What growing basil teaches me, year after year

“I was reminded of a time when life was easy,” writes Blake Turck, of tending a basil pant in her windowsill. “It was a portal to the past, and activated a scent that connected me to the memory of my mom. It also gave me a reason to stay present, and look forward.”

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Boston's park system ranks 12th in the US. We can still do better

Today, 100% of Boston’s residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park — but not all parks in the city serve the surrounding community equally. “This matters because at a time when cities are balancing competing priorities and limited resources, parks represent an investment that delivers multiple benefits,” writes Jodi Valenta of Trust for Public Land.

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August to the maximus

August really is grand, writes Cog senior editor Cloe Axelson. It's 31 days of peak summer -- tomatoes, beach days, novels, baseball games, shooting stars, road trips, as much corn on the cob as a belly can fit.

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August to the maximus

August really is grand, writes Cog senior editor Cloe Axelson. It's 31 days of peak summer -- tomatoes, beach days, novels, baseball games, shooting stars, road trips, as much corn on the cob as a belly can fit.

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Gardening is a dose of reality

Julie Wittes Schlack is retired, free to spend her time however she pleases. "It scares me a little to think that I no longer need to work, and terrifies me to think that I’m no longer capable of it," she writes. So, she signed up for weeding duties in the garden at her co-housing community.

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What palliative care can teach us about climate change

"The numbness or avoidance among many of us who care about the impact of Earth’s warming climate, is similar to the ambivalence and static grief that can take hold after a serious medical diagnosis," writes Alexis Drutchas.

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‘Les Misérables’ was always more than a musical for my family

“Though Adam and I were only three years apart, the gap felt wider because he had Down syndrome,” writes Alyson Pomerantz. “We didn’t fight, like other siblings, or confide our deepest secrets. One thing we did share was a love for ‘Les Miz.’”

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What growing basil teaches me, year after year

“I was reminded of a time when life was easy,” writes Blake Turck, of tending a basil pant in her windowsill. “It was a portal to the past, and activated a scent that connected me to the memory of my mom. It also gave me a reason to stay present, and look forward.”

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Gardening is a dose of reality

Julie Wittes Schlack is retired, free to spend her time however she pleases. "It scares me a little to think that I no longer need to work, and terrifies me to think that I’m no longer capable of it," she writes. So, she signed up for weeding duties in the garden at her co-housing community.

spr.ly

What palliative care can teach us about climate change

"The numbness or avoidance among many of us who care about the impact of Earth’s warming climate, is similar to the ambivalence and static grief that can take hold after a serious medical diagnosis," writes Alexis Drutchas.

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There are more than recipes in my beloved cookbooks

I set out to organize my cookbooks, writes Billie Munro. Instead, I found, in the margins, a chorus of family voices.

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The ‘gift’ of celebrity weddings

On July 19, 1986, Ann MacDonald and her mother gathered with thousands of other people outside of a church on Cape Cod, hoping to catch a glimpse of Caroline Kennedy’s wedding day. MacDonald writes, “I wanted a picture to remember this special day, and I would get it. Just not the one I expected.”

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Face-to-face encounters impose a moral responsibility

On a mission to evacuate refugees from the Congo years ago, Sasha Chanoff and his colleague were faced with an impossible choice: Evacuate only the 112 people on their list, or at great risk, attempt to evacuate them, plus an additional 32 refugees, all women and children. The answer shaped his values, and ultimately, his life's work.

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The ‘gift’ of celebrity weddings

On July 19, 1986, Ann MacDonald and her mother gathered with thousands of other people outside of a church on Cape Cod, hoping to catch a glimpse of Caroline Kennedy’s wedding day. MacDonald writes, “I wanted a picture to remember this special day, and I would get it. Just not the one I expected.”

spr.ly

There are more than recipes in my beloved cookbooks

I set out to organize my cookbooks, writes Billie Munro. Instead, I found, in the margins, a chorus of family voices.

spr.ly

Face-to-face encounters impose a moral responsibility

On a mission to evacuate refugees from the Congo years ago, Sasha Chanoff and his colleague were faced with an impossible choice: Evacuate only the 112 people on their list, or at great risk, attempt to evacuate them, plus an additional 32 refugees, all women and children. The answer shaped his values, and ultimately, his life's work.

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Q&A with Heather Hach: 'We all need to tap into our inner Elle Woods'

In honor of the 25th anniversary of the movie "Legally Blonde," Cog editor Kate Neale Cooper spoke with Heather Hach, the Broadway librettist who helped take the film from screen to stage. "We’re all capable of becoming better versions of ourselves," said Hach. "We need Elle Woods to remind us of that." *This was our newsletter topnote this week.

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The banana as we know it is in trouble

"If the banana-industrial complex that supplies banana addicts like me is bad for the people and the planet, what now?" asks Ethan Gilsdorf. "I want to say I would happily kick my banana habit. But I’m not sure I can."

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The overprescribing crisis is real. But the current debate overlooks the most vulnerable patients

The question worth asking is not whether Americans are overmedicated, writes Victor Petreca, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. “It is which Americans, with which medications, in which settings and with how much genuine choice and agency.”

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Q & A with Jason Prokowiew, author of "War Boys: A Father and Son Memoir"

Jason Prokowiew’s "War Boys" braids the story of his father, Walter, who survived as a young boy taken in by a Nazi soldier in 1940s Belarus, and young Jason, who must navigate a childhood of fear and abuse in 1970s Massachusetts. In conversation with Alysia Abbott, Prokowiew reflects on how his father’s history intersects with his own ongoing story.

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How Caitlin Clark became a mirror for America

I’ve often compared Clark’s meteoric rise to someone Boston fans remember well: Larry Bird, writes Khari Thompson. Bird openly rejected the "Great White Hope" label placed on him, "but he gave voice to something white America rarely has to acknowledge: It’s nice to see yourself reflected in the world around you once in a while."

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America at 250

In many ways, marking America’s 250th has been a sobering experience; but, for me, looking to stories from the far and recent past has been a steadying force, writes Cog editor Cloe Axelson. "'Look what those people did,'" I think. 'Look how brave they were.'”

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The sound myths make when they crack

Over seven years, my understanding of democracy moved far from government offices, classrooms and advocacy meetings, writes Evy Peña. It emerged instead through listening to thousands of migrant workers in their home communities, in transit and at their workplaces.

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Becoming a U.S. citizen changes much more than legal status

At Project Citizenship, Gail Breslow and her team help immigrants apply for U.S. citizenship, a process that has become demonstrably less accessible and more expensive during the Trump era. "At precisely the moment we should be celebrating what it means to be an American and the benefits of citizenship, it’s becoming harder to attain," she writes.

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An 11-year-old boy became a martyr – and shaped American history

On February 22, 1770, 11-year-old Christopher Seider, the child of German immigrants living in Boston, was shot and killed by a British customs officer. "Seider’s death gave many colonists a way to understand political arguments through a human story," writes Don Lankiewicz. "They saw it as evidence of a growing struggle between Massachusetts and imperial authority."

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How Caitlin Clark became a mirror for America

I’ve often compared Clark’s meteoric rise to someone Boston fans remember well: Larry Bird, writes Khari Thompson. Bird openly rejected the "Great White Hope" label placed on him, "but he gave voice t...

wbur.org

Long live lawn concerts

I don't know if I’ll make it to the Berkshires this season, but sitting on a lawn somewhere, eating good food and listening to good music is high on my summer bucket list, writes Cog editor Cloe Axelson.

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How I'm trying to help my nonverbal son communicate — and why it's controversial

Spelling methods that teach nonspeakers to point to letters to spell words are controversial because they require a communication partner. But when we ask "Whose words are these?" we're asking the wrong question, writes Micha Boyett, the mother of a nonspeaking child.

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How I'm trying to help my nonverbal son communicate — and why it's controversial

Spelling methods that teach nonspeakers to point to letters to spell words are controversial because they require a communication partner. But when we ask "Whose words are these?" we're asking the wrong question, writes Micha Boyett, the mother of a nonspeaking child.

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