Spreading the word

Meet Youth Poet Laureate Elliot DelSignore

New Hampshire Youth Poet Laureate is an honorary position held by a New Hampshire high school student who has demonstrated dedication to and excellence in writing and an enthusiasm to share poetry with the public, particularly other young people. During their tenure, Youth Poet Laureates participate in at least four events in the state that are focused on supporting and increasing opportunities for young people to read and write poetry, and are given the opportunity to publish their own poems in an NHYPL anthology. Elliot DelSignore, a senior at Souhegan High School in Amherst, is one of four Youth Poet Laureates, chosen by The Poetry Society of New Hampshire, to serve during the 2020-2021 academic year.

How did you get into poetry?

It was kind of recently that I discovered my passion for it. In sixth grade, I was in a poetry club at my middle school, but at that time I wasn’t really into poetry that much. I’ve been writing my whole life, but it wasn’t until maybe a year ago that I really started getting into poetry, specifically. At first, I just thought it was something cool I could do. I had a lot of friends who were into it, and I thought it would be a fun way to relate to them and do collaborative stuff like that. Then I started looking into the publication scene and taking it more seriously.

What type of poetry do you write?

I prefer writing free-verse as opposed to any specific format or style of poetry. The biggest thing I like to write about is emotions and memories. I like to focus on specific memories, and on the emotion that I felt from them, and then I take that emotion and make it into a sort of narrative and include fictional elements in it.

What do you enjoy most about writing poetry?

I just think that it is such an unrestrained form of writing, and that’s the appeal that poetry has to me versus other kinds of creative writing. With short stories or with novels, there’s more of a set structure. There are grammar conventions, and there are certain rules that you have to follow, no matter what you’re writing about in that kind of writing, whereas poetry is just very free. I feel like I can just do so much more. It gives you a lot of free rein to express yourself and a lot of range to do what you want with the words and use the language in ways that you might not be able to do in regular creative writing. It’s just a more versatile form of art.

How did you find out about the Youth Poet Laureate program, and why did you decide to apply?

It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing. I’m a staff writer for the Souhegan [High School] digital magazine it’s called The Claw — and the advisor [for the magazine] originally contacted me about it. He told me he thought it might be something that I would be interested in, because he knows that I do poetry on the side. It was only a few days before the deadline for applications, so I had to work fast, but I applied. … I always thought that my opportunities were kind of limited, since New Hampshire is such a small state, so all I’ve really done up to this point is some publishing online and stuff on more of a national level. I thought this would be a cool way to involve myself more in the writing scene in the state in person.

How did you feel when you found out that you had been chosen?

When I got the call, and they told me they thought that my application was good and that I had been accepted, I was definitely really surprised. I never considered that it would be something that I would be seriously considered for, since I kind of applied on a whim. Also, I had applied to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and I know from that that there are so many talented writers in this state and that so many other people would probably apply for it.

What are you looking forward to most?

I think what I’m most excited for is the readings and workshops, and I’m excited to meet other people who are like-minded. When I applied, I didn’t know that there would be other Youth Poet Laureates, so it was definitely great to find out that there would be a few of us. It’ll be cool to work with other people who have mutual interests and passions.

What would you like to accomplish during your tenure?

Our school system doesn’t really foster an appreciation for poetry beyond what they teach in class. I hope to show students in New Hampshire that poetry isn’t just restricted to the things that you read in English class. It doesn’t only have to be about nature or fall into a certain genre. Your poetry can be whatever you want it to be. … Also, I know that when I first started writing poetry and was looking for areas to publish my work, it was hard for me to find [print publications] that would accept high school writers. Since I have experience with the digital publishing side of things and with online literary magazines and journals, I want to work to draw more attention toward those kinds of online opportunities, which can be difficult to find.

What advice do you have for other young poets?

The best thing you can do and this goes for any form of art is practice and work at it. Even if you think that your work is not good or you’re discouraged because it’s not at the level that you want it to be, just keep doing it and eventually you’ll improve.

Educational equity

Derry teacher earns sabbatical for Promoting Just Schools

The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation has awarded its 2020 Christa McAuliffe Sabbatical to Misty Crompton, a social studies teacher at West Running Brook Middle School in Derry. The sabbatical gives a New Hampshire teacher a year off with pay and a budget to work on a project focused on improving education in the state. Crompton discussed her project, Promoting Just Schools, and the need for educational equity.

What’s your background in education and equity work in schools?

I’m a Grade 7 social studies teacher in Derry. I’ve been a teacher there for 20 years. I’ve been on the executive board of my education association in Derry for over a decade. I belong to an organization called Leaders for Just Schools, and to a New Hampshire Human Civil Rights Committee. I also recently [became] an advisor with the nonprofit group Rise of Peace. I work with these organizations as well as my local school district right now in this equity work.

Why did you apply for the sabbatical?

It was the Just Schools program that really motivated and inspired me to [apply] for the sabbatical. … My heart was really invested in doing this work, but my realities made it difficult to dive in the way I wanted to. There are a lot of time commitments that come with my career, and I’m very busy with a million committees and clubs and volunteer organizations. … I’m also a mom of two active boys, an 11-year-old who has autism and an 8-year-old.

Why did you decide to focus your work on Just Schools and equity in schools?

I was asked to go to San Diego last summer for the Just Schools program. There were 100 educators there for four days, examining issues of equity and racial and social justice, and it was incredibly powerful and emotional. … So much fear and frustration had set in [because of] these huge divisions in our country right now, and we were all motivated by the fact that we didn’t want our students to feel hopeless about their future. … Education is complex and affects and influences many areas of our society. We have a great deal of power in education, and I feel like now is as good a time as ever to use our power as educators [to create] a more just and equitable society.

What’s on your sabbatical to-do list?

I’ll be working with my social studies department this summer … to examine the curriculum and see if there’s anything we can do to make it more inclusive, maybe a little less Eurocentric, and make sure we’re truly representing a diverse spectrum of people. … The pedagogy is important, but I think forming relationships with students and finding out [how] they feel … is a really simple and honest way to get started, so I’m also working with the Human Civil Rights Committee to collect student voices about whether or not they think school is a place where people are treated fairly and equally. … I’ll be working with my school and district [on] an opportunity audit … to make sure [our] schools are concerned with equity, growth and social justice and are really modeling that in their own policies and interactions. … [It’s] a really awesome opportunity to have meaningful conversations about … restorative practices, how we discipline students, how we view justice, and how we can better represent a diverse spectrum of people. … I’ll be working with educators, examining personal policy management and practices to help them better understand the impact of equity and bias, while learning it myself at the same time. … I’ll also be building a website and blog to guide educators to some specific resources … on how to examine equity in their field.

Why is this work something that’s needed now, and in New Hampshire?

We’re not exempt from this work. … We do have diversity in New Hampshire, and we definitely have some systemic issues that need to be examined. … We’ve seen things evolve with equity in special education over the years … but when it comes to certain other obstacles that are more socially related … there are still some issues of equity. … We have to show some commitment to change, to examine the status quo, and to admit some groups still have a vast amount of privilege over other groups. As difficult as this conversation can be, it’s an important one. … I feel like people are getting a little more serious about tackling that work right now. The conversation is ripe.

What sustainable changes do you hope to see in the school system after your sabbatical is over?

I would love to see a commitment to equity work become self-sustaining and contagious in society … and I want to push and swing the pendulum toward that as much as I can during the sabbatical. … For me, it’s not about any one specific [goal]; it’s about sparking a movement and getting back to reexamining priorities within our schools that have been shuffled aside over the years. … We can’t keep pretending schools are a place where you walk in, get your basic skills served up, take a standardized test and go home. I think we all know the realities of school and the impact it has on our lives and personal development is greater than that. … There are people in New Hampshire who would … feel a real sense of hope knowing educators are committed to understanding [what these] equity issues are … and my hope is teachers will take action, and students will really know and believe their schools are advocating for them.

The Art Roundup 20/06/25

From trash to art: The New Hampshire Art Association presents an exhibition, “Reconsidering Trash,” now through Sept. 17, at the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Gallery (49 S. Main St., Concord). It features the works of NHAA member artist Marylou Ashooh Lazos of Derry, including assemblages created using pieces of her past and found objects like broken pieces of jewelry, hardware, toys and tech bits. She does the assemblages on circuit boards that she found in the trash at an old mill, following the circuit boards’ natural patterns, then attaching the boards to fabric-covered wood bases. “There is so much beauty in the everyday things around us, and I find that putting them in a frame tasks the viewer to look at common objects in new ways,” Lazos said in a press release. “So much of our society is disposable — I wanted to present a vehicle that challenges us to think twice about what we consider ‘trash.’” Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit nhartassociation.org.

Shakespeare auditions: Manchester-based theater company Cue Zero announced in a recent press release that it is accepting online auditions for its “Shakespeare in the (Ball) Park” production of Romeo and Juliet, happening Sunday, Sept. 20, at the Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester. Auditioning actors should send a video featuring one comedic and one dramatic monologue from a Shakespeare play, totaling no more than five minutes in length, to [email protected] by July 20. The rehearsal process will be mostly virtual, with some in-person rehearsals closer to the opening date. The tentative rehearsal schedule is Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Visit cztheatre.com.

Palace Theatre president honored: The Palace Theatre’s President and CEO Peter Ramsey was named Manchester’s 2020 Citizen of the Year by the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, according to a press release from the Manchester theater. Mark LaPrade, principal at BerryDunn accounting and management consulting firm in Manchester, nominated Ramsey, commending Ramsey’s “love of theatre, his passion for New Hampshire and his desire to improve Manchester,” according to the press release. “His commitment to increasing access to the arts and working to ensure young people have opportunities to experience and participate in theatre is exceptional,” Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig said of Ramsey in the press release, adding that the Rex Theatre, the Palace Theatre’s new 300-seat venue on Amherst Street in Manchester, is “already beginning to establish itself as a performance destination in New Hampshire.” Visit palacetheatre.org.

Film fest canceled: The 20th annual New Hampshire Film Festival, which was scheduled to take place in Portsmouth in October, has been canceled, according to a recent statement on the festival’s website. Film submissions are being accepted now for the next festival, which is scheduled for Oct. 14 through Oct. 17, 2021. Visit nhfilmfestival.com.

Antique shop update: The New Hampshire Antique Co-op in Milford announced in a newsletter that it is preparing to reopen for walk-in shopping in July, with an exact date soon TBA. In the meantime, antiquers can shop thousands of items online and utilize the Co-op’s curbside pickup, shipping, delivery and free storage services. NHAC also launched its first-ever online art exhibition on June 13, which is viewable now on the website. “Summer Palettes: Impressionist & Modernist Works from the 19th century to Present” features more than 50 paintings by 19th- and 20th-century artists, as well as contemporary and local artists, that evoke the essence of summer, “whether it be a country landscape, a day at the beach or a vista of a waterfall in the White Mountains,” the newsletter said. All paintings are for sale. Visit nhantiquecoop.com.

Helping families cope

A funeral director talks about the impact of Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic put funeral homes in a unique predicament; while the increased number of deaths in the state led to an increased demand for end-of-life services, emergency orders from the governor significantly limited the services that the funeral homes could provide. Buddy Phaneuf, fourth-generation funeral director and president of Phaneuf Funeral Homes & Crematorium, which has five locations throughout New Hampshire and Vermont, discussed how funeral homes and families of deceased have been getting through the pandemic, and how funeral arrangements will be handled moving forward.

What restrictions were put on funeral homes during the state’s Stay-at-Home Order?

We were considered an essential business, so we were never legally mandated to close. … The original restrictions imposed by the state up until Monday [June 15] were that gatherings or services at funeral homes had to have under 10 people. We were also affected by restrictions on churches — a lot of them were closed and not allowing services — and cemeteries, which, at one point, only allowed two people to gather close to a grave.

What restrictions are in place now that the Stay-at-Home Order has been lifted?

The governor is limiting funeral homes to [using] 50 percent of their capacity, but we’re still not comfortable having that [many people]. Our main location in Manchester can accommodate 400 people. That means we are still allowed to have as many as 200 people there, and you just can’t effectively [enforce] social distance with 200 people. We’re doing everything on a case-by-case basis right now based on what makes the most practical sense for us. … We’re also doing all the common-sense stuff: social distancing, wearing masks, providing hand sanitizer, cleaning public rooms multiple times a day, using signage and multiple entrances and exits to manage the flow [of visitors].

What are some of the biggest challenges funeral homes have had to face during the pandemic?

Nearly a third of New Hampshire’s Covid-positive patients [who died] came through one of our facilities. Dealing with an extra 40 to 50 deaths a month is significant, plus all of the mixed messages we were getting from state, national and international [health organizations] about how Covid is spread. Can you get Covid from a deceased body? Can you have an open casket [service] for a deceased Covid patient? Some [health organizations] were saying one thing, and others were saying something else. … Another thing is that our staff has been on the frontlines [of the pandemic]. … They’ve had to go to homes where a person may have died of Covid, and the family members in those homes could potentially have Covid. We didn’t always have all of the PPEs [personal protective equipment] … so funeral home staff really put their neck on the line.

How has the pandemic impacted funeral homes, business-wise?

Funeral homes aren’t unique; they’ve been just as impacted by this pandemic as restaurants and retail shops and so many other businesses [have]. … We’ve lost hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue. … Even though we’ve been serving more families, the families are downgrading their services. Instead of a traditional funeral, they’re doing a cremation. Instead of having a wake, they’re just going to the cemetery. The flowers, the limos, the processions people aren’t doing that right now, and funeral homes rely on that to pay their basic expenses. … The reality is, a lot of the smaller mom-and-pop funeral homes have not been able to cover their expenses, and they will have to close.

How have families been handling funeral arrangements during the pandemic?

It runs the gamut. Some people want to have the big public service at a church with a big wake and a luncheon, so they’ve decided to wait a few months until they can have that. Other people didn’t want to delay things or drag things on for months. They said, ‘It is what it is, and we need to deal with it,’ and they had a small, private service. Some people decided to do a private service now and are planning to do a more public, celebration-of-life event later on.

Have you been able to accommodate families with special requests or unique circumstances during this time?

[We have been] thinking outside the box and coming up with some really interesting and creative ideas. … In one case, we had an open casket for a young person who passed away, and there were 200 people here. Of course, we couldn’t let 200 people in, so we let 10 people in at a time, and it was a whole-day event, but that was what we needed to do to help [the deceased’s] family and friends grieve and say goodbye. … We also have a camera in our chapel, so we’ve been able to do some livestream services. Families can either just watch the service or … we can set them up on Zoom. We actually did that for an immigrant family who wanted to have an overnight vigil because that’s part of their customs and traditions, but of course everyone couldn’t spend the night together, and a lot of family members were still in their native country, so we set up a camera in front of the casket with a Zoom [session]. Around 50 or 60 family members signed in over the course of the evening.

The Art Roundup 20/6/18

Juneteenth celebrations: The Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire will celebrate Juneteenth, the nationally-celebrated event that marks the end of slavery in the United States, with live-stream events planned this weekend, according to a press release. On Thursday, June 18, a live stream cooking demonstration called “Cooking with Selina: A Soul Food Cooking Show” starts at 3 p.m. with Selina Choate demonstrating the preparation of baked mac and cheese, fried chicken and collard greens with smoked turkey wings (recipes and pre-show prep instructions online on blackheritagetrailnh.org so you can follow along). On Friday, June 19, at 1 p.m., “members of the African drumming and dance group Akwaaba Ensemble and Rev. Robert Thompson will honor the ancestors who survived the Middle Passage with traditional songs and dance” at the Portsmouth African Burying Ground, the release said.

Also on Friday, the concert “Songs that Feed the Soul” will start at 7 p.m. On Saturday, June 20, at 10 a.m., a panel will present the program “The Diet of Our Ancestors: What History & Science Reveals” featuring presenters food writer Adrian Miller and biological anthropologist Amy Michael and moderator Shari Robinson, director of Psychological and Counseling Services at UNH, the website said. These events will be free and live-streamed; register at blackheritagetrailnh.org.

Virtual author events: Gibson’s Bookstore has two virtual author events coming up. On Tuesday, June 23, at 8 p.m., Erin Bowman, joined by fellow author Julie C. Dao, will launch her first middle-grade novel, The Girl and the Witch’s Garden. The book follows 12-year-old Piper as she begrudgingly spends the summer with her wealthy grandmother, who is rumored to be a witch. When Piper’s father falls ill, Piper sets out to unlock the secrets of her grandmother’s enchanted garden, which may be able to save her father. On Wednesday, June 24, at 6 p.m., historian Colin Woodard will present Union: The Struggle to Forge the Story of United States Nationhood. The book explores how a myth of national unity in America was created and fought over during the 19th century and what that myth looks like today. The events are free and will be streamed live via Zoom. Registration is required on the events’ respective pages at gibsonsbookstore.com.

Remote classes at the Currier: The Currier Museum of Art’s Art Center in Manchester announced in a recent newsletter that it will move all of its summer programs to an online platform. The decision was made based on a survey of the public asking if people would feel comfortable attending in-person classes and workshops this summer. There will be a wide variety of online programs for kids, teens and adults, including ones focused on illustration, comics, drawing, painting, mixed media, calligraphy, sculpture, collage and more. Three-day camps for kids ages 6 through 14 and five-day intensives for teens and adults age 15 and up will run weekly from the week of June 29 through the week of Aug. 24. Classes for kids, teens and adults, held one day a week, will begin the week of July 13 and run through the week of Aug. 24. When the Art Center does resume in-person workshops and classes, it will limit the number of students in each class, enforce social distancing, take added measures to sanitize the facility, provide face masks for participants and manage art materials on a per-student basis, the newsletter said. Register for online programs at currier.org/art-center/currier-art-center-2020-summer-schedule.

Nashua celebrates art: City Arts Nashua announced in a recent press release the launch of two new projects created to help the community engage with local art during the coronavirus pandemic. The first is the Art for Art’s Sake online art auction, going on now, featuring the work of Nashua artists Meri Goyette and Herb Mosher. Visit biddingowl.com/cityartsnashua. The other project is #CITYheARTSNASHUA, which invites people to share their expressive artwork on social media. “We [are] asking people to show us how they’re feeling in the moment in various ways … whether with a scribble, a doodle, a painting, a work in progress, a song, a sonnet or poem, whatever it may be — a scene, a flower, a bird, a detail of nature, a sunset, something right in front of them,” the press release said. “We also encourage people who do not usually make art, play an instrument, dance, sing, or act to try something new.” Artwork must be posted with one or more hashtags, including #CITYheARTSNASHUA, #ArtsConnectNH, #NHArts, #cityartsnashua, #nashuaart, #artwalknashua, #LoveNashua, #NashuaStrong, #NashuaResponds, #TogetherNashua and #NashuaStaysHome. Anyone who wants to share their artwork but doesn’t use social media can email their artwork to [email protected].

Manchester gallery reopens: Diane Crespo Fine Art Gallery (32 Hanover St., Manchester) announced in a recent press release that it has reopened with new hours: Wednesday from noon to 5 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday by appointment. Small art classes, framing services and art commissions are also being offered. The gallery is cleaned frequently, the press release said, and wearing a face mask is appreciated, but not required. Opened in the spring of 2019 by Manchester artist Diane Crespo, the gallery features Crespo’s own artwork, which consists mostly of oil and pastel realism landscapes, for sale as prints, framed and unframed originals and notecards. The gallery also has various home accents, including hand-painted slates, hand-painted glassware and small, refurbished vintage furniture. Visit dianecrespofineartgallery.com.

New BFA program: The Institute of Art and Design at New England College in Manchester announced in a recent press release a new Bachelor of Fine Arts program in 3D Studies, which will launch in the fall. Students majoring in 3D Studies will focus on ceramics and sculpture, installations and time-based art. The curriculum will include three-dimensional studio practices such as mold making, casting and construction, and how to incorporate video, sound and new media. “Our 3D Studies program is very exciting,” Lars Jerlach, Associate Professor of Art at IAD, said in the press release. “By making ceramics a component of this new program, we’re building upon our ceramics curriculum to offer students a broader study of contemporary sculptural practices that will strengthen the individual areas of study and enhance our students’ experiences as they continue to develop into artists.” Visit nec.edu.

Chorale’s season canceled: The Suncook Valley Chorale announced in a recent press release that it has canceled its entire fall 2020 season and all January 2021 concerts due to ongoing concerns about the coronavirus. “This decision is not taken lightly and is based on the highest priority of safety for our membership and our audiences,” board president Candie Garvin said in the press release. “The Chorale’s motto is ‘Sing for Joy!’ For now, we are compelled to sing at a distance from one another, but we are eagerly looking forward to the day when we can gather again in both safety and song.” The Concord-based non-auditioned community chorus, directed by Scott Lounsbury, includes members in their teens through their 80s and performs mostly classical, pop, Broadway and folk music. Visit svcnh.org.

On board

Manchester tabletop game developers working on third game

Bobby Fowler and Brenda Noiseux, best friends and founders of the Manchester-based tabletop game company Almost a Game, say they’re looking forward to reuniting and continuing their work on their third game, which has been put on hold because of Covid-19.

The duo released their first game, Wicked Apples, in 2016. It won the Tabletop Audience Choice Award at that year’s Boston Festival of Indie Games.

Wicked Apples is designed for two to five players ages 12 and up, and takes about 15 to 20 minutes to play. The gameplay is player-versus-player and involves memory, bluffing and luck.

“It’s a very cutthroat, ‘Take that!’ kind of game, where you’re actively trying to knock out your opponents,” Fowler said. “There’s a lot of player interaction.”

Each player starts with a set of four cards representing apples three good, and one wicked which they can look at only once. Then, the cards are placed face-down, and the players take turns sliding their cards around to their opponents. At the end of a round, each player must choose one of the “apples” in front of them to eat. Any player who eats a wicked apple is out of the game. Additionally, the good apple cards all have special actions the players must do, which result in the cards being randomly shuffled around.

“As the game goes on, the apples get more and more mixed up, and you have to really try to keep track of where everyone is pushing the different apples in each round,” Fowler said.

The game may end with one winner the last player standing after all other players have eaten wicked apples and been eliminated or it may end with no winner, should the last two players both eat a wicked apple in the same round.

“It’s fun that way because then, if you get the sense that you aren’t going to win, you can still say, ‘OK, so how can I take my opponent down with me so that no one will win?’” Noiseux said.

Last December, Almost a Game released its second game, Space Chase. It’s designed for one to six players ages 12 and up, and takes about 30 to 45 minutes to play. Unlike Wicked Apples, Space Chase is a cooperative game, meaning all players work together as one alliance and will collectively win or lose. The gameplay is tile-based and involves using strategy and teamwork.

The players act as a crew aboard a spaceship. Their objective is to outrun an enemy hunter who is tracking their ship. To do that, the players must lay down tiles to create a path to the escape gate. If they reach the escape gate before the hunter reaches them, they win.

“We thought space as a theme would be a good fit for the mechanics of the game,” Fowler said. “There are tiles that are wormholes, which allow you to go from one side of the board to the other; and there are suns on the board, which you have to fly by really fast; so being in space allows players to interact with the tiles and use them in many different ways.”

Fowler and Noiseux met through work and developed a friendship, bonding especially over their mutual interest in tabletop games.

“Neither of our significant others liked to play games and we did, so it became this fun thing that we could do together,” Noiseux said.

Fowler has a passion for art and studied graphic design in college. He does both the design and the artwork for his games, which he said is unusual among game developers.

“Pretty much all game designers design the game, then hire an artist to do the art,” he said. “I get a fun, unique perspective, because as I’m designing a game I’m also thinking about the art. I can make sure that the artwork is reinforcing the design, and that the design is reinforcing the artwork, and that they really come together.”

Noiseux handles the marketing, play-testing and project management, but has been taking a more active role in the creative process for the company’s third game, False Queen, which is still in the early stages of development.

“I’m excited for us to start working together more closely and collaboratively on the designs,” she said.

Almost a Game
Order Wicked Apples ($15) or Space Chase ($45) at almostagame.com.

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