C E L E B R A T E B O S T O N '
I N A U G U R A L C L I M A T E
TAKE A BREAK
of the flow and life in it, both ” It is both co comforting to know tha felt this at both 18 and 60
“The Gap Years: Climbin the Journey Back” French’s experience mo cross-country ski racing, fearsome summits at From the Presidentia Aconcagua to Ever committed himself to t training, traveling, and his passion for outdoor a
According to Frenc periods, between institutions, and life sta most logical times for a French supports that gap beneficial at any point clarity and direction
“Gap years don’t need t program, ” he said “Yo an itinerary, just to find paid and to follow your in do what makes your heart sing, the rest will follow ”
“They all went off and did things I was proud of and inspired by,” French reflected His initial reintroduction to mountaineering was with his son He describes hiking, sailing, and mountaineering with his children as a “ reverse gift ” “We invested a love of the outdoors in them and they invited me back in ”
When deciding whether to seek the help of a guide for particular skiing or mountaineering efforts during his gap years, French asked himself, “How capable am I?” and, “How core to the experience is doing it alone?”
In “The Gap Years”, he calls the engagement of a guide “renting bandwidth,” borrowed terminology from expedition leader Eric Simonson When French can accomplish an outdoor feat more safely and fulfillingly with a guide, he doesn’t hesitate to ask for help “If you want to access certain things you need bandwidth to get it,” French said
TRASH IS TRAGIC
The full sheets usually find their way into a clipboard and become journal entries, sketch pages, diagrams, detailed drawings, and brain dumps
I lent some to a Dungeon Master in my living room once during a D&D campaign and they were very grateful That was a high
The partial sheets typically get cut down smaller to fit on the fridge as grocery lists or into shapes for illustrated labels on boxes and shelves Sometimes they become little notes to my housemate
A New England native, French affirms that growing up in Massachusetts supported his inclination for outdoor sports From youth ski racing to mentors he would meet in his father’s outdoor sports store, he considers these early experiences in New England the foundation that allowed him to engage with people around the world who had similar interests in the outdoors
He raised his three children to share a similar fondness of the outdoors and they were thoughtfully woven into the
Renting bandwidth applies to his experience in the business world as well French claims that his best professional advice for young people is to ask for help
“What you don’t realize ” French explained, “is that people want to help, and it’s a sign of strength to ask for advice, opinions, and direction ” When he decided to write “The Gap Years," he followed his own counsel and called a healthy handful of authors for their expertise
“The Gap Years” was French’s first attempt at writing a book fueled by the real time blog posts he uploaded during his gap years to update friends and family To him, “the sharing of the experience was fulfilling, {and] the journey of writing the book was as gratifying as climbing Mt Everest ”
French looks forward to sharing sailing with his wife this summer
“The Gap Years” is out now and filled to the brim with both perilous action and thoughtful reflection All proceeds will benefit The Himalayan Trust, a charity that partners with communities in the Everest region to support development in healthcare, education, and clean water infrastructure ––––– KELSEY DEEMER
mean scarcity isn t real?
I tried to draw a Venn diagram of poverty skills, environmental stewardship, the collector's itch, and quasi-animism It got messy, but the middlemost section is represented by scrap paper and for gods' sake, I don't believe in gods, but I do believe in scrap paper
At the risk of self-indulgence, allow me to paint a picture:
The drawer of my entryway table holds two main scrap paper sizes: full 8 5" x 11" sheets, and partial sheets The drawer also holds a pair of large scissors, a Sharpie, a ballpoint pen, and a flashlight, and upon its knob hangs a roll of masking tape
To draw or write on scrap paper is to feel free, and thus to BE free Because the pages are repurposed and unbound, nobody is going to flip through the sketchbook or journal and think, " wow, not her best days " Knowing that, I can treat a garbage thought and a golden thought the same which is good because it's hard to tell the difference until you ' ve talked with a thought for a long time The freedom to be "trash" is the freedom to be anything, and that's good
I think my parents' resource-keeping ways came from their parents: upholding the thrift of a large farming family on one side and reacting to the excesses of corporate cocktail culture on the other side The older I get, the more core these stories feel to my own life, time, and choices My tiny slice of urban homesteading is a bit messy, but not in the scrap paper drawer, and regardless, I think it's worth it Fuck pollution, fuck the loss of hand-making knowledge, fuck waste, and while we ' re at it fuck the white cube art gallery style that looks eerily similar to online product photos Life has creases and stains, and I don't want to pretend otherwise or buy things I don't need
Author photo by Renee Gannon
TELL IT SLANT
Fresh and seasoned poets alike will find a warm embrace and hearty encouragement at Trident Poetry Open Mic Nights Hosted by Jordan Sahley and Mikaela Fitzpatrick every Sunday evening at Trident Booksellers and Cafe on Newbury St, these open mics have developed into a thriving community
Attendees have the option to sign up and perform or simply watch listen and maybe enjoy a treat from Trident’s extensive menu A two-round system, the first at 7 p m and the second around 8 p m , gives even latecomers a chance to enter the spotlight
Performers are encouraged to share their own work or somebody else’s for up to three minutes on the mic Firsttimers are greeted with cheers while some longtime readers have running jokes with one another
Attendees vary in age from college kids to retirees Performers bring an equally diverse collection of poems ranging from confessional to experimental, and memorized to slam Some works are even relayed in bits, with a new installment each week
Gawaine Ross, poet and author of “The Wind in the Pines,” has been going to Trident open mics for 4 years “It’s a great, warm environment,” he said “It’s a nursery for poets rather than competition ”
A M Wilson has been attending just as long He was recently a featured poet at the open mic in recognition of the publication of his work, “Before I Shut My Eyes: Collected Poems ”
“I had gone to Trident for years just for the books,” he said After finding the open mic community, he felt compelled to keep coming back “It really takes a lot to get up on the mic and share your words ” he added
Trident Poetry Open Mic Nights have led to the formation of a strong community of poets who publish their work in books under the Trident Poetry Collective (TPC) TPC began as the brainchild of Ross, Wilson, Chris Fong Chew, Kapil Kachru, and other longtime attendees Run by an editorial board of local poets TPC has released five anthologies, some of which are available for purchase at Trident or online at Amazon com
Their most recently published chapbook, “With Gritted Teeth,”
features 33 poets and ten illustrators
Anyone can submit their work for consideration in TPC’s anthologies
Their next collection, “Location Love Letters,” will accept submissions through June 30
All submissions are required to fit the theme of "love letters to locations that are special to you " Only submissions written in English and not previously published elsewhere will be accepted TPC will notify authors about their publication decision by July 12
MASSACHUSETTS MINUTE
When briefcvse’s hard drive crashed a few years ago all hope was lost Initially, it appeared as though years of sonic ideas were washed away in the blink of an eye, leaving nothing behind except feelings of emptiness and dismay for the multidisciplinary creative But after poring through the ashes of his defunct digital stockpile of SP-404 chops, work-in-progress songs, and other archived material, the Jamaica Plain native found there indeed was something salvageable – a collection of demos titled “for clementine ”
Poets selected for publication will receive a free contributor copy that may be picked up during the anthology launch party at Trident Booksellers & Cafe (planned for October 2026), or be reimbursed for the books purchase on Amazon com
A link to submit can be found in their Instagram bio @tridentpoetrycollective
The TPC anthologies are an amazing example of the unexpected treasures that can come from community Trident Open Mic Night remains a warm, inviting, and consistent environment for any poet, young or old, to keep growing
Created when he first met his wife “demos with you in mind” is a sub 10minute project full of oddities and static-y trinkets Much like the other components of briefcvse’s oeuvre, these demos are spacey, yet poignant, and an emotionally expressive release that teeters the line between lo-fi, hiphop, indie, and jazzhop music
“demos with you in mind” is briefcvse’s first significant drop since 2023’s “ALL IN A DAY’S WORK,” which spotlighted different Massachusetts artists as they rapped over his live production and first solo project since the “ some kind of
episode” in 2020 Though this project retains a consistent auditory thread that weaves from end to end, the songs almost feel as though each is a hidden relic from a different corner of briefcvse’s once beloved hard drive
While the hazy, warped production is on a level of its own, what’s especially striking here is briefcvse’s pen ‘demos with you in mind’ is furnished with free-flowing socratic stanzas that emerge from briefcvse like a flock of migrating birds – each with their own sentiment yet moving in a common direction One moment, he offers a critical reflection on his storytelling capabilities:
“I could be generic, think I’m bound to be hysterical Or we could tell the storyline with ethics like a parable
You can tell it differently, it doesn’t make you clerical
The story stuck in motion and it’s sounding pretty terrible”
The next, he riddles off a few bars that reflect on a period of self-imposed distance from his audience:
“I might be lacking etiquette For a moment I was subject and the predicate Cast like a spell, lost my intelligence Chef (?) in a shell but it cost me some relevance”
But regardless of the message, a throughline of self-awareness and contemplation runs through “demos with you in mind ” Across its ten tracks, the project gives briefcvse space to excavate his inner thoughts, and it’s this intricate form of introspection that ultimately makes this one of his most compelling releases to date
5/27 Bridge Gamble, Slake, 7-11 Jesus, Chico States @ O'Briens Pub 7pm 21+ $12 55
literary art
5/13 Boo! A Queer Horror Night Readings and conversations with authors Zefyr Lisowski & Nicky Gonzalez @ Papercuts Bookshop 6:30pm-8pm FREE
5/6 Building Resilience: Climate Change And Mental Health Conversation with mental health professionals, policy makers, and community non-profits about climate change's impact on mental health and practical solutions @ Zoom 4pm-5:30pm All Ages FREE
5/13 Pub Quiz @ The Square Root Cafe 8pm-11pm 21+ FREE
5/3 Soleil Spins Groovy fusion house DJ set @ New Leaf Espresso 11am-1pm All Ages FREE
5/3 Kitchen, People I Love, Wedding Gift, Puppy Problems @ Tourist Trap 8pm
5/7 Singer Songwriter Night with Brad Pillen, Tad Overbaugh and Chris Roussin @ The Square Root Cafe 7pm-10pm 21+ FREE
5/7 Chicorito, Char Baba, Mute City, NOIZCODE, Codec @ Zuzu 10pm 21+ FREE
5/8 Plack!, Condition Baker, Moosi+the Dolls, No Detour @ The Jungle 8pm 21+ $10 adv, $15 dos
5/9 Somerville Porchfest Community-powered music festival of neighbors hosting musicians on porches across the city 12pm-6pm All Ages FREE
5/29 Summer Kick Off Hill House The Band, The Far Out, All Night Boogie Band @ Crystal Ballroom 8pm All Ages $20
5/31 h2 “running Late” Debut Ep Release Show Ft. Frock, Apparatus Trio @ Lilypad 9pm 21+ $15
5/6 Grrl Haus Cinema – Best Of Shorts Short films by women, trans, and non-binary filmmakers in DIY and experimental cinema @ Brattle Theatre 7pm-8:30pm, 9pm10:30pm All Ages $15
5/14 Women Of Carbon Documentary Viewing And Panel Discussion Screening and conversation with women transforming construction and climate action @ Patagonia, Brattle St 7pm All Ages FREE
5/14 Author Talk Pleasure Please! The Black Woman’s Guide to Unapologetic Pleasure and Confidence A laid back evening to chat and ask questions with author and sexual health expert Ashley Cobb @ Just Book-ish 6:30pm8pm All Ages FREE
5/18 Midnight Release Party SCORE by Kennedy Ryan Launch party featuring appetizers, games, and the exclusive Harlem edition @ Just Book-ish 10pm All Ages $33
performance
5/8 When Poetry Sings –Voices From The Far East An evening of music and poetry curated by pianist Leona Cheung @ PAO Arts Center 7pm-8:30pm All Ages FREE
5/14 Good Girl: Seductive. Brazen. Unrelenting. Critically acclaimed solo comedy about sex, fantasy, and power by Rhiannon Jenkins @ The Green Room 8pm-9:30pm 18+ $45
5/15 The Intimacy Lab: A i i i i
5/6 Urban Farmer’s Almanac Workshop With Climate Designers Boston Hands-on collage and zine-making for urban sustainability @ The Foundry 3:30pm-5:30pm All Ages FREE
5/6 Built To Last: An Evening Of Climate Tech Innovations Showcase of climate tech startups pitching scalable green solutions @ Boston Museum of Science 7pm 18+ $25
5/7, 5/14, 5/21, 5/28
Queeraoke Critically acclaimed karaoke and one of the longest running queer nights in New England @ Midway Cafe 8pm 21+ $8
5/8 Arbor Day Picnic In The Park: Tree Planting With Sustainaville Picnic and tree planting party @ Lincoln Park (Somerville) 3pm-6pm All Ages FREE
5/8 Understanding The Carbon Market: A Simulation With Creative Carbon Innovations Step into the shoes of the real players
5/17 Sizzling Ink: A Smut Writing Workshop + Flash Tattoo Event With writing instructor Megan Hennessey and tattoo artist Nicayla Arzola @ Charles River Speedway 11:30am-2:30pm 18+ $17 8541 32
5/23 Small Mart Over 40 local artists, makers, and vintage vendors Shop small, local, and weird @ Crystal Ballroom 11am-4pm All Ages FREE
5/25 Drag Bingo Hosted by Mizery, featuring prizes, performances, and guests @ Club Cafe 7pm-10pm 21+ FREE
For
for Speak Up:
In
a
centered on political advocacy and dissent at The Local Seen 2D and 3D works accepted The deadline to apply is 5/11
MICE Exhibitor Applications Call for comic creators to exhibit at Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo 2026 The deadline to apply is 5/15
5/14 Tired Radio, Five Hundred Bucks, Little Low, Oh The Humanity! @ O'Briens Pub 7pm 21+ $18 60
5/15 We Booked Us Clyde Black, Jiles, DayDaDon, ET, Novian Wright, and isha @ Fat Freddy's 7pm $10
5/15 Blvck Hippie With Grocer & Little Hag Lilypad 8pm-9:30pm All Ages $15 adv, $18 dos
5/15 RIDDIM Dancehall, Soca, and Afro vibes @ Victoria's Diner Sugar Kane Alley 10pm
5/16 Roslin An afterno featuring R Adam's Par 1pm-6pm A
5/17 Mess Square Roo 21+ FREE
5/18 Cham Industrial N Cafe 8pm 2
5/23 Robb Empath, Cl Cuts Deli 7p
5/29 Who Killed Vincent Chin? Screening of the awardnominated documentary which led to a nationwide civil rights movement @ PAO Arts Center 6pm-7:30pm All Ages FREE
5/7 JOYWALK A Fenway Cultural District Art Crawl featuring 12 galleries and an art market @ Fenway 4pm-8pm All Ages FREE
5/4 Why The 2026 Midterms Are The Most Important Opportunity American ness Network 026 midterms ate moment @
5/14 Everybody Who's Anybody Openin R ti Unique exhibition seldom-seen artis
Call
Art Seeking artists
Art
Action,
show
Sleep ruiner, for a princess
"I want that product now!"
"Where Is My Mind" band that
as a blueprint for grunge
Did a lap?
Warnings from a boxer?
Soothing succulent
"Just What I Needed" band with a
Joint you don t want to roll?
Chew like a beaver
The Origin of the 8 Cat by Stone @8 stone
Pining for Petrichor by Ella Scheurell
The Wonderful Lunk & Dongo by Welcome Hersey
@Welx art
Sweet Tooth by Kate Bowers
How To Start A Garden by Allison Moore
YOUTH SOCIAL MEDIA BAN BILL
being terrorized by a bigoted administration. Now, Massachusetts lawmakers are advancing legislation that would cut them off from access to lifesaving online resources and support,” she said in a statement.
Megan Aki (they/them) is an artist, illustrator, and creative business owner based in Somerville, MA. Through watercolor painting, short form storytelling, and digital animations, Megan explores themes of collective care and connection with our natural environment and each other. This work is informed by their experiences as a climate worker and a desire to reconnect with a sense of inner wonder, joy, and appreciation for the universe. Megan seeks to engage with our collective sense of cosmic intuition and childlike playfulness, bringing characters and scenes to life that depict a colorful, calming, and whimsical sense of place and ways of being. Megan’s work refects their multitude of identities as a queer, trans non-binary, Japanese American, an empath, dreamer, and a storyteller. Megan spent the last decade of their professional career leading and collaborating
with local governments, nonprofts, and businesses to help our communities become resilient to the impacts of our changing climate. Now, they are applying those skills to their own business, Curioko Studio LLC, where Megan engages in commission illustration and visual design projects and coaches creative entrepreneurs on how to establish the organizational systems to operationalize their biggest dreams. They are passionate about children’s books, artwork for kids, short form storytelling and zines, branding for creatives and small businesses, and advertising for community events and programs.
Amendment H.5349 would be part of the broader senate bill to ban smartphones from schools. The bill would prohibit users under 14 years old from social media and require companies implement age verifcation for all current and prospective users. Parents would be able to request access to their child’s social media data, but information relating to a minor’s “LGBTQ+ or any other protected status” could be withheld.
“This is a matter of protecting our children with regard to public health,” said Education Committee chair Ken Gordon. “It’s a matter of standing up to Big Tech, just as we stood up to Big Tobacco in the past.”
Critics, however, question how barring youth from online spaces will keep them safer and say that the verifcation process would end online anonymity regardless of age.
“Although marketed as a child protection law, this social media ban would force all social media users in Massachusetts, including adults, to submit biometric information to tech companies to prove that we are over 16,” Act on Mass executive director Scotia Hille said in a statement. “Allowing parents to request the social media activity of children under 16 puts LGBTQ+ youth and other marginalized teens at risk.”
Fight for the Future director and Bostonbased trans rights activist Evan Greer called the bill shameful, a gift to Big Tech, and questioned how it would actually make kids safer.
“Trans youth in Massachusetts are already terrifed of losing their health care. They’re
The Trevor Project reports that LGBTQ+ youth spend upwards of fve hours per day online, 45-minutes more than their nonLGBTQ+ counterparts. While online spaces can present challenges, they also offer safe spaces for queer people who operate under a higher risk of cyberbullying elsewhere online. These online LGBTQ+ communities have been found to support the mental health and well-being of young people by offering information on diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, peer connection, and social support.
Greer alleged the bill would expand the surveillance state and likened it to similar state and federal efforts to censor online speech.
“This bill is a gift to the Palantirs of the world –– expanding Trump’s surveillance state by forcing everyone to associate their government ID with everything they post at a time when the DOJ is sending subpoenas to social media companies demanding they hand over the names of people running accounts critical of ICE,” she said.
“Big Tech social media companies cause real harm, and lawmakers are right to want to do something about it. They should pass privacy, antitrust, and algorithmic justice legislation that actually makes sense and is enforceable,” Greer said.
House leaders acknowledged that the bill may face legal challenges. “We think it’s the right thing to do. We think we are on solid ground,” said House Ways & Means Chair Aron Michlewitz. “We hope that once this bill passes, it’ll stand up through any legal challenges.”
JACOB DOWNEY
We are now a 501(c)(3) nonproft!
Last month we changed our name from Brain Arts Org to the fagship project you're holding in your hands - Boston Compass, Inc. This change refects a yearslong maturation of our paper from a side project living on donations to our main focus with 100 home delivery subscribers, robust distribution team, and growing roster of sponsors.
It's no coincidence that we have had more success using typically for-proft revenue streams than hustling for donations and pathetically small grants as a nonproft. Don't get me wrong - I've long enjoyed donating my time and seeing folks donate funds to support local organizations. After 13 years operating and learning about what it means to have 501(c)(3) nonproft status, we can confrm, while enjoying the wonders of volunteerism and tax benefts for us and our donors, that the whole damn system is wrong. It’s never made sense to us that power and privilege are concentrated at the top of orgs whose mission is to uplift working people, and it's proven impossible to move authentically and promote grassroots leadership to a full time position within the confnes of an inherently oppressive system.
We will continue to accept donations and cherish our donors and volunteers (who have kept this project going for 15 years, see NFTC #187) because these are the most radical aspects of having nonproft status. Otherwise delivery subscribers, solid partnerships, and sponsors are far more svustainable revenue streams for supporting our mission to pay artists and highlight culture in Greater Boston.
We want to see BCN continue indefnitely and with our 2026 team assembled, we
have never felt better going into a new year. We are very proud of Brain Arts Orgs work over the past decade, from founding venues and creative placemaking to organizing thousands of events and bringing touring musicians to Boston. It's especially comforting that this, our frst project ever, will continue to be a platform for local artists and creatives with the power to uplift and signal-boost every artist we have worked with from the beginning. Since forming the Boston Hassle blog in 2011, to founding Dorchester Art Project in 2017 we have worked with thousands of artists and organizations, and almost 500 different volunteers.
Let our publication continue to uplift our community without the painful and inequitable song and dance of nonproft fundraising.
KEEP READING FRIENDS we got a good thing going.
NOTES FROM THE CREW RETURN TO OUR ROOTS SAM POTRYKUS
MEGAN AKI
A bill seeking to apply new rules for how minors access social media passed the Massachusetts House on April 8, which top Democrats claimed would create one of the country's most restrictive policies on youth social media use.
Hello Cultural Navigators, Compass
founder Sam P. here with a monumental NFTC update: