Celebrating remarkable women on the Seacoast
Welcome to our Women's Issue!
Women have always been resilient. We have built, nurtured, and led—often in the face of adversity. Whether raising families, excelling in careers, or standing up for what’s right, women continue to push forward, even when the road is steep.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Her words remind us that a woman’s worth is not defined by oth ers but by the strength each carries within.
To the mothers, grandmothers, and caregivers—thank you. Thank you for your sacrifices, your sleepless nights, and your unwavering support. Thank you for the love that often goes unseen but never unfelt. Through your strength, you shape futures and inspire resilience in those who follow.
Strength doesn’t always look like boldness. Sometimes, it lies in quiet persistence—in showing up, in carrying on when no one is watching. It’s found in rising from failure, standing firm in the face of doubt, and defining success on your own terms. It is the ability to rise from the ashes, like a phoenix, stronger and wiser than before.
Today, we celebrate several remarkable women from our Seacoast community. These women draw strength from listening, their heritage, and the influences of family and science—all with the goal of building stronger communities, families, and individuals. We honor their accomplishments, along with those of the many extraordinary women throughout the Seacoast.
If there’s one message to carry forward, let it be this: no one has the power to diminish you unless you allow it. Stand tall. Speak up. Support one another. And always remember—you are enough, just as you are.
On a personal note, I’d like to wish my mother a Happy Mother’s Day. Thank you for your kindness and generosity over the years. Your unwavering support has always lifted me up, and for that, I am deeply grateful.
ANNE MOODEY, PUBLISHER @PORTSMOUTHCITYLIFESTYLE
May 2025
PUBLISHER
Anne Moodey | Anne.Moodey@CityLifestyle.com
MANAGING EDITOR
Tara Phillips | Tara.Phillips@CityLifestyle.com
EDITORIAL COORDINATOR
Chelsea Agro | Chelsea.Agro@CityLifestyle.com
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Kevin Edge | Kevin@KePhoto.com
SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR
Lisa Leslie | create@brandedwords.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Susan Gallagher, Ann Kathryn Kelly, Hannah Kanfer, Rebecca Ingalls
Corporate Team
CEO Steven Schowengerdt
COO Matthew Perry
CRO Jamie Pentz
CTO Ajay Krishnan
VP OF OPERATIONS Janeane Thompson
VP OF SALES Andrew Leaders
AD DESIGNER Jenna Crawford
LAYOUT DESIGNER Amanda Schilling
QUALITY CONTROL SPECIALIST Hannah Leimkuhler
inside the issue
Leading Through Listening
Seacoast business leaders built confidence, compassion, and their companies with
One Size Does Not Fit All
Taking a tailored approach to health and wellness.
The Hands that Feed
The women of Plates for Change fight to end childhood hunger in our community.
Where We Walk Now
Historian, community leader, and Executive Director of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, JerriAnne Boggis brings Black history into public consciousness and inspires community connection.
Women—like nature's most hardy plant—are resilient. No season can shake us loose from the ground which we stand. This women's issue represents all of the graceful, powerful, and courageous ways women forge ahead, up from ashes.
Florist, Wild Valentine & model, Tyler Whittum
Lindsay Elitharp Eggplant Armadillo Creative
city scene
1: Monica McCarthy, Seascape Capital Management, with Chrissy Sullivan at the Hope on Haven Gala. 2: Well Lived Women community gather at Laney + Lu for a discussion on hormones. Don't miss their next adventure. 3: Ryan Kaplan real estate agent Compass in the Dominican Republic on his third volunteer trip with the Habitat for Humanity Global Village project. 4: Ryan Bernier and Lisa Gainty, BankProv enjoy learning about and supporting CASA NH at Novocure. 5: Burke Bero, Airfield Place; Matt Mings, founder, Seacoast Climb; Shane Johnston, owner, Rye Physical Therapy; and Hope Anderson, tourism manager, Chamber Collaborative at Seacoast Climb event. 6: Sherri Chevalier, Casa Advocate, Syed Ali and Devin Oot, Novocure, and Nate Hastings, Portsmouth Chamber at Novocure/Casa event. 7: Marty Sink, President and CEO of CASA NH at CASA event, hosted by Novocure.
LEADING through listening
SEACOAST BUSINESS LEADERS BUILT CONFIDENCE, COMPASSION, AND THEIR COMPANIES WITH HELP FROM MENTORS
ARTICLE BY ANN KATHRYN KELLY PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
KEVIN EDGE
It’s May, the month that celebrates women—often, mothers—in our lives who made an impact on us. Six Seacoast business leaders share who tops their lists, with some fathers in this roundup getting the shout-out!
The biggest commonality? They all cite the importance of fully listening—a critical social skill that helps them seek to understand other people’s perspectives, desires and goals, prioritize shared outcomes, see the best in each other, and lift one another up.
Thank you to The Hotel Portsmouth for graciously hosting our photo shoot at their fun and colorful downtown Portsmouth property.
Scale, proportion, and balance are critical elements to each project Sheri Gibson brings to life for her clients through the interior design firm she owns, Rein & Company, with locations in Durham and Chicago. But equally important, Gibson says, is the art of listening and the trust it builds—the North Star she follows in her design approach and client relations.
TELL US ABOUT A MENTOR WHO HAD A LASTING IMPACT AND CHANGED THE TRAJECTORY OF YOUR LIFE.
Gibson holds the highest regard for a former employer and mentor early in her career. “A big reason I’m where I am today is because of Kristin Petro,” she says. Years earlier, Petro—who owns a design company in the Chicago area—took Gibson under her wing, instilling in her encouragement, autonomy, and confidence to drive her own design projects for Petro’s company. “I jumped in and learned by doing.”
Gibson was one of several designers there. She added that weekly meetings where the women shared what they’d learned, and traded design inspiration, contributed to an open, inclusive workspace. As she gained experience and developed her unique aesthetic, Gibson realized she was ready to take the leap and open her own business.
“I learned so much from Kristin about growing a company with integrity,” Gibson states. “Her business is grounded in strong ethics and she’s never been out to just make money. She’s committed to improving people’s lives through thoughtful interior designs that work, first and foremost, for them.”
Gibson emphasizes that her projects are relationship-driven as she brings to life what truly represents her clients’ style, how they live, and what’s important to them. She listens to develop creative feedback, which brings together form and function in beautiful, practical ways, while aligning to budgets and timelines—giving them a result they love living with.
AND IF YOU COULD PASS ALONG ONE BIG LESSON TO THE NEXT GENERATION, WHAT MIGHT THAT BE?
“Go out into the world with an open heart,” Gibson says, “and find the beauty and diversity in the big things—cultures, people, ideas—but also the small, everyday things all around us.”
“Go out into the world with an open heart.”
SHERI Gibson
OWNER AND PRINCIPAL DESIGNER
REIN & COMPANY DESIGN
“It’s important that women lift each other up.”
KIM Fortuna
VICE PRESIDENT
MARC MICHAUD ACCOUNTING SERVICES
Before joining Marc Michaud Accounting Services in North Hampton, where as vice president she manages operations and oversees client relations, Kim Fortuna was CEO of a non-medical home care agency. Fortuna cites listening as a top skill that helped propel her company’s success, and credits her father with reminding her often of its importance.
TELL US ABOUT A MENTOR WHO HAD A LASTING IMPACT AND CHANGED THE TRAJECTORY OF YOUR LIFE.
Fortuna doesn’t hesitate. “My father. He’s always been my go-to person, certainly while I was running Griswold Home Care but really, throughout my life. We joke in my family that Dad should have been a priest because everyone goes to him for guidance.”
Fortuna’s father, like his daughter, was an entrepreneur before he retired. He was therefore a natural choice to advise her on her business. He reinforced in Fortuna the need to listen carefully and consider all angles each home care scenario presented, so she could advise her clients accordingly. Her father, she says, uses diplomacy when dispensing advice—even now, after she closed Griswold and joined the accounting firm—but always balanced it with a bit of tough love. And that’s just fine with her.
“I didn’t want him telling me all the time I was managing Griswold, oh, everything you’re doing is perfect,” Fortuna remembers. “It was more helpful to hear what I perhaps was not doing as well or was not considering. That’s how I grew professionally, and improved my confidence and my customer service.”
She carries this with her to her current role, and chuckles that the accounting firm’s clients sometimes get hives at the mention of tax paperwork. Active listening helps her put people at ease and focus on goals.
AND IF YOU COULD PASS ALONG ONE BIG LESSON TO THE NEXT GENERATION, WHAT MIGHT THAT BE?
“Support people,” Fortuna says. “I especially love seeing women championing women, in business and in our personal lives. It’s important that we lift each other up.”
Fathers as pivotal mentors again surfaced while chatting with Maya Srinivasan, owner of Great Northern Builders in South Berwick, Maine. In business since 2002, the 23-year-old company specializes in residential remodeling and new construction in the Seacoast areas of New Hampshire and Maine. “We provide safe, happy, and predictable home remodeling services,” Srinivasan says.
TELL US ABOUT A MENTOR WHO HAD A LASTING IMPACT AND CHANGED THE TRAJECTORY OF YOUR LIFE.
“My dad. Absolutely.” Srinivasan explains that her father emigrated from India to Canada in 1963. She praises her father’s calm demeanor, his well-informed views, and what she describes as his gift to genuinely connect with people.
“He finds out what’s important to them and instinctually recognizes what makes each person special. As a result, he’s able to help people shine.”
Srinivasan learned from her father how to seek out the best in others, an approach that helps her nurture and encourage her employees to bring their A-games to work. “When I’m navigating workplace relationships, I try to emulate my father’s example of listening and showing interest in—and then showcasing—their unique talents.”
Srinivasan points out how this strengthens trust and opens opportunities for professional and personal growth, all-around. This perspective is foundational to how she drives her business forward and is able to offer the highest level of customer service and satisfaction.
AND IF YOU COULD PASS ALONG ONE BIG LESSON TO THE NEXT GENERATION, WHAT MIGHT THAT BE?
“There’s a place for you in the world, doing what you want and love to do,” Srinivasan says. “As long as you’re prepared to work harder than everyone else, and eat beans and rice if you need to, you can succeed at what you love, with time.”
“There’s a place for you in the world, doing what you want and love to do.”
MAYA
Srinivasan, CGR, CAPS
OWNER AND PRESIDENT GREAT NORTHERN BUILDERS
PAT Bennett, CLTC®
FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT LONGEVITY PLANNING
“There’s great joy in supporting and learning from one another.”
Pat Bennett points to strong peer group engagement for more than 28 years as a key factor to her success with Longevity Planning, the Portsmouth business she founded that offers personalized insurance options to help families protect their assets and independence. Longevity Planning provides insurance solutions for long-term care, life, and disability income protection, as well as guidance to plan for and minimize healthcare expenses at retirement age.
TELL US ABOUT A MENTOR WHO HAD A LASTING IMPACT AND CHANGED THE TRAJECTORY OF YOUR LIFE.
Bennett calls out her mentor, Laurie Chandler, whom she met in 1992 through the Women’s Business Center in Portsmouth that served female entrepreneurs on the Seacoast for 15 years before closing in 2010. “Laurie was on their board. I’ve admired her professionalism and grace for decades, attributes many people would name when speaking of Laurie.”
Bennett says Chandler was always educating and inspiring people toward financial independence. When Bennett started her business, Chandler advised her to form and lean on a peer advisory group. Bennett has nurtured those relationships for decades, describing how the group continues to support each other as their various ventures grew from start-ups to successful companies.
“We ask questions, we listen, and we learn,” Bennett continues. “We exchange ideas about strategy, education, networking opportunities. We’re invested in helping each other figure out what works and doesn’t work.”
Through it all, Bennett says Chandler remains a trusted advisor: “She’s still inspiring me, all these years later.”
AND IF YOU COULD PASS ALONG ONE BIG LESSON TO THE NEXT GENERATION, WHAT MIGHT THAT BE?
“Find out what you’re passionate about,” Bennett recommends, “and make it your life’s work.” She encourages people to form peer groups, as she did, with those who share likeminded interests and goals. “It’s made such a difference for me, professionally and personally. There’s great joy in supporting and learning from one another.”
Becky Florence’s decades-long career in custom picture framing has taken her from the East to the West Coast and back to New England, once more. She and her husband David Pratt own D. Pratt Framer, with locations in Rye as well as Kittery, Maine. They share an important—and rare—certification: that of Master Certified Picture Framer (MCPF®). There are fewer than 100 MCPFs worldwide and Florence is the only certified professional currently practicing in New Hampshire.
TELL US ABOUT A MENTOR WHO HAD A LASTING IMPACT AND CHANGED THE TRAJECTORY OF YOUR LIFE.
“My maternal grandmother,” Florence answers. “She was fierce and loyal. Born in 1919, she raised five children and was the breadwinner—a testament to her hard work and resilient spirit.”
While Florence says she models her strong work ethic after her grandmother (and names her mother as a second role model), she’s always been driven to expand her horizons. “My grandmother died in 2002 and in her 80-something years, she lived in only one place,” Florence explains. “I didn’t want that. So, soon after she passed, I sold all my possessions and drove to California.”
If that sounds like lyrics to a well-known song about wanderlust and the promise of California dreamin’, well, the results weren’t far off. Florence says she loved her experience, and developed her design talents along with people management skills while running several framing stores in the San Francisco area for 10 years. “I learned more in my decade out there than the previous 20 years I’d spent on the East Coast,” she states.
Yet, home was calling and she returned to the Seacoast in 2012, eventually meeting her future husband. D. Pratt Framer has been in business nearly 40 years. As a more recent co-owner, Florence balances the business side with the creative fulfillment of working one-on-one with clients to frame their treasured art pieces. “I learned a great deal from my grandmother but also proved to myself what I’m capable of during that time I struck out on my own without a net.”
AND IF YOU COULD PASS ALONG ONE BIG LESSON TO THE NEXT GENERATION, WHAT MIGHT THAT BE?
“For women in business, explore as much of the world as you can,” Florence urges. “Leave your comfort zone.” And for women in general? “Learn a trade. Learn how to use tools. I promise, you’ll fall back on this again and again.”
“Learn a trade. Learn how to use tools. You’ll fall back on this again and again.”
BECKY Florence, MCPF®
PRESIDENT D. PRATT FRAMER
KAREN Duprey
OWNER
RESTORE HYPER WELLNESS
“Press forward and don’t give up.”
While active listening to understand another’s perspective and goals is the shared throughline across our profiled business leaders, owner of Restore Hyper Wellness, Karen Duprey, adds an additional takeaway. “Inviting feedback and really hearing it is important,” she says, “but so is balancing that with what our own instincts tell us as we pursue our outcomes.”
Put another way, it’s just as important that we all remember to listen to ourselves.
TELL US ABOUT A MENTOR WHO HAD A LASTING IMPACT AND CHANGED THE TRAJECTORY OF YOUR LIFE.
Duprey points to a business leader early in her career who advised her to weigh feedback she received against her own gut feel. “Feedback is just data,” she remembers her mentor telling her, “and simply because someone tells you what they would do does not always mean they’re correct or that you must act on their advice. You also need to listen to your own intuition.”
This perspective remains top-of-mind for Duprey in how she operates Restore, the business she owns with her husband in two Portsmouth locations—on Lafayette Road and Woodbury Avenue—and a third location in Nashua. Duprey explains that Restore’s mission is, quite simply, to help people do more. Utilizing science-backed therapies and customized plans, Restore guides clients in how to remain healthy, happy, and engaged for as long as possible.
In helping her clients build roadmaps toward wellness, Duprey applies a similar feedback loop to what her mentor described years earlier. She seeks to balance what she’s heard from each client on preferences and instincts about their wellness journeys and then find alignment in the recommendations she provides.
“To be successful, listening must be twoway,” she continues. “We help our clients see their potential, but they need to actively drive their results.”
AND IF YOU COULD PASS ALONG ONE BIG LESSON TO THE NEXT GENERATION, WHAT MIGHT THAT BE?
Duprey points once more to trusting one’s own instincts. “Each of us knows what we want. So, press forward and don’t give up.”
Meconi Financial Management & Advisory
We are a comprehensive financial planning practice, led by Art Meconi who is registered to service clients in 31 states. We have a team of experienced professionals dedicated to the highest levels of client service. Our hope is to empower our clients to achieve their financial goals through personalized financial planning, tailoring to each client’s unique needs and fostering collaborative relationships built on trust.
one size does not fit all
Taking a tailored approach to hormones and wellness
Hormones can be an intimidating topic, but if you’re overwhelmed, know that you are not alone. According to Northwell Health, 80% of women will experience a hormone imbalance at some point in their lives. One way to address this is through Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT).
We sat down with Jessica Clough, APRN, CRNA, and Anna Goodkin, APRN, CRNA, of The Vital Elements to discuss all things hormones and wellness.
WHAT CAUSES HORMONE IMBALANCE?
Hormone imbalance can result from many factors like aging and menopause, but lifestyle factors also play a key role.
“High levels of oxidative stress, smoking, excessive drinking, vaping, or a diet high in processed foods can all contribute to hormone loss,” said Jessica Clough, APRN, CRNA.
Everything in the body is connected. When one part is off, it affects the rest. One example is the gut.
"The gut plays a significant role in producing hormones, neurotransmitters, and mood-related compounds. The gut microbiome and gut health influence brain function and overall well-being, so an unhealthy gut can impact mood, immunity, and various bodily processes," said Anna Goodkin, APRN, CRNA.
ARTICLE BY HANNAH KANFER PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN EDGE
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF HORMONE IMBALANCE?
Hormone imbalances in women can lead to night sweats, hot flashes, weight gain, thinning hair, and even symptoms of depression or anxiety.
“Hormones are more than just your sexual health, they’re everything. They help protect your cardiovascular system, keep your cholesterol in check, and so much more,” said Jessica Clough, APRN, CRNA.
One challenge with identifying hormone imbalances is that their symptoms can mimic other conditions.
“Your doctor may attribute your symptoms to another condition and prescribe treatment but sometimes an underlying hormone imbalance may be the root cause” Jessica Clough, APRN, CRNA explained.
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) at a Glance
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) is a form of hormone therapy. Unlike traditional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) which uses synthetic or animal-derived hormones, BHRT uses
hormones derived from plants that are chemically identical to those naturally produced by the human body.
A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO WELLNESS
As experienced medical professionals, Jessica and Anna prioritize taking a medical approach to wellness.
“When people come to us, we focus on how we can help them beyond just hormone treatments,” said Anna Goodkin, APRN, CRNA. “We take a holistic look at their overall health and well-being. Whether it’s reducing reliance on certain medications or simply adopting a healthier lifestyle, we work with patients to find the right path for them.”
Before a patient undergoes BHRT, they first go through a thorough consultation. This includes documenting
symptoms and medical history, testing hormone levels through blood and saliva testing, and developing a specialized treatment plan based on those results. The process also includes follow-up appointments, monitoring, and lifestyle support.
“Your hormones are like a fingerprint, everyone is unique. Different factors like lifestyle and genetics all play a role, which is why we emphasize that each person needs to be treated individually, rather than given a one-size-fits-all approach,” said Jessica Clough, APRN, CRNA.
By addressing hormone imbalances with a personalized approach, Jessica and Anna are helping patients regain balance and improve their overall quality of life.
ABOUT THE VITAL ELEMENTS
The Vital Elements is a wellness clinic located at 86 Lafayette Rd in North Hampton, New Hampshire, run by Jessica Clough, APRN, CRNA, and Anna Goodkin APRN, CRNA who understand the importance of a scientific approach to wellness. The Vital Elements offers in-depth consultations and testing to make sure all treatments are personalized to the individual and their needs. www.thevitalelements.com
Managing Urgent Objectives & Important Dreams
ARTICLE BY SUSAN GALLAGHER | PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN EDGE
THE HANDS THAT FEED
THE WOMEN OF PLATES FOR CHANGE FIGHT TO END CHILDHOOD HUNGER
When Liz Levey-Pruyn handed the check to the elderly couple who operated Footprints Food Pantry, they burst into tears. Standing among the sparsely stocked shelves and a broken-down freezer, they glimpsed a bright ray of hope for the first time in months. This torrent of gratitude would be the first of many to come in Levey-Pruyn’s philanthropic work with Plates for Change (PFC), a local charitable organization striving to end childhood hunger on the Seacoast.
The blight of childhood hunger pulls at Levey-Pruyn’s heartstrings. Thankful for her own “blessed childhood” that never included anxiety about where her next meal would come from, this PFC corporate sponsor co-chair and longtime board member yearns to help these most vulnerable victims of food insecurity. “The children are our next generation,” she says. “Not having what they need to develop limits what they can accomplish as adults.”
The fight to spread awareness is what consumes her fellow corporate sponsor co-chair Beth Lindquist. The Seacoast’s comely façade of comfortable living conceals an incongruous amount of food insecurity. Lindquist realizes the community can’t help if they don’t know the problem exists. “People need to see this massive need,” she says. “It is hidden, but it is there.”
Before its rebirth as Plates for Change in 2019, this noble organization began as part of Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. In 1994, ardent volunteers joined forces with local restaurant owners equally passionate about this cause. The altruistic alliance held its first fundraiser that June, the successful Portsmouth Taste of the Nation, a huge dinner party where local chefs showcased their culinary talents, and beer and wine vendors dispensed their finest beverages. Little Portsmouth proudly surpassed major cities like New York and Chicago to become the most successful Taste of the Nation per capita in the country.
To the community’s delight, the popular event became an annual tradition, but as
the national nonprofit Share Our Strength grew, it exerted more control over the distribution of funds, limiting the amount raised for local grants. Determined to focus on local need, the Seacoast volunteers broke away to pursue their own mission.
Today’s Plates for Change holds a spectacular yearly event, the Taste, touted as a “party with a purpose.” True to its objective, the fundraiser’s profits remain in the local community. This year’s sumptuous culinary benefit at Strawberry Banke on June 18 marks its 30th anniversary and celebrates raising over 2.5 million dollars to feed hungry children since 1994.
Local grant recipients like Gather Food Pantry, Footprints Food Pantry, and End 68 Hours of Hunger reap the rewards of these fundraisers. All grant recipients specifically target childhood food insecurity, but PFC’s mission encompasses more than just emergency food. The organization also invests in educating families on healthy eating and cooking nutritious meals on a limited budget. They also increase access to federal programs like summer meals for schoolchildren in need.
Bolstering the dedicated all-volunteer board of women at the heart of Plates for Change, generous corporate sponsors donate money to enable the annual event. Local in-kind sponsors provide products like ice and linens, or services like electrical work. The lavish dinner would, of course, not be possible without the all-important vendors: the restaurants and beverage companies.
The impact of Plates for Change on the community is tremendous. The tearful gratitude of local food pantries and other charities speaks volumes. The funds PFC raises empower these grant recipients to feed countless children who would otherwise go hungry. With food insecurity affecting learning ability, brain health, and emotional development, these kids now have a fighting chance to reach their true potential.
“The children are our next generation. Not having what they need to develop limits what they can accomplish as adults.”
Plates for Change board members
Where We
ARTICLE BY REBECCA INGALLS
Historian, community leader, and Executive Director of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, JerriAnne Boggis brings Black history into public consciousness and inspires community connection
Walk Now
“There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” — Zora Neale Hurston
JerriAnne Boggis is a storyteller. But do not imagine her sitting in a comfy chair by the fire, reading a hard-backed book to encircling children. Imagine her creating a fire all its own, re-igniting history, bringing light to its pages.
As the Executive Director of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, Boggis leads a robust team whose mission is to develop a community-based understanding of the critical role that Black people have played in the state for more than three centuries. In bringing Black history into visibility and celebration, the
organization hopes to enrich our communities with a sense of shared history that inspires inclusivity and collective healing.
For Boggis, this mission also applies to the ancestral exploration she has done in her own life. In 2023, she was featured on “The Moth” stage, where she recounted the death of her aunt and the uplifting re-immersion of Jamaican culture she experienced as she and her family mourned during the Nine Night celebration. Boggis reflects on the power of reconnecting to collective history to create a sense of belonging and courage to move forward.
This experience, and her work with the Black Heritage Trail inspired Boggis to investigate the relationship between ancestry, culture, and place. It was a distorted relationship, she explains, because Black stories were transformed through the Atlantic slave trade. “On the seacoast,” she says, “there are so many stories that have been erased or forgotten. People before us are just separated by time, not by space. They used to walk where we walk now.”
Tradition, she has found, can offer a healing revival. Boggis recently found herself again immersed in a Nine Night experience, this time for her mother. Originally, she explains, Jamaicans brought this celebration from the west coast of Africa. When a loved one passed on, the person’s body lay resting for nine nights in the home while loved ones visited. On the ninth night, they erupted in celebration and sent the deceased away to the next world.
On this night, family surrounded Boggis as they ate, drank, and danced. Together, they created a memorial table with pictures and sweets (Boggis’s mother was diabetic) and called upon the ancestors to join them. They wove together their shared stories, their Catholic traditions, the Mormonism her mother followed, and the sounds and rhythms of Africa and the Caribbean. “It was a frenzied celebration,” she recalls.
CONTINUED >
Courtesy of New Hampshire Public Radio / Dan Tuohy photo
At midnight, they all carried her mother’s last glass of bedside water through the house, and then released it into the midnight air. The experience was profound. “We realized there was something more than what we were doing,” she reflects. “A palatable moment when it was clear that there was something primordial that connected us to the past.”
When asked how she bridges this deeply personal experience with her work here in New Hampshire, Boggis’s reflective inquiry is palpable, as if she is asking the question while answering it. “Culture is never static,” she says. “If we try to control it, it becomes rigid and we don’t grow. In Jamaica, it took on its own flavor. European, African, Caribbean. Same in Brazil. In America, yet another flavor. In family, we add another aspect.” She explains that even amidst cultural evolution, humans can still find “rootedness,” a way of becoming grounded in their ancestry.
While rooted, says Boggis, we can celebrate differences. “That’s why you can hear a drum beat and it affects you, but you have never been to Ghana.”
She ponders the Spanish and African influences on Brazil, and the roots of blues, jazz, and reggae here in America. With Africa as the start of humanity, she says, we each have a different sense of “motherness.” However, as cultures grow out of our rootedness, our differences “still make up the whole.”
Here on the seacoast, Boggis invites all ages and backgrounds to look to previously lost or hidden stories of Black history as a way to acknowledge,
appreciate, and realize “how these stories break stereotypes and connect our now to that history.” To honor Juneteenth, the Black Heritage Trail will hold a special series that will explore the historical practices around enslavement. Throughout the month of June, visitors can take tours, attend discussions, and enjoy music and dance performances.
“Portsmouth is an amazing town for visitors to experience,” says Boggis. “Old New England flavor, stories of the founding fathers, the beauty of a seaport town. But there are other stories – like those of the Black Heritage Trail – that intertwine and grow into the American story. This is an intermingling of many cultures, many histories. To be fully in space in time here, we have to experience those.”
"ON THE SEACOAST, THERE ARE SO MANY STORIES THAT HAVE BEEN ERASED OR FORGOTTEN. PEOPLE BEFORE US ARE JUST SEPARATED BY TIME, NOT BY SPACE. THEY USED TO WALK WHERE WE WALK NOW.”
Photo Courtesy of Eric Gold
realty report
ARTICLE AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMY SALVAGNO
Elevated Cocktail for Brunch Beyond &
A Fun Spirit To Spoil Mom With This Mother’s Day
Whether Mom prefers to dine reclining pillow-side in pajamas or beside a beautifully dressed table, she’ll appreciate an elegant, elevated cocktail to make her brunch menu extra special. So while she’s indulging in a few extra pieces of bacon, savoring bites of flaky quiche and luxuriating over berry and whipped creamtopped pancakes, impress her with this morning-friendly mix.
Gin & Jam
A simple ingredient drink unites the botanical complexity of gin with the rich sweetness of your favorite jam.
Ingredients:
• 2 ounces gin
• 1 ounce lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce simple syrup
• 1 teaspoon raspberry (or your favorite) jam
• Spoonful of jam for garnish
Instructions:
1. Add the gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and jam to your mixing glass.
2. Add ice and shake for 10 seconds.
3. Strain into a double old-fashioned glass over crushed ice.
4. Top with a spoonful of jam and stir it in while you sip.
May is all about showing appreciation for the ones who do it all—just like your home’s essential systems! With summer around the corner, now is the perfect time to ensure your home is in top shape.
Treat Mom (and the whole family) to a worry-free season by scheduling a tune-up for your air conditioning, checking your plumbing for leaks, and ensuring your electrical systems are safe and reliable. Thinking ahead? A home standby generator can provide peace of mind during summer storms.
Give your home the care it deserves—because comfort is the best gift of all!
