Hi, friends:
Last week, I mentioned that we were working on a Pride story unlike any other you’ve read, and those words rang in my head while I was trying to come up with a headline that would capture everything that this week’s story encompasses: LGBT pride, enterprising millennials, books … Mongolia.
My general rule of thumb when it comes to headline writing is not to overdo it — I try to avoid dopey puns — so I thought it best to keep this one simple and straightforward. It truly is a Pride story unlike any other I’ve read. I think you’ll be interested in the angle, and in the journey of Aubrey Menarndt, who is originally from Belchertown and who graduated from Smith College in 2008.
The 32-year-old Menarndt has a fascination with Mongolia, where she has worked and studied, and she will be returning there this summer along with a stash of LGBT-themed books — she plans to hand deliver them to the LGBT Centre in the nation’s capital, Ulaanbaatar. Because the books were collected from Broadside Bookshop in Northampton and Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, it’s likely some of you reading right now donated copies yourselves. I hope Menarndt takes lots of notes and pictures and keeps us posted about how the gift was received.
Today (Thursday) marks the official first day of summer, and I’m happy to share with you another “Potluck” feature, this one an essay and recipe for a delicious “Rib Sloppy Joe Rub” contributed by Northampton’s own Belly of the Beast chef, Jesse Hassinger. Try it out! I plan to soon.
Finally, this is Caroline Pam’s final dispatch from the field for now. She’s got no shortage of stories to tell, and she will be contributing recipes occasionally in the coming months. For now, enjoy her essay about celebrating 10 years of farming in Sunderland, which just celebrated its 300th anniversary.
Have a great weekend.
Brooke Hauser