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Wendell bard serving role in Massachusetts Poetry Olimpics – Greenfield Recorder

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Wendell bard serving role in Massachusetts Poetry Olimpics – Greenfield Recorder


Paul Richmond will be the voice of poetic experience when he serves as the western part of the state’s representative to the Massachusetts Poetry Olimpics, an annual competition for bards across the commonwealth.

After participating in last year’s inaugural contest, the Wendell resident was tapped by the founder to serve as the regional lead for poets spanning from the Worcester area to the New York border.

“In order to have a democracy, people need to have their voices and feel free to speak their voices,” he told the Greenfield Recorder. “Poetry and stories … allow people to think about things they might not necessarily agree with.”

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The Massachusetts Poetry Olimpics (MAPO) divides the state into three regions — western, central and eastern. Poets compete in individual and team competitions in four events in as many months: Elegy May, Villanelle June, Sonnet July and Free Verse August. Each poet is encouraged to submit to every category.

Chia Lam, Team Eastern Massachusetts, the 2025 Massachusetts Poetry Olympics gold medalist and the 2026 Eastern Massachusetts representative. CONTRIBUTED

Interested scribes living in the western Massachusetts district should submit their work to Richmond, via paul@humanerrorpublishing.com. Submissions are open the month the particular event is held. Participants must register (tinyurl.com/MAPO2026) by April 30.

Richmond said last year’s competition enabled him to meet poets from every corner of the state.

“It was kind of nice,” he said.

Last year, Richmond submitted his poem “Revolution” for Free Verse August. It was named a “poem of importance.”

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The MAPO is the brainchild of Springfield resident Lawrence Green, who said he selected Richmond as the Western Massachusetts representative due to his ties to the local poetry community.

“I admire him greatly,” Green said.

Green conceived the idea for the MAPO to help take his mind off of the everyday stress he experienced while his son was battling liver cancer at Boston Children’s Hospital. He has always enjoyed the thrill of competition and used to pretend to be in the Olympics with neighborhood kids growing up, though he was always more of an artist than an athlete. He started pitching the MAPO idea and it took off.

Connolly Ryan, part of Team Western Massachusetts, was the 2025 Top Poet. CONTRIBUTED

“It got so many people that I was throwing it out to excited,” Green recalled. “I said, ‘Let’s go.’”

A Buffalo native and military veteran, Green credits poetry as a grounding force that helped him navigate the challenges of his service.

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“It basically saved my life, to be honest,” he said. “There’s nothing worse than war, and I’m a big advocate for peace.”

He mentioned this state’s rich history of poetic excellence, having fostered the talents of Elizabeth Bishop, W. E. B. Du Bois and E.E. Cummings. He said he hopes to help reignite the state’s nurturing of wordsmiths.

The competition’s participants will remain anonymous, as will the judges — with one from each district. All stages of the competition will be broadcast by regional studios. Event winners will be presented with medals at a ceremony that will be broadcast live in September.

Richmond, who has been writing poetry for at least 25 years and has published nine books, said last year’s ceremony was held in Fitchburg and another mid-state location is being sought this year. Awards will be given to individuals, as well as to regional teams based on cumulative points.

More information is available at: www.massachusettspoetryolimpics.com/

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Thursday’s 12 HS takeaways, including another Bumila start, a new girls’ hoop coach, and a major transfer – The Boston Globe

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Thursday’s 12 HS takeaways, including another Bumila start, a new girls’ hoop coach, and a major transfer – The Boston Globe


Correspondent Cam Pellegrino was in Norwell where the 15th-ranked Clippers’ boys’ lacrosse team stayed perfect with a win over No. 16 Scituate with help from Teddy Glynn’s five goals.

In boys’ volleyball, No. 3 Natick swept No. 8 Newton North as Luke Dratch handed out 32 assists.

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It all started with good news for the hockey community, as the proposed return of the Super 8/Division 1A tournament cleared a major hurdle, gaining approval from the MIAA’s Tournament Management Committee during a morning meeting in Franklin. All it needs now is approval from the finance committee and Board of Directors.

Find the rest of Thursday’s results on our scoreboard. Looking for a certain game? Try our sport-specific scoreboards: Baseball | Softball | Boys’ lacrosse | Girls’ lacrosse | Boys’ volleyball | Boys’ tennis| Girls’ tennis

Did you see Varsity News in your inbox Wednesday? If not, subscribe free to receive the most comprehensive high school sports newsletter once a week.

▪ King Philip senior McCoy Walsh, commited to Hofstra, eclipsed 700 career strikeouts during a 3-1 loss to Dighton-Rehoboth.

▪ Plymouth North sophomore Chloe Stasinos notched her 100th career strikeout with six whiffs in a 14-4 win over Duxbury.

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▪ Acton-Boxborough boys’ lacrosse scored a program-record 13 goals in the first period of an 18-10 win over Westford, paced by Will Cronin, who finished with six goals, Ethan Fennell, who scored five, and Thomas Quirk, who whipped five assists.

▪ Hoosac Valley senior Reagan Shea collected her 100th career goal during a win over Hampshire.

It’s hard to say any game involving Bumila on the mound is an upset, but technically Feehan’s win over St. John’s (Shrewsbury) was a No. 9 over a No. 2 in the Globe’s baseball Top 20 poll.

It’s also difficult to consider any Dighton-Rehoboth win an upset as the Falcons seek a third-straight state title, taking down No. 2 King Philip, 3-1, in the process thanks to junior Maddie Simonds’s game-tying solo homer in the fifth inning and sophomore Courtney Botelho’s two-run homer moments later.

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The unranked Middleborough softball team took took down No. 9 Bishop Feehan, riding a solo homer from Taylynn Robinson and a two-way performance from senior Taryn Clancy, who drove in two runs in the sixth inning and struck out 11 in the circle while scattering five hits to a 3-1 victory.

Also in softball action, No. 7 Norton defeated No. 4 Attleboro, 4-1.

▪ Freshman Payton Scuilli delivered the walkoff single to complete a 4-3 come-from-behind softball win for Silver Lake. Down 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Madisyn Thompson and Megan Arseneau walked before Katelyn Taylor’s sacrifice fly tied the game, setting the stage for Scuilli.

▪ With the clock winding down in overtime, Monomoy goalie Harry Beaumont walked the ball up the field and found Nick Garneau coming out of the substitution box. Garneau sprinted to the cage and deposited the winner with under 10 seconds remaining as the Sharks escaped with a 3-2 boys’ lacrosse win over Cape Cod Academy.

▪ With 11 seconds left, senior middie Zach Brady buried the winner for Milton, which beat Natick, 9-8, two days after scoring its first win over Needham in 20 years.

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Plymouth North junior Emerson Boyd crushed a grand slam, and four schools featured two home-run hitters Thursday.

Dighton-Rehoboth got homers from Simonds and Botelho, John King and Manny Delcarmen III both left the yard for East Bridgewater, Norton’s Natalia Faria and Avery Tinkham launched longballs, and Greater Lowell’s Lauryn Ducharme and Cora Wilder cranked round-trippers.

The rest of the day’s blasts belonged to Woburn’s Aislin Grammer, Minuteman’s Alyssa Collins, East Bridgewater’s Maggie Schlossberg, and Middleborough’s Robinson.

Alyssa Collins, Minuteman — The senior stacked up 17 strikeouts without a walk, tossing a shutout and going 3 for 3 with a homer at the plate in a 12-0 softball win over Nashoba Valley Tech.

Danny Kenney, Plymouth North — The senior nearly no-hit Duxbury in a 1-0 baseball win, settling for a one-hitter.

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John King, East Bridgewater — The junior nearly hit for the cycle, finishing a double shy and driving in four runs during a 10-0 baseball win over Rockland.

Julia Kipperman, Nauset — The Merrimack-bound junior followed up a 13-goal performance on Monday with nine goals in Thursday’s 20-5 win over St. John Paul II.

Ava MacLean, Walpole — The senior orchestrated the Timberwolves’ attack with eight assists, adding five goals in an 18-9 girls’ lacrosse victory over Wellesley.

Camryn Pendergast, Woburn — The sophomore fired a five-inning no-hitter, striking out five to blank Watertown, 13-0.

Senny Walton, Cape Cod Tech — The junior hit on fours, with 4 hits, 4 RBIs, and 4 runs scored in a 28-5 baseball rout of Mashpee.

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Cormac Heney, Hamilton-Wenham — The senior not only fired a five-inning no-hitter, he tripled and doubled in a 10-0 win over Lynnfield.

▪ Pembroke announced the promotion of former Braintree star Bella Scarpa to head coach of its girls’ basketball program. She takes over for Tim Lopes, who had helmed the program since 2018, winning a Patriot League title and South sectional in 2019. Scarpa, whose sister Allie is an assistant coach at UMass Boston, played at Regis and Eastern Connecticut after winning a state title with the Wamps.

“Bella’s basketball acumen combined with her strong ability to connect with young athletes will surely bring the program to new heights,” Lopes wrote on social media.

▪ Former Norwell and Nobles basketball star Grace Oliver is headed home. The 2023 Gatorade Player of the Year has committed to transfer to Boston College after playing one season at Colorado and one season at Wake Forest, where she averaged 14.3 points and 6.1 rebounds while starting 29 games and shooting 38.8 percent from deep.

▪ Bishop Feehan held a signing ceremony for its college-bound football players that featured Kane Mankins (Ole Miss), Mason Nealand (Bryant), Max Pennellatore (Utica), Momo Mills (RPI), Kaden Baltzar (Bentley), and Colin Lahiff (UNE).

▪ Masconomet senior Jimmy Farrell announced his commitment to play men’s basketball at WPI. The 1,000-point scorer averaged 19.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists while leading the Chieftans to the Division 2 championship game.

Former Nobles standout Caroline Ducharme, the two-time Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year, has signed a training camp invite with the Golden State Valkyries after wrapping up her challenging collegiate career at UConn.

The Milton native played 86 games at UConn, making 19 starts, and won the 2025 national title with the Huskies. If she makes the Valkeries roster, she will be teamamtes with Newton South graduate Veronica Burton, who is coming off winning the WNBA’s Most Improved Player award.

9. Rising the world ranks

Cambridge Rindge and Latin sophomore Natalya Cafasso rose to No. 3 in the world in junior women’s épée after capturing a silver medal at the Junior & Cadet Fencing World Championships in Rio de Janeiro.

The 16-year-old Cafasso placed eighth in junior women’s épée and helped Team USA secure a bronze medal in the team event. Her run included a victory over the reigning junior world champion in the quarterfinals.

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Julia Kipperman, Nauset, 9

Ciara Hendricks, Mashpee, 8

Cam Guedner, Tewksbury, 7

Riley Halloran, Walpole, 7

Bobby Olsen, Dover-Sherborn, 7

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Pat Connor, North Quincy/Quincy, 6

Will Cronin, Acton-Boxborough, 6

Amelia Hawkins, Nashoba Valley Tech, 6

Claire Howard, Mashpee, 6

Sophia Morin, Mashpee, 6

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Emily Regan, Cohasset, 6

Hanane Aboutoui, Methuen, 5

Ryan Brennan, Tewksbury, 5

Molly Campbell, Cohasset, 5

Avery Croteau, Barnstable, 5

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Ethan Fennel, Acton-Boxborough, 5

Lucy Francis, Bridgewater-Raynham, 5

Teddy Glynn, Norwell, 5

Quinn Gray, Waltham, 5

Ava MacLean, Walpole, 5

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Will Sesselman, Westwood, 5

Meg Sullivan, Nauset, 5

Reese Sullivan, Scituate, 5

Ava MacLean, Walpole, 8

Shea Sullivan, Scituate, 6

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Thomas Quirk, Acton-Boxborough, 5

Anya Kelsch, Sandwich, 4

Grayson Ryder, Tewksbury, 4

Maddie Campbell, Scituate, 3

Quinn Gray, Waltham, 3

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Trey Sweder, Methuen, 27

Harry Beaumont, Monomoy, 16

Jake Fiore, Newton North, 15

Ipp Routo, Brookline, 15

Devyn Blige, Norwell, 13

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Norah Swanson, Nauset, 13

Than Hunt, Sandwich, 11

Julia Dunfey, Greater Lowell, 10

Alyssa Collins, Minuteman, 17

Amaya Flood, Greater Lowell, 14

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Taryn Clancy, Middleborough, 11

Brody Bumila, Bishop Feehan, 9

Delaney D’Hondt, Methuen, 8

Danny Kenney, Plymouth North, 8

Lidia Miedema, Beverly, 8

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Bob Widdop, Duxbury, 7

Hailey Boutin, Seekonk, 5

Sophia Cappiello, Tewksbury, 5

Erin Gunn, Somerset Berkley, 5

Aislin Grammer, Woburn, 4

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John King, East Bridgewater, 4

Lila Sullivan, Cape Cod Tech, 4

Ryan Tullish, Middleborough, 4

Senny Walton, Cape Cod Tech, 4

Mia Basile, Woburn, 3

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Mia Davis, Tewksbury, 3

MC Gambino, Concord-Carlisle, 3

Maggie Schlossberg, East Bridgewater, 3

Senny Walton, Cape Cod Tech, 4

Julius Soto, Methuen, 3

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Lila Sullivan, Cape Cod Tech, 3


Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.





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Peek inside the most wishlisted Airbnb in Massachusetts

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Peek inside the most wishlisted Airbnb in Massachusetts


New England Travel

The glass house perched on 7 private, wooded acres deep in the Berkshires.

This “Mid-Century Glass Octagon” in the Berkshires is the most wishlisted Airbnb in Massachusetts.
Courtesy of Airbnb Community

If you’ve ever scrolled Airbnb and found yourself saving a listing out of wanderlust, welcome to the wish list industrial complex.

Airbnb this week named the most wishlisted properties across all 50 states, and the Bay State’s winner might surprise you. Massachusetts’ top honoree isn’t a shingled cottage on the Cape or a waterfront Nantucket mansion. It’s a mid-century octagonal glass house perched on 7 private, wooded acres in Otis, deep in the Berkshires. And it has a quirkier origin story than you’d expect.

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The “Mid-Century Glass Octagon” is located in Otis, Massachusetts. – Courtesy of Airbnb Community
The main living space has floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the woods. – Courtesy of Airbnb Community

The Mid-Century Glass Octagon was built in the 1970s as a kit house by the owners who had purchased the surrounding land as a private ski hill for their friend group, current owner Katherine Auleta said. It was originally off the grid, heated by a single wood stove, and lit by candelabras hanging from the rafters. By the time Auleta, a former New York fashion photographer, became the third owner, the home had been updated by its previous occupants but had drifted into what she described as “twee” territory — lots of colors, lots of little bird things everywhere.

Auleta stripped the interior back, leaned into the boldness of the octagonal structure, installed a mid-century fireplace gifted by a friend, and lined a shelf with photography books hauled up from her old New York City apartment. The result is a 4.95-star, 463-reviewed juggernaut — one of the most-loved homes on Airbnb, per its listing — that regularly books out at a pace that has guests telling her they’ve been trying to lock in dates for years.

“It’s a special home to me, and I love sharing it with other people,” said Auleta, who now lives on an island off Vancouver and manages the property remotely.

Getting to its lofty, wishlisted perch required some guest-driven compromises. Auleta resisted adding air conditioning (the home’s wraparound slatted windows were designed for natural airflow, she said) but eventually relented.

The octagonal space has an open floor plan. – Courtesy of Airbnb Community
The kitchen. – Courtesy of Airbnb Community

“That’s what people were asking for, so I did it,” she said. “Your guests are your best teachers, in a way.”

The hospitable philosophy extends to every touchpoint: linen bedding, organic bath products, and a hospitality instinct she traces back to a $3-a-night bamboo hut she once stayed in near Lombok, Indonesia, where French linens and a ceiling fan made a $3 stay feel like luxury.

The Airbnb sleeps four people, according to the listing. – Courtesy of Airbnb Community

Guests typically come from Boston, New York, and around the region — often for a romantic weekend, sometimes to get engaged — and they usually bring their groceries, light the fireplace, and stay put.

“The people that really get into the place are the people that are coming to unplug,” she said.

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The backyard. – Courtesy of Airbnb Community
The back deck has a fire pit. – Courtesy of Airbnb Community

Other New England honorees on Airbnb’s wish list roundup include a modern treehouse with hot tub and water views in Georgetown, Maine; a converted silo house on a Litchfield Hills estate in Connecticut; a tiny cabin retreat in Woodstock, New Hampshire; a tiny eco-cottage with lake views in Smithfield, Rhode Island; and a treehouse with sauna and stream access in Hardwick, Vermont. Consider these wishlisted homes proof that the folks looking for a Northeast getaway increasingly want something off the beaten path for true R&R. 






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Massachusetts debates potential ban on single-use plastic bags

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Massachusetts debates potential ban on single-use plastic bags


Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags as part of a broader $3.6 billion environmental bond bill.

State leaders estimate more than 2 billion plastic bags are used across Massachusetts each year, many of which end up as litter.

Shoppers spoke with NBC 10’s Martha Konstandinidis about the potential ban. (WJAR)

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If approved, stores would no longer provide plastic bags at checkout. Shoppers would need to bring reusable bags or pay at least 10 cents for paper bags.

Under the proposal, half of that fee would go toward a state Plastic Environmental Protection Fund, while the remaining portion would stick with retailers.

More than 160 communities in Massachusetts, including Boston, already have local plastic bag bans in place. Shoppers in Seekonk had mixed reactions to the proposal.

“It’s kind of environmentally better, but they shouldn’t be charging people for the bags,” said Bill Joyal.

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Some shoppers supported the change, citing environmental concerns.

“That’s a great idea. There’s too much plastic in the environment,” said John Kochanski of Rumford. “I use cloth reusable bags.”

Still, some worry about added costs at checkout.

“Now we’ve got to pay for the bags when the prices for the food you’re shopping for are already too expensive,” said Frank Formisano of Seekonk.

A worker putting items in a paper bag. (FILE)

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In Rhode Island, the state has already implemented a similar statewide plastic bag ban in 2024, along with a paper bag fee.

Lawmakers on Beacon Hill have passed similar proposals before, but they have not become law. The current bill also includes funding for climate resilience, clean water projects and infrastructure upgrades.

The proposal was up for debate in the Senate on Wednesday. If it passes, it would still need approval from the House and Gov. Maura Healey before becoming law.



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