Do you need holiday gift book suggestions for the young readers in your life? Join the Lincoln Public Library children’s librarians on Thursday, Dec. 1 at noon as they review their favorite new books of the year as well as some perennial favorites. The event is open to all adults (feel free to share with grandparents and relatives near and far). Email dleopold@minlib.net for the Zoom link.
Join us via Zoom on Thursday Dec. 8 from 7–8:30 p.m. for an evening with mystery writers Sulari Gentill, Hank Phillippi Ryan, and Eva Jurczyk moderated by Rachel Raczka of the Boston Globe. Everything was fine until it wasn’t — a scream in the library, books gone missing the first day on the job, a secret threatening to tear apart a perfect life. Register here.
Join an evening with two of the country’s top young adult authors as Maureen Johnson (Nine Liars) is interviewed by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (The Final Gambit) in a webinar on Wednesday, Jan. 4 from 7–8 p.m. Sponsored by the Lincoln Public Library. Click here to register.
Join us for a book talk on Who’s Raising the Kids? with author Susan Linn hosted by Lincoln Nursery School at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. in the museum’s Dewey Gallery. Linn, an expert on the impact of big tech and big business on children, provides a deep dive into the roots and consequences of the monumental shift toward a digitized, commercialized childhood, focusing on kids’ values, relationships, and learning. Linn is a psychologist, a research associate at Boston Children’s Hospital, and a lecturer at Harvard Medical School. Read the New York Times review of her book. Click here to register for the talk.
Come meet Lincoln’s new state Representative, Carmine Gentile (Precinct 1, west Lincoln), on Saturday, Jan. 21 in Bemis Hall. For many years, Rep. Tom Stanley was Lincoln’s representative, but in the recent redistricting, Lincoln was split into two districts along its voting precinct line. Get acquainted with Gentile, hear his perspectives on important issues and policies, and ask questions. The event starts at 2:30 p.m. with refreshments and conversation, and the meeting starts promptly at 3 p.m. Hosted by the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee but open to all, regardless of party affiliation.
NOTE: Rep. Alice Peisch was originally scheduled to attend as well, but she had to bow out and will reschedule a session in Lincoln for another time.
Civil War historian and Lincoln resident Megan Kate Nelson will give a talk about her new book, Saving Yellowstone: Exploration and Preservation in Reconstruction America (Scribner, 2022) at the Concord Museum on Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Concord Museum. It tells the vivid story of how, 150 years ago, Yellowstone became the world’s first national park amid the nationwide turmoil and racial violence of the Reconstruction era. A narrative of adventure and exploration, the creation of Yellowstone is also a story of Indigenous resistance and the struggles of Black southerners during a turning point in the nation’s history. Nelson was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in 2020 for The Three-Cornered War: The Union, the Confederacy, and Native Peoples in the Fight for the West (read this Lincoln Squirrel profile of her). Click here to register.
Gentile will hold virtual office hours for constituents (which include residents of southwestern Lincoln in Precinct 1) on Friday, Jan. 27. Meetings will take place via Microsoft Teams video call from 10 a.m.–noon. Any constituent who wishes to speak to him may sign up for a 20-minute time slot by emailing his legislative aide, Ravi Simon (a Lincoln resident), at ravi.simon@mahouse.gov. Constituents signing up for a meeting must provide their full name, address, phone number, email, and their discussion topic.
Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee (LSSC) candidate Ravi Simon of Sudbury (an L-S graduate and legislative aide for State Rep. Carmine Gentile) will host a campaign kick-off event at on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 3 p.m. at the First Parish of Sudbury (327 Concord Rd., Sudbury). The host committee includes Gentile, Sudbury LSSC members Cara Endyke-Doran and Candace Miller, former LSSC member Nancy Marshall of Lincoln, and former Sudbury LSSC members Jack Ryan, Tania Vitvitsky, Josh Troop, and Andrew Blair. RSVPs using this online form are appreciated but not required. For more information, email RaviforLincolnSudbury@gmail.com.
“The Challenges of Being a Debut Author” featuring Chelsea Banning will take place via Zoom on Monday, Feb. 6 from 7–8 p.m. Debut author (and librarian) was very excited to publish her first book, “Of Crown and Legends”. And then came the book signing where very few people showed up, and then the Twitter storm of support when Chelsea posted about the experience. Now, we speak with Chelsea in conversation with debut authors Laura Gao, Brian D. Kennedy, Jean Louise, and XiXi Tian to chat about the challenges and joys of getting your first book out in the world.
This event is hosted by the Ashland Public Library. Click here to register.
The COA&HS will present “Black History Month in the Era of CRT Book Banning” on Friday, Feb. 17 at 1 p.m. in Bemis Hall. Lincoln resident Ray Anthony Shepard, author of several biographies for young readers, will discuss the current hot-button topic of what in American history should be taught to children and will share how he addresses race in his picture book, Runaway: The Daring Escape of Ona Judge. Questions? Call 781-259-8811.
Click here for details.
The Lincoln PTO will host a forum featuring the candidates for the two contested races on the March 27 town election ballot on Tuesday, March 21 from 7–9 p.m. in the Lincoln School Learning Commons. The event will also be live-streamed on Zoom and posted afterwards on the town’s video webpage.
Four candidates — Peter Buchthal, incumbent Adam Hogue, Jacob Lehrhoff, and Matina Madrick — are vying for two seats on the School Committee. On the Planning Board, there are two openings and three candidates: incumbent Lynn DeLisi, Mark Levinson, and Craig Nicholson. (DeLisi has said she will not be able to attend the forum due to a family commitment.)
The event is intended not as a debate but as an information session and meet-and-greet whereby voters can get acquainted with candidates and their views. At the forum, moderators will pose questions to candidates from cards submitted by audience members. Attendees will get question sheets and pencils when they arrive, and they’re asked to pose questions that apply to all candidates in a race and not individual candidates.
During the week of March 13, the Lincoln Squirrel will publish two sets of mini-profiles of the candidates. The full election slate is available here.
The First Parish in Lincoln will host a talk by Bill McKibben on his book, The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at His Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened at the white church and online on Sunday, April 2 from 3–4:30 p.m. The event will also be simulcast live at St Anne’s Church.
McKibben helped found 350.org, the first global grassroots climate campaign, and recently helped found Third Act, which organizes people over the age of 60 for action on climate and justice. Click here for more information.
All Lincoln residents regardless of political affiliation are invited to a conversation with State Rep. Alice Peisch (D–14th Norfolk) on Monday, April 3 from 6:45–8 p.m. in the Lincoln Public Library’s Tarbell Room. Peisch represents Precinct 2 in Lincoln as well as Weston and Wellesley. Peisch was elected to the House of Representatives in 2002 and is currently the House Assistant Majority Leader. She served as House chair of the Joint Committee on Education from 2011-2023. This meeting offers an excellent opportunity not only to meet our new rep, but also to ask questions on matters of concern to Lincoln residents and hear her views on significant issues such as changes at Hanscom or the Housing Choice Act. Hosted by the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee.
Are you thinking about what to do over school vacation with the grandkids? Bring them to this intergenerational book intro, meet Lincoln resident Ruth Mendelson (author of The Water Tree Way), and enjoy ice cream sundae cups on Friday, April 21 at Bemis Hall. There will also be a short video of Jane Goodall, who volunteered to write the preface for the book. RSVP to reserve a free signed copy of the book by calling 781-259-8811 (limited to the first 20 callers; limit one book per household). Sponsored by the Council on Aging & Human Services and the Friends of the Lincoln Library.
Lincoln author Elizabeth Graver and Judy Bolton-Fassman will discuss Graver’s latest novel, Kantika, on Wednesday, May 17 from 7–8:30 p.m. in the Lincoln Public Library’s Tarbell Room. Kantika is a dazzling Sephardic multigenerational saga that moves from Istanbul to Barcelona, Havana, and New York, exploring displacement, endurance, and family as home, inspired by the story of Graver’s grandmother, Rebecca née Cohen Baruch Levy. Copies of the book will be on sale at the event.
Graver’s fourth novel, The End of the Point, was long-listed for the 2013 National Book Award in Fiction and selected as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Her other novels are Awake, The Honey Thief, and Unravelling.
An exhibit featuring local photographer Joe Wallace presented by the Liberty Alzheimer’s Partnership will kick off with a reception in Bemis Hall on Thursday, May 18 from 2-3:30 p.m. Joe will share the story of his book and traveling exhibit, “Portraits of Dementia,” created to destigmatize those living with dementia. Trained as a journalist, Wallace has been a portrait photographer and storyteller for 20 years, and like many, he has a deeply personal connection with dementia: both his material grandparents had dementia, and in recent years, his mother Barbara has begun her journey with the disease. Space is limited; please RSVP by calling the Alzheimer’s Association’s 24/7 helpline at 800-272-3900.
The Democratic Town Committee will hold a caucus to elect delegates to the 2023 Massachusetts Democratic Party Convention (to be held on September 23 in person in Lowell) on Sunday, June 4 at 2 p.m. at Bemis Hall. Doors open at 1:30 and close at 2:15 sharp, as required by Massachusetts Democratic Committee rules. Five delegate and four alternates will be elected to represent Lincoln at the 2023 Massachusetts Democratic Party Convention. All registered Lincoln Democrats are eligible not only to vote and be a delegate. Democrats who will be 16 by May 23, 2023 may pre-register for the caucus and participate and run as a delegate or alternate to the convention, although they are not eligible to vote in general elections until they are 18. Youth, minorities, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ individuals who are not elected as a delegate or alternate are encouraged to apply to be an add-on delegate to the caucus at the caucus or by visiting or at www.massdems.org/massdems-convention.
The Housing Choice Act Working Group (HCAWG) has scheduled a virtual multi-board meeting and two public forums in June to discuss the town’s path towards compliance with the state housing law.
The goal of the Housing Choice Act is to create more transit-oriented zoning areas (meaning areas surrounding MBTA stops including Lincoln’s train station) where multifamily housing is allowed by right. Under the updated guidelines released last fall, Lincoln would be required to allow either 692 or 563 units in one or more multifamily zones, depending on whether or not the Hanscom housing units are counted. In March, HCAWG met with consultants from Utile Design to review how the state calculates developable land and to walk through an initial analysis of current zoning in Lincoln to begin identifying areas that might be logical places for rezoning.
The meeting co-hosted by the Select Board and the Planning Board will be on Tuesday, June 6 at 7 p.m. Click here for the Zoom link. The public forums will be:
- Friday, June 16 at 8 a.m. in person at the Town Hall
- Tuesday, June 20 at 7 p.m. via Zoom — click here to register.
The Housing Choice Act Working Group (HCAWG) has scheduled a virtual multi-board meeting and two public forums in June to discuss the town’s path towards compliance with the state housing law.
The goal of the Housing Choice Act is to create more transit-oriented zoning areas (meaning areas surrounding MBTA stops including Lincoln’s train station) where multifamily housing is allowed by right. Under the updated guidelines released last fall, Lincoln would be required to allow either 692 or 563 units in one or more multifamily zones, depending on whether or not the Hanscom housing units are counted. In March, HCAWG met with consultants from Utile Design to review how the state calculates developable land and to walk through an initial analysis of current zoning in Lincoln to begin identifying areas that might be logical places for rezoning.
The meeting co-hosted by the Select Board and the Planning Board will be on Tuesday, June 6 at 7 p.m. Click here for the Zoom link. The public forums will be:
- Friday, June 16 at 8 a.m. in person at the Town Hall
- Tuesday, June 20 at 7 p.m. via Zoom — click here to register.