Q&A: Watertown’s Jen Trynin Nearly Became a Rock Star, Now She Embraces Her Literary Side

Watertown’s Jen Trynin, a former rock musician who is now writing about her life, also runs Earfull with her friend Tim Huggins, the original owner of Newtonville Books. (Courtesy of Jen Trynin)

What’s it like to almost become a rock star, and then walk away from it? That’s the unique experience Jen Trynin had in the 90’s when her song “Better Than Nothing” suddenly grabbed the attention of every major record label. But after signing, she actually decided to put her professional music life on the back burner and embrace her more literary side. This summer she has a new story out in Ploughshares, the prestigious literary magazine published by Emerson College.

Multiple Family Events at Coming Up at Gore Place

Gore Place has plenty going on in August, including several events aimed at families — even parents with infants. The following information came from Gore Place:

Tot Time

Tuesdays, August 1, 15, and 29

Tot Time is now every other Tuesday! Come and play at the Nature Playscape and explore age-appropriate art, science, engineering, and nature play projects with our educator. Activities are open-ended and allow children to do as little or as much as they like. Each session has different activities as well as some returning favorites.

See What Small Saves is Up to in This Week’s Cartoon

James DeMarco grew up in Watertown and became a goaltender at age 5. It’s his life’s passion to stand between the pipes and keep the puck out of the net. Combining this with the love of cartooning Small Saves emerged in 1991 and took on a life of his own. “To play goal – then come home and draw Small Saves — is my ideal definition of a good day.”

New Rep Theatre & Watertown Library to Host City’s First ‘Multicultural Fest’

The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Library and New Rep Theatre:

New Repertory Theatre and the Watertown Free Public Library are pleased to continue their history of collaboration, to present the first ever Multicultural Fest at Noche de Dominó, on Thursday, August 3rd from 4-8 p.m. The event will take place at Saltonstall Park in Watertown, MA. 

The Multicultural Fest will feature an eclectic range of performances, artisans/vendors, domino tables, crafts, a short Zumba session, pick-up soccer in the field, and delicious eats by food vendor Flavor Boom! It is free and open to the public. All ages are welcome! The Multicultural Fest Planning Team is comprised by Maria Hendricks (Resident Artist for New Rep), Cal Callahan (New Rep Education Coordinator ), María Mayobre (WFPL Volunteer/Dominoes Teacher) and Allie Fry (Programming Librarian for Watertown Free Public Library.) 

Multicultural Fest reflects New Repertory Theatre’s ongoing commitment to community outreach initiatives and collaborations, and to presenting diverse talent from underrepresented communities. Building on the recent success of Watertown Zine Fest and the Watertown Pride Extravaganza, the Watertown Free Public Library aspires to help create City-wide events that reflect and amplify the diverse voices of the Watertown community.

Small Saves Deal with an Injury in This Week’s Comic

James DeMarco grew up in Watertown and became a goaltender at age 5. It’s his life’s passion to stand between the pipes and keep the puck out of the net. Combining this with the love of cartooning Small Saves emerged in 1991 and took on a life of his own. “To play goal – then come home and draw Small Saves — is my ideal definition of a good day.”

Small Saves Gets a Helping Hand in This Week’s Cartoon

James DeMarco grew up in Watertown and became a goaltender at age 5. It’s his life’s passion to stand between the pipes and keep the puck out of the net. Combining this with the love of cartooning Small Saves emerged in 1991 and took on a life of his own. “To play goal – then come home and draw Small Saves — is my ideal definition of a good day.”

Watertown Cultural Council Seeks New Members

The following information was provided by the Watertown Cultural Council:

Are you interested in enriching the lives of Watertown residents?  Do you have an interest in the arts, humanities or sciences? 

The Watertown Cultural Council is seeking new members who would like to serve on the Council and help us select and promote new projects in the future. All Watertown residents are eligible to apply, and we especially encourage people with experience in grants evaluation, social media, public relations, finance and program development to contact us. If you would like to speak with a member of the Council about your possible participation, please email our WCC Chair, Lois Pond at lzpond@gmail.com or watertowncultural@gmail.com and we will get back in touch with you to answer your questions. We particularly encourage community members from underserved populations to apply. For more information, please see our website: watertownculturalcouncil.org

The Watertown Cultural Council is part of a network of 329 Local Cultural Councils serving all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth. The LCC Program is the largest grassroots cultural funding network in the nation, supporting thousands of community-based projects in the arts, interpretive sciences, and humanities every year.

Small Saves Gets His Skates Sharpened in This Week’s Comic

James DeMarco grew up in Watertown and became a goaltender at age 5. It’s his life’s passion to stand between the pipes and keep the puck out of the net. Combining this with the love of cartooning Small Saves emerged in 1991 and took on a life of his own. “To play goal – then come home and draw Small Saves — is my ideal definition of a good day.”