Join Steve Heaslip, an award-winning photojournalist for the Cape Cod Times, for “All in a Day’s Work,” a virtual talk via Nauset Fellowship, on Sunday, January 24th, at 10 a.m. Registration is free at nfuu.org.
Nauset Fellowship
Totally Smitten
Join Nauset Fellowship on Sunday, January 10th, at 10 a.m. for a Zoom performance of Isn’t It Romantic, a new play by Candace Perry. It will be followed by a “talk back” with the author and actors, who include Sallie Tighe, Cynthia Harrington, and Racine Oxtoby. Registration is free at nfuu.org.
Speaking Out
Join Miranda Alves, co-founder of Cape Cod Voices, in partnership with Nauset Fellowship, for “Cape Cod Voices Addresses Racial Bias,” a discussion, via Zoom, about the challenges facing marginalized and underserved communities on the Cape. It will take place Sunday, November 15th, at 10 a.m. Email [email protected] for the link.
our picks for the week of July 9 through July 15
Indie’s Choice
Outer Cape Calendar
Mixed Media Maleness
Catch the “Modern Male II” show at Steve Bowersock Gallery at 373 Commercial St. in Provincetown, featuring artworks of all media submitted from across the country. The curators were gallerist Steve Bowersock and journalist Jeanne McCartin.
Guild Goes Outdoors
The Eastham Painters Guild outdoor shows will resume on Thursday, July 9, on the lawn of the 1869 Schoolhouse Museum at 2375 Route 6 in Eastham. For the next few weeks, the hours are Thursdays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Masks are required. Find a full summer schedule and catch the virtual exhibit at easthampaintersguild.com.
Reading de la Cité
East End Books Ptown is hosting a free virtual reading with Alex George, author of The Paris Hours, on Friday, July 10, at 5 p.m. The book tells the story of a single day in Paris in 1927. Pre-registration is required; visit eastendbooksptown.com.
Wherefore Wampanoag
Nauset Fellowship Unitarian Universalist of Eastham is offering a Zoom screening of We Are Still Here, about Jessie Little Doe Baird and the revival of the Wampanoag language, on Sunday, July 12, at 10 a.m. The film will be introduced by its director, Anne Makepeace. Email [email protected] to register. Informal socializing will begin at 9:30 a.m.
In Lucy’s Honor
Tales of Cape Cod and History at Play is presenting I Now Pronounce You Lucy Stone, a one-woman performance by Judith Kalaora via Zoom, honoring the abolitionist and women’s rights activist, who was the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree. It can be viewed virtually on Monday, July 13, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at talesofcapecod.org.
Fire and Ice
The Eastham Public Library will host “Dragons: Return of the Ice Sorceress,” a virtual storytelling and science event for children held via Zoom on Tuesday, July 14, at 5 p.m. Registration is free at easthamlibrary.org.
Uncaged Spirits
The Fine Arts Works Center in Provincetown is rounding up a gaggle of poets — Marie Howe, Nick Flynn, Robert Pinsky, and Kelle Groom — who will participate in a virtual reading of works inspired by Patty Larkin’s latest CD, Bird in a Cage, on Tuesday, July 14, at 6 p.m. Tickets are $25 and available at fawc.org.
Liz Goes Local
The Provincetown Public Library is offering a free virtual cooking program with Chef Liz Barbour, owner of the Creative Feast, featuring a slide show and two recipes using locally grown ingredients. It will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, July 15, at 3 p.m. Pre-registration is required at provincetownlibrary.org, under “Events.”
Corn on the Cobb
The Truro Historical Society has planted its Three Sisters Garden on the lawn of the Cobb Archive at 13 Truro Center Road in tribute to the Wampanoag peoples. The three sisters — corn, beans, and squash — represent crops that were essential to many Native American communities. Visit the Cobb Archive on Wednesday, July 15, at 4 p.m. for a live history talk with Marcus Hendricks of the Wampanoags. Email [email protected] to register. The fee is $10. Bring a lawn chair.
Unforgettable
The Wellfleet Public Library is hosting “I Remember Wellfleet” online via Zoom on Wednesday, July 15, at 7 p.m. It’s a Wellfleet Historical Society event in which participants share their stories and memories of Wellfleet, including the Strawberry Festival, Fourth of July Parade, and the life of Richmond Bell. To register, email [email protected].
our picks for the week of May 14 through May 20
Indie’s Choice
Outer Cape Calendar
Four Memorial Trees
Last week, Margaret Murphy and Trees Provincetown, with the help of Ken MacPhee of Bartlett Tree Experts, planted a paperbark maple at the Provincetown Theater in honor of playwright Terrence McNally, who received an award here last year and died of Covid-19 in March. Trees Provincetown also planted three black tupelo trees in the B-Street Garden. One of those trees was funded by a seasonal resident in memory of his brother, who died at a young age, and the other two are still available as memorials to a loved one. Interested donors should email [email protected].
Crisis Outreach
The Nauset Fellowship Unitarian Universalist in Eastham is presenting a virtual talk via Zoom, “Facing the Immediate Future,” with Larry Marsland, CEO of Lower Cape Outreach Council, about pressing needs and emerging trends and the emergency assistance of food, clothing, and financial support that the council provides, on Sunday, May 17, at 10 a.m. Advance registration for this free event is required; email [email protected] for the necessary link.
Payomet Online
Among the virtual treats offered by the Payomet Performing Arts Center online are two videos by local actor Dennis Cunningham and two Tiny Tent events: a pay-what-you-can stretch and flexibility class with Cirque by the Sea aerialist Gabrielle “Teddy” Ment on Tuesday, May 19, at 6 p.m., and a free live concert by folk singer-songwriter Darren Wotherspoon on Wednesday, May 20, at 6 p.m. Even though the Tiny Tent is virtual, participation is limited and tickets are required at payomet.org.
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
Salon Mario Russo in Boston may be temporarily closed, but it’s offering free DIY tutorial videos from its stylists on how to color your hair, fix roots, and more while sheltering at home. Mario himself is a Provincetown celeb: drop in on his salon’s Facebook or Instagram pages.
Tailor-made
A budding nonprofit on the Outer Cape called Masked Makers, started by Tess Lyone, is looking for people to donate their time, sewing skills, and fabric to make the required face masks for the community during the coronavirus epidemic. If you want to help, go to maskedmakers.org and join the email list.
Keep It Short
Four editions of the Animation Show of Shows, featuring 56 of the world’s best short films, will become available on Vimeo through Wellfleet Preservation Hall on May 15 for $9.99. The ticket link and promo code are available at wellfleetpreservationhall.org. Also at the Hall: The Feed Your Love Open Mic virtual edition, on Wednesday, May 20, at 7 p.m. Performers and listeners can join the fun via Zoom. Email host John Beardsley ahead of time at [email protected] to sign up; link to Zoom 15 minutes ahead of time. Performers should email Bert Jackson for tips on setting up at [email protected].
Time Release
During the Broto conference this weekend, check out the free virtual art show of climate-savvy work, “Time Sensitive,” including imagery by Wellfleetians Daniel Ranalli and Sarah Riley, at broto.eco (click on “conference” and then “art show”) or go directly to broto.eco/time-sensitive-art-show/. Riley’s Wellfleet Apparitions is a 12-foot-tall series of layered drawings and photos reworked in Photoshop and printed on vinyl.
our picks for the week of May 7 through May 13
Indie’s Choice
Outer Cape Calendar
Power Pointe
Along with the Metropolitan Opera, another major Lincoln Center institution, the New York City Ballet, has gone virtual as well. Now through May 29, the company is offering free screenings of selected ballets in its repertoire for 72 hours every Tuesday and Friday. On Friday, May 8, catch a performance of Alexei Ratmansky’s Concerto DSCH, set to music by Shostakovich, at nycballet.com.
Mother, May I?
The Provincetown Theater presents Mosquito Story Slam virtually for a new evening of live personal storytelling on the theme of “Your Mother” on Saturday, May 9, at 7 p.m. Tune in for free at provincetowntheater.org/virtual-programming/. The Slam is also asking viewers to “tell us something your mother would say” before Saturday in an email to [email protected] so it can be read during the show. Provincetown Theater is also hosting a new interactive “Community Conversation” on Tuesday, May 12, at 4 p.m. with a panel of local notables online.
For the Birds
Mass Audubon’s annual Bird-a-thon has gone virtual during the crisis. This fund-raiser is a bird-watching competition between teams taking place on May 15-16, but to participate, you need to join a team now. Search for “Mass Audubon Bird-a-thon,” follow the link, and help count species and raise millions!
A Whole New World
The Nauset Fellowship Unitarian Universalist church in Eastham is featuring a Zoom talk on Sunday, May 10, at 10 a.m. with Andrew Gottlieb, executive director of the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, who will share “A New Perspective on a Reordered World.” It’s free, but you’ll need to register beforehand by emailing info.nfuu.org.
Going Solo
The deadline for submissions to the Wellfleet Public Library’s virtual art show, “Isolation: Inspiration,” is Friday, May 8. Artwork will go online on Monday, May 11. For instructions on how to email your art, go to wellfleetlibrary.org and click on “Virtual Events” up top.
Tiny Tent Events
Payomet Performing Arts Center in Truro is offering virtual fare during the epidemic. This week, join Cirque by the Sea aerialist Gabrielle “Teddy” Ment for a virtual stretch and flexibility class via Zoom on Tuesday, May 12, from 6 to 7 p.m. Tickets are “pay what you can” at payomet.org. Then, on Wednesday, May 13, at 6 p.m., join Provincetown indie rock singer-songwriter Anne Stott on Payomet’s Facebook page for a free performance.
Virtual Waters Edge
Support your local movie art house, that is, Waters Edge Cinema, by viewing new movies online (for $12) via its website, watersedgecinema.org. Currently, the art documentary Beyond the Visible: Hilda af Klint is showing, as well as Brian Cox in the drama The Etruscan Smile; the documentary Capital in the 21st Century, based on economist Thomas Piketty’s best-selling book about income inequality; the gay twenty-something comedy Straight Up; Brian Dennehy in Driveways; and more.
What’s Up, Doc?
Wellfleet Preservation Hall, among other virtual events (such as the fund-raiser “Cooking With Ceraldi!” and an Art in the Hall show of Peter Watts’s paintings), is screening first-run documentaries during “Doc Days,” through May 14. Featured are Capital in the 21st Century (also at Waters Edge Cinema, above) and Pahokee, about four impoverished Florida teens during their last year in high school. Tickets are $12 at wellfleetpreservationhall.org.
OP-ED
Hope in the Time of Covid-19
With a dysfunctional state, can we ‘feel to be a cog in something turning’?
EASTHAM — My grandfather was a Congregational minister. I never met him. He died of pneumonia in the 1920s. Two stories I heard growing up about Robert Hillis Goldsmith: in 1913 he integrated his Little Rock, Ark., church, welcoming traveling “Negro” salesmen in. For this, the family, including my infant mother, were “driven out of town on a rail.”
The other story was the book he wrote: A League to Enforce Peace, about the proposed League of Nations, precursor to the United Nations, was published in 1917. I think about him, and my mother, during Easter season.
My other grandparents, the ones with roots in Eastham, were my dad’s parents. They moved the family smartly out of Providence, R.I., to Woonsocket to escape the terrifying Spanish flu epidemic of 1918. May be why I’m here.
I, like much of my generation, grew up in a secular household. Mother and I went to church on Easter Sunday, to Eastham Methodist, or later, First Parish in Brewster. Other than some Sunday school and choir at the Chapel in the Pines, that was about it for churchgoing.
I learned about “sacred relations” with the land from my dad, though not from his words. He taught me to be quiet and listen to the natural world walking in the woods, fishing from a rowboat, searching the flats for quahogs. I absorbed early how deeply my nature is linked to that of the natural world.
With the social, psycho-spiritual, and drug-evoked effects of the 1960s and ’70s came a turn on my path to counting myself as a person of faith, which may be how I find hope for our human family right now. Beloved community arose out of the civil rights movement. Dancing for peace came from close encounters with a Sufi community north of San Francisco.
Inspired by the Indian rights movement, some of us banded together, lived simply, close to the land, as we learned about the American genocide of indigenous people. Along with our right reverend rock ’n’ roll pastors, many of us chose to incorporate the idea that “We are stardust/ Billion year old carbon/ We are golden/ Caught in the devil’s bargain/ And we’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden.”
But which garden is that again? The one where sex is the sin for which we need forgiveness? And women are to blame? Maybe not.
“And I feel to be a cog in something turning.”
Today, Bob Dylan writes to us evoking the Deep State in his compelling new 16-minute-long talking blues: “Murder Most Foul.” The media impart stories of a dysfunctional state. How do we make sense of our situation?
Where is hope to be found in these suddenly radically changed and perilous moments of our lives, of this civilization? Is my nontraditional, polydoxy faith able to serve as antidote for suspicious, divisive, and worried feelings among us?
What we see nationwide right now is workers organizing, together addressing safety and justice for each other in ways we’ve not seen in this country perhaps ever. People are attending to something that feels soundly human — empathy and love, and how to grow it in word and deed.
In my Nauset UU Fellowship, hope is found in the bluebirds at the bird feeders, in ways to serve each other, and in grieving together about family, friends, and others in peril, in New York and elsewhere, via Zoom and phone.
With our human capacity for caring, for loving each other so much that it hurts, perhaps relationships maintained or redeveloped via phone and internet have become our best choice for now.
The ability to grieve our losses with others, not to become numb to possibilities of a different society crafted on the other side of all this — that is where hope and faith reside in me these early weeks of spring.