The Gift of the Short Story

Read Charlotte Canelli's column in the December 27, 2013 edition of the Norwood Transcript and Bulletin.

On December 19, six days before Christmas, Nancy Ling (Outreach Librarian) hosted a Reader’s Theater in the Cushing Reading Room.  Surrounded by the glow of Christmas tree lights and fresh poinsettia flowers, Beth Goldman (Norwood High School librarian) was accompanied by one of her students, Luke Andrews. They sat in front of our magnificent fireplace and treated an audience of several dozen to holiday stories, all read in dramatic voice. The well-known “The Gift of the Magi” was one of them.

Before she began reading, Ms. Goldman shared a bit about the most famous story of the evening, “The Gift of the Magi” written by O. Henry.

While some of us might think of O. Henry as a delicious chocolate candy bar (the Oh Henry! chocolate bar invented in Kansas in 1920 was reported to be in tribute to the author), others certainly know that O. Henry was the pen name of William Sydney Porter.  Porter was born in 1862 and had a rather interesting life that included careers as a bank teller, pharmacist, journalist and, of course, writer.

Eating Out of the Box

Read Diane Phillips' column in the December 20, 2013 edition of the Norwood Transcript and Bulletin.

As fall turns into winter and the crisp, bright days turn cold and grow shorter, many people find comfort and joy in the holidays by embracing traditions in their celebrations as well as in the food they share with their families.  I’m inclined to want to do the exact opposite.  For some reason, I think of this season as a time to break away from tradition and to try new things.  Not everyone is comfortable with this line of thinking, as I’m finding out, when I try to introduce such an idea to my family, particularly in the area of holiday meals.

The Best of Staff Reading 2013

Read Charlotte Canelli's column in the December 13, 2013 edition of the Norwood Transcript and Bulletin.

At the close of each year, the media seems to report on the very best of everything every opportunity they get: 100 best books, 50 best movies, 25 significant events.

This week, the New York Times published their 100 Notable Books of 2013. The same day, National Public Radio announced their Book Concierge – or Your Guide to 2013’s Great Reads (an interactive online tool to finding the best book out of more than 200).  Huffington Post, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and Entertainment Weekly have their own lists as 2013 nears to a close.

Grandparenting: Sprinkling a Little Stardust

Read Charlotte Canelli's column in the December 6, 2013 edition of the Norwood Transcript and Bulletin.

As a young child, I was blessed to have two grandmothers in my life. Although we moved to another coast when I was the tender age of six, my grandmothers' unconditional love followed me across the country.