Union Park Press at the 2011 Boston Book Festival

They came. They saw. They liked our buttons.

The results are in, and Boston Book Festival 2011 was a great success for Union Park Press. The weather was beautiful and the crowd was hopping. Book lovers came in droves to Copley Square to finds new literary treasures, meet authors, and sit in on some great talks and workshops.

We met many enthusiastic readers on Saturday, and had a great time sharing our Union Park Press titles. We were thrilled to show off our newest book, New England’s Historic Homes & Gardens by Kim Knox Beckius, which is arriving in bookstores later this month. It was heartening to see that many of you loved William H. Johnson’s gorgeous photography as much as we do, and that you are excited about this beautiful book.

Sports fans went straight for the Die-Hard Sports Fan’s Guide to Boston, and quickly became engrossed in the history of our city’s famed spectator sports. As always, Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands and Boston’s Gardens & Green Spaces were popular books on Saturday, exciting readers with the prospect of exploring the incredible beauty and history of the local places found within.

We met several expecting moms and dads who were relieved to find such a wonderful resource in Boston Baby: A Field Guide for Urban Parents. We also sold a few copies to people who realized that it was a perfect baby shower gift or stocking stuffer. Likewise, it was fun to watch as Cape lovers and science buffs thumbed through Under Cape Cod Waters, smiling as they encountered each gorgeous underwater image. We may be deep into fall now, but several of you seemed to be transported back to those summer days spent on Cape Cod beaches while you looked through the book.

For those of you who we met that were unable to purchase books the day of the Book Festival (we get it—books are not the easiest thing to schlep around the city), please visit our titles on our website, or even better—head to your local bookstore and pick up a few for yourself or for your holiday gift giving.  And for those of you who weren’t able to attend this year’s Book Festival, we hope that you can feel some of the festival love through these photographs. See you next year!

P.S: About those Read Local buttons… we gave away nearly 1000 on Saturday! If you were lucky enough to snag one, remember to wear it proud.  Read local!

NBA Lockout Alternatives for Hoops Fans

Jonesing for some basketball? Hungry for hoops?

Well, NBA action…it’s fantastic!

Well, maybe not.

With the NBA in a lockout and the TD Garden’s parquet floor locked up in storage, basketball fans (those who love the game like Rodney!) are going to have to be a little creative to get their fix, at least until college hoops starts up in a few weeks. Here are some ideas for Boston basketball fans:

Visit the game’s birthplace. Get that Fastlane pass out and head west on the Mass Pike out to Springfield, where Dr. Naismith invented hoops and where you can visit the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Celtics certainly have their fair share of enshrinees. You could spend hours looking at the artifacts in the galleries, including Naismith’s original rules of the game, confined to two simple typewritten pages. Afterwards, you can shoot some hoops on the hall’s regulation court. While in Springfield, check out the new monument at the location of the first basketball game and the statue of Dr. Naismith with his peach basket at Springfield College.

Head to the Sports Museum. Closer to home, you can explore the history of the Celtics and New England basketball, at the Sports Museum. There are lots of exhibits on the Celtics dynasty years, including Larry Bird’s locker, as well as an interesting exhibit on the evolution of women’s basketball. Check out the gowns worn by the college players in the 1890s. Not exactly form fitting. Added bonus: the museum is located in the TD Garden, so you can peek inside and see the Celtics banners hanging from the rafters.

Get your Chuck Taylors on. Right around the corner from the Garden is Basketball City. Inside you’ll find six full-length basketball courts with glass backboards and electronic scoreboards that are available for rental. You can also register for clinics and leagues.

Crack open a book. I’ve got a whole host of basketball books in my library that I still need to dig into: A Season on the Brink, A March to Madness, A Season Inside. But if you have felt that you haven’t had time to dig into Bill Simmons’ 752-page tome, The Book of Basketball, well, here’s your chance.

Get your passport out. That’s what some NBA players are doing. Rather than eating fried chicken and biscuits like Red Sox pitchers, they’re staying in shape by playing in Europe. The Euroleague Basketball season kicked off October 17 with the blockbuster you’ve all been waiting for: Zalgiris vs. CSKA Moscow. Not inspired to buy a plane ticket to Russia? Then you can get a season pass to watch online for $93.

Get the popcorn out. How about a great basketball flick? No, not Teen Wolf. (Sorry, Boof.) Hoosiers! Hoosiers! Hoosiers!  Man, I love that movie. I could watch Hickory run the picket fence all day long. “Now boys, don’t get caught watching the paint dry!”

Go old-school. Get those short shorts out. With the lockout, the NBA Network can’t put on any programming with current players in it. So, in between showings of Teen Wolf (seriously, Boof) you’re going to find plenty of Larry and the rest of the ’80s Celtics. As I write this, the NBA Network is showing Bird v. Jordan in the ’86 playoffs. And tonight: 6 PM Larry Bird’s 50 Greatest Moments; 7 PM Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals; 9 PM Lakers/Celtics from the 1984 Finals. Oh, you’re going to be out tonight? No problem, it all repeats starting at 11 PM. I’m sure you won’t wait long for Teen Wolf to follow.

Chris Klein is a sports fanatic and the author of The Die-Hard Sports Fan’s Guide to Boston, a comprehensive guide to the incredible range of of spectator sporing events in and around Boston. 

Boston Book Festival 2011

Union Park Press is excited for the Boston Book Festival this Saturday, October 15—really excited. We love festivals, we love books, we love Boston. How could we not love the Boston Book Festival?

But what does the Boston Book Festival offer to the average festival-goer? For starters its a chance to see some super-star writers in action–Michael Ondaatje, Julia Alvarez, Andre Dubus III, Gregory Macguire, to name just a few. But  is also a chance to see how Boston, Athens of America, exists as a literary city. Writers live here. Publishers operate here. Poets compose here. And this festival is a chance for people who are regularly engaged by what is  a solitary pursuit to showcase their work.

For a small local publisher there is probably no better way to interact with our (potential) readers. What’s more, we get to talk turkey with booksellers, reviewers, and other industry professionals. Our only gripe, of course, is that we don’t get the chance to go to any of the lectures because we’re too busy rubbing elbows (and this year, making buttons) to attend!

But there is no shortage of great events and lectures scheduled this year.  Here are three events that I would recommend (and would attend, if I could in fact be in two places at once…)

1. If you don’t know the seriously talented Kelly Link and Gavin Grant yet—just wait a few minutes. I first read Link when she published a great collection of stories:  Stranger Things Happen. She’s been busy since. Link and Grant are also the founders of Small Beer Press, based out of Easthampton, MA. So the question is, what do you do next when you’re already an avant garde publishing power couple, published some of your own work and  started your own press? You create a new genre, that’s what!  To find out more, swing by their session on Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories, billed as an anthology that defies its genre even as it defines it.
2.  We are foodies at UPP, and so the noon hour would be spent at Eat Your Words. In particular, we’d love to hear what Amy Traverso has to say about apples and her new cookbook,The Apple Lover’s Cookbook. I recently made the apple and sweet potato pancakes for the Jewish Holidays and my picky eaters devoured them. The coobook just came out in September, and there are fabulous seasonal and holiday recipes to make use of all those apples you’ve picked with your kids.
3. At 4pm, I would run, double time, to get a seat at the One City, One Story discussion of my all-time favorite writer’s short story: “The Whore’s Child.” Richard Russo is as good as it gets—he’s funny, smart, and is the kind of self-effacing writer who I’d love to get a beer with. If you haven’t yet read Russo, try: Straight Man, Nobody’s Fool, The Risk Pool, or Empire Falls. I’ve read everything he’s written at least twice, and regularly give his books as gifts. There’s still time to get a free copy of The Whore’s Child so you can participate in what promises to be a really fabulous discussion. Best part? Russo will be there to crack wise and lip fart.

Here are a few others that might appeal to localvore bibliophiles and history lovers:

Don’t Know Much About Boston History Quiz 

The Civil War

New England Stories: Readings in the Forum

Finally, make sure you swing by the Union Park Press booth to check out our books. We’ll be there pressing palms and buttons…

Twitter Contest: Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands

Anyone who knows Union Park Press knows that we have a bit of a thing for the Boston Harbor Islands. Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands, by Christopher Klein, was the first book published by the Press back in 2008, with an updated 2^nd edition released this past spring.

With the Mass Memories Roadshow focusing gathering old photographs and personal stories about the Boston Harbor Islands this weekend, we knew we had to get in on the action. (See author Christopher Klein’s great blog post here for more details on the roadshow.)

So in honor of the Boston Harbor Islands Roadshow, we’ve decided to hold our own little event to celebrate our beloved islands.  Enter our twitter contest to win a copy of Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands along with two ferry vouchers so you can enjoy end-of-season events such as the Second Annual Summer Shack Chowder Cook Off, the 7th Annual Boston Harbor Islands Regatta, or an island escape of your own design. Use Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands to help plan your adventure, whether it’s tracking down the park’s colony of breeding seals or hiking along scenic trails as the leaves begin to change color.

Here’s How to Enter: Beginning today, follow us on twitter @unionparkpress and tweet: “I want to Discover the Boston Harbor Islands with @unionparkpress!” Please be sure to include @unionparkpress in your tweet or we won’t see it! We will randomly select a winner and announce it on Twitter at noon on Wednesday, September 21^st.

Greater Boston Partners in Preservation Open Houses

One of the best things about living in New England might be the quirky, fascinating historic places that dot our landscapes and enhance our town squares. It could be the white church with the tall steeple that sits on the town green. Maybe it’s an old boat shop that has survived countless nor’easters over the decades. Whatever form it may take- these are the places that simply define our cities and towns.  

Living in New England, you also know that many of these special places can become a bit tired and often look slightly rough around the edges. “Friends-of” groups work valiantly to raise funds, bring in new members, and prop these special places up- but they can’t always do it alone. When it comes to historic buildings and places in New England- it seems like we are always looking for a hero to swoop in and fix these buildings once and for all.

Two years ago, that happened for 25 historic spots in several Greater Boston cities and towns.  The National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express teamed up in 2009 to bring the Partners in Preservation program to eastern Massachusetts, prompting a groundswell of activity, publicity, fundraising and sheer awareness of these places.

While the Paragon Carousel in Hull took home the top prize, each of the other 24 properties also received grants.  The people who care about these buildings also learned a ton from the experience- how to get the word out, how to better market and publicize their cause, and what it takes to get a massive campaign off the ground. These groups have been working tirelessly for two years- and now it’s time to see how far those selected properties have come.

Several of the properties that participated in the Partners in Preservation program are holding open houses this Saturday, September 17. In Boston, visit the Old North Church, Vilna Shul, the Paul Revere House, and the African American Meeting House.  If you are around the South Shore, be sure to stop by the Paragon Carousel in Hull, the Old Ship Meeting House in Hingham and United Parish First Church in Quincy.  On the North Shore, poke in and say hello to the hard-working people at the Lowell Boat Shop in Amesbury, the Schooner Adventure in Gloucester, or the Old Salem Town Hall in Salem.

For more information about the Partners in Preservation grant program or the individual places mentioned above, or for details about this weekend’s open houses- please visit this site.  And remember, if you care about these places, continue to visit them beyond this weekend’s open houses. Become a member. Bring your friends and family. Support these special places  so that we can all enjoy and learn from them for years to come.

If you love New England’s historic places, be sure to keep an eye out for our forthcoming title, New England’s Historic Houses & Gardens by Kim Knox Beckius, which will be released this October. 

September 1st: Boston’s Big Move

Boston Moving Day, by Erik Jacobs of the New York Times

September 1 in Boston. It brings forth images of a new school year with freshly sharpened pencils, crisp mornings, and the promise of new beginnings. But it also marks a distinctly Boston experience: the Big Moving Day.

While September 1^st is likely a busy moving day in other towns and cities that boast large student populations, there may not be anything quite like what happens on Boston’s skinny, winding streets in the days before Labor Day. With a reported 79% of rented units in this city turning over on September 1^st, it’s as if someone picks up Boston and gives it a good shake. By the time all the dust has cleared, a huge chunk of the city’s population has switched apartments- all within just a few hours. For a visual look at this process, see this slideshow.

Boston streets become a battle zone, as the usual mix of cars, pedestrians, bikers, buses, and T trolleys face a glut of moving trucks, many manned by people who have never driven anything larger than an SUV.

However, more than just a day known for U-hauls getting stuck under the low bridges on Storrow Drive, it has also become a day known as “Allston Christmas”.

Though the name is a reference to Boston’s most crazed September 1^st neighborhood (due to it’s proximity to BU and it’s high rate of rental properties), the phenomenon certainly applies to Brighton, Brookline, Mission Hill, the Fenway, Somerville, Cambridge and parts of the South End as well.

This morning, I saw a tweet that read as follows:

@jesssicaa: This coffee table and West Elm couch will be #FREE on sidewalk in approx 2hrs @ corner of Tremont/Dartmouth.. #southend http://t.co/eVYUcx7“

Disappointed that I had missed such a deal, I began to notice other tweets and updates, mentioning similar “deals”. Soon, I discovered that there is even a citation in Urban Dictionary.com for Allston Christmas:

Allston ‘Christmas’ refers to the bounty of “new” stuff that one can easily acquire free of cost simply by walking down to the sidewalk and running off with it back into your own apartment. Much of the items that are left on the sidewalk are free to take because people can’t fit them into their new apartment or don’t have enough space in the truck to move them. However, many of the items are simply left on the sidewalk temporarily and are rummaged (read: ‘stolen’) by the neighbors in the chaos that is the city of Boston on September 1st.

Here, we see an example of the “goods” that can be procured on this most crazy of days. One savvy celebrant, Thespian, shares an itemized list of items found a few years ago:

• 300 thread count sheets in gold with matching purple pillowcases
• an unused queen size duvet cover, black fleece
• a full roller lint brush 
• An NES with about 20 games
• 6 glass tea-light holders
• 2 refractive glass candle holders, in red and blue
• DVDs of: The Office, Season 3, Le Divorce, The Break Up, Walk the Line, Dirty Dancing II: Havana Nights, Inventing the Abbotts
• A pile of cds I need to sort through, but it contained both Emmy Lou Harris and 311, so it’ll be interesting
• A neat little shopping cart with a shelf in the middle to keep things at the bottom from being squished
• A soap dish (hey, I needed one)
• A tiny little lamp with a red velvet cover 
• A ceramic spoon rest to replace the crappy plastic one that got too close to the heat once
• Harvest Leaf serving plate from Pottery Barn
• Dishcloths (brand new)
• Kitchenaid measuring cups and more importantly, measuring spoons 
• Metal kitchen tongs that are much better than my old ones (these ones have insulation where you grip)
• A bamboo pot container thing 

Photo courtesy of Bostonography.com

This year, in an added twist, there is a group of cartographers that are actually attempting to MAP Allston Christmas. Their goal is to map all the couches, chairs, and other abandoned goods seen on the street as the September 1 moving day approaches. To help them out, see the rest of their post here or follow them on twitter at @bostonography.

Alternatively, you can do as we do: retreat into your homes and don’t come out until September 2, when that dust has cleared, the couches are off the sidewalks, and the U-hauls have been dislodged from the overpasses on Storrow.

The 1755 Cape Ann Earthquake

Woodcut engraving of Boston after the Cape Ann Earthquake, courtesy of the National Information Service of Earthquake Engineering

The ground moved today here in New England. Many of us in the Northeast have little to no experience with earthquakes – except for what we hear on the news or what we see in the movies- so it has certainly sparked the interest of the news media and has become the buzz around town.

Not knowing a great deal about earthquakes in this part of the world, I decided to dig a bit deeper.  I learned today that about 30-40 earthquakes strike New England each year, but only a few of those can be felt by people on the ground. Once every 50-90 years, the region is struck by a moderate quake (around a 5.0), much like the one that hit Virginia today (more here).  But in 1755, a much larger earthquake hit coastal New England, causing a great deal of damage.

The historic quake, one of the largest ever recorded in New England, struck the region at about 4:30 in the morning on November 18. Lasting for more than a minute, damage was reported from Portland, Maine to the South Shore of Boston, while it was felt as far north as Halifax, Nova Scotia and South Carolina to the south. Boston, in particular, suffered a great deal of damage, where as many as 1500 chimneys fell down and the gable ends of about 15 brick buildings shattered. Some church steeples tilted and a great deal of debris fell to the streets, making many impassable. With the population greatly frightened by the event, local ministers conducted prayer services and government officials proclaimed fast days, fearing that they had just experienced the wrath of God. (Read more about the history of the Cape Ann Earthquake here.)

The epicenter of the Cape Ann earthquake was actually about 25 miles east of Rockport in the Atlantic Ocean, a spot that has seen a great deal of seismic activity over time.  Interestingly (and scarily) enough, if the 1755 Cape Ann Earthquake were to happen today, the quake would result in billions of dollars in damage and the potential loss of hundreds of lives. The construction of docks, wharves, and other significant land-making projects has made the city fragile in many ways, due to the pressures put onto the local water table.

Hold on tight!

Black Bean & Sweet Corn Salad for Beantown Summer Cookouts

I’m pretty picky when it comes to summer salads. The choices seem endless but in my opinion, they can be hit or miss—often a waste of plate space when cookouts have so many incredible flavors to offer. I tend to lean towards the simpler salads with easy dressings. That way the veggies and proteins speak for themselves, bursting with flavor (without using the big carbs—pasta, rice, potatoes—that can weaken the salad as a whole).

The black bean salad below—which I tweak regularly, depending on what’s in the fridge—has been a huge hit with family and friends one summer after the next. It’s quick, flavorful, and easy (and cheap!) to double or triple the quantity depending on the crowd. Plus, it’s a perfect leftover to add to weekday lunches—just throwing on top of your green salad with some grilled chicken, cheddar, and couscous. So delicious!

Black Bean and Sweet Corn Salad
1 can of black beans (2 cans if you’re a big fan)
1 can of sweet corn (drained)  or a few ears of cooked corn, stripped
2 tomatoes, with the hearts taken out, diced
1 avocado, diced

½ – 1 red onion, diced (or ½ red onion, 1 cup scallions)
1 or 2 cloves of garlic
1 or 2 limes (to taste)
1 cup cilantro (to taste)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Leave it in the fridge over night (stir occasionally) and then add any extra lime/salt/pepper needed before serving. Serve as side salad, with tortilla chips, or in tacos or burritos.

The Battle for Boston Light Continues

Last week I wrote about the first Revolutionary War skirmish at Boston Light between the patriots and the British on July 20, 1775. The British maintained control of Little Brewster Island and its strategically important beacon after the fight and immediately set about repairing the damage to the lighthouse. But a far deadlier battle awaited for those Redcoats occupying the Boston Harbor Islands.

Late 1800s sketch based of an engraving created by William Burgis in 1729

Just 11 days after their first attack on Boston Light, the patriots hit again and hit with much more ferocity. This time, a detachment of 300 men led by Major Benjamin Tupper set out in whaleboats from Nantasket during the night of July 30, 1775 and landed on Little Brewster Island in the early hours of the morning on July 31, 1775.

The patriots overcame the guard, gained the upper hand on the British marines stationed on the island, and burned the lighthouse and buildings on the island. Tupper’s men killed between 10 and 12 British troops and made prisoners of the rest while suffering only one fatality of their own.

In his letter to the Continental Congress dated August 4 and 5 of 1775, General George Washington reported:

A Number of Workmen having been sent down to repair [Boston Light] with a Guard of 22 Marines & a Subaltern, Major Tupper last Monday Morning about 2 oClock landed there with about 300 Men, attack’d them killed the Officer, & 4 Privates, but being detained by the Tide, in his Return he was attack’d by several Boats, but he happily got through with the Loss of one Man killed & another wounded. The Remainder of the ministerial [i.e., British] Troops, 3 of which are badly wounded, he brought off Prisoners, with 10 Tories all of whom are on their Way to Springfield Gaol.

Washington’s general orders of August 1, 1775 also included this item:

The General thanks Major Tupper, and the Officers and Soldiers under his Command, for their gallant and soldierlike behaviour in possessing themselves of the enemy’s post at the Light House, and for the Number of Prisoners they took there, and doubts not, but the Continental Army, will be as famous for their mercy as for their valour.

By June 1776, the British had evacuated Boston but their ships still lurked in the harbor. When they were finally driven out of the harbor for good on June 13, 1776, the British had a parting shot for the colonists. They lit a timed charge and blew up the tower of Boston Light.

The British destruction of the lighthouse is the reason why the beacon at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, which dates to 1764, has the distinction of being the oldest lighthouse structure in America, although Boston Light is still the oldest light station in the country. Boston Light would lay dark for seven years before it was rebuilt under orders from John Hancock in 1783.

Today, the distinguished, bold pillar of Boston Light is a postcard-perfect lighthouse, and it is the last to retain a Coast Guard keeper. Tours of Boston Light run from Friday to Sunday through early October. For more information, visit www.bostonislands.com, and for more on the incredible history of Boston Light, check out Discovering the Boston Harbor Islands.

Lanterns, light… Reflections on the Traditional Japanese Bon Festival

Imagine evening illuminated with the soft glow of light emanating from paper lanterns, their light reflected on smooth waters. This is exactly what hundreds of revelers saw last night at the Forest Hills Lantern Festival.  As author Meg Muckenhoupt shared yesterday, last night marked the 13^th Annual Lantern Festival, an evening inspired by the Japanese Obon (or Bon) Festival.

But what, exactly, is a Bon Festival and how was it celebrated in Jamaica Plain? Fortunately for me, I have a Japanese friend who was able to fill me in about the traditional events held in Japan.  The Bon Festival generally takes place around August 15 and lasts about three days. It is a holiday in which people are traditionally given leave from work, as the Bon Festival is a time meant for families to visit their ancestral home, clean graves, and pay tribute to ancestors. The Bon Festival has many matsuri (festivals) taking place throughout Japan, with each prefecture having slight differences.

Generally, however, each matsuri takes place within a park or public space. Often dressed in yukata (light cotton kimonos), people gather to watch Bon-Odori (Bon dance). Alongside the dances are also yatai (booths), food, games, haunted houses, and rides. The Bon Festival can take place during the day, but it is primarily a nocturnal event with firework displays set off during the night. In Kyoto, a large bonfire in the shape of “Dai,” the Chinese symbol for “big” is lit. On the final night of the Bon Festival is Toro Nagashi, or floating of lanterns, the tradition the Forest Hills Lantern Festival draws inspiration from. However, depending on the area of Japan, instead of illuminated lanterns, candles and plastic light bulbs shaped as candles have been floated down the river.

While the Forest Hills Lantern Festival is an event that draws inspiration from the Bon Festival, it is important to realize that the festival at Forest Hills is a tradition interpreted through American eyes and customs. The adopted festival featured not only Japanese performances such as traditional Japanese dance from Showa Boston and Taiko drumming from Grand Master Tsuji, but also performances from other cultures such as Irish music from Whiskey boys and Chinese dragon dance from Gund Kwok. America is a great mosaic of culture, and Massachusetts adopting this tradition demonstrates an open-mindedness to and awareness of Japanese culture. The integration of performances from different nations, likewise, exemplifies America’s generosity to other cultures and America’s diversity.

Obon Lanterns in Japan, Photo by Japonry.typepad.co.uk

The Forest Hills Lantern Festival is a yearly tradition. If you weren’t able to attend last night, make sure to check it out next year. For more information, visit http://www.foresthillstrust.org/. Explore, see more cultures, experience what Massachusetts has to offer from places beyond.