ellencdonker
FROM RUN-D.M.C. TO MAYIM BIALIK by Donny Levit
Dr. Mike finds inspiration in his hardcore band life It all started about two decades ago when a Craigslist ad caught the eye of Mike...
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STORIES
Our stories are all about the interesting people, places and things in Maplewood.
Read some here or page through our online issues.
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ellencdonker
- Nov 26, 2021
- 6 min
THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR by Sara Courtney
Creating some magic this season and organizing your life are not mutually exclusive As fall turns to winter, it’s time to turn our...
ellencdonker
- Nov 26, 2021
- 3 min
WHAT MATTERS THIS SEASON by Ellen Donker
Honoring our traditions even as they shift As the holidays are upon us, I’m looking forward to any excuse to be with family and friends...
ellencdonker
- Nov 26, 2021
- 5 min
FROM THE NBA TO FULL-TIME WRITER by Ellen Donker
Ken Gagne’s memoir chronicles his youth, home and family Ken Gagne’s father had a lot of pithy sayings. They were nuggets of wisdom –...
ellencdonker
- Oct 1, 2021
- 6 min
THE SNOWBALL EFFECT by Tia Swanson
Changing the world, one child at a time Lorraine Kerry Barnett grew up poor in the Central Ward of Newark during the dark period that...
ellencdonker
- Aug 13, 2021
- 2 min
MAKE ART. LEAVE ART. TAKE ART. By Ellen Donker
Maplewood resident creates a new kind of art gallery As an art therapist, Beth VanDusen is always creating. Having seen many of the Free...
ellencdonker
- Aug 13, 2021
- 4 min
TAKING ART – AND COMMUNITY – VIRTUAL By Tia Swanson
The Newark Museum of Art not only survived the pandemic, it thrived As has become painfully apparent over the last several months, the...
ellencdonker
- Aug 13, 2021
- 2 min
NEW JERSEY ARTS ANNUAL INCLUDES SOMA ARTISTS By Tia Swanson
One of the most moving exhibits at the Newark Museum of Art is its 2021 New Jersey Arts Annual. The 50 works on display – chosen from...
ellencdonker
- Aug 13, 2021
- 6 min
SOLVING A CONUNDRUM By Sara Courtney
A CHS student collaboration creates a video-game hit When Wesley Sappington got the idea to create a video game, he did what any budding...
ellencdonker
- Jun 11, 2021
- 7 min
FROM DIZZY GILLESPIE TO ARETHA FRANKLIN, JOHN LEE IS A SOUTH ORANGE JAZZ ALL-STAR By Donny Levit
The bass player and Grammy-winning producer knows how to play it local Let’s take a moment to revisit Thursday, February 27, 2020. John...
ellencdonker
- Jun 11, 2021
- 6 min
ACCIDENTAL BOOK MEETS ACCIDENTAL PUBLISHER By Tia Swanson
A serendipitous SOMA pairing of a writer, a month, and a press About 10 years ago, Pamela Erens was a bit stuck. Her first novel,...
ellencdonker
- Mar 12, 2021
- 3 min
A YEAR OF HOME LOVE By Cassandra Ratkevich
Positive domestic outcomes of a time of pandemic The Year I Didn’t Go to School by Giselle Potter was once a favorite bedtime picture...
ellencdonker
- Mar 12, 2021
- 6 min
NESTING COMFORTABLY by Carla Labianca
Residents take on projects to make their homes work better Here we are, spending way too much time lusting after the perfect rooms on...
ellencdonker
- Mar 12, 2021
- 5 min
BOTH SIDES NOW By Tia Swanson Photography by Julia Maloof Verderosa
A restoration lends a carriage house purpose 125 years later When New York native Christine Llewellyn Ohemeng and her husband, Kwame...
ellencdonker
- Nov 27, 2020
- 4 min
NEED A LITTLE EXTRA HELP FINDING JOY THIS SEASON? by Adrianna Donat
SOMA’s own Angeli Elliott brings you a festival of elves Angeli Elliott has a special connection with the holiday season. In love with...
ellencdonker
- Aug 14, 2020
- 6 min
MARK MURPHY'S MUSIC SCHOOL! LIVE! FROM THE BASEMENT! by Sara Courtney
The shutdown made them bored. The music kept them connected. Just a few months ago, before masks and hand sanitizer and the words “remote...
ellencdonker
- Aug 14, 2020
- 2 min
LOCAL AUTHOR HONORED IN 2020 INDIE BOOK AWARDS
The Journey of an Acorn by Maplewood resident Corey Wolff has been named by the Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group as one of...
ellencdonker
- Jun 19, 2020
- 4 min
PUBLISHING IN A PANDEMIC by Ellen Donker
Two local authors announce their newest works Eager to share the news of their just-published books with public launches, two Maplewood...
ellencdonker
- May 1, 2020
- 4 min
EVER HEARD OF DJANGO? by Donny Levit Photography by Julia Maloof Verderosa
Guitarist Stéphane Wrembel will make you a devotee At first listen, classical piano, Pink Floyd, and gypsy jazz possess vastly different...
ellencdonker
- May 1, 2020
- 3 min
WHAT IF WE ARE THE LAST HUMANS? by Abby Sher
Author Lee Bacon says that’s okay These days, it’s all too easy to get swept up in predictions about the end of the world as we know it....
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