young angel midnight preview

8/3/2019 Young Angel Midnight Preview

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This book was generously supported and funded by the Cultural Or-

ganization of Lowell, whose mission is to stimulate a vibrant cultural

environment, create engaging programs and champion those who

make, present and preserve Lowells diverse cultures.


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2011 by the Cultural Organization of Lowell. Contributors retain copyright to their

individual works.

First Edition

ISBN 13: 978-0-9821600-7-7

Typeseing & book design by Derek Fenner and Ryan Gallagher.

Cover design by Derek Fenner and Ryan Gallagher.

Cover images by Anna Isaak-Ross and Frank Casazza.

Images on copyright page and contributor notes by Frank Casazza.

For additional ordering information:

Cultural Organization of Lowell (COOL)

50 Arcand Drive

JFK Civic Center

Lowell, MA 01852

978.446.7162

hp://www.cultureiscool.org

BOOTSTRAP PRESS is an imprint of Bootstrap Productions, Inc., an arts and literarycollective founded by Derek Fenner and Ryan Gallagher.

www.bootstrapproductions.org


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Curated, edited, and designed

by Ryan Gallagher and Derek Fenner

An Emerging Generation in the Arts in Lowell


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86-89

83-85

80-82

74-79

15

16-22

23-29

30

31-35

36-39

40-42

43-50

51-54

55-57

58-62

63-64

65-66

67-70

71-73

Foreword by LZ Nunn and John Wooding

7

Preface by Ryan Gallagher

and Derek Fenner

9


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151

152

153-155

149-150

156-158

97-105

106-110

111-114

115-116

117-118

119

120

121

124

125-126

127-128

129-130

131-132

133-135

136-137

147-148

Editorial Note by Ryan Gallagher

and Derek Fenner

11

Contributor Bios

214-221


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138-140

141-146

159-165

166-167

168-172

173-177

178-180

181-184

185-187

188-189

190

191-195

196-197

198-200

201-206

207-210

211

212

Young Angel Midnight: The Mixtape

Introduction to the Lowell Music Scene

90-91

Bios of Musical Contributors

92-96

Download music at youngangelmidnight.bandcamp.com


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Foreword

A creative economy is the fuel of magnificence.Ralph Waldo Emerson

Since its founding in 2001, the Cultural Organization of Lowell (COOL) has

helped generate a vibrant cultural environment and stimulated our citys

creative economy. In line with the goals in Lowells Creative Economy Plan, we

at COOL are commied to promoting the work of younger artists. For its tenth

anniversary in 2011, COOL commissioned Bootstrap Press of Lowell to assemble

this book of emerging artists: Young Angel Midnight.

The works presented in this collection radiate with energy, diversity, and

creativity. Poets, visual artists, designers, spoken-word performers, ction

writers, and musicians have been brought together to make a large collective

statement about the condition of imagination in our community. Seven featured

contributors graduated from the Lowell High School Fine Arts Academy. Many

more are alumni of UMass Lowell and Middlesex Community College. In addition

to the contributors work, the book includes proles of several collectives, groups,

spaces, and organizations that support and feed the arts in the community. Music

selections are available on the web at youngangelmidnight.bandcamp.com.

The purpose of this collection is not only to highlight the talents of these young

innovators, but also to encourage sustained creativity and provide a platform

from which they can present their work and ideas. The book is a 2011 snapshot

of artwork by an emerging generation of thinkers and artists of all kinds. It is not

the last word on the arts in Lowell, though it may be a kind of rst word. If the

project is as successful as we hope it will be, then it can lead to more initiatives

with artists of all types, all ages, all media.

As you read this, the nations next Jack Kerouac or Lucy Larcom, the next

unforgeable graphic designer, trendseing clothing inventor, era-changing

painter or sculptor, acclaimed playwright, spoken-word champion, Grammy-


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destined sound engineer, or platinum-selling songwriter may be working away

in her or his studio or at a coee shop down the street. We hope this book inspires

you to seek out the work where it is being created.

Thank you for helping support the creative thinkers and makers who help fuel

our magnicent city.

LZ Nunn, Executive Director, COOL, John Wooding, Chairman,and Director, City of Lowell Board of Directors, COOLOffice of Cultural Affairs and Special Events


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Preface

Lowell of mad midnights under the gaunt pines by the lickety ticky moon,blowing with a shroud, a lantern, a burying of dirt, a digging up of dirt,gnomes, axles full of grease lying in the river water and the moon glinting ina rats eyethe Lowell, the World, you find.

Jack Kerouac, Dr. Sax

The arts have the power to form and shape communities, change lives, be

visionary, challenge power structures, question authority, and aunt beauty.

When we sought out this project, we wanted the chance to tell the story

of Lowell through the arts, as well as to tell the story of the arts scene in

Lowell. But we also thought that by digging deep into the hyper-local, especially

in Lowell, we would be able to produce an anthology that highlights what is

interesting about the arts in America. What was, and still is, the most compelling

aspect of the art we found in the city was its youth and energy, as well as its

cultural and aesthetic diversity.

This anthology begins with an unpublished poem by a twenty-ve-year-old

Jack Kerouac from 1947 and ends with two unpublished poems by a twenty-

one-year-old Sebastian Sampas from 1944, which is also the year he was killed

serving in the Army in World War II. In their youth, Kerouac and Sampas formed

a group with other friends in Lowell called the Young Prometheans to discuss

art, writing, and politics. That young people gather to pass around this sacred

Promethean re to unlock the possibilities of a more meaningful existence is

nothing new. For example, Lucy Larcom, a textile mill worker famous for her

memoir A New England Girlhood (1889), was publishing poetry in the 1840s in

Lowell Ofering , a monthly publication of poetry and ction of younger female

textile workers. But it is up to us, as a society, to see the value in fostering these

Promethean aempts at stealing bits of knowledge from the gods simply because

they make life worth living, open our eyes to injustices and to beauty, and take

us beyond ourselves.

Like Whitmans America, Lowell is a busy, teeming, intricate whirl.

Immersing ourselves in the city in which we live to seek out a cartography of

its creative life brought us into contact with people and groups visibly working


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together under the red mill-brick landscape, as well as to the edges of the city

and its unmediated spaces. We went to blenders at the 119 Gallery and we saw

performances of theatre, poetry, and music around the city. We met with artists

in their studios and with art organizations working with young people. We

hung out with skaters at the Old Worthen Tavern and listened to them explain

how they were performance artists who reclaim public space for their stage.

We found a world of fashion designers and dancers who easily move between

traditional cultures and carry themselves with trendseing swagger.

But we were only able to scratch the surface.

Walk through Lowell most any day and you will nd that it lives and breathes

its moo: Art is the handmaid of human good.

Within the 14.5 square miles of its borders and population of over 100,000,

the most dicult part of this process was how to organize all of the creativity we

found in book form. While this book is able to showcase the work of more than

a hundred artists, writers, and musicians, we were not able to highlight what we

thought was the most impressive thing about the creative life of the city: that the

artists were essentially doing all of this themselves; they were curating shows for

each other, throwing concerts and benets for each other, playing at openings to

draw crowds, aending each others events, collaborating with each other, living

together, and sharing meals with each other.

We hope that these pages retain the smell of turpentine and glue, the click of

the camera or the amp being plugged in, and the pulse of the performances. We

believe that Young Angel Midnight throws its light on what it means to be young,

brilliant, and visionary in 2011.

Ryan Gallagher and Derek FennerLowell, MAAugust 2011


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Editorial Note

This book is not meant to be a comprehensive look at the arts in Lowell. There is so

much that is happening in the city that is not represented within these pages. It would

be an impossible task to include everything.

When this book was proposed to the Cultural Organization of Lowell (COOL),

Bootstrap Press sought to produce a collection of emerging artists, writers, and

musicians who lived, worked, or went to school in the Greater Lowell area. The goal

was to present Lowells art scene as culturally and aesthetically diverse, vibrant, and

extensive in an aim to both document the art, literary, and music scene of the city, as

well as to expose the scene to a larger regional and national audience.

As editors for this project, there were so many individuals and groups that were

instrumental in helping us put this collection together. We would like to begin

by thanking LZ Nunn, the entire sta, and the board of directors of the Cultural

Organization of Lowell (COOL) for believing in this vision and supporting it. It makes

us proud to live in a city that is willing to see the value of the arts and nancially

support the eorts and creativity of a new generation. We are indebted to Paul Marion

for his guidance and advice throughout this whole process, and we are continually

inspired by his dedication to the arts in Lowell. Anna Isaak-Ross, Dave Robinson,

Mike Flynn, Jim Higgins, Setheyny Pen, Steve Perez, and Walter Wright put us in

contact with so many dierent people and groups, and helped us spread the word.

And nally, a thank you to John Sampas for the unpublished poems he was able to

pull from his archives.


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One year among the angels, beloved, thou hast been;

One year has heavens white portal shut back the sound of sin:

And yet no voice, no whisper, comes oating down from thee,

To tell us what glad wonder a year of heaven may be.

from A Year in Heaven by Lucy Larcom (1824-1893)


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Anna Isaak-Ross, Appleton Mills


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Do you know your town's slogan? I bet you don't. If you're from Lowell and givea damn about this city, you probably know ours: Art Is The Handmade of Human

Good. I don't know about your town's slogan, and I am not judging, but ours actually

means something. Lowell has always been about art; it's in the water. Just a walk

downtown will reveal paintings, sculpture, poetry, music, and more expressions of

what it's like to come from a blue-collar town with a depth of history in the arts.

When I rst moved here in 1985, I was a punk-ass teenager who didn't know

anyone. It was summer and school hadn't started yet and I wasn't sure how I was

going to t into Lowell. That "where-do-I-t-in" feeling lasted one day, my rst day

as a Lowell resident. With my mother at work and waiting for electricity in our newapartment in Lower Belvidere, I went for a walk downtown to check out my new

home. At rst, I was depressed by a ghost-town of failing businesses that lacked any

legal, human activity on a Friday night. I thought "what do people do around here?"

I kept walking and heard the sound of live blues coming from a very dangerous

looking bar called The Downtown. The street in front of the bar was a row of Harley

Davidsons and the bouncer standing in front of the joint was a scary 6 foot 8 inch

bad-ass. I stopped and looked in the window and saw an Elvis-looking kid, not much

older than me, playing the guitar in ways I had only heard on records. This cat was

unbelievable. I was hypnotized until the bouncer broke my trance with, "His name isKevin and he's not old enough to be in here either. You wanna come in?"

I thought he was messing with me. But there I was inside The Downtown with a

bunch of bikers watching Kevin Stevenson play guitar. That was my rst time seeing

a guy who I would see live a thousand more times and who would go on to be my

mentor and produce my rst record. That night, a ght broke out at The Downtown.

The bouncer looked at me, pulled out a knife, and said "OK kid, time for you to go!"

I got the hell out of there and in the next few weeks that bar would close, but I kept

Because of his deep

relationships in the Lowellmusic scene, D-Tension(Steve Perez) graciouslyassisted in gatheringcontributors from acrossthe citys diverse musicallandscape. A list of thecontributors can be foundon pages 92 - 96. Photoby Hugo Pinto.


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running into Kevin at shows at defunct clubs like Edible Rex, and of course The Last

Safe and Deposit Company, simply known as The Safe.

For years, The Safe was the center of my life: I played my rst gig there; I met my

wife there; and I saw some of the best local music anyone could imagine. Kevin would

go on to play guitar in The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and a Weezer side-project. Hisband, The Shods, signed a major record deal that was a dream until multiple sclerosis

robbed Kevin of his chance. I saw the soul of Lowell, Jen Kearney, at The Safe. I saw

Melvern Taylor, Frank Morey, and Sco Piman there too, but this isn't a list. This is

the story of my love aair with the music of Lowell.

Like all great things, The Safe died, but I learned that while it was a magical place,

it didn't really maer. It's in the water here. I have presided over hundreds of shows in

Lowell for nearly 20 years. Some of the faces never change, but there are always new

ones. When I was rst asked to help curate this project, I knew the toughest part would

be to represent the versatility of Lowells music scene and its many generations ofgreat bands, singers, and musicians. In my 20 years of writing, producing, performing,

and booking shows here, there are too many to mention.

This collection is about love, and an unexplainable common bond that we Lowell

music-types all share. Lowell is a community that allows me to book a show with a 21

year-old rapper, a punk band in their 40s, and a bluegrass band. I've tried that type of

show in Boston and it just doesn't work there. It only works in Lowell. If you've never

come to Lowell, please do. There will be a show happening and it will suck you in. Just

make sure your rst round is a glass of tap water.

I need to dedicate our contribution to this amazing project to the memory of EricStevenson, who recently passed away after a prolonged illness on August 9, 2011. He

was an incredible and accomplished musician who was taken from us far too early.

He was also my friend. Eric, I will miss you man.

D-Tension is a hip-hop artist and producer. He has lived in Lowell for over 25 years.He first began performing as a joke at an open-mic at the legendary Last Safe and DepositCompany. The joke somehow became a career. D-Tension produces records and hasworked as a radio DJ, journalist, and booking agent. Hes also been nominated for eightBoston Music Awards and won Best New Artist in 2001 and Producer of The Year in 2009.

Eric Stevenson, like his brother Kevin, initially achievedsuccess in the metal band, Only Living Witness. OLWplayed the world over and is cited as an influence by mostof todays well known metal bands. In the early 2000s,Eric made a dramatic switch to playing in a hard-hitting,country band called Hank Crane. A multi-instrumentalist,

Eric shined, whether playing the guitar or drums, and hewrote songs that paint a vivid picture.


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Beneath The Sheets is a fire-burning rock band fromLowell. Established in 2006 by Evan Gillis, Al Landry,Myk, Austin Bryant, and Jeff Ferro, BTS has been workingdiligently to spread the love from the heart of Lowell to

the rest of the world. They released their debut album,Go Easy, Its My First, in September of 2009 and areworking on their follow up on the bands own record label,Dirty White Sneaker Productions. Photo courtesy of theband.

Benjelly (aka Ben Farley / Packrat, ex-Ladderlegs, ex-Abhorred) has been making musicin and around Lowell since 2001. He has self-released dozens of albums of original songs,including The Stretching Actand Something Should Rescue Me and My Friends.

Big Ben Hillman, the Professor of FUNK, isa singer, songwriter, musician, and producer.Ben attended UMass Lowell, earning a degreein music composition. Ben also hosted a weeklyradio program called Soul Power on 91.5 WUMLthat ran for 10 years. Ben tours with his bandThe Royal Family, best known for the hit songsIt Must Have Been the Music and Im Sorry.Photo by Jeff Zoccoli.

The Abbadons are Justin Sexton (guitar & vocals), Danny Hickey (drums), Mark Ronan(bass), and Matthew Corcoran (guitar). They started playing together in the fall of 2008 in anold comic book store by the river. They play rock music loud and fast. Like the city they grew upin, their music is gritty, aggressive, and haunted.

Action Park features Alyssa Ferrell on accordion, Matt Flynn on guitar and vocals, RyanFraser on drums, Ben Frassa on guitar, and Bill McCann on bass.

Bar Sinister features Adam Caires on guitar and vocals, Jon on bass, and Rick Stec ondrums.

The Bella Birds are Lowells premier, parlor rock trio.Actually, they are Lowells only parlor rock trio. Through

their interweaving harmonies and acoustic instrumentation,they bring their signature, undressed, get-shit-donephilosophy to rock arrangement. They manage to blenddaring instrumentalism with passionate songwriting. Thetrio, comprised of Pam Craven, Chris Forgione, and ZackRoot, formed in Lowell in 2008. Photo courtesy of theband.



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birdorgan formed in late 2006. They perform in NewEngland. Their goal is to work with other like-minded, soundartists, creating immediate, free-improvisations in thespaces provided. birdorgan features Dei Xhrist (effectedvoice, objects, contact mics), Marc Bisson (prepared

guitar, contact mics, voice, casio sk-1 keyboards, toys,recorder), Mike Fun (modular synthesizer, theremin,recorder), and Mike Dailey (drums, percussives, voice).Photo courtesy of the band.

Carl Johnson is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He hasmade Lowell his home for over 10 years. He has been a stapleon the local music scene since the early 90s, both as a solo artistand in several of the areas popular acts. In 2011, he released hisself-produced Attic Recordings Volume One, which he recordedin his home in the Highlands area of Lowell. Photo courtesy of

the artist.

Christopher (Effect) Butler is a hip-hop artist, songwriter,and graphic artist. He has released two full-length, solo albumsas well as an album with partner D-Tension under the name LosWunder Twins Del Rap. Effect has also done album artwork andre-issue designs for labels including Capital Records, Universal,and Columbia Records (just to name a few). He was born andraised in Lowell, where he still resides.

Craig Thomas is a long-time musician and artist residing indowntown Lowell. Having been part of the local music scene most

of his life, Craig has performed in such bands as Hank Crane, TheChris Ware Band, Jenny Riddle & The Homegrown Gentlemen,and The Shods. He also writes and records his own solo material.His media company LowTown Productions has been servinggreater Lowell and Boston for over 10 years. Photo courtesy ofthe artist.

Electric Donkey is an eclectic partywith a wide range of musical styles. JeffSouthworth, Lee Sullivan, Jay Tobin,and Greg Surprenant formed The Donk

in 2001. The selection Personal Spaceis an account of an incident that occurredduring the Lowell Folk Festival. Lee wassaying hello to some ladies, when a girlbehind him took exception. She told himto get out of her personal space. Afemale friend of the band then bloodiedthe girls boyfriends nose. Photo byD-Tension.



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Los Bungalitos is a five-piece, melodic, hardcore bandfrom Lowell. Formed in 2003 by friends at UMass Lowell, LosBungalitos has since gone on to complete a number of successfultours of the East Coast, Puerto Rico, as well as the DominicanRepublic. Their positive lyrics, highly-energetic, live shows, andrelentless work-ethic have earned Los Bungalitos an enthusiasticfan base both at home and abroad. Los Bungalitos featuresEnrique Vargas (vocals), Julius Hayden (guitar and vocals), TimBrault (drums), Joe MacFadzen (bass and vocals), and NickLawrence (guitar). Photo by Lisa Gagne.

The Flip was formed in the Summer of 2008 over a sharedlove of live performance. As graduates of the UMass Lowell musicprogram, they rapidly became a staple on the Lowell music scene.Their chemistry as a band grew quickly as did their development oforiginal music. In November of 2010 they released their first EP titledRunaway. The band continues to write and mature through frequentlive performance all around the Northeast. The Flip features Ashley

Dawn DiGrazia (vocals and keyboards), Sean Lebrun (vocals andacoustic guitar), Ken Budka (lead guitar and background vocals),Brian Redmond (bass), and Tim Roberts (drums). Photo courtesy ofthe band.

Jen Kearney is a songwriter and performer. She haswritten, recorded, and produced several albums andtoured the country as a solo artist and with her band,The Lost Onion. Jen also teaches private music lessonsat The Space in Lowell. She is releasing an album inEurope and working on her next album, which will bereleased in 2012. Photo by by Anthony Tieuli.

Jenny Riddle is a musician, songwriter, poet, and aregistered nurse. Her songs Killing Time and Wash ItAll Down were on the legendary Poor House Sessions,born from open-mike night at the Last Safe and Depositin Lowell in 1994. Her Band Jenny Riddle and the HomeGrown Gentleman features Craig Thomas on drums, EricFaulkner on bass, and Ed Newton on guitar. When folksask her what kind of music she plays, she describes it asWhite Trash Noir. Photo by Eric Pestana.

Kevin P. Stevenson is a singer, songwriter, andguitar player. He was in some of Lowells favoritebands, including Duck Duck, Only Living Witness,Formicide, and The Shods. He is accomplished instyles from blues to rockabilly, metal, country, andska, but is clearly all about rock and roll. Kevinhas played in The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, TheRivers Cuomo Band, and has toured the country.Kevins unmistakable sound tells stories about thecharacters who make Lowell so unique. Photo byEric Pestana.



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Loup-Garou From Old French leu garoul, compound of leu (wolf) + garoul (werewolf), fromwarous, from Frankish wari wulf. Loup-Garou features Setheyny Pen on drums and electronics andWalter Wright on electronics and drums. Setheyny Pen also curates art shows, and enjoys anythingart related, as well as baking, eating, laughing, stoicism, Tao, Lagos, Zeno, animism, nature, the sky,stars, trees, old places, empty spaces, ugly shoes, ugly jewelry, and old ladies coats. Walter Wrightis an unlicensed architect, systems engineer, video pioneer, and computer programmer. He moved toLowell in 1997 and opened 119 Gallery in 2005.

Melvern Taylor writes happy songs about miserable people. His instrument of choice is theukulele. They go together like milk and cookies. Melvern has released 4 records, HandsomeBastard, The Spider and the Barfly, Fabuloso, and the latest release, Love Songs For Losers.Melvern has played in some other bands over the years but you probably never heard of themso we dont have to talk about that.

Michael Homewood (aka/ Mic Stylz), is an artist, MC, host,and promoter. He has been a huge part of the Lowell hip hop scenefor over a decade. A former JAMN 94.5, on-air personality, hehas promoted and hosted a monthly hip-hop show at the Village

Smokehouse in Lowell since 2010. An avid sports fan, Michael alsoworks as the Associate Adult League Director at Teamworks, anindoor sports complex located in Acton, MA. Photo by Katie Russett.

Mike Dion was born and raised in Lowell. He is a musician, asinger, a songwriter, a teacher, and a coach. He plays guitar andharmonica in Hot Day at The Zoo, and he plays drums in his newside-project, Alligator Wine. He teaches English at Lowell HighSchool and coaches wrestling at his alma mater Greater LowellTechnical High School. Photo by Sergio Velazquez.

The Mores are a punk rock band formed in Lowellby Terry McNulty (Vocals and Bass) and Jack Diliberto(drums) in 2002. Guitarists Dan Patalano and BrentTuscano round out the line up. Currently working on a newproject, they have released two albums: Bringing Homethe Bacon and Never Trust a Fart. Photo by NicholeRabbit.

Reverend JJ (Justin Burns) is a songwriter, acoustic guitar player,and harmonica player for Reverend JJ and the Casual Sinners, and heplays for the jug band Thunderpants Johnsons Hillbilly Orchestra. JJ hasfostered new talent for up-and-coming artists in the Lowell area, hostingopen-mikes and songwriter nights at various venues. This will be thefourth year of the Annual Foodbank Christmas Drive, or Texmass Eve, atthe legendary pub, The Worthen. Photo by Doug Sparks.



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W!TH TH!S F!RE is Anthony Richards, Charles Geer, Bob Fogwell, Leighton Borrowy, andEab.

Yahuba Garcia is a Lowell resident and musician who has been lighting up the nationalstage touring with The Ryan Montbleau Band and Martin Sexton. Yahuba embraces every styleof music as if it was his own, and is true to the craft of showmanship. He has visited schools,speaking and performing for students about his Puerto Rican culture and music. Yahuba is alsoa percussion instructor at The Bradford School of Music.

Stephanie Lak is a musician, multi-media, andperformance artist. She was born in Lawrence, MA,and moved to Lowell at age ten. She has primarilycalled Lowell her home since then. She is workingon the 2011 mural at the 119 Gallery, where she isalso an events director. Photo by 119 Gallery.

Tyler Bisson is a young musician and recording engineer. He migrated to Lowell to attendschool. Through the music department at UMass Lowell, he has formed many great connectionsto the local music scene. Having played both locally and nationally, the future looks bright, buthis sights are set on flooding the Merrimack Valley with his tunes. He plays most notably withhis solo act That Really Awesome Guy With A Guitar.

Victoria Vann is a Cambodian-American whoselove for music drove her to become a singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Lowell, Victoria hasblended her love of Irish Celtic instrumentation andCambodian tradition to create a unique sound. Shewrites and sings about her experiences with religion,being Cambodian, and the places she has been.Singing her ever popular rendition of the popularIrish tune Danny Boy has certainly made apparentthis girls love of Irish music. Photo courtesy of theartist.

Ryan Tygastyle Howarth is an artist whowrites and performs hip-hop music. As part of hisgroup Masstapeace, he has released three full-length albums including two in 2011, Time 2 Make

Music and Father of The Year. He was born inLowell, where he resides with his wife and threechildren. Aside from creating music, Ryan hostsweddings, parties, and other functions. Photo byNicho McAllister.

The Sinbusters features Nicholas Colella onguitar and vocals, Jennifer Brunelle on keyboards andvocals, Olivia Close on bass, and Nicholas Egersheimon drums.



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was born in Texas, where he grew up until moving to Colorado.His early beginnings were in street art, but he has been showingprofessionally for the past three years. His work has been largely

influenced by Philip Glass. He recently moved to Massachusetts, where heplans to pursue an education in furniture-making. He and his longtime girlfriendreside in downtown Lowell.

is an artist, educator, and musician. His art draws inspirationfrom minimalism and conceptual art, focusing on processand use of materials. Born and raised in Lowell, he has been

playing drums in local bands since he was a teenager. He is a core member ofthe Artbotics education program and is looking to further his involvement in theworld of robotics.

is from Westford, MA, and is completing his BFA inoil painting at UMass Lowell. His work often depicts awhimsical narrative generated or based on a preceding

title or prompt. The rules that govern these spaces may be vaguely accepted,

but the need for them to be painted is emphasized. The object matter of hisscenarios falls short as the subject only to the paint, attempting to be an objectabout painting.

is a photographer, living and creating work in Lowell. Hereceived his Master of Fine Arts Degree from the School ofVisual Arts in New York City in 2009 and soon after returned

to New England to teach at the New Hampshire Institute of Art, where he is alsothe schools Gallery Director. He has exhibited work across the United States,and his photographs are in numerous public and private collections.

grew up on the Lowell/Chelmsford border and holds aBFA from the School of Visual and Performing Arts atSyracuse University. After working with several artists

at Amorphic Robot Works in New York City and Anderson Ranch Arts Centerin Snowmass, Colorado, she returned to live in Lowell. Anna is the StudioManager for the Art Department at UMass Lowell.


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is a poet, actor, youth worker, lover, and friend. He foundedMill City Slam, the adult slam poetry scene, and M.O.M.S.,the Middlesex/UMass Lowell college slam poetry scene.

Alongside his fellow partners in rhyme, he founded FreeVerse!, a youthorganization dedicated to expand the presence of spoken word in Lowell.

was raised in Wilbraham, MA, and graduated witha BS in Fine Art from Skidmore College in upstateNew York. Her work has been featured on The

Boston Channels Boston Chronicle: Art Colonies. Welz Smiths most recentshows include Shifting Boundaries, Chain Letter Art Show, and The SketchbookProject. She lives in Lowell with her husband and daughter, and looks forwardto the arrival of her son in November.

also known as Benjelly, is a musician, composer, writer/

author and sometimes painter from Massachusetts.Sometimes Lowell. Often Lowell. Not always, though. He

has written somewhere near a thousand songs, been featured on too manycompilations, and has had both poems and paintings published in a few small-press magazines.

grew up in Lowell and, after nine years on the West Coast,moved back to town. The poem featured here is from hisforthcoming Loom Press book: Sweeney At-Sea. For the

first in the trilogy, Sweeney on-the-Fringe, go to loompress.com. Market St.

Market and Brewd Awakening, both on Market St. in beautiful, sunny downtownLowell, also sell his book. Daves s wife Anna Isaak-Ross is also featured in thisanthology; they have a son, Griffin.

is an artist, writer, publisher, and juvenile justice educator. Heis the author ofMy Favorite Color is Red(Bootstrap Press2005), I Know Longer Believe in the Sun: Love Letters to

Katie Couric(Boostrap Press 2009), and Wild Schemes(Lew Gallery 2010).Derek is the coordinator of arts programming for the Collaborative for EducationalServices in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services.He is co-founder of Bootstrap Press and has lived in downtown Lowell since

2007.

is a digital artist and photographer. His artwork is based inphotography, but also combines fine art such as watercolor tocreate a distinct atmosphere and style. Through complex photo

manipulation, Dustin seeks to transform the ordinary into an expression of ourinner thoughts and emotions. He was born and raised in Lowell and attendedthe Arts Magnet Middle School, Lowell High, and UMass Lowell.


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is from Billerica, MA, but has been involved with

poetry in Lowell since her junior year in high school.She has been a part of the FreeVerse! slam team forthe past two years, and regards Lowell as her writing home. Emma is a recenthigh school graduate of the Innovation Academy Charter School and will beattending Smith College in the fall, where she hopes to pursue writing.

[His] codswallop has appeared in many odious hardscrabblepublications. He is also a passable visual artist with such dubiouscredits as the road sign for Little Laurel Preschool and the

forgettable cover illustration for the debased memoir Kittens in the Boiler. He haslived in Lowell for seven years, and spends most of his time glaring at childrenfrom his window.

is a visual artist. For the past nine years he has operatedEyeformation Studio in Lowell. An extremely diverserange of clients utilize his art work from Virgin Mobile to

Franciscans Hospital for Children. He designs for international clothing brandsas well as local retail shops. His paintings have brought him to San Francisco,Los Angeles, and overseas to Europe and China. He grew up in Tewksbury,MA, and has lived in Lowell for nearly 20 years.

is a student at UMass Lowell, or just another face in the endlesscrowd. An insignificant, walking among the gathered masses.However, if throughout his years, one of those footsteps ever

makes an impact, even in the softest way; then that is his exact reason forbeing.

is a graphic artist, painter, and photographer. Sheis also in the process of completing her graduateprogram in School Psychology. Her goal for the

future is to fuse art into her work as a school psychologist in the community. Efiwas raised in Lowell and lives there now.

is an artist, a cook, nurturer, student, adventurer, classicsenthusiast, and foodie. Her art is influenced by music, color,Ancient Greek tragedies, the human experience, and travel. She

is originally from Lowell, where she grew up and still has strong ties to familyand friends. Elaina lives in Somerville, MA with her husband Paddy and dog

Matilda.

is an artist and teacher. She lives in Lowell, where shegrew up. Lowell features prominently in Emilys artwork;she is inspired by the architecture of the old mill buildings

and canals. Her artwork has been shown at the ALL Arts Gallery, the UptownLowell Music and Arts Festival, and in July 2011 she was the featured artist atEyeful Beauty. Emily teaches middle school art in Wakefield, MA.


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is an artist, muralist, and musician who creates work thatreflects his cultural ideals. He lives in Lowell, where he isinvolved with the building and promoting of UnchARTed

Studios. His paintings and murals have been featured throughout the localart community, including at 119 Gallery, Western Ave Studios, The RevolvingMuseum, and the Lowell Art Walk. Gilbert is known for his quick, animated styleof painting and spirited character P.A.B.

is a painter, writer. and co-founder of UnchARTed Studios in Lowell.Her subjects lean towards womens social issues. She focusesmainly on female figures and has studied at the Florence Academy

of Art in Italy and received her Sociology degree from UMass Lowell.

is an artist and graphic designer. Her work explores nostalgicelements through relationships and memories, capturingmoments, emotions, and experiences using familiar items.

She received her Bachelors of Fine Arts from UMass Lowell in 2010. Holly iscontinuing her work in BIC pen portraiture and book arts.

Born Jean-Louis Kerouac in Lowell in 1922, he wrotemore than 30 books, including the counter-culture classicOn the Road. Kerouac, often considered the leading figure

of the Beat Generation, has continued to inspire a generation of youth lookingfor something more in American culture with his spontaneous bop-prosody.He passed away in St. Petersburg, Florida on October 21, 1969. Allen Ginsbergand Anne Waldman honored Kerouac in 1974 when they named the writingprogram at the Naropa Institute in Boulder, Colorado, the Jack Kerouac School

of Disembodied Poetics. His life is celebrated in Lowell during the first weekendin October at the Jack Kerouac Literary Festival.

is an artist and instructor. As a Massachusetts Cultural Council(MCC) Artist Fellow for Drawing in 2010, her work was mostrecently included in New and Recent Work by 13 MCC Award

Recipients in Painting and Drawing at the Tufts University Art Gallery. She hasexhibited extensively. She grew up in North Carolina and now lives in Lowellwith her daughter. She has taught drawing, printmaking and painting at UMassLowell, Brandeis, Clark University, RISD, and the Massachusetts College of Art

and Design.

Jessica Hosman studied photography and Spanish languageand culture at UMass Lowell, and now works with digitalpublishing technologies at OReilly Media. She is an artist,

daydreamer, traveler, and technophile. Jessica lives in Lowell in an old convertedcotton mill that dates back to the early 1800s.


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When Justin Kwan moved to Lowell, he saw an event flyerin a downtown Coffeehaus. He attended the event and met aphotographer who introduced him to the Lowell art scene. Justin

has since been involved with Flying Orb Productions, an experimental filmand dance group; worked with the Cultural Organization of Lowell; and helpedproduce the Lowell National Historical Parks 30th anniversary video. His latestproject is the culturehive.com website.

is an intermedia artist. He was born in Colorado and isinterested in most things, particularly Swiss Army knives,global fairness, and love. He works as an Assistant Professor

of Art & Design pro tempore at UMass Lowell, where he is head of the Web Art& Design Area. Jim lives in Lowell with his beautiful wife Jean, and their rabbitLogan. He is the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of 119 Gallery and afounding member of the Arts Research Collaborative @ Printer on Prescotthome to his studio in historic downtown Lowell.

is a recent Magna Cum Laude graduate with an Interdisciplinarydegree in Photography and Painting from the New HampshireInstitute of Art. A passionate observer of todays world, she enjoys

working with new mediums, and experimenting with process. She was born andraised in Lowell and resides there today. She does freelance work in both paintingand photography.

is a Lowell-based graphic designer, artist, illustrator, front-end developer, and self-confessed sticker addict. Afterearning a Bachelor of Arts degree from UMASS Lowell,

Jonathan began working as a web designer for several radio stations in Boston,before taking a position as UX Designer for Transparent Language, a softwarecompany. While working for TL he continues to develop his freelance careerat www.smithgraphics.org and enjoys creating mediocre paintings, doodles, andhand-made stickers in his spare time.

is a photographer, musician, artist, and teacher whowas raised in Agawam, MA, and now lives in Lowell. Heearned his BFA in Fine Art and Photography at UMass

Lowell in 2009. He works at The Revolving Museum in downtown Lowell asa full-time Art Technician and Art Instructor. He also plays bass guitar in theexperimental funk/punk band The Big Sway, as well as the internationallytouring melodic hardcore band Los Bungalitos.


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Kates poetry has appeared in CaliforniaQuarterly, Comstock Review, Harpur Palate,Poet Lore, and elsewhere. The poems in this

anthology are from her first book of poems, Mid Drift, which was published byLoom Press in 2011. Many of the poems in Mid Driftare inspired by the 10 yearsthat Hanson Foster lived in Lowell. From 2003-2006, she was the co-editorofRenovation Journal, a Lowell-based literary magazine. She lives and writesin Groton, MA.

is a photographer, skateboarder, and collector. He was born inSouth Tewksbury, MA. By the age of 13 it became necessaryfor him to know where the bus stop at the end of the street led.

Skateboard in hand, he found downtown Lowell. Over the years a camera canbe found by his side as often as a board as he adds to his collection of images.He lives with his wife, Heather, in Lowell.

is a visual, multimedia artist and co-founder of UnchARTedStudios, an alternative art space and gallery in Lowell. Shereceived her BFA in Printmaking from Montserrat College

of Art in 2009. She resides in Chelmsford, MA and works as an odd-jobentrepenuer to pay her college debt. Her time outside of work and sleep is spentwith her feline friend Endow, exhibiting where possible, organizing communityart events, and curating / managing at UnchARTed Studios and Gallery.

is a poet, artist, singer, and youth worker. She is Co-Founderof FreeVerse!, an organization she formed with some of herclosest friends. Masada is passionate, and you can witness

that if ever you see her perform or teach a class. She also enjoys sunshine,smiling, and hugs. She was born and raised in Lowell, and lives there now withher family.

is a freelance illustrator, web designer, and writer. Recently,he illustrated a board game cover (Black Gold, Fantasy Flight

Games), colored the original graphic novel Divine Intervention(Arcana Comics), and provided web design for Citizen Radio Productions. Hiswriting can be found at his weekly column for The Progressive Playbook. Hespent lots of time skateboarding in Lowell as a teenager, where he now livesand works.

grew up in Lowell, where he also went to school. He livesin Somerville, MA, and is a member of the WashingtonStreet Art Center, where he prints in the darkroom.


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is an artist and musician. His work has been shownat 119 Gallery, UnchARTed Studios, and The CharlesBullfinch Gallery. A multi-instrumentalist, he has

played in several projects in and around Lowell since 1995. He has recentlyplayed guitar for Bacharachattack! and drums for birdorgan. He lives in SouthLowell with wife and two children.

is a performer, writer, speaker, and teacher who lives in Lowell.She is a graduate of Georgetown University and has trainedin classical acting at Shakespeare & Company. She received

a 2010 grant from the Lowell Cultural Council for her one-woman show, fufu& oreos(119 Gallery, May 2011). Obehi also has an art award named in herhonor from the James S. Daley Middle School in Lowell, where she was astudent. To learn more about Obehi, visit www.fufuandoreos.com.

is from California, but has lived in Lowell for most of her

life. She has been involved with teen organizations sincemiddle school and found FreeVerse!, a Lowell-based non-profit poetry organization, during junior year in high school. Spoken word washappily added to her list of performance arts. Princess landed a spot on theLowell Youth Slam Team with the help of FreeVerse!. She will attend LowellHigh School as a senior in the fall.

is an analog and digital collage artist. In addition to his personalportfolio and collaborations, he has designed for numerousbands throughout the Boston and Merrimack Valley music scene.

Additionally he is active as the drummer for Lowell-based bands Bar Sinisterand Lonesome Republic. He was born and resides in Lowell with his wife andtheir vast number of plants, beasts, and horded trinkets. Rick is the owner/operator of Levi & Annies Dog Bakery.

is an artist, writer, publisher, and teacher. Author ofPlum Smash and Other Flashbulbs(Bootstrap 2005),he has also translated The Complete Works of Catullus

(Bootstrap 2008) from Latin. He was born and raised in Lowell, where he liveswith his wife and two children. He is co-founder of Bootstrap Press and teacheshigh school literature and journalism.

is an artist, skateboarder, and a student at UMassLowell. He was born and raised in Lowell.

is a librarian and poet. His poetry has appeared in TheSandy River Reviewand SuperArrow. He grew up inLowell, MA and lives there now with his wife and son.


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Born in Lowell, Sebastian Sampas was educated at LowellHigh School and Emerson College, as well as through hisown studies and reading. Before he was 20 years old, he

organized a group of creative intellectuals that he named the Young Prometheans,one of whom was his close friend Jack Kerouac. The group shared and critiquedeach others ideas about art, politics, and writing. He served in the U.S. Armyduring World War II, and was killed in 1944. In his introduction to the prosecollection Lonesome Traveler (1960), Kerouac wrote: Decided to become awriter at age 17 under influence of Sebastian Sampas, local young poet who laterdied on Anzio beachhead.

is a poet whose work has appeared in Derivasand TitMouseMagazine. She moved to Lowell compelled by love and writing.She lives in an old red-brick building on Middle St. She is the

editor of Two Water Series, a made-by-hand, letter-pressed chapbook seriesthat features innovative/experimental writing by women of color.

is a musician, multi-media, and performance artist.She was born in Lawrence, MA, and moved to Lowell atage ten. She has primarily called Lowell her home since

then. She is working on the 2011 mural at the 119 Gallery, where she is also avolunteer events director.

is an artist, illustrator, and a motion graphic designer. He was astudent at UMASS Lowell from 2005 until 2011 when he graduatedwith a bachelors degree in Graphic Design. He was born in Worcester,

MA, and he interned at the 119 Gallery in 2010.

is a writer and teacher originally from Lowell. DeathKnocks at the Wrong Door is his first published story.He has taught British Literature and Creative Writing

at Lowell High School since 2004. He is enrolled at Emerson College in theM.F.A Creative Writing (Fiction) program. Will lives in South Boston with hiswife and son.

is a recent graduate of UMass Lowell. He is anaspiring writer and lives in Lowell where he enjoys

playing music and watching movies.


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Anna Isaak-Ross, Lowell


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