Dec 20-26, 2017
Winter Reading Issue: A Preview of Howard Frank Mosher’s Last Novel; the Word on Self-Publishing; Are You a ‘Pantser’ or a Plotter? (To Outline or Not to Outline?)
Cover Story
The Winter Reading Issue — 2017
When the weather turns cold, many Vermonters like to curl up by a woodstove with a good book. While we can’t tuck an entire volume…
Movie Review: ‘The Disaster Artist’ Celebrates a Cinematic Train Wreck
Whether you call them outsider artists or weirdos, we’ve all known a few people like Tommy Wiseau, the enigmatic auteur behind 2003 cult classic The…
Seriously: About Last Year
In the final episode of the year, Bryan offers his take on the biggest Vermont news stories of 2017 and sets it to music to make it all slightly more palatable.
The Cannabis Catch-Up: Growers Show Off 100-Foot Joint
Here’s a gimmick that would make Cheech and Chong proud. A Massachusetts cannabis growers collective created a 100-foot-long joint for a convention December 16 in…
![The Healing Power of Yoga [SIV515]](https://sevendaysvt-test.newspackstaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/episode515-1200x900.webp)
The Healing Power of Yoga [SIV515]
12/13/17: Sangha Studio in Burlington is a nonprofit whose goal is to build an empowered community through the shared practice of yoga. Their classes are…
Maplebrook Farm Moves Into Bigger Production Facility
Maplebrook Farm of North Bennington has built a state-of-the-art production facility that allows the company to churn out more fresh mozzarella; gooey, cream-filled burrata; and…
Ask Athena: My Boyfriend Is Going to Meet My Ex-Fiancé
Dear Athena, My boyfriend is coming with me to my parents’ house for Hanukkah. He is going to meet my ex-fiancé (whom I know still…
Sampling CBD-Enhanced Cuisine at Zenbarn
Call me old-fashioned, but I thought the point of hemp was to get high, if only in a last-ditch, ditch-weed kind of way. But I…
Art Review: ‘Arts Connect at Catamount Arts: Third Annual Juried Exhibition’
With the third annual juried exhibition at Catamount Arts, juror John R. Stomberg had his work cut out for him. The St. Johnsbury arts center…
What Does the Vermont Expression ‘Had the Radish’ Mean?
In keeping with this week’s Winter Reading Issue, WTF answers a native Vermonter’s burning lexicological question: “What does the expression ‘had the radish’ mean, and…
Eat This Week: December 20 to 26, 2017: Pre-Santa Supper
In November of this year, the Boston Globe named “Ten Restaurants to Try in New England This Winter.” One of them was the Lincoln Inn…
Soundbites: ’Tis the Week Before New Year’s
‘Tis the week before New Year’s, and all through the town It seems there’s some super-cool stuff going down Many artists and bands are out…
Mallsoleum? Vermont’s Largest Retail Complex Faces an Uncertain Future
Christopher McKinney dropped by the University Mall on a snowy December evening two weeks before Christmas, but he wasn’t there to shop. The University of…
Former Sudanese Journalist Discusses Free Press and Censorship
Sudanese journalist and novelist Ahmed M. Ahmed, 46, got his first taste of social activism when he was about 15. Incensed that his school wasn’t…
Phillis Mosher Talks About Her Husband’s Final Novel
At Christmastime last year, George Witte received a manuscript at his publishing house in New York City. It was a collection of stories by Howard…
Free Will Astrology (12/20/17)
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In 2018, one of your primary missions will be to practice what you preach, to walk your talk, to be ambitious…
Album Review: GOOD WTHR, ‘Somewhere Shining’
(Posimentum, digital download) Although GOOD WTHR have adopted a new name, they’ve got deep roots in Vermont hip-hop. The local rap duo consists of Pro…
Letters to the Editor (12/20/17)
No Place for Kids After reading Melissa Pasanen’s article [“Women With Knives,” December 13], I was disturbed by the injection of the writer’s opinion that…
Opiate Crisis Fuels Rise in Heart Infections
The University of Vermont Medical Center is grappling with an increase in the number of patients who come to the emergency room with a rare…
Album Review: Gang of Thieves, ‘Totem’
(Self-released, digital download) Gang of Thieves are something like the funk-rock equivalent of a vintage hot rod. Polished and powerful, the Burlington band has specialized…
Hyperesthesia: A Short Story
Yuppies and neckers. Flatlanders and woodchucks. Like a number of my pals growing up, Sandy’s pedigree was mixed. His mom was born in Who-the-Hell-Cares-Where, Ohio,…
Comedian Chris Fleming Brings “Showpig” to Vermont
Chris Fleming is all over the place, in all of the ways. The Massachusetts-born, Los Angeles-based standup comedian is known for his singular brand of…
Undercover Video Targets Transgender Vermonters
Marcus wasn’t expecting to go viral when he showed up to an October meeting on transgender health care at the Pride Center of Vermont. But…
A New Book for ‘Pantsers’ on How to Write Without an Outline
Are you a plotter or a pantser? If you think this is a question about whether you leave the house properly attired, you probably haven’t…
Essay: As the Father of Two Daughters, I’d Like to Say a Few Things
As the father of two daughters, I put my pants on one leg at a time, just like any other father of two daughters who’s…
Movie Review: ‘Downsizing’ Has a Bigger Concept Than It Can Do Justice to
Alexander Payne is a member of a very small club (size puns, anyone?). He’s on the short list (for example) of American directors who’ve never…
The Local Scene on the Best Music of 2017
After a full year of highlighting the works of local musicians, club promoters, DJs and producers, we thought it would be enlightening to learn what…
Elizabeth Bunsen’s Handmade Books Explore Color and Emotion
Not all books are for reading. Some, like Elizabeth Bunsen’s intricate art books, must be experienced visually. Each of her tomes — she’s made hundreds…
Two Phils: Scott the Alarmist, Scott the Conciliator
At an early December press conference, Gov. Phil Scott hammered on a familiar theme: Education property taxes are out of control. He pointed to Vermont’s…
How to Pick the Right Self-Publishing Option
As any published writer can attest, nothing compares with the feeling of seeing one’s words in print for the first time. Whether it’s a memoir,…
A Crash Damages East Fairfield’s Historic Covered Bridge
Here’s a road hazard unique to Vermont. A delivery driver got his truck stuck while navigating his way through an East Fairfield covered bridge, according…
Rory Stamp Talks Science, Art and the Just-Right Cheese Board
During his childhood near Killington, Rory Stamp hated milk. “I grew up on nonfat skim milk, and I absolutely detested it,” he says. “It was…
Two Food Venues Coming to Brattleboro’s Latchis Building
Among Brattleboro’s landmarks is the Latchis Hotel and Theatre, a 1938 building at 50 Main Street that houses four theaters, including a 750-seat venue, plus…
Two Brothers Opens Notte in Middlebury
Last winter, as they prepared for a renovation, the owners of Middlebury’s Two Brothers Tavern decided to build a temporary kitchen so they could keep…
