As well-intentioned as your best friend, co-worker, or father-in-law may be, at the end of the day their book suggestions just might not be cutting it for you. We get it. Luckily, a handful of esteemed poets laureate from around New England have got your literary backs. Not only have they enlightened us on what they’re up to this year, but they’ve also graciously divulged their literary picks for the season. Move aside those tomes gathering dust on your nightstand: these tantalizing reads just might make you wish for a few more snow days.

Chard deNiord

It’s hard to know when Vermont Poet Laureate Chard deNiord even has time to read! But here’s what tops his list when he’s not giving readings around the state, teaching at Providence College, writing his next collection, or collaborating on an up-and-coming anthology Anonymoi with New Hampshire Laureate Alice Fogel.

 Chard deNiord’s top reading picks:
The Elephant’s Journey by Jose Saramago
Troubling Love by Elena Ferrante
The Last Shift by Philip Levine
Fast by Jorie Graham

Stu Kestenbaum

Hailing from Vacationland, Stuart Kestenbaum has been reading Maine-based poetry every week on Maine Public Radio as a part of his project, Poems from Here, in addition to writing his own work and producing his podcast Make/Time where he interviews creative makers and thinkers.

Stuart Kestenbaum’s top reading picks:
Our Only World, a collection of essays by Wendell Berry
Otherwise, a book of poems by Jane Kenyon
Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard

Tina Cane

Recently appointed Rhode Island Laureate, Tina Cane is heroically bringing poetry to young people through her organization Writers-in-the-Schools, RI and relishing in the release of her latest book, Dear Elena: Letters for Elena Ferrante.

Tina Cane’s top reading picks:
The Car Thief by Theodore Weesner
Night Sky With Exit Wounds, poems by Ocean Vuong
The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone, by Olivia Laing
Why Poetry by Matthew Zapruder

Alice Fogel

Alice Fogel, New Hampshire Laureate, has her sights set on an active 2017, both physically and politically. She hopes to continue hiking segments of the Appalachian Trail, and when she’s back in the state, she’ll be getting involved with literacy and refugees while also preparing for the spring release of her new book, A Doubtful House.

Alice Fogel’s picks:
The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman
Landscape and Memory by Simon Schama
Black Square by Tadeusz Dabrowski
Disinheritance by John Sibley Williams

Emma Young

Representing the town of West Tisbury on Martha’s Vineyard is poet and printmaker Emma Young. Her upcoming book of poetry, Adamantine, will be finished in 2017, and, in typical Emma Young style, will be completely handmade, designed, bound, and printed on her nineteenth-century printing press.

Emma Young’s picks:
Songs of S. by Robert Seydel
The Woman Who Borrowed Memories by Tove Jansson
My Journey To Lhasa by Alexandra David-Neel

So there you have it. A list of reads from the most reputable source we could think of—a group of active, engaged New Englanders who have chosen to surround themselves with words for a living. So get crackin’. That groundhog says winter ain’t over yet.

Top photo Emma Young | Photography by Hannah Marlin

The post Welcome to Your Winter Reading List appeared first on Take Magazine.

At Three Wheel Studio in Providence, Rhode Island, glossy finishes and dreamy colors dance and swirl over exquisite handcrafted ceramics. In addition to works by Chen, Three Wheel features beautiful creations in glass, wood, and metal by both local and out-of-state artisans. The whimsical pieces and thematic collections are delicious to the eyes: from trays and vases to the most perfectly imperfect tea kettles and mugs you’ll ever see, you’d be hard-pressed not to find something to suit your fancy. (Or, you know, your family’s fancy, as these one-of-a-kind items would make a darling holiday gift. Just look at those hand-painted birds with the puffy cheeks for crying out loud!)

Ceramic plate from the Flower, Birds and Berries series by Dwo Wen Chen

A RISD graduate and native of Taiwan, Chen injects his life story into each of his pieces, all of which are created on site. While the Flowers and Pigments collection is an extension of his graduate work, the Chicks and Roosters collection is an homage to his childhood, when his mother would hatch chickens in his sweater drawer. A regular old mug from the store around the corner definitely won’t come with a backstory half as charming as that.

The playful nature of Chen’s work—from the bright, youthful colors to the quirky shapes and sizes—is truly what sets Three Wheel Studio apart. It seems all the more delightful knowing that Chen only recently felt comfortable enough to call himself a studio potter. “It started one day when I opened up my kiln and found an almost perfect little tea bowl with just the right glaze,” he says. “To a potter, that was a perfect day.”

Dwo Wen Chen in his studio

Three Wheel Studio is located in Providence Rhode Island. Follow the studio on Facebook and Instagram.

Top photo stonware dinner plate | Handmade by Jun, $86 | All photos courtesy Three Wheel Studio website

The post Happiness, Handmade appeared first on Take Magazine.

Inside of a 10×10 insulated shed in a backyard of Portland, Maine, Water Dogs author Lewis Robinson can be found either writing his own work or producing his podcast, Talk Shop. Born out of a desire to celebrate and articulate the thriving writer’s community in the area, Robinson and his show have carved out a deep and fruitful niche in the podcasting world.

“There are droves of terrific writers in Maine, and many of my favorites are in the Portland area,” says Robinson. “I wanted to capture this moment of literary burgeoning through a series of conversations.”

And so he does. Each podcast, which runs between 45 minutes to an hour, is a captivating and revealing one-on-one conversation that sheds a much-enjoyed light on the people whose words we have happily devoured inside our own homes. So far he’s spoken with the likes of Sara Corbett, Ben Rybeck, Susan Conley, and Bill Roorbach, to name a few.  A writer himself, Robinson understands the processes and experiences of those he interviews, giving a true substance to these conversations that would otherwise be lacking from someone outside the field.

The value in creating this podcast and talking with writers, most of whom work solitarily, is not lost on Robinson. Talk Shop is an effective means for bringing together a group of people whose remote work-style can be a hindrance for creating community. The Portland writer’s scene, in particular, is a special one, and is emboldened by the efforts of Robinson and his show. “Our writing community, from my perspective, is warm and supportive. I enjoy the company of so many writers here, even though I don’t enjoy the company of writers generally. Here, we celebrate each other’s successes and commiserate about our failures.”

Written beneath each episode is a snappy description that sums up the show: “Writers talking shop in the original Portland.” That was a very intentional choice on Robinson’s part, whose allegiance to the Pine Tree State goes back to his childhood.

“The Talk Shop logo is a drawing by my 8-year old” – Lewis Robinson

“I call our Portland the Original Portland because Portland, Oregon was named after us.  Usually when people say ‘Portland’ it’s assumed they mean west-coast Portland.  Saying “Original Portland” is just a gentle response to that presumption,” he explains. “There’s also a decent amount of original thinking going on here, in my opinion.”

If you’re interested in listening to that original thinking firsthand, there are currently 18 Talk Shop episodes and counting waiting for you online. Coming down the pike is an episode with Nicholson Baker, and a brand new book from Robinson himself.

Top image by Sean Mewshaw | Courtesy Lewis Robinson

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Something exciting is happening inside of a massive, unassuming warehouse in the Northampton, Massachusetts industrial center. Kyle Richardson, Vice President of the Royal Talens North America branch, and his team are starting to supply the continent with the finest tools for creativity while honoring the legacy of their international company and engaging with the local community all at the same time.

The storied history of this company originates in the Netherlands with Queen Wilhelmina, and now Royal Talens has been producing top-quality paints and supplies for over one hundred years. With locations spanning the globe, and a reputation for unparalleled products, Royal Talens was looking to set roots down in North America last year, but was faced with the daunting task of deciding, simply, where?

Pigments | many colors have names that have historical origins.

Kyle Richardson stepped in to help make this call. Perhaps born from a hometown bias, Richardson couldn’t help but see the myriad ways in which a Northampton base would enrich their company. A community as artistic, tech-savvy, and creative as the Pioneer Valley made  the perfect backdrop for Royal Talens. About a year into moving in, the benefits are already becoming quite clear to Richardson and his team, and the near future is brimming with exciting ideas.

Richardson imagines one wall of the mammoth warehouse space coated in canvas for the public to come and see exactly how their Rembrandt oils and Van Gogh watercolors play out firsthand. “I want to have a space that we can open to the public for events and workshops and tours,” he explained, “a place where people can come and try our products out. We want to open up to the world so people can see us here in person and we can engage with the larger community.”

Images courtesy Royal Talens

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About ten years ago, after finding his niche in the woodworking world, Oedel focused on a certain organization up in New Hampshire. Oedel fit right in at The New Hampshire Furniture Masters Association, a group of exceedingly skilled craftspeople in the New England area. He started there as a member then became the chairman of the association for a few years starting in 2012. When asked about Furniture Masters, his pride and respect for the people involved is evident in his voice, “The [Furniture Masters] who do the work are really stellar artists”, he told me right off the bat. “Once a year we get together and we all bring pieces with us and we all sit there and say ‘I hope my piece is good enough. I hope it stands up to everyone else’s.’ It really keeps us all on our toes.”

Furniture Masters puts on an annual gala and auction to bring together fellow craftspeople, interact with the community and clients, and showcase the tremendous work being done in the field. “There are so many ways to think about design, to think about furniture,” said Oedel “…the group is so good because we get together, we talk about it, and our discussions inform everyone’s work. In doing that, we all get better.” It’s clear how the creation of a community like Furniture Masters has enabled craftspeople from across New England to network and support each other, and in doing so, raise the level of skill and excellence being produced all around us.

Table by Richard Oedel | Macassar ebony, corner detail | Image courtesy of Richard Oedel

Indeed, this time Portsmouth NH shared in the success of the affair. Oedel pointed out that the event has moved around, from Concord and other parts of New Hampshire, but Portsmouth and its people in nature are particularly “friendly to the arts”. Held for the first time this year in the stunning 3S Artspace, Oedel explained how “it was an interesting space visually, our pieces fit in there well, and it brought people in to see what kinds of things were happening there”.

With the triumph of their 2016 gala back in September, Oedel looks toward the bright future of his craft. With Furniture Masters receiving positive attention and praise each year from the Portsmouth community, and with the new interest in handmade furniture coming from young people, he is excited to be doing work like this in this moment. The trend towards authenticity and handmade quality, over the cookie-cutter, IKEA-styles of recent years, has Oedel and fellow makers looking forward to brand new collaborations, and younger clients than ever, “It’s all happening on a younger level now,” Oedel described, “there was a time when we were all sitting there saying ‘does anybody under 50 appreciate anything that we’re doing?’”

The answer to that, as seen by the Furniture Masters and the outpouring of interest from the Portsmouth community, is an enthusiastic, yes.

Top image Fort Point Cabinetmakers, Richard Oedel center | Courtesy Richard Oedel

The post A Master of His Craft: Richard Oedel and the Joy of Design appeared first on Take Magazine.

In order to be the most supportive consumers of art and culture that we can be, we must, at times, give back to the community that so generously serves us. Right now, with the creation of the Creatives Count survey by The New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), we can take a moment to contribute vital information that will help to grow and sustain the creators of culture making a living in our region. With the creative economy becoming appreciated as the bonafide economic asset that it is, this survey aims to collect the data that will demonstrate how valuable creative workers are to their local communities.

As NEFA Research Director Dee Schneidman puts it, “We need to know more about the work life of New England’s creative workers, including those who are already part of our CreativeGround directory, in order to connect them to resources and influence policy-making at the local, state and regional level. By participating in the survey, creative workers will be a part of important research that will shine a light on their economic contributions and highlight community assets and potential areas of investment.”

Boston-based artist Cedric Douglas works on a new public art installation on the side of Behrakis Health Sciences Center at Northeastern University | Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

Looking to access responses from across New England, this survey “seeks input from creative workers (including visual artists, dancers, musicians, designers, craftspeople, architects, digital media creators, culture bearers, makers, and more), working full time or not, on various aspects of their work life, including the type of work, how much time is spent on those activities, and how much of this work makes up their income. The survey includes questions on demographics, education, training, and income, employment status and sector, specifics on creative pursuits, as well as opportunity to cite top resources and needs for advancing a creative career.”

This survey will be open until November 18th, and due to its thorough nature, should take about 30 minutes to fully complete. The information accessed here will open a door to understanding how makers and creatives are influencing New England lives and economics; the results of which are invaluable and can lead to increased appreciation and networking for the arts and culture and those who dedicate their careers to it.

Take Magazine supports the work being done by NEFA and looks forward to the positive impact that initiatives like Creatives Count will have on the professional arts community. The results from this survey are slated to be available on the NEFA site in June of 2017. Learn more here at NEFA.org.

New England Foundation for the Arts

Top image: The Pineapple Diaries | Photo by Paloma Valenzuela

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