerous than I realized growing up. I had neighbors who were literal angels. I was homeschooled. I wasn’t allowed to be friends with anyone who held diff erent beliefs than the church. I didn’t get the best education, which is a little bit frustrating sometimes because you can’t really go back and redo that part of your life. I remember fantasizing about having friends. I remember being like, “I just want to know what it’s like to be a cool girl.” I was a 14- or 15-year-old girl, craving community and friendship.

Sleepovers. I never got to do that. Sometimes I still think about that. One of my friend’s moms from our homeschool group was a nurse and I remember her telling me she thought I might be anemic. She went out of her way to off er me iron pills even though she knew I wasn’t allowed to see a doctor. People don’t know sometimes that the simplest act

of kindness is heroic in someone else’s eyes.

How did you fi nally get out?

I have to backtrack to when I was 7.

Growing up in that environment, you are constantly reminded that you have to come to the decision to be born again.

As kids, we would just call it, “becoming a Christian.” At 7, I hadn’t gotten there yet. I remember getting in trouble and confessing because in my head I thought, “I’m going to tell my dad I want to become a Christian so I don’t get a spanking.” Sure enough, I “become” a Christian and I don’t get my spank. I knew in my head I was faking it. I faked speaking in tongues for years at prayer meetings. As I got into my teenage years, I was living a double life. Like if we went to homeschool, co-op, I’d have a cute shirt on underneath my modest shirt. I would go babysit and I’d be on the phone with somebody. My dad kept saying to me, “I feel like you’re faking it. I don’t think you actually are saved in your heart. I don’t think you’re actually a follower of Jesus.” I came to the point where I was like, “You know what? My dad’s right.” I told my dad and he made me confess to the church. Public shame was his favorite tool. I remember feeling like such a terrible person for abusing what God meant. I wanted to die. When I admitted to my dad that I had faked it when I was 7, I had to get a spank at 17 for what I should have gotten a spank for at the age of 7. I tried for a while, but then I began questioning him more. I remember him calling everyone to come downstairs. All fi ve kids were there. He told me to leave even though I said I wanted to stay on good terms. He was like, “If you want to get out, you have to get out right now.” And it just turned into him, literally yelling, “Get out of my house!” I remember saying, “Can I get my stuff ?

Can I put my shoes on?” He said, “No, get out of the house.” He opened the door and pushed me out in my bare feet.

It’s incredible that you’ve been able to translate your trauma into such soulful music.

I really hope that my songs can be healing for other people as well. I love when I sing to someone and they say, “I feel like this was written about me.”

How beautiful is that? We all just want someone to love us unconditionally.

24 | MARCH 4-10, 2021 | WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

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HOUSE FULL OF WINDOWS INSTALLED™ * $

4,579

FULL HOUSE OF SIDING INSTALLED AS LOW AS

$

189

PER MONTH**

FULL HOUSE OF ROOFING INSTALLED AS LOW AS

$

149

PER MONTH**

Quality. Value. Trust.

Window World windows, siding and entry doors are backed by the prestigious Good Housekeeping Seal.

For a full list of products with the Seal, go to goodhousekeeping.com.

Official Replacement Windows of the Boston Red Sox

508-690-4330 • WindowWorldOfBoston.com WOBURN

15A Cummings Park

STOP THE EXPENSE, EFFORT & DANGER OF CLEANING GUTTERS.

SHREWSBURY

PEMBROKE

1000 Boston Turnpike

295 Old Oak Street

*10 Any Size 4000 Series White Vinyl Welded Double Hung Style Tilt-to-Clean up to 4’x6’ Insulated SolarZone™ w/Glass and Lifetime Limited Warranty, Glass Breakage & Labor Included. U-Value .27. ** Payment example is based on installation of 1600 sq. ft of series 2000 vinyl siding and or 1600 sq. ft of lifetime asphalt roofing shingles. Standard installation included. Some additional charges likely to apply. Offers expire 3/31/21. ***Credit approval required, restrictions apply. Ask associate for details | This Window World Franchise is independently owned and operated by L&P Boston Operating, Inc d/b/a Window World of Boston under license from Window World Inc. | Fully Licensed & Insured. | MA HIC Reg# 197574

Begin Your Bathroom Transformation TUB & SHOWER CONVERSIONS AND UPDATES INSTALLED

Easy to Clean Engineered to Resist Mold & Mildew *

Installed in as Little as a Day! Call TODAY for Your

FREE DESIGN CONSULTATION!

as low as

7,989

$

**

00

99/month $ down 0

or $

781.957.3257 OUT OF THIS WORLD SERVICEˇ DOWN TO EARTH PRICE.

WWW.BATHPLANET.COM

Before

After

LIFETIME WARRANTY

*Typical job completed in as little as a day. See associate for details. **Offer good upon approval of credit/Includes product and labor for standard white wall system installation. Some additional charges may apply. Offer not valid in combination with any other offer, discount or coupon or on prior or current sales. Each dealership independently owned and operated. ©2021 Bath Planet LLC. All rights reserved. Offer expires 3/31/21.