Somerville Public Library Blog

Last Friday the Boston area entrepreneur, designer, and creator of the t-shirt empire Johnny Cupcakes came to the library. Johnny “Cupcakes” Earle delivered a talk focusing on hard work and the ways he has succeeded to truly create an experience around his brand. His talk detailed early business ventures (really early…meaning gradeschool) selling candy and learning about the benefits of buying wholesale – to later striking like lightning with the cupcake and crossbones logo that has become his trademark. I mean that literally… the logo and the phrase “do more of what makes you happy” are under copyright…

Johnny’s message of giving 110% to your projects, learning to delegate, and doing the little things right was inspiring and brutally honest. It was fantastic to see a packed auditorium with such an age range. Many were fans of the brand before but also great to see some younger attendees who are now emboldened to create their own ventures.

This was the fifth in a general series of design talks the Friends of the Somerville Public have organized, and a huge thanks goes to Johnny for adding us to his schedule. We have planned this for almost a year and was a real treat. Must also thank Eli Epstein of Union Press in Somerville for creating the handsome tickets/souvenirs that we used.     - James Fox

To learn more about the Friends please find us online at

https://www.facebook.com/FriendsOfTheSomervillePublicLibrary

Here is a review of Saturday’s program by Kim Philips Millican, who is a member of the Friends of the Library.  Thank you Kim!

On Saturday, the Friends of the Somerville Public Library held a showing of “In the Blood”, a documentary by Sumner McKane that illustrated the history of the Maine lumbermen and river drivers. According to the documentary’s website (http://inthebloodmovie.com), Mr. McKane presents “a historical subject with a contemporary and entertaining presentation” which turns a history lesson into a “vivid and virtual journey into a bygone world”. This was certainly the case with “In the Blood”.

The men often worked 12-14 hours a day and were paid up to $2 a day.  They lived in the camps from October to March. The documentary showed several black-and-white photos and film footage of the harsh Maine winters. Amazingly, none of the lumberman became sick or caught pneumonia while working in the camps.

There was a known hierarchy within the communities. At the top of the hierarchy was the Camp Boss and his role was providing leadership and creating an efficient team. Other roles within the hierarchy include the under-cutter, sawyer, knotter, swamper, and cook.

The documentary included oral histories from the men who worked in the logging camps. Some of the interviews had subtitles, as the authentic accents were difficult to follow and understand. The interviews were honest, full of emotion, and gave the viewer a sense of what life was like in the logging camps. One such interview was with a gentleman whose brother-in-law died in a logging accident. He went into great detail about the accident. In the end, it took the crew 20 days to find his brother-in-law buried in the river.

One interview really grasped the attention of the audience – the raw account of the smell of the logging camp. The interviewee gave a vivid description of the stink and sweat that permeated the camp. He explained that some of the men did not bath all winter. The men slept in a row, underneath one quilt, and many of the men slept in their wet and sweaty work clothes. Another account was provided about the camp’s “stink pole” – a long pole used to hang wet clothes on.

“In the Blood” definitely had a sense of humor. For example, the interview regarding the lumbermen’s diet was quite funny. The interviewee emphasized that the men ate beans, beans, and more beans and they ate their beans with knives, as there were not any forks available. The men also ate molasses, homemade biscuits, and donuts. Hot drinks were served every day at noon.

The standing room only crowd enjoyed delicious food including Verna’s donuts, cider, and cheddar cheese.  It was a relaxing way to spend a cold and gloomy Saturday afternoon. A raffle drawing was held after the movie.

Kim Phillips Millican

Last Saturday the Friends of the Library sponsored another great program.  We were fortunate to have a new volunteer,  Kim Millican Phillips,  tell us about the event.    Many thanks to Kim, who in addition to blogging has also joined the Friends of the Library. 

As a part of the Design Talk series, Stephen Tourlentes and Amber Davis Tourlentes, instructors from Mass Art, reflected upon Kodachrome and took the audience on a journey about the evolution of Kodachrome slides.

Kodachrome was a type of color reversal film. It was introduced by Eastman Kodak in 1935 and utilized until 2010. Kodachrome was known for producing photographs with rich colors and ultra-fine details. Both professionals and amateurs used it around the world. Of interest, there were enough professional photographers in Boston using Kodachrome to justify daily flights to deliver the film for development.

Kodachrome film was developed using a 14-step process. The detailed process, which required a chemist on the processing line, produced photographs with vivid colors and incredible archival properties.

As camera phones and computer applications, such as Instagram, gain in popularity, society is developing a greater appreciation for photography. As a result, many of the Kodachrome slides and pictures are resurfacing.

Throughout the presentation, Mr. Tourlentes showed classic Kodachrome slides. The audience was impressed at how the photographs popped with saturated colors and crispness. An example of the slides shown includes photos taken by Bill Manbo inside a Japanese-American Internment camp. In an era that was previously captured in black and white, history can now be revisited through the color archives created by Kodachrome photographs.

The standing room only crowd shared their personal photography experiences. Of interest, Mr. Tourlentes mentioned his favorite camera is a large-format 8” x 10” Deardorff camera. The group also discussed digital photography and whether the formats in which they are saved will be accessible in years to come.

Kim Phillips Millican

Last Saturday there was a community discussion with the founders of Cuppow.   The event was sponsored by the Friends of the Library.  Sara Fix is a patron and volunteered this write up of the event…many thanks Sara!

If you care about the environment, if you support local businesses, or if you’ve ever spilled coffee on your shirt, you could learn a lot from Joshua Resnikoff and Aaron Panone, creators of Cuppow.  These two friends created a plastic device that can turn a canning jar in to a travel mug. The Cuppow was their solution to too many stained shirts, expensive metal water bottles, and easily misplaced containers.  The canning jar is their container of choice, as it is a ubiquitous object, it does well with boiling temperatures, and it is cheap to replace if broken or misplaced.

What is more impressive than Cuppow itself is the story behind it. These two humble guys never expected such great success.  They were surprised when they sold their first 500 pieces in less than 24 hours. They didn’t own business books, they didn’t know how to ship all these products, or how they would make more. They were just doing something that was fun, something they were good at, with all their friends, and a good amount of gumption. They were not afraid to ask for advice, or to delegate and include others in their business. They are grateful for FRINGE, a Union Square collaborative effort, including Mike Dacey from Repeat Press. FRINGE provided them with expertise and support, with branding, packaging, production, website, and photography.

Joshua and Aaron have one important rule: Everyone gets the same price on the product, no matter what you can do, how many you want, or who you are. It is also important to them that their product is manufactured locally. In the last 10 months of sales Cuppow has brought back $426,832 into the economy, 81% in Massachusetts.  These guys are extremely ethical, sticking to their guns, and never wanting to seem desperate. Other entrepreneurs, hipsters, mothers, and anyone listening, certainly felt inspired by their story of success and encouraging advice.

Last week marked the conclusion of our teen creative writing program. The feedback and enthusiasm from everyone has been impressive.

Ethan Gilsdorf led a month-long series of workshops. Participants were given various prompts and exercises. Some of the prompts were silly and random. The classes went so well that Ethan extended it for two more sessions. It was great to see all the writing; people were really engrossed in what they were doing.

This was a teen driven program. They initiated this. Each week brought a different group of people to the table. In all, a total of fourteen people attended.

Part of the success was due to the fact that we were able to collaborate with two local high schools; Somerville High School and Prospect Hill Academy. Both schools were happy to be a part of this and encouraged students to attend. Ethan created something magical the students responded to. That, combined with outreach, was one of biggest reasons this was so successful! We will definitely do this again!

Many thanks go to the Friends of the Library for sponsoring this program.

On Tuesday, October 9th, the Friends of the Library invite you to attend their Somerville Public Library Benefit at Flatbread Company (45 Day Street in Davis Square.) A portion of the money from each pizza sold during the benefit will go directly to support programming and events at the three Somerville Library branches. Eat-in or take out. There will also be a small curated book sale and a wicked raffle. Prizes include;

• 2013 Burton snowboard
• $100 in LLBean gift certificates
• Framed print from Union Press
• One-year membership to the Friends of the Somerville Public Library and our 24oz canvas book bag (huge and indestructible, made in Charlestown, MA – you want this…)
• Pounds of coffee from Entimos and Magpie Coffee Roasters
• Skate deck from RAW
• Plus gift certificates to local favorites; Somerville Theatre, Posto, The Painted Burro, Picture Renewal, Ball Square Fine Wines, Somerville Grooves, Redbones, Porter Square Books, and even Flatbread itself!

The Friends of the Somerville Public Library is a not-for-profit organization that helps the libraries to provide programs, services, and materials not covered by the library’s normal operating budget. If you would like to become a member of the Friends, or have questions about the Flatbread Benefit, please contact the Friends by email at: FriendsSomervillePublicLibrary[at]gmail.com

Join the Friends of the Somerville Public Library for our upcoming Annual Meeting at the Central Library on Monday, June 11th at 7:00 p.m.!

The entertainment at this year’s meeting will be a “Somerville Story Hour” of original fiction and personal memoirs, hosted by Judah Leblang, author of the entertaining memoir, Finding My Place: One Man’s Journey from Cleveland to Boston and Beyond…

Joining Judah will be some talented local writers who will read from their own work. This program reunites some of the members of Judah’s memoir writing course, offered at the West Branch Library in 2009, who provided a memorable evening of stories for the public at the close of the course. We expect this evening of stories to be equally captivating.

The meeting will also include a brief business meeting where we read our financials and conduct other business, as legally required of all 503c organizations. Light refreshments – generously donated by Petsi Pies will be served.

Also, Judah will be back at the Central Library with local musician Yani Batteau for “An Evening of Words and Music,” on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. More about this later!

We waited all year and now it’s here – the Friends of the Library Fall Book Sale!

Don’t miss out on this chance to get great deals on new and used books, movies, music, and more – and show your support for the Library! Proceeds from the book sale help support library programs for adults and children, including the popular “museum membership” program which allows Somerville residents to visit local museums free or at a discount.

Friday, October 28th ~ 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 29th ~ 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 30th ~ 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

There will also be a preview for Friends who have joined at the $50 level or higher on Thursday, October 27th from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.

The Friends Book Sale is always a lot of fun…meeting up with your friends and neighbors, hunting for bargains, helping to ensure plenty of excellent Library programs in the months to come, maybe even scoring a copy of that elusive book you’ve been searching for…what’s not to like? We hope we’ll see you there!

On Tuesday, August 2nd, the Friends of the Library invite you to attend their Somerville Public Library Benefit at Flatbread Company (45 Day Street in Davis Square.) Every pizza purchased between 5:00 and 11:30 p.m. helps the Friends support programs for children and adults at the library, including the museum pass program. Flatbread will donate $3.50 for every large pizza and $1.75 for every small pizza sold, even if the pizza is to go. But why not stay for some bowling (Flatbread used to be Sacco’s Bowl Haven)? The Friends will also be selling used books for $1 each. Pizza, bowling, and books, all for a good cause. We hope you can make it!

The Friends of the Somerville Public Library is a not-for-profit organization that helps the libraries to provide programs, services, and materials not covered by the library’s normal operating budget.  If you would like to become a member of the Friends, or have questions about the Flatbread Benefit, please contact the Friends by email at: FriendsSomervillePublicLibrary[at]gmail.com

Here’s a link to the August issue of our snazzy new electronic newsletter. Read all about the benefit the Friends of the Library are hosting at Flatbread Pizza Company, the Summer Reading Club Awards Ceremony featuring storyteller Doria Hughes, the August entries in our two film series, shadow puppetry, yoga for kids, The Red Pyramid, Kidstock, Nature in the City, and more! If you’d like to receive future issues by email, send a message to ejacobs [at] minlib.net.