The Wrentham Times

Wrentham Cable 8 to Host Author Michael Tougias

Wrentham Cable Access has invited author Michael Tougias to give a personal presentation of his latest book; A Storm Too Soon. On February 13th at 7 pm, in the Wrentham Developmental Center Auditorium, Tougias will give a two part presentation. The first part will be a slide lecture regarding his book.

This event happened 250 miles out to sea in one of the world’s most dangerous places, the Gulf Stream. After their boat sank, three men, a Canadian, a Brit, and their captain, JP DeLutz, a dual citizen of America and France must survive in a life raft. Eighty foot waves repeatedly toss the men out of their tiny vessel, and JP, with 9 broken ribs, is hypothermic and on the verge of death. The captain, however, is a tough minded character, having survived a sadistic, physically abusive father during his boyhood, and now he’s got to rely on those same inner resources to outlast the storm. Trying to reach these survivors before it’s too late are four Coast Guardsmen battling hurricane force winds in their Jayhawk helicopter. They know the waves in the Gulf Stream will be extreme, but when they arrive they are astounded to find crashing seas of seventy feet, with some waves topping eighty feet. To lower the helicopter and then drop a rescue swimmer into such chaos is a high risk proposition. The pilots wonder if they have a realistic chance of saving the sailors clinging to the broken life raft, and if they will be able to retrieve their own rescue swimmer from the towering seas. Once they commit to the rescue, they find themselves in almost as much trouble as the survivors, facing several life and death decisions.

Three other vessels with 10 people aboard were caught in the storm, and only 6 survived. This 2007 disaster prompted one of the largest and most intense rescues in Coast Guard history. Tougias will use slides of the storm, the survivors, and the rescue. Amazingly the Coast Guard helicopter crew photographed the men in the raft being pounded by towering waves. 

After a brief intermission, feature refreshments Tougias will present his second slide lecture Survival Lessons: Inspiration, Goal Attainment & Decision-making From Those Who Have Survived Against All Odds. This inspirational and interactive Power Point slide presentation first illustrates the survival stories Tougias has researched and then discusses the lessons learned.

Tougias has conducted extensive research involving people who have survived disasters in the face of incredible odds. All of these individuals felt completely overwhelmed but quickly learned the secrets of channeling and managing their energy into proactive decisions that allowed them to survive. The author has learned that the techniques used by survivors can help all of us achieve our dreams, manage rapid change, operate at peak performance, and lead more fulfilling, productive lives.

A book signing will follow the programs, and the presentations are suitable for all ages. The evening events will end at 8:45. Admission is free and everyone is invited to attend. For additional Information and directions to the Wrentham Developmental Center Auditorium visit www.wrenthamcableaccess.com.

THE FRIENDS OF THE FISKE ANNUAL BOOKSALE IS Friday and Saturday

The Friends of Fiske have been hard at work collecting clean , saleable books, DVD’s, books on cd and music cd’s for the Annual Book Sale. They are still accepting donations. Also, Friday night from 6 to 8 p.m. there will be a special Friends of the Fiske Booksale Members Night. Anyone interested in attending may pay the $15 family membership that night or before. There will acoustic entertainment provided by the Berkshire Valley Boys and other local musicians.

The SOHOANNO GARDEN CLUB will hold its annual plant sale in conjunction with the book sale on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Emily Dickinson Visited Fiske Thanks to Actress Sally Gruber

By Janice Battikha

Sally Gruber performs in a dress handmade to replicate Emily Dickinson’s customary dress. Photo by Terri Newfell

Today, when we hear the name “Emily Dickinson,” we think of poetry, a reclusive genius, and the poet’s many years of correspondence with friends, relatives, and authors throughout New England. But to the residents of her Amherst hometown,  “Em” was best known for her gardening and baking talents. On Thursday, April 26, character actress Sally Gruber brought this more domestic Emily to vivid life in the program “Shades of White,” at the Fiske Library.

Her performance was the culmination of a month-long endeavor, Wrentham Reads Emily Dickinson, sponsored by the Wrentham Cultural Council (which generously provided a grant for Ms. Gruber’s appearance), and by the Fiske Library, the Friends of the Fiske, and the Wrentham Book Club.

Appearing in a long white dress modeled after Dickinson’s original—on display at the Homestead Museum—Gruber wove Dickinson’s poetry into a first-person narrative that explored Dickinson’s life, character, and sensitive nature. The program then segued into a discussion of the Victorian meaning of flowers, accompanied by a demonstration on how to create a “tussy-mussy” bouquet.  (Gruber is a gifted floral designer who teaches throughout the area.) The program concluded with gingerbread made from Dickinson’s own recipe and handouts of her poetry, that gingerbread recipe, and bookmarks featuring her image. 

The walls of the library’s Sweatt Room were decorated with posters, each depicting a colorful flower painted by a Wrentham schoolchild and quoting a favorite Dickinson poem. Miniatures of the posters were given out as favors to attendees. Wrentham Reads involved activities designed to encourage town members to read a single book, The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson by Jerome Charyn. “Our motto was, ‘One Book, One Town,’” says WCC member Mare Ambrose, who worked tirelessly on the group’s projects. A number of activities, including movies and a children’s program, took place throughout the month. On Thursday, May 10, there will be a final event: a field trip to Emily Dickinson’s family home, the Homestead, now a museum dedicated to her life and poetry. Individuals who’d like to participate can sign up at the front desk of the Fiske Library (45 Randall Road, Wrentham MA) where full details on the trip are available.

"Dickinson" to Visit Fiske Thursday Night

Thursday, April 26th, the Wrentham Book Club will present a special program, Shades of White, as part of Wrentham Reads. Character actress Sally Gruber will visit Fiske Public Library and perform as Emily Dickinson dressed in an authentic, white Dimity gown. Gruber will quote Dickinson's poetry. Shades of White is being offered as part of the town wide initiative, One Book One Town. Residents are encouraged to read The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson by Jerome Charyn. The book was selected by the Wrentham Reads committee to coincide with National Poetry Month. The program is supported by the Fiske Library, the Friends of the Fiske, and the Wrentham Cultural Council.

The grant for the program was provided by the Wrentham Cultural Council, an affiliate of the Mass Cultural Council. A culminating event is a trip to the Homestead and Evergreens, the homes of the Dickinson family in Amherst, MA on May 10, 2012. Cost is $25. Details and sign-up are at the Fiske Library circulation desk. Also in conjunction with the Wrentham Reads program, Emily Dickinson’s verses will be posted around town on posters decorated with watercolor flowers painted by local school children.

Local Author Publishes First Novel

The Secret of Bog Lane is Americo Tulipano's first novel.

His day job is at the Wrentham Developmental Center, but Americo Tulipano has another gig, a passion really, as a writer. And that passion has resulted in his first novel, The Secret of Bog Lane, which consists of several interwoven mysteries. “One critic said it was a thriller.  My son simply calls it a ‘scary story,’” says Tulipano. “But it's also a love story.  Romantic entanglements wind through the novel.  Other kinds of love also have a role in the book, especially the love that exists between parents and children.”

 

Tulipano has worked in human services both as a special education teacher and as a case manager for the past thirty years. Currently, he works at Wrentham Developmental Center. “[It’s] a wonderful facility that offers compassionate care and education services to its hundreds of residents,” he says. 

While The Secret of Bog Lane is his first novel, he has been writing short stories since he was ten. The book came from inspiration from different events and places, but one stands out. In 2009, he and his wife bought a house on a hill. “We learned that a few of the other homes on the hill have a hole in the cellar floor.  Each opening is capped by a lid the size of a manhole cover.  If you lift up one of those covers, you can actually see a rivulet flowing down to the local river.  The image of a sizable subterranean stream rushing right under someone's home stuck in my head for days,” Tulipano explained. “But what really shoved my imagination into 4th gear was the realization that this rivulet is accessible through an easily removable cover in the basement.  The other elements of the novel fell into place soon after.” 

The book has several mysteries. One involves an autistic boy named Jimmy Hitchens who disappears from the backyard of his home which is located in Plymouth, Massachusetts, off a dead-end street called Bog Lane.  Another mystery has to do with a small family that moves into Jimmy's house several months after his disappearance.  The family finds an enormous, manmade tropical garden in the basement.  As these things are happening in Massachusetts, an American explorer makes contact with an isolated tribe deep in the Amazon rainforest where he claims he can make them all immune to disease. “All of these mysteries--and several other strange happenings--gradually come together in the course of the novel,” Tulipano says. “The finale is an eye-opener in every sense of the phrase.”        

A second novel is in the works. It will be set in the 1960s and 70s at an institution for developmentally disabled people.  The new novel will be a mystery-suspense story, structured on well-documented historical realities and feature characters based on people who live and work at places like the Wrentham Developmental Center.       

Tulipano will be signing books on Saturday, May 5 from 1PM to 3PM at Tatnuck Booksellers on 18 Lyman Street in Westborough. The book is available at independent bookstores all around Wrentham and Norfolk.  This includes Paperback Junction in Easton, Ugly Dog Books in Attleboro, Readmore Books in Taunton, and the Book Cafe in Holliston.  Paperback copies and E-books can also be ordered through Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Wrentham Book Club Selects February Book Choice

 

The Wrentham Book Club at the Fiske Public Library in Wrentham announced the February book choice, Left Neglected by Lisa Genova. Selected as “Readersʼ Choice” in a vote by Club members, the book tells the story of Sarah Nickerson, a busy wife, mother, and employee who manages every minute of her life like an air traffic controller. Then one fateful day, while trying to make a phone call as she drove to work, Sarah looks away from the road for one second too long. In the blink of an eye, all the rapidly  moving parts of her jam-packed life come to a screeching halt as a traumatic brain injury completely erases the left side of her world. She is left neglected. Author Genorva is one of the groupʼs favorite writers, and her story tells how Sarah copes with a life of diminished capabilities. Learn how Sarah manages, discover insights into her new world. Join the Wrentham Book Club in the Genealogy Room of the Library on Thursday, February 23, at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the book. The library is located at 110 Randall Road, Wrentham. The telephone number is 508-384-5450. 

 

Author Puleo Talk a Success

By Jan Battikha

On Thursday, September 29, noted author Stephen Puleo addressed the Wrentham Book Club and Fiske Library guests on the subject of Boston’s Great Molasses Flood of 1919. Puleo told the group that when he decided to learn more about this event and tried to locate books on the topic, he discovered that there were none. A trained historian, Puleo began his own research, uncovering long-lost records and actually breaking the seals on legal documents that had been filed away more than fifty years previous. Four years later, Dark Tide, Puleo’s definitive book on the Molasses Flood was published. (Pictured: Interested individuals filled the library’s meeting room to capacity to hear Mr. Puleo speak.)

The library’s Sweatt Room was completely filled, and additional chairs had to be fetched to accommodate latecomers to the talk. Attendees had a keen interest in the dramatic event, which killed 21 people, injured 150, resulted in a 3-year-long court case, and ultimately brought about changes in building codes and laws. Audience members asked pointed questions, related personal memories of hearing the tale, and one visitor, Marion Cafferky of Wrentham, even brought copies of photos taken by her great-uncle, Leslie Jones, who, as photographer for the Boston Herald, actually covered the event.

In lieu of his usual speaker’s fee, Mr. Puleo requested contributions be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), a charity his family embraced when his niece, Megan, developed the disease. Members of the audience dropped contributions into a donations box at the door, raising $261 for the charity.

(PHOTO CREDITS: Terri Newfell, Wrentham Book Club member)

Author Stephen Puleo to speak at Fiske Library Book Club

The Wrentham Book Club at the Fiske Library is pleased to announce that Stephen Puleo, historian and  award winning writer, will visit the Book Club on Thursday, September 29, at 6:30 pm to discuss his book, Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919. The meeting will be open to the public. Mr. Puleo’s other books include A City So Grand (Boston, 1850-1900) and The Boston Italians. Fifteen Massachusetts cities and towns have selected Dark Tide for community-wide reading programs, which encourage all residents to read one book at the same time.

The meeting will be held in the Sweatt Room at the front of the library, which is located at 110 Randall Street in Wrentham; the phone number is 508-384-5440. In lieu of his usual speaker’s fee, Mr. Puleo requests contributions be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). His niece, Megan, has juvenile diabetes, and a portion of all Mr. Puleo’s book sales go to this charity. Contributions are strictly voluntary, but a shoebox at the door will allow us to collect donations in a private and respectful manner. If you wish to contribute, please place a sealed envelope with your contribution in any amount and drop it in the box as you enter. Checks should be made out to JDRF—Megan's Marchers. Please feel free to bring your personal copy of the book to be signed by the author, as time permits.

Author of The Lace Reader Coming to Fiske

Brunonia Barry,the author of The Lace Reader, a New York Times best seller, will be speaking at the Fiske Public Library on March 12th, from 2:30 to 4:00 pm. This Wrentham Book Club event will be held in the Sweatt Room and since space is limited, pre-registration is requested. Signup sheets are available at the library's front desk. The Lace Reader was Barry's first original novel and is currently published in thirty languages. The Map of True Places, her second novel, was published in 2010.

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Barry studied literature and creative writing at Green Mountain College in Vermont and at the University of New Hampshire and was one of the founding members of the Portland Stage Company. While still an undergraduate at UNH, Barry spent a year living in Dublin and auditing Trinity College classes on James Joyce's Ulysses. She is the first American author to win the International Women' s Fiction Festival Baccante award.

Barry also publishes a blog entitled The Bru-haha. Fiske Public Library is located at 110 Randall Street in Wrentham. The phone number is 508-384-5440.

Brown Returns as Best Selling Author

Wrentham's own Scott Brown returned to Luciano's at Lake Pearl to greet supporters and sign copies of his new autobiography, Against All Odds. It was just about a year ago that he stood before his supporters here as he culminated his famous campaign for the United States Senate. In the crowd, like last year, were many familiar Wrentham faces. Longtime friend and State Senator Richard Ross shook his hand and asked playfully, "How's it feel to be from Wrentham now?" (Pictured: Brown greeting Doris Kwarcinski and her daughter Lynne Kwarcinski.)

Brown graciously greeted his fans and supporters, took pictures with anyone that asked, and called many in line by first name including Sean Lawler, an Eagle Scout from Plainville. "He is one of the good guys," said Lawler's father Michael Lawler. "He's very down to earth."

Other supporters included Marilyn Cataldo, from Cataldo's Hardware store, another longtime friend. "I think he is courageous and will help a lot of people. He's a great guy."

Selectman Joesph Botaish thought the book signing by Brown was outstanding. "I think you are seeing the true color of this town's people with Scott Brown."

By 8:15, 400 copies of the book were purchased. The book tour continues until April 2nd, will take him throughout New England and across the nation ultimately ending in Boston at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. To see a list of scheduled appearances, visit Brown's site here.